I'm looking to get my EQ6 upgraded with the rowan belt mod to reduce some of the backlash and grinding noise it makes when slewing. I am not mechanically savvy nor do i have the right tools for the job. I'm just not confident enough yet aha. I haven't bought the mod yet, but just testing the waters to see if anyone can install it for me for about $100 (hopefully that'll get some interest). The mount is an older model EQ6 so not sure if that make a difference.
Tony, I don't think $100 would be enough for the time involved. Peter(pmrid) just completed his conversion and it took him 24 hours spread over 7 days.
If it was someones first time doing the mod I would assume it would take fair bit ~7 days similar to peters, I'm hoping that if someone has done it a couple of times and knows what they're doing it'll be something they can do in just a couple of days, I'd be happy to offer more money (or even an hourly rate).
Hi Tony,
The belt mod is worth it, esp using the Rowan's conversion kit
I did mine over a year ago and love the results http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=145714
The Rowan kits can be purchased from the UK (I got mine second hand from a member here) http://www.rowanastronomy.com/productsa2.htm
If you follow the instructions and have the tools ready, you can do it in one day or over two days easily.
Having pulled apart my EQ6 a couple of times, I didn't encounter any difficulties.
A couple of tips: the belts are the trickiest part, takes patience.
You need to wiggle the motor/gear to make sure the teeth and the belt match up.
You need to know/learn how to adjust the worm tension and thruster bearing tension (Astrobaby used to have a great on-line guide, it's gone now, but a PDF version of it is here http://atm.udjat.nl/stepper/EQ6%20St...wn%20Guide.pdf )
Bo
I got the mount at a REALLY good price at $600 from jjjnettie, thats why im thinking about risking it all and doing the mod myself, just gotta hype myself up
That the spirit.
Make sure you have a spot, bench or table, where you can work on it and be able to leave it...not the dining table in other words.
Take plenty of photos.
Have little jars or boxes to put bits in.
Don't force things right away.
Have a cuppa look think.
Post a daily report here so we can share your triumphs and pain.
Prepare a sign..."Professional belt conversion done here $100"
What does the kit cost at the moment with postage.
Alex
Can I send you my mount and $300 when you finish yours.
I have been thinking of ordering one myself ...seriously.
But the buy a new one appeals ...just cause its new and I have not spent any money on me in years...
I took up racing motocross when young and I did not even know how a two stroke worked.
Cleaning the air filter was a big deal at first but after a while I could pull down a motor, split the crank case and rebuild it and tune it to race performance...so if a mug like me can develop skills it will be a walk in the park for you.
I have installed my own belt drive mods on a number of different mount types and also the Rowan mod on my NEQ6. The Rowan kit is very well designed and made, however the NEQ6 mount is a particularly difficult mount to convert. This is because the drive end of motors is not accessible. Installation and adjustment of belts is a tricky business and can be extremely frustrating for anyone not well practiced at mechanical work.
I was dissatisfied with the lack of accessibility and installed windows on my mount to allow access for belt installation and adjustment (see attached photos). I also made a number of other mods to the NEQ6 such as a single knob for altitude adjustment and manual clamping of altitude setting, which are also shown in the photo's. Had ideas of offering the mods as a package for about $300 plus cost of Rowan kit but don't think many people would be interested, particularly since I am in Tasmania and shipping costs would be excessive.
I would estimate the time I would take me to install a Rowan kit without the other mods (windows etc) at about 6 hours - but I am very experienced at this kind of work and have a well equipped workshop. For someone learning as they go along it could well take 20 hours or more.
Ok, this is my plan. Save $1800, enough to buy the EQ6-R, BUT dont buy it and try the mod myself. If I muck it up, ill still have enough money to get the EQ6-R, if i dont muck it up, ill have a belt mod EQ6 AND almost 2 grand to spend on other goodies
Last edited by that_guy; 27-07-2017 at 04:31 PM.
Reason: typo
Tony why not pull it apart and replace the greese and clean it, polish stuff and generally make sure everything is as good as it can be.
I followed instructions from a guy in Spain and the instructions were in Spanish but that was probably ten years ago so I can't tell you the specifics of what he laid out.
But I had that mount running extremely well..I recall there was PE training which helped.
Anyways just putting in new really good greese and clean up will do two things...you will improve it I expect and secondly get a look at the inside.
There probably are high spots on the gear teeth you can clean and polish but pulling it apart and reassembling will be of benefit.
Alex
I think jjjnettie gave it a good once over with new grease before handing over the mount to me. So not too worried about old grease yet. I'm not having MAJOR issues with it yet so I'll wait and see.
Agree with Alex. I'd ask JJJ how it used to track first. A belt mod is unlikely to reduce your total periodic error in RA too much. Its more about hopefully reducing backlash in PE, sometimes a gain from new worm bearings, and a lot quieter operation.
If Jeanette recently greased it up, you may have more to lose than gain with an overhaul. My older HEQ5Pro still tracks better than my belt modded NEQ6. Chinese mounts tend to be a bit of a lottery, and you might find yours is already running very well.
(Just remember if you flog it off for a new mount there is no guarantee the new mount will have super tight PE and tracking any better than what you have)
when I was at wyralong a last saturday, the mount made a terrible griding noise that stalled the slew. happened to a few of the other people at the event. from what I've researched, i think its just sudden drop in temperature. If anyone else has any other suggestions that'd also be helpful
I used a lite machine oil in the hope of reducing stickyness ,if any of the greese, reasoning that in the cold it may have been tacky.
Alex
Alex, others may need to chime in to confirm but I believe that the light machine oil will not stay on for a very long time and must be renewed regularly. I believe lithium grease is the mostly recommended lubricant for the mounts. And not a too thick layer or it will cause friction.
The original grease in synta mounts was very stiff in the cold.
I took my mount apert and found it was a lovely simnia type grease. So it may have changed.
