EQM35-Pro EQMOD & Hyper Tune Questions

[Gmx76]

Hi, Just got a EQ35M-Pro and have a couple of questions.

Firstly, EQMod, do I need to modify the Eqmod.ini for with correct settings for the Eq35 as on here (currently set for heq5 by default ) https://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/prerequisites.html

Also, anyone hypertuned one of these or got one done? Can you increase payload, is it worth it? Thanks

[ONIKKINEN]

3 hours ago, Gmx76 said:

Hi, Just got a EQ35M-Pro and have a couple of questions.

Firstly, EQMod, do I need to modify the Eqmod.ini for with correct settings for the Eq35 as on here (currently set for heq5 by default ) https://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/prerequisites.html

Also, anyone hypertuned one of these or got one done? Can you increase payload, is it worth it? Thanks

You dont need to change anything in the EQMOD settings, it will work even though it says its for an HEQ5.

Sorry to tell you but there isn't much to hypertune in the EQM35 since the innards lack bearings. Its all supported by plastic washers and lubricant so any weight you put on the mount will immediately strain it. In my opinion its not a mount suitable for setups heavier than 5kg, and in an ideal scenario it would not be used for astrophotography at all.

That said, the factory finish is quite crude, with either too much or too little or the wrong type of lubricant in the mount so it will benefit from a teardown and clean if only by little. I found my EQM35 a little bit less bad after doing that with balancing seeing a noticeable improvement.

[malc-c]

As mentioned above you don't need to mess with any INI file or other settings in EQMOD for your mount.  Once connection has been made the handset or EQMOD interrogates the mainboard in the mount for details of the mounts firmware and the gearing ratios etc. The handset or EQMOD (or GSServer) then uses that info to identify the mount and thus ensure the motors step the required number to ensure the target is within the field of view at the end of the slew.

Edited June 3, 2023 by malc-c

[Gmx76]

thanks both for your replies, I started mucking about with it last night, but then changed my mind and went for the the assumption of "it aint broke, don't fix it." I'm testing at the moment, and so far guiding seems ok.

in terms of the hyper tuning, Dark Frame here in the UK talk about replacing some of the washers and lubricants wit bearings and giving it a "proper" hypertune so you can get 11kg imaging payload. Sounds a bit too good to be true, would love to hear if anyone has done this or achieved something like this themselves. I do like the idea of this mount being lightweight, but conscious there is always a sacrifice...

[malc-c]

The mount is rated at 10kg for visual, and 7kg for imaging.  There is no way you'll get 11kg imaging load on that mount just by replacing the bearings.  

[malc-c]

The other thing to consider is that by the time you have paid for the mount and to have it hypertuned, you could get the HEQ5 pro goto for an additional £86...  which will give you 11kg imaging load

[ONIKKINEN]

Discussion of dark frame optics tends to end in a locked thread so lets not get into too much detail, but the short version of the story is dont bother with that company. You could search the forum for that topic, although im not sure any threads have survived.

11kg will absoluyely not happen on that mount, its just too flimsy structurally. I have an AZ-EQ6 and would consider 11kg a high payload!

I used my eqm35 with a VX8, which initially with a DSLR weighed around 7-8kg which was already too much. The mount will simply not guide well under such loads and i ended up turning dec guiding off and only shooting at high declination targets with short exposures to get away with no dec input.

If you have a heavy setup on the mount i highly recommend you reconsider the choice of mount before you go bald from the stress of dealing with it.

[jif001]

Certainly the EQM35 is not the best mount on the market, but nor is it the most expensive so you can't expect the best quality from it. I find it has worked quite well for widefield work - Samyang 135 or Sharpstar 61 EDPHII in my case (with a cooled mono camera and filter wheel so a bit of extra weight). If you want evidence of its astrophotography capabilities then see the attached image created using data gathered using it with the Sharpstar 61 (14 hours).

It can be an absolute pig at times, particularly the Dec axis where backlash seems to be ever present no matter what tweaks I have made. Getting the RA gears to mesh properly can also be a challenge - I was finding some high-frequency periodic errors that had PHD2 chasing them constantly, caused simply by the repeated meshing of individual gear teeth every 10 seconds or so. Persevere with the small tweaks and you may be able to tune it yourself into something very useable, but recognise its limitations - it's for lightweight scopes only. PHD2 Log Viewer is a great tool to help you pinpoint the problematic periodic errors and target them.

There is a video online by a bloke who replaced the washers in his EQ3 with needle bearings. It's essentially the same mount as the EQM35 so I had a go, and it was all straightforward enough. However, my RA motor failed before I could have a good go at testing it, so I really don't know if it improved matters. My solution to the RA motor failure was a new motor and a home-made belt mod, which you can read about in the attached link. There's a link to the bearing mod video there too. The belt mod (possibly helped by the bearing mod) has been very successful and I've been scratching my head over how to do the equivalent to the Dec axis (the linked thread explains the issues with that). I think I have at last found and implemented a solution for it, and will be testing it tonight if all goes well, so hope to update that thread this week.

 

 

[malc-c]

Lovely image...

[Gmx76]

Great feedback all, thanks.  Would love to hear more about the belt and bearing mods on this mount. 

Edited June 5, 2023 by Gmx76
B

[Gmx76]

hi @jif001 did you get anywhere with the Dec belt mod?

[jif001]

Yes - see the updates added to the thread linked above 👍🏻

[JeromeW]

My EQM35 worked just fine with my old telescope. When I purchased my new Askar V which is almost 5 pounds heavier the DEC would no longer guide. I just upgraded my DEC with the Low Cost Belt Drive and a NEMA 17 stepper motor. I tested it inside, but I won't know for sure if the DEC guides until I get my rig outside. My Askar V is about 12 pounds with cameras, focuser, ASIAIR, etc.