Restoring my trusty Neq6?

[Gasman]

Hi guys

Toying with getting back into astro after a 4+year hiatus. My trusty old Neq6 mount has been covered up in my obs patiently waiting and I unlocked its clutches yesterday to see if it moves ok which it does with a slight stiffness. I didn't power it up as the power source was used for other things and I think it would benefit greatly from a strip down. I came across Rother valley optics new web site ( I actually bought the mount from them many moons ago) and see they offer a full strip down / belt change for these mounts. It's not cheap at £375 and admittedly a nice chunk towards a new mount. Watched a few YouTube's on stripping these down and looks fiddly , not sure I can still do 'fiddly' now 😉. I'd be interested to hear from others who have done this strip down and also if any have used the RVO option please?.

Cheers

Steve

[malc-c]

I've not stripped down an EQ6, but I was inspired when I was researching converting my HEQ5 to belt drive by the guys who had converted their EQ6's and remember the task was a lot more complicated and invasive than the HEQ5.  Granted the Rowan kit has been designed to be a DIY fit, but it still involves more removal of parts to gain access compared to the HEQ5.  I can't vouch for the increased performance a belt mod has on an EQ6, but when I did my HEQ5 it gave better tracking, better goto precision and made the mount a lot quieter.

No one can tell you not to spend the money and take the mount for servicing and upgrade (bear in mine that £152 of that is the cost of the Rowan belt kit) or to put the money to whatever you get for the EQ6 and purchase a new mount.  £220ish pounds may seem a lot for a clean and re-grease, but then there is a fair amount of labour involved, and at the end of the day they are a business so need to turn a profit.  

[Gasman]

Thanks for the quick reply malc. I did just wonder if anyone found the RVO option worth it given the motors and circuitry are still the age of the mount. I assume they are tested as part of the service but I don't expect them to be changed in the price !

Steve

[malc-c]

Probably worth giving the guys at RVO a call and ask exactly what they do for the money.  Parts such as motors and mainboard won't be replaced for the money, and to be fair with such things they either work or don't..  My guess is that they clean and re-lubricate the bearings, and generally "service" the mount so that it performs as good as it did (or better) than the day it left the factory.  They do mention an opportunity to purchase and fit higher precision bearings as an optional upgrade, but that could add a further  £100 (or so) on top of the price.

I guess it's like modern cars.  Other then changing spark plugs, oil and filters there is little more you can do yourself when servicing it, and chances are most garages will do the same, but they will also check lots of other components which takes time, hence why servicing via a main dealer is so costly.  The same goes for your mount.   You could purchase the Rowan kit and fit the upgrade yourself, and if you have the confidence, possibly remove, clean and re-grease the bearings.  It may all go back perfectly and the mount could function as good or better than before your dismantled it.  But it may also be a case that things don't go so sweetly and you need to send it to RVO for them to re-build it.  Certainly the HEQ5 is a LOT simpler to upgrade as the gearing is fully exposed and accessible, but the EQ6, as mentioned is more fiddly.  

[Gasman]

Been watching Kari Brown's excellent YouTube's today in doing the belt upgrades and I'm feeling a bit more confident about tacking it myself although Kari had a few hiccups it was very interesting and helpful to watch him, don't ya just love YouTube 😄.

Steve

[bottletopburly]

Used RVO for doing a belt mod a few years ago can’t recommend I’m afraid , shoddy springs to mind , won’t mention the sick they left in the gears .

[malc-c]

3 hours ago, bottletopburly said:

Used RVO for doing a belt mod a few years ago can’t recommend I’m afraid , shoddy springs to mind , won’t mention the sick they left in the gears .

I'm shocked, I would have expected better. @Gasman  yes Youtube has some decent channels on it, and if those videos have inspired confidence then give it a go.

[dunc]

I did my own bearing changes (SKF) and belting online belt drive upgrade (easy on an NEQ6) years ago. Well worth it, made a huge difference. Been using the mount for many years in my observatory. The only thing I would do differently is PTFE grease instead of straight lithium grease. Indeed just cleaning out the Skywatcher grease and regreasing is an upgrade in itself. If you can wield a screwdriver and an allen key go for it.

Hope that helps, good luck.

Duncan

[dunc]

Forgot this, Astrobaby  did the definitive stripdown guides for EQ5 and EQ6 hardware years ago, all praise to Astrobaby. It's where I got my encouragement to do my first mount stripdown, never looked back.

[Gasman]

3 hours ago, bottletopburly said:

Used RVO for doing a belt mod a few years ago can’t recommend I’m afraid , shoddy springs to mind , won’t mention the sick they left in the gears .

I don't think sick in the gears would help with slewing 😂.

Steve

[bottletopburly]

49 minutes ago, Gasman said:

I don't think sick in the gears would help with slewing 😂.

Steve

Meant stick 😂

[Clarkey]

I have stripped down, replaced bearings and regreassed an HEQ5 and an AZ-EQ6. Both were pretty straightforward to do. I followed a YouTube guide (sorry can't remember which). Just be methodical and organised - really nothing too it. In terms of performance, there was a noticeable improvement so worth the couple of hours work.