Any experts on worm drives out there?

[bkm2304]

Hi all,

I am trying to contact an engineer/mechanic who can help me with a refurb of my worm gears. Does anyone know of such a person who is familiar with telescopes and their idiosyncrasies?


THanks

Richard

[torana68]

what mount? whats wrong with it? if at all possible the original manufacturer will be the best option for parts, custom made is expensive.

[bkm2304]

The mount is a custom made English Fork Mount made in Australia with AWR technology electrics made in the UK. I am not sure where the worm gear and wheels were made. The OTA is a 22" Newtonian. The fork weighs about 200kg. I need a local engineer ie in the Newcastle or sydney area to have a look and advise on how to improve wheel-worm interface. It was built in the 70's and sports a superb Galaxy Optics F4.5 primary, but now needs more accurate tracking as todays self guiding cameras are too fine grained for the scope on all but the most seldom occasions. The issues are mountings for the steppers, backlash, wheel size, balance, belt or friction drive alternatives.:confused2:

Richard

[torana68]

[QUOTE=bkm2304;894101]The mount is a custom made English Fork Mount made in Australia with AWR technology electrics made in the UK. I am not sure where the worm gear and wheels were made. The OTA is a 22" Newtonian. The fork weighs about 200kg. I need a local engineer ie in the Newcastle or sydney area to have a look and advise on how to improve wheel-worm interface.

no idea really, is the worm adjustable? should have been made that way . Considering the age there could be some wear, maybe ask the guys at Argo Navis, they might have a pet engineering firm. Looking at the AWR site they have GoTo now so maybe they can advise on suitable parts or upgrades?
"We can also supply brackets, or undertake complete equatorial head refurbishment by fitting worm wheel sets etc"

[bkm2304]

Yes, AWR may be an option but it's difficult to describe and order online or on the phone. THe mount is indeed goto and that's working fine. It's the sloppiness of the drive setup that needs attention.

Thanks for your input, much appreciated!:thumbsup::thanx:

Richard