Single motor drive help

[prbaxter]

Received my RA single motor drive today. Fitted to the mount and it seems to work ok.

Question: can you use the manual tracking cable on the other side of the mount or is it one or the other? Tried to connect it but the motor drive resists any attempt at manual tracking.

Question 2. Will using rechargeable batteries cause any issues with tracking speed given they are only 1.2v each.

[malc-c]

You are better off releasing the clutch / axis clamp to move the scope and then lock it down so the drive takes over. Trying to manually adjust the scope whilst in drive could damage the motors.

q2) - depends on the number of batteries required. 0.2v per cell *8 (assuming its 12v) would mean a loss of 1.6v, so the drive would see 10.4v which may be below the threshold required. Hard to say really... - to be honest I would suggest investing in either a maplin power pack or if your want to run off the mains a suitable 2amp supply.

[prbaxter]

thanks. it's a 6 volt battery pack so only losing 1.2v. it seems to chug along fine.

I'll see how it goes.

[carpman]

i'm using rechargables in mine and i have not noticed any ill effects but i dont have anything to compare against , i use aa rechargables in a d size adapter but no probs yet tracks fine ( to the fact that i have left it tracking and after 2 hrs object is still in view )

[brantuk]

Yup - those motor drives only take 6V so you'd need to be careful choosing an appropriate field battery. Most popular ones have a 12v Ciggy Lighter type socket but you are going to want a 6V output.

The branded power tanks usually have this output but they tend to be over £100. I'd advise a personal visit to Maplins who can sort out your requirements (unless you're a sparky lol). Alternatively give FLO a ring and I'm sure they'll point you in the right direction or better still provide a reasonable solution

[prbaxter]

sweet, thanks.

[malc-c]

The voltage drop over 6V is negligible. To be honest, as rechargeable batteries tend to hold on to their charge and then drop off suddenly they would hold up better than normal batteries..

[stardad]

Dont use the manual control with the motor attached or you'll be on to FLO for a £33 replacement RA.

Disengage the clutch, its easier.