Well! My scope has arrived....

[Martyn_Bannister]

... and I think I understand most of it

Here's an album with some pictures.

The learning curve looks quite steep at the moment, but I reckon the first thing to do is colliamate the scope. I have looked through the eyepiece tube and identified that the secondary mirror holder seems to encroach into the view, so that needs sorting out. I reckon that I have identified the screws that are used to do the adjusting, so I have to make myself a collimating eyepiece next.

Anyone have any experience of this scope and know what this gizmo does?

This is going to be interesting

Also, any tips on how to polar align a mount like this? There ain't no hole through the RA axis....

[SpookyKatt]

Conrats on your new scope Martyn, I think that is a lever

for when the RA motor is connected i.e. if you wanted to

motorise the mount.

I guess it must allow you disengauge the motor to make

it easier to swing the scope around to another target.

Kathleen

[Martyn_Bannister]

Conrats on your new scope Martyn, I think that is a lever

for when the RA motor is connected i.e. if you wanted to

motorise the mount.

I guess it must allow you disengauge the motor to make

it easier to swing the scope around to another target.

Kathleen

Hi Kathleen. Thanks

Hmmmm... yes, it's in the right area, but the instructions on how it all fits together are a bit vague (well, non existant actually).

This shot shows the RA motor in place. The black drive coupling sticking out of the box is keyed onto the RA slow motion shaft. At the motor end the drive coupling is fixed with an allen key, so that's meant to be "permanent". At the RA shaft end it's a finger screw, so that's how I figured the drive is disengaged, just by undoing that screw. The little gizmo doesn't seem to connect or interact with anything, so I'm a bit lost at the moment. I reckon a trawl of the Konusmotor site is in order. It's hissing down outside and will be for the next day or so, so at least I'm not missing out on anything

[RayGil]

Yes that piece is the clutch, as pointed out earlier in another post, it allows you to swing the scope manually.

This pic is off my Skywatcher 130.

Hope it helps?

Ray

[SpookyKatt]

Martyn,

Is that the correct motor for an EQ2 ?

Kathleen

[RayGil]

Forgot this is an EQ2 Mount and RA Drive, as came with the SkyWatcher 130:

[Martyn_Bannister]

Yes that piece is the clutch, as pointed out earlier in another post, it allows you to swing the scope manually.

<snip pic>

This pic is off my Skywatcher 130.

Hope it helps?

Ray

Hi Ray, Thanks for the picture, and I know I'm being thick , but I can't see how this gizmo can act as a clutch. Everyone is right I'm sure, but it just doesn't seem to actually connect or interact with anything. How exactly does it work on your Skywatcher?

[Martyn_Bannister]

Martyn,

Is that the correct motor for an EQ2 ?

Kathleen

I thought I had an EQ1? And it's the motor that came with it. Unfortunately the instruction manual didn't

[MarkF]

Looks like your motor is different, some motors run a cog against the teeth of the RA wheel, that lever would disengage that cog enabling free wheeling as it were. just a wild guess but I had the same lever on an old mount and that was what it was described as being able to do.

[SpookyKatt]

I thought I had an EQ1? And it's the motor that came with it. Unfortunately the instruction manual didn't

Sorry Martyn, I thought it was an EQ2.

Maybe as Markf has said the motor is a different type so the

clutch is no longer necessary.

Does it work in its current configuration ? Can you hear it

move ?

By the way you can get pdf's of the skywatcher manuals here :

http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/manuals.asp

Kathleen

[RayGil]

Well this is with the eq2 but it may give you an idea?

First Pic Engaged :

Send Pic Disengaged, the Clutch pushes against the bar and moves the gear.

Ray

[Damnit]

Nice scope and album ....

BTW does that lever not just tighten, or lock on to the motor or something?

On my EQ3 the clutches just tighten up or loosen on each axis so allowing me to move the scope freely around and then once tightened you use the controls to move it.

If you don't get an answer, maybe increase the aperture of lens you used to take the picture (so there is more depth of field in focus) and post another couple of angles so that people can better see what is going on?

[Martyn_Bannister]

Looks like your motor is different, some motors run a cog against the teeth of the RA wheel, that lever would disengage that cog enabling free wheeling as it were. just a wild guess but I had the same lever on an old mount and that was what it was described as being able to do.

Hi Mark,

Hmm, yes, maybe the gizmo is there for a different motor drive? The one that came with the scope works as shown below and there seems no obvious way to disconnect it apart from the finger screw in the flex drive. That locates with a flat on the RA shaft though, so reconnecting it again may be a bit of a trial.

Maybe the drive is not the one supposed to be fitted

[Martyn_Bannister]

Well this is with the eq2 but it may give you an idea?

First Pic Engaged :

<snip pic>

Send Pic Disengaged, the Clutch pushes against the bar and moves the gear.

<snip pic>

Ray

Hi Ray. Perfect, I see how yours works now. I have the wheel with the milled edge, but that's not being used by the drive I have. See my other post with diagram. Looks like mine was designed for a motor like yours and the motor I've been sold is a cheap aftermarket add-on

[Martyn_Bannister]

Nice scope and album ....

BTW does that lever not just tighten, or lock on to the motor or something?

On my EQ3 the clutches just tighten up or loosen on each axis so allowing me to move the scope freely around and then once tightened you use the controls to move it.

If you don't get an answer, maybe increase the aperture of lens you used to take the picture (so there is more depth of field in focus) and post another couple of angles so that people can better see what is going on?

I have hand wheel locks which enable large movements on each axis by releasing the mount to move independantly of the slow motion drives. Don't fancy trying to locate the target doing that though. Rather disconnect the drive and use the slow motion wheel. I might query this setup with the seller. He advertised it as complete with motor, but if it's just a cheap aftermarket job he should have made that clear.

[SpookyKatt]

Maybe yours is just a simpler design Martyn, same functionality

just simpler design.

Kathleen

[MarkF]

I wouldn't worry about it then, the drive is just as good I am sure, just loosen off the finger bolt to move the scope in freewheel mode then tighten back up to use the motor. More than one way to skin a cat as they say..... or perhaps that saying is a bit un-PC nowadays

[RayGil]

But does it need it Martyn? maybe there is a disengage button on the control box that allows the RA drive to move without the teeth engaged if that makes sense?

I don't know that EQ1 i'm afraid.

Ray

[MarkF]

I have hand wheel locks which enable large movements on each axis by releasing the mount to move independantly of the slow motion drives. Don't fancy trying to locate the target doing that though. Rather disconnect the drive and use the slow motion wheel. I might query this setup with the seller. He advertised it as complete with motor, but if it's just a cheap aftermarket job he should have made that clear.

Thats how you do it manually, line the target up tighten all the clutches and then use the slow mo/motor controls to keep it in view.

[John]

I see your scope is a Konusmotor 130. They are similar to Skywatcher equivilents but not exactly the same. The mount seems to be somewhere between a Skywatcher EQ1 and EQ2. The motor supplied looks more like the one that the Skywatcher EQ1 uses.

[John]

This document might help a bit:

http://www.celestron.com/c3/images/files/downloads/1245780194_powerseekerinst.pdf

It's the manual for a range of Celestron Scopes that use a mount that looks similar to yours and uses the same motor drive unit.

I've read a few reviews of the Konus 130 which gripe about the clarity of the supplied manual so you would not be the first to be confused by it !.

[Martyn_Bannister]

This document might help a bit:

http://www.celestron.com/c3/images/files/downloads/1245780194_powerseekerinst.pdf

It's the manual for a range of Celestron Scopes that use a mount that looks similar to yours and uses the same motor drive unit.

I've read a few reviews of the Konus 130 which gripe about the clarity of the supplied manual so you would not be the first to be confused by it !.

Hi John,

Thats an excellent link. Thanks so much for that. I didn't get a manual with the scope, just a diagram . The manual in the link details the use of the same motor drive I have. I do indeed have it set up correctly and the gizmo is not used with this drive. However, even this manual glosses over the fact that the RA slow motion in locked by the motor drive when it is fitted. This means that only coarse adjustments are possible by hand. I shall have to see how practical this is when the clouds finally go away.

Very importantly, it also confirms the collimation procedure. I have indeed found the right screws

Thanks again.

[John]

The drive supplied with your scope appears to be the budget drive for the EQ2 as sold here:

Sky Watcher RA Economy Motor Drive for EQ2

If you find it has limitations, for a modest investment it might be possible to fit the type of eq2 drive that others have pictured and as sold by First Light Optics:

Skywatcher - Skywatcher RA Motor Drive for EQ2

I'd see how it goes with what you have got to start with though.

Keep us posted !.

[Martyn_Bannister]

The drive supplied with your scope appears to be the budget drive for the EQ2 as sold here:

Sky Watcher RA Economy Motor Drive for EQ2

If you find it has limitations, for a modest investment it might be possible to fit the type of eq2 drive that others have pictured and as sold by First Light Optics:

Skywatcher - Skywatcher RA Motor Drive for EQ2

I'd see how it goes with what you have got to start with though.

Keep us posted !.

Hi John, yes the first one is the one.

I am thinking I was wrong with my mount and it may well be a cross between an EQ2 and an EQ3 Certainly seems more robust than the EQ1's on your linked site. Apologies to all

The second link looks like the same unit that Ray has and I might well consider that as an upgrade, since it looks like it will indeed fit my mount. But you are right, I need to try it out and find its limitations before I go "improving" matters. As the saying goes, "upgrade yourself before upgrading your kit"

Thanks for you help.