Is my setup unbalanced?

[Rob20236]

Hi all.

Due to viewing restrictions I need to mount my guide scope to the side. Will this setup unbalance my rig while imaging?

Thanks inadvance

[Rob20236]

I should have said the reason I ask is I have only had the scope a short time and the limited imaging I've had with this scope ive been struggling with guiding.  So could it be balance or my mount? 

[newbie alert]

Hi Rob, im sure that it is.. if you balance it as well as you can it guides better and puts less strain on you mount

Looks like a AVX?

I balance DEC axis first and then RA

Any reason why you can't put the guide scope  on top?

[Rob20236]

im pretty sure i have the rig balanced overall in RA and as good as you can judge the stiff dec axis on the avx. its just the guide scope being mounted to the side is my worry. with a stiff dec axis its hard to judge if the balance will be guide scope side heavy.

 

[Rob20236]

oh and sorry. the reason i dont mount the  guide scope on top is i dont have a garden or any outside area to image from.so when i cant get out i have to use the skylight in loft and i am limited with movement and the guide scope will hit the widow. i can only get about 25 degrees of altitude imaging from skylight (starting from 20 degrees to 45 degrees). so need the guide scope as low as possible

also have had a few collisions with window which is why i wasnt sure if it was balnce or backlash in mount , which i have just adjusted out but yet to test with weather here at the minute.

thank you

[Rob20236]

and just a thought. if it does turn out to be balance when i finally manage to image again (im pretty handy with the avx's internals by now after stripping it down and adjusting it a few times so pretty sure backlash wont be an issue now) does anyone think that moving the guide scope further back. more central with the mount clamp will help? 

only thinking this as on my last scope i moved the guide scope to the side of the main scope. but was mounted directly to the main scope pretty much center of mount clamp.

or am i just over thinking this and it was backlash all the while.. hmmm damn weather lol  

[Carbon Brush]

Suggestion. Take the entire assembly off the mount.
Find a narrow bar and fix it vertical to a table top.
Place your complete assembly of dovetail bar, scope, guide scope, etc on the bar.
If you need to move a long way from the dovetail cantre to get balance, you have a problem that you can measure.

A solution. Put a weight on the right side of your main scope of balance the guide scope weight.

Just a couple of random thoughts.

David.

[Rob20236]

good random thoughts. thank you. dont know why i didnt think to measure canter of gravity off the mount. i did think of offsetting the weight of the guide scope. i have a 300mm bar with guide scope side as close to main scope as possible with my rasberry pi mounted as far other side but the pi weighs nothing really.

thank you agin

[ollypenrice]

The answer is yes, you are not balanced. The basic 2-axis balance routine is based on the assumption that the Dec axis is symmetrical when usually it is not.

You really need to follow the dual rig balance routine:

C/W bar locked horizontal, scope vertical and free. Does it stay vertical? Can you rotate it to any angle without it moving? If not, contrive weights on one side of the scope till you can.

Then balance using the simple two-axis routine.

Olly

[Rob20236]

thank you, will try this