New SW 100ED & EQ3-2 - RA axle query

[Woking]

hi

Really chuffed to finally get my first scope and spent all of Thursday night setting it up (not quick enough to get first light yet though:laugh:).

I do have a couple of newbie queires though, which I have contacted my supplier about but i know it's going to bug me all weekend.

Not sure what it's called but the RA control axis (screw or axle?) has a wobble which the Dec does not suffer from. Pictures below to show the part I mean.

The RA wobbles a few mm either way when turning the RA control knob, so if I turn the opposite way to the previous direction there is a slippage before it grips and starts to turn. I tried the exposed shaft on the other side to double check that it was'nt my fitting of the control knob and it's definite. Went on to check to see if the actual mount wobbles even with the RA locked and it does.

Should this be happening? can I fix it easily myself (it did'nt come with any alan keys though)? or as brand new should it be replaced?

The other thing is that I have no idea what this part is! Is it a camera adaptor? It came in the scope case and was left over after I completed full set-up of both mount and scope.

Next step....finderscope alignment and maybe first light tonight if polar alignment does'nt get the better of me

[Cornelius Varley]

The play in the RA can be removed by following the instructions for the dual axis motor drive installation found on this pdf file EQ3-2 dual axis drives. The telescope should have been supplied with a small toolkit for making adjustments. The adaptor I think is a 1.25" - 2" adaptor with what looks like a t-thread.