Which direction RA scale Tal 2

[musherrob]

Hi all,..Ok hopefully soon a new motor and gearbox is to arrive so get my scope up and running on a good head of steam....so....here goes !

I try imagine that my mount is Polar Aligned and locked(clamped) on.! and that the RA Axis runs in an arc from left to right which i think/believe will follow a given track of an object.I then for example choose M31 in Andromeda to track.So this where my lack of brain grasping power ends!!To begin this do i rotate the telescope on its DEC axis and then fine tune the slow motion hand controls for the RA axis to the choosen object then open the throttle on the motor to take over the tracking...phewww!!.

It is mentioned in the shelves of this lounge that the RA ring(as photo)is set for the Southern Hemisphere...so...is not the case that it could be reversed on the mount..I promise !! i am learning as i go along but it seems to be all Astro Engineering at the moment hermited away in my potting shed...So bear with us for all these fundemental questions..Ta folks .Rob

[AndyH]

Hi all,..Ok hopefully soon a new motor and gearbox is to arrive so get my scope up and running on a good head of steam....so....here goes !

I try imagine that my mount is Polar Aligned and locked(clamped) on.! and that the RA Axis runs in an arc from left to right which i think/believe will follow a given track of an object.I then for example choose M31 in Andromeda to track.So this where my lack of brain grasping power ends!!To begin this do i rotate the telescope on its DEC axis and then fine tune the slow motion hand controls for the RA axis to the choosen object then open the throttle on the motor to take over the tracking...phewww!!.

It is mentioned in the shelves of this lounge that the RA ring(as photo)is set for the Southern Hemisphere...so...is not the case that it could be reversed on the mount..I promise !! i am learning as i go along but it seems to be all Astro Engineering at the moment hermited away in my potting shed...So bear with us for all these fundemental questions..Ta folks .Rob

Good news on the motor Rob.

What do you mean "locked(clamped) on" ? Unlike most eq mounts there are no clamps/locks on either axis of this mount. The RA and DEC should be balanced and the RA clutch should be adjusted also. Roughly polar align, push your scope by hand, both in RA and DEC, to the desired object, using the excellent 8x50 finder. Properly centre with the both RA and DEC knobs and switch on the motor to keep it centred. If you know the objects RA and DEC 'numbers', you could then set the circles so. Simple as that. No unlocking, moving scope, locking mount , like other eq mounts.

Nothing but relabeling with stickers or similar will fix the wrongly numbered RA circles.

Andy.

[musherrob]

Thanks Andy..As the mount inserts into the pillar it is set(tightened) by 3 knurled screws to stop it rotating in side the pillar.I then angle the mount to align with say Polaris and then lock this in position by way of the clamp and large wheel as in photo..so in effect the actual mount is locked and stay aligned !!correct me if i,m wrong!.

I take your point about the reading of the RA scales so would it be a mirror image or basically in reverse ?

The motor and gearbox have been a "numb skulling" project in searching and managed to locate a dealer(Crouzet) who supplies a motor and gearbox with the correct reduction ratio.I had to supply them with the total number of teeth on the Worm wheel then the number of teeth for the worm shaft gear(cog) and the cog which was attached to the damaged gear box...then...they took the Siderial Day of 1436 min and calc from that to give me the correct ratio motor and gearbox an option of 240 or 12v..then its down the shed trekking a well trodden path assemble it..Hope i can find some Meccano bits in the murky depths of the shed !! Rob

[AndyH]

Ahha. I see what you mean. Yes, that sounds right.

Andy.

[Doc]

The setting circles on my Tal 100r were in reverse, I had to re- number them in the correct direction

[musherrob]

One point i meant to raise was how important is it to have the mount level on the ground for tracking the RA axis ?

[AndyH]

One point i meant to raise was how important is it to have the mount level on the ground for tracking the RA axis ?

Very. I use a spirit level. If you're ground is terribly uneven, try investing in a Tal Wooden tripod. Carries the 2M mount very well. Used one at Kielder to great effect.

Andy.