Where to buy a cheap second hand EQ-5 goto kit such as Synscan or similar?

[Inimbrium]

Hi

 

I have an old parts assembled a skywatcher 250-1200 OTA (the old blue variant) on an eq-5 to form a nice telescope for under £300 if you can believe it, that I built over the years but can't afford to buy parts as new.

I do know it's underpowered, but it's the best I can do given my income. Maybe one day I'll get an eq-6 for it, but not anytime soon. Worst case I'll downgrate the OTA to something lighter, but I still need a goto kit.

So the question is: Where to buy a cheap second hand EQ-5 goto upgrade kit such as Synscan or similar? It would be nice if there was an android app based system over bluetooth or wifi or something but any goto with a library and an lcd display will do.

 

Inimbrium

Edited August 13, 2023 by Inimbrium

[Celerondon]

You could take a look at this kit.  Is it neither cheap nor second hand but it does meet your other requirements.  The EQStarProEQ5 kit includes a belt drive mod, WiFi connectivity, and SynScan compatibility.  The kit contains a simple joystick type hand controller and provides a USB interface for connecting to a PC or ASIAIR.   Once modified, a GEM can be controlled from a tablet or other mobile device that is running SynScan and the SkySafari Pro sky atlas app. 
 

If the AstroGadget kit is beyond your budget it may still serve as a yardstick for what should be available for a given sum of money. 
 

Don

[DaveL59]

Is there a particular reason you want the goto kit, or would a push-to suffice? 

There's a couple ways to do that with an android phone on a cradle mounted to the scope that would get you close to or on target. Then a simple RA motor would keep the object in the eyepiece view.