how do I motorise and goto this mount

[skippyinspace]

My ioptron EQ goto mount has died, Its been away for repair and now been informed its BER

So Im looking at the celeston EQ mount that came with the C8N many years ago and thought is there a kit that can turn it into a goto scope.

my main use is visual observing but have an zwo asi 120 mc camera so would probably give that a shot.

Dont have mutch of a budget and as the mount is going on a pier I dont need a tripod if anyone suggests a new mount rather than a mod kit

budget would be around 300 to 500 pounds

Thanks in advance 

Ian

[Cosmic Geoff]

A number of mounts in this class are basically the same. If this mount is sufficiently similar to a Sky-watcher EQ-5, you can bolt on the Synscan upgrade kit (about £359) and away you go.  For a little more money, you could possibly source a used EQ-5 Synscan mount, complete.

If not, there are DIY routes for adding a GoTo that can be controlled from a laptop, i.e source 2x motors and build a controller board. 

[malc-c]

In what way did the original ioptron EQ goto mount fail ?  Seems strange that its beyond repair.

[skippyinspace]

16 hours ago, malc-c said:

In what way did the original ioptron EQ goto mount fail ?  Seems strange that its beyond repair.

Initial failure was the wieghts had pulled the motor gears appart so that they didnt mesh nd then there was a coms error, I replaced the cable  with a new one as that was what the manual said to do. Still had the same error so sent it of for repaire but the card for this mount was not in production so a second hand one was sourced. The mount is still not working and Iopton say it could be a motor issue and the repairer has said that going down this road may incur high costs.  At the end of the day I belive the ioptron unit is an equivielent to the one of the first skywather goto mount kits.

[LuckieEddie]

Looks like a good candidate for an OnStep conversion to me. You can go full DIY for around £100 or there are ready made kits available for more cost but less effort - still well within your budget. This class of mount is well supported, there's lots of existing conversions. I OnStepped an E-Q5 - works well.

[malc-c]

9 hours ago, skippyinspace said:

Initial failure was the wieghts had pulled the motor gears appart so that they didnt mesh nd then there was a coms error, I replaced the cable  with a new one as that was what the manual said to do. Still had the same error so sent it of for repaire but the card for this mount was not in production so a second hand one was sourced. The mount is still not working and Iopton say it could be a motor issue and the repairer has said that going down this road may incur high costs.  At the end of the day I belive the ioptron unit is an equivielent to the one of the first skywather goto mount kits.

Sounds like a common trend where mainboards are concerned.  Have a read of this thread which covers repairs to SW control boards.  I would suspect the the Iopton boards are much the same.  If you still have the old mount could you post up a picture of the goto controller PCB so I can confirm if this is possible.

[skippyinspace]

5 hours ago, LuckieEddie said:

Looks like a good candidate for an OnStep conversion to me. You can go full DIY for around £100 or there are ready made kits available for more cost but less effort - still well within your budget. This class of mount is well supported, there's lots of existing conversions. I OnStepped an E-Q5 - works well.

Interesting but my technical skills are not upto it.

 

[Cosmic Geoff]

If you intend to do anything with the Celestron mount it would be useful to establish what model it is - CG4 or CG5? - and how many teeth are on the wormwheels. Both were clones of Vixen mounts (as are, it seems the Skywatcher EQ3 and EQ5).  The GoTo version of the CG5 was superseded by the AVX. The CG4 is said to be similar in weight class to the EQ3.  Going by what I have read, the CG5 GoTo was not very reliable.

[skippyinspace]

I sent Celestron a email as the unit is close to 20 years old if not more. There response was helpful and gives me a new starting point. Thoughts on a replacement?

Thank you for contacting Celestron Technical Support.
If you have the original C8N Newtonian telescope that came with a CG5 mount, there is no "upgrade" kit for it.
In order to attain computer-controlled GOTO functions, the CG5 mount can be replaced with the Advanced VX mount.
I know you are on a pier, but unfortunately, the Advanced VX mount is only sold with a tripod.

[Cosmic Geoff]

Buying a used AVX would be a sensible move if you want to stick with Celestron.  The Nexstar system is relatively easy to use.

Or a used Skywatcher EQ5 Synscan if you prefer. The load capacity is slightly less than the AVX, IIRC.

A resurrected CG5 GoTo would not be a great choice from what I've read, even if you could find the parts and they fit a 20 year old mount.

Somebody somewhere might want a manual CG5.