The NEQ6 woes continue

[LewisM]

Set up now, perfect alignment, and I can watch the stars moving from left to righ accross PHD screen.

The new PHD seems to calibrate quicker, which not sure is a good thing.

Last resort is to install another guider programme and try it, and then if still poop, send the head back to Tasco.

Tired of it to be honest.

[Tandum]

If you are just capturing, not guiding, do the stars still move across the screen?

[LewisM]

YEs

[Tandum]

And it is accurately polar aligned?

[LewisM]

very

[Tandum]

How did you polar align if the mount isn't tracking properly?
eqmod lets you vary the ra rate but from what I've read before your dec motor is running on it's own, is that right?

[LewisM]

Polar aligned by Solar Noon line with a plumb bob from the mount pointing at it (with the rear leg as the north point, the plumb bob the south point), and with a compass on a rig I made from aluminium that is secured to a dovetail bar and extends away from the mount by a metre.

Doing a Synscan 3 star alignment, the error tonight was a near spot on alt, with az 1 MINUTE out. I did not run a drift alignment to remedy it.

I don't use EQMod. Just the hand controller and the laptop as guide platform and camera capture software.

This way has worked flawlessly for over a year, so no, it is NOT how I align an set up at fault.

Dec seems to be at issue, yes.

[Tandum]

There are caps covering the worm rollers. 2 on the control board side and 2 on the blank side. If you use pointed pliers to remove the cap from the control board side you will see the end of the worm roller. Don't remove the other side, it holds bearings in. With that cap off you will see if the dec worm roller is moving. Dab it with a felt pen as they move pretty slow but with guiding off, it should not move. The dec would be the top one.

I use phd to polar align.

[LewisM]

It goes back to Sirius and then to Tasco tomorrow. Ron just doesn't know it yet :)

Wonder how long I'll be out a mount waiting for Tasco to do something with it, and of course while QLD is having great nights (was PERFECT last night - cool, no wind, clear sky...). In all honesty, I'd rather it was just replaced outright.

[mithrandir]

Does that mean you have the N/S leg pointed north or south?

It should be under the counterweight when the OTA is pointed at the pole.

I had to swap the head alignment peg around on my CG5 to point the leg south. They get delivered assuming the user is in the NH.

[LewisM]

The "polar" leg is on the north side, with the peg on the south side.

I fail to see how leg orientation makes any difference whatsoever - it's not the tripod pointing anywhere :) So long as the peg and the head point south is all that matters - ALL NEQ6 as far as I know have the polar leg opposite the pole being aligned to, that way there is no leg for the counterweight (especially with extension) to hit.

The HEQ5 is OPPOSITE - thepolar leg is on the same side as the polar peg.

Having it North is better anyway, as then I get a good N-S line - the leg is my north indicator, and then the plumb bob hanging off the levelled and vertical counterweight bar makes south - all I do is line both up on my solar noon line, and it is DAMNED close to being polar aligned - just some head tweaks, and done.

[Ausrock]

While it may not effect the alignment, as far as I'm aware, EQ6 tripods have the option of putting the alignment peg on either "side" of the tripod head and whilst learning about set up, etc., virtually everything I read concerning Southern Hemisphere set ups assumed that the "polar" leg was facing south with the counterweight bar in line with the leg.