Hello,
As I am new here I must be looking in the wrong place as I am sure there must be a drawing with dimensions for machining an adaptor plate for a Heq5 pro mount. Can someone point me at it please?
Cheers
Chris
G'Day Chris,
I have got a EQ6 pro and the only place I could get adapter plate for my pier was from England .Off the top head I think it cost about $180 aus all up but then it was 2years ago .I tried a couple of engineering firms to have them make it , but they wanted about $400/$500 . You can try this site they may be able to help you out
Hello Ian,
Thanks for that,but they look pretty spidery.
The link below gives nearly all the required dimensions, just missing the radius to the azimuth pin. A neighbour can machine one for me for much less than the imported price quoted on your nominated web site.
I've got some drawings on my hard drive from my pier design. I'll have a look on the weekend. Might be a good idea to send me a on so I don't forget. have a look and if they're not what you're after let me know and I can draw something up for you if you like.
Hello Ian,
Thanks for that,but they look pretty spidery.
The link below gives nearly all the required dimensions, just missing the radius to the azimuth pin. A neighbour can machine one for me for much less than the imported price quoted on your nominated web site.
G'Day Chris ,
All I can say is you lucky bugger knowing some one with a lath e .Their was a thread posted by Bojan (iceinspace member)back 2009 of cad drawing of a eq6 adapter plate .If you drop him an email he may help you out. The only problem with the above site is you will have to polar align your mount first before you mount the adapter
P.S. the thread was posted on the 15-11-2009 at 11:23 am good luck
Ian
Hello Ian/Louie,
Ian ,Google found Bojan's thread in the archives, no need to bother Bojan. As you say the drawing is for an EQ6, I will study it to see if it suites an HEQ5 pro, thank you for the pointer.
If it does not seem appropriate I will take up Louie's offer to search his hard drive.
Thank you both.
Chris
I don't know if these attachments will help but they may.
I have a pier that was originally designed to support a Meade equatorial wedge so the flange at the top of the pier has three tapped bolt holes. When I changed over to a HEQ5 Pro unit I bought a SkyWatcher EQ5 half pillar and asked a local jobbing machinist to cut the pillar down and make me up a mating plate to join the cut-down pillar to the pier. I made up for him some rather crude drawings in plan and elevation as well as some construction notes. These are now attached as three pdf files. Also attached is an image of the final result. The mating plate is the shiny aluminium disc immediately above the pier head. It all works very well and is rock solid.
Hi DavidLJ,
I am heading down a similar path as you with a EQ6 extension pillar bolted directly to the top plate of a pier. I have narrowed it down to two options:
1. Retain the locking disc and drill holes to bolt the disc on a new adapter plate.
2. Make a new adapter incorporating the locking disc portion.
The second option will be more expensive, but may be more solid
Anyway, they are my options below if anyone is interested.
Bo
Bo,
I think fitting the base section of the extension only requires it to be inverted and fitted to a M12 central bolt in the pier.
Screw it on then attach the tube and top section.....
Does what make sense?
Thanks Ken,
I can modify option 1 and just tap a M12 threaded hole in the centre of the bottom adapter and bolt the retaining disc to it using the existing hole. Then I can simple put the extension pillar on top.
My only concern with this approach is that it will/may have some rotational movement between the upper extension assembly and the bottom adapter (as they are connected via a central M12 bolt).
Bo
Since assembling the HEQ5 Pro pier attachment as described earlier, I have replaced the EQ5 mount with an AZ-EQ6 GT. Thinking that I would need to create a new attachment assembly I also got an EQ6 half pillar and reckoned that I would need to revisit the machinist for a new base plate. But happily it turned out that the EQ5 and EQ6 half pillars are identical in diameter and thickness and the circumferential bolt holes (3 top and 3 bottom) are also identically located. So in the end all I needed to do was to replace the cut-down EQ5 pillar's top attachment insert with the equivalent one from the EQ6 pillar. See attached image. The point of mentioning this here is that if I was starting out from scratch the method I adopted for the EQ5 assembly works just as well with an EQ6. It looks like you already have that buttoned down with your Option 2 drawings.
Thanks David and Ken,
At this stage, my plan is to source a 150mm diameter piece of aluminium 25mm in height. I will drill 4x10-12mm holes to allow the adapter to be bolted to the top plate of my pier. I will also drill a threaded M12 hole in the centre of the adapter, which will allow me to secure the adapter to the EQ6 extension pillar via the retaining disc.
Will post photos once I made progress.
Bo
I finally had the pier adapter made using a 160mm diameter section of aluminium measuring 25mm in height.
There is a 12mm tapped hole 1/2 way down the middle. This allows the EQ6 extension pillar to be secured to the adapter, while allowing for AZ movement thought the pillar itself.
So I'd secure the mount to the extension pillar first, then the adapter plate and finally the whole lot onto the top plate of my pier via 4x12mm bolts at the cardinal points of the adapter.
Time to get digging for the footing now...
Bo
Update on my pier. I had it guesseted at the bottom and welded a heavier bottom plate and powder coated.
It is not a heavy duty pier by any standards, but certainly an improvement from the old pier I bought off a forum member.
Next step is to dig a hole and secure the pier to the concrete footing (I estimate 10-12 bags of premix concrete) and then run a polar line using the solar noon method so can I bolt the adapter, extsions pillar and eq head on top (therefore eliminate the need for a rat cage).
Bo
Bo,
With the help of kind replies on this thread I have travelled a similar design path to you. I was thinking of a 250 mm diameter circular top plate. What is the diameter of the plate on your mount? I am mindful that I might eventually want to support a Losmandy G11 when & if finances permit.
My pier maker has so far made the base plate so I have cast the mounting bolts in the chunk of concrete. I really am looking forward to the pier
to replace my tripod, the legs of which have been described as being made of Alfoil.
Thanks Chris,
My pier has a 250mm round top plate and a 250mm square bottom plate. The post is 110mm square and steel is 6mm all round except for the gusset which is 10mm steel.
The footing will be 40x40cm and 60cm in depth (approx 10 bags of premix concrete). I will cast 12mm threaded rod into the footing and bolt them into the four corners of the square bottom plate.
Hope that helps.
Bo
