Paul Haese
30-12-2011, 01:22 PM
From the outset I want to say I have really enjoyed owning a PME. If you can afford to buy one, do so whether it is second hand or new. The mount produces round stars consistently and are everything cracked to be.
Lessons learnt:
Don't be afraid to pull a PME apart. These mounts are near perfectly engineered. The elegance of the design is what sets them apart from many other high end mounts. There arn't many moving parts and each part has been designed with ease of service in mind. Try pulling apart a Tak mount and getting it working again. Yes the mount is engineered so you can service it yourself. SB has PDF after PDF which reflects this mentality. You do not need to send it back unless it is major or you are currently under warrantee. If you are handy with tools and knowing not to tighten things too much or being able to understand tensions then servicing one of these mounts is pretty well easy.
When you buy a second hand PME open up all the hatches and inspect the insides. Doing this will alert you immediately to any possible problems. Check all the wiring for damage from vermin. Give the mount a good vaccum out and kill any insects (yes they do get into the mount). Also check the axes of the RA and Dec for any slop. If there is any look through my other thread and see the videos on solving the problem. It can be solved and chances are if you run a big payload on the mount you will need to change the worm gear eventually and also need to know about the spring plunger assembly.
When you grease the mount (it should be done in Australia every 3-6 months depending on conditions; hot weather requires more greasing) be very careful how much you apply. Follow this link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl2mqN0py08)for greasing, but pay special attention to how much is applied. Or else you will be cleaning the homing sensor of one or both axes. The recommended grease is Lubriplate 105 grease. There are two distributors in Australia. One in WA (who will sell to the public) and one in NSW (who only deals with retailers). Get a small tin of it and store it in a cool dry place. The grease will separate if not kept cool. It lasts for a few years in the tin and can be mixed back together with a stirring stick when it is just separating. All SB mounts require greasing on a regular basis. Even new mounts need greasing after the first year or so and at the least inspected internally for wear and tear and the presence of dust and grit.
Buy a good quality set of allen keys and a few good spanners. Keep them with the mount. The entire mount requires nearly every sized allen key that is supplied with a new CCd camera.
Make sure you don't over tighten anything you work on. The engineering is such that firm tightness is enough. Putting a lot of pressure on screws will strip out threads.
Finally remember if you get stuck you can ask me or the guys at Software Bisque. I have almost been through the entirity of my mount now and sorted quite few problems. Just like collimation, you need to know how to service your SB mount so you dont have to go through the costly exercise of sending it back after years of neglect. Get to know it and look after it.
Lessons learnt:
Don't be afraid to pull a PME apart. These mounts are near perfectly engineered. The elegance of the design is what sets them apart from many other high end mounts. There arn't many moving parts and each part has been designed with ease of service in mind. Try pulling apart a Tak mount and getting it working again. Yes the mount is engineered so you can service it yourself. SB has PDF after PDF which reflects this mentality. You do not need to send it back unless it is major or you are currently under warrantee. If you are handy with tools and knowing not to tighten things too much or being able to understand tensions then servicing one of these mounts is pretty well easy.
When you buy a second hand PME open up all the hatches and inspect the insides. Doing this will alert you immediately to any possible problems. Check all the wiring for damage from vermin. Give the mount a good vaccum out and kill any insects (yes they do get into the mount). Also check the axes of the RA and Dec for any slop. If there is any look through my other thread and see the videos on solving the problem. It can be solved and chances are if you run a big payload on the mount you will need to change the worm gear eventually and also need to know about the spring plunger assembly.
When you grease the mount (it should be done in Australia every 3-6 months depending on conditions; hot weather requires more greasing) be very careful how much you apply. Follow this link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl2mqN0py08)for greasing, but pay special attention to how much is applied. Or else you will be cleaning the homing sensor of one or both axes. The recommended grease is Lubriplate 105 grease. There are two distributors in Australia. One in WA (who will sell to the public) and one in NSW (who only deals with retailers). Get a small tin of it and store it in a cool dry place. The grease will separate if not kept cool. It lasts for a few years in the tin and can be mixed back together with a stirring stick when it is just separating. All SB mounts require greasing on a regular basis. Even new mounts need greasing after the first year or so and at the least inspected internally for wear and tear and the presence of dust and grit.
Buy a good quality set of allen keys and a few good spanners. Keep them with the mount. The entire mount requires nearly every sized allen key that is supplied with a new CCd camera.
Make sure you don't over tighten anything you work on. The engineering is such that firm tightness is enough. Putting a lot of pressure on screws will strip out threads.
Finally remember if you get stuck you can ask me or the guys at Software Bisque. I have almost been through the entirity of my mount now and sorted quite few problems. Just like collimation, you need to know how to service your SB mount so you dont have to go through the costly exercise of sending it back after years of neglect. Get to know it and look after it.