Jump to content

SkySurveyBanner.jpg.21855908fce40597655603b6c9af720d.jpg

WARNING - Bendy EQ6 Altitude Bolts


Astro_Baby

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 155
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Unfortunately to remove the base plate from the mount which was essential the EQ6 side trim plate (the one with the EQ6 logo on it) was broken.

This is exactly the sort of hassles you can have with the EQ6 and HEQ5 with the standard factory bolts - looks like I have some needle filing to do over the next few nights :icon_eek:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Belive me £24 for astro developments replacement bolts is the best £24 you will ever spend in this game on your mount.

I'm ok - I have the tools and know how to fix it, no idea what an engineering shop would charge but it would be more than £24 for sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

wow, thats some mess. im planning to buy one of those eq6 mounts in the hopefully near future, if all goes well, so i should be ordering the upgrade bolts as soon as i order the mount and replace straight away, when one of these mounts are new is their any problems getting the old bolts out or do they go like that after time?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Worth remembering to take the weight off the setup when adjusting the ALT angle, and of course slackening the opposing bolt. Too easy to be hamfisted when hands are freezing :icon_eek:

You've got a job on removing that bolt there though Mel!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

wow, thats some mess. im planning to buy one of those eq6 mounts in the hopefully near future, if all goes well, so i should be ordering the upgrade bolts as soon as i order the mount and replace straight away, when one of these mounts are new is their any problems getting the old bolts out or do they go like that after time?

Don't panic, they only go like that with heavy handedness. :icon_eek:

Even with replacement bolts you would be at risk of stripping out the threaded hole for the bolt, so in all cases, take it easy :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Belive me £24 for astro developments replacement bolts is the best £24 you will ever spend in this game on your mount.

I'm ok - I have the tools and know how to fix it, no idea what an engineering shop would charge but it would be more than £24 for sure.

Couldn't agree more Mel- the factory stnd are shoddy, cheap and built like a pipe-cleaner. Swapped mine out shortly after i bought my mount and have never regretted the decision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

wow, thats some mess. im planning to buy one of those eq6 mounts in the hopefully near future, if all goes well, so i should be ordering the upgrade bolts as soon as i order the mount and replace straight away, when one of these mounts are new is their any problems getting the old bolts out or do they go like that after time?

order them immediately and they will come out easily if the mount is new.

Astro Developments

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the bolt reaction pad inside the mount is a very poor design and generates a huge sideways load on the Alt bolts at UK latitudes, add to that the poor quality monkey metal the bolts are made from it is almost a certainty that the bolts will bend.

Re-machining the internal pad so it is more suitable to the UK latitudes is the obvious solution as it would remove the side loads being generated and changing the bolt for a decent HT or stainless version with a ratchet handle makes life a lot easier.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't panic, they only go like that with heavy handedness. :icon_eek:

Even with replacement bolts you would be at risk of stripping out the threaded hole for the bolt, so in all cases, take it easy :D

ICAM! There are dozens of these mounts around among the people I know and none of them have had this problem occur, mostly I assume because everyone knows you have to be careful when adjusting them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before people panic and go and spend a ridiculous £25 on over-priced bolts...this was not done in normal use.

It's been seriously man-handled to get like that. You can see marks all over the inner base too.

Spaceboy: Yes...you sure can. You can source the exact same ratchet handle if you want and bring it in under a tenner or do what I did and make them under a few quid :icon_eek:

The part that the bolts push on has a thin bit of steel epoxied on mine too. I would like to have wrapped a piece right around but didn't want to risk breaking the logo plate like AB unfortunately has. Shame as it would be nice to loosen up the main bolt a little.

Alternatively we can all hammer Synta with emails telling them "Oy! Sort it!" :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes - this mount has been seriously abused BUT in fairnesss my HEQ5 never was, even with just a few nights use when new the bolts started to show signs of bending.

The bolt material is way too soft - though its a perisher to hacksaw just the same and if you strip the threads on the mount its a real pain to fix with stuff like helicoils.

I agree £24 is a lot for two bolts but when I did mine I just couldnt be bothered searching round endless catalogues so just stumped up. My time gets eaten enough without spending more of it on ploughing through engineering sites catalogues of bolts. I did find an alternate supplier who was charging less (£10 for all four) so I spent 40 mins driving there, bought the bolts which were supposedd to be super duper aircraft grade blah blah only to find the threads were not correct, manufactured to too sloppy a tolerance and didnt fit.

After that I just though - to hell with it - buy the AstroDev ones like everyone else rather than waste any more time.

With very careful handling the factory supplied bolts might well be ok but most of us at some time have made some glorious balls up at 3am when your freezing in a field - I'd like to have a bit of tolerance from the kit rather than a weekends work messing about putting it right. Remember - though you might not believe it I hate having to mess with stuff like this - I'd rather be having a frothy coffee and looking at shoe catalogues or having my nails done.

Remember this ones an extreme example but the bolt doesnt have to get too far adrift before its uselss and possibly wrecking the mount threads and costing you time and cash.

By the way - if yo have an HEQ5 or EQ6 and its tough to move in altitude even when unloaded it might be the friction bolts are too tight. This mounts fricti9on bolsts were done so tight you couldnt move it at all. These are easy to get at underneath the latitude scale which pings off a lot easier than the logo side of the mount. You can see how to do it on my HEQ5 strip down guide.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SNIP

Oh without doubt...they're far too soft.

I think if people spend £24 on bolts it's completely fair enough also :icon_eek:. Completely. But equally people should know they don't have to.

As pointed out above...the design of the protrusion on head is poor too. It should be addressed but I doubt it will.

AB: What was the logo disc stuck on with once you could see? Is it full on glue?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

£24 is steep for the bolts but they obviously have been tried and tested so id have no problem paying it to avoid doing damage later on,

Yeah, it is steep, but peace of mind is worth a few quid as well! Especially when you think about how much it may cost to fix afterwards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Supercharged.....yes it was yours. But I worked on an HEQ5 last year which was even worse :icon_eek:

Astroimpulse....the latitude scale comes off easy enough. Get a sharp knife and poke under it and it will give a bit, then put a big bladed driver under it and gently prise or twist and it usually comes away quite easy with no damage. The plastic its made from is quite flexible, almost like tupperware. Its held on with a few dabs of what looks like superglue (cynoacrolite).

The logo side is a different proposition. Behind the logo is a lock nut. The main mount spindle is screwed into the baseplate 'arm' and then locked off with a thin nut which sites behind the EQ6 logo. I tried prising it away but it was a no go. Then I decidec tk tfy and extract the spindle anyway and unscrewed easy enough but then of course the small lock nut nut slipped down. It cojld be rethreaded but I reckoned it wojld be a mare and without a locking nut I would forever be worried that the main spindle would disengage sooner or later so I took a gamble on using a wooden dowel to tap the EQ 6 logo off from behind. What happened was one or two light taps shattered the plastic even with it being supported.

The EQ6 logo disk is a very hard frangible plasgic, like the stuff Airfix kits are made of.

The glue, I dont know but looking at it thes quite a bit behind the logo disk and if I had to guess I would suggest its something like Aralditte or maybe some kind of contact adhesive. Whatever it is its very hard.

I have asked FLO to see if they can get me a spare but ic it cant be gotten then I will have a metal plate machined up and maybe, if its not too pricey, have an engraved logo put on it.

This mount by the way is slated for hypertuning and when I do it I'll add an extra section to my strip down guide for those who like to mess with these things.

On removing the logo disk it might respond to a hot air gun to melt the glue but I didnt want to risk it in case the mount paintwork fell off or the logo disk melted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.