Meade Lx 10" Balance Ideas

[alandee]

Hi folks, after battling with polar alignment the other night for a dozen hours or so, ( a whole other post filled with pain ) I finally got drift down to a point where I was beginning to think I was starting to work out what I was doing, lo and behold, whilst slewing the gears started 'slipping' and everything went down hill from there .. I decided that the reason was that I had a 2" diagonal and large UWA eyepiece on the unit at the time, with a small ep and the 1.25" diagonal it has never missed a beat, which lead me to thinking it is a balance issue, the ota is certainly biased toward the rear end .. how do i balance it neatly and unobtrusively .. what does anyone else use ? I kinda like the look of the Meade balance kit with the low profile weights, but, have no idea at all when it comes to balancing the unit .. any hints tips etc would be great .. I don't mind if it is a diy solution or a commercial solution so long as it is the most effective solution :shrug:

[Doug]

G'day Al, I think the following link might help you out.
http://starizona.com/basics/balfork.html

best,
Doug

[[1ponders]]

Yep a 3D weight set. Don't get a 2D meade set it won't be enough. You need to be able to get the weights away from the body of the scope to get the best balance.

[acropolite]

Bintel have a budget 3D system ($129) which works quite well and is heaps cheaper than the Meade system. If your a DIY kinda guy you could make your own with some sailtrack (available from Capral Aluminium) a few bolts and some home made weights. I bought the Bintel system but later when I needed a piggyback rail I bought a length of sailtrack. The sailtrack I used is the same as the stuff used for the Bintel system and costs around $40 for a 4 metre length. After making the counterweight system you'll have plenty of track left over to make a piggyback rail. Attached is a picture of my completed piggyback rail, all the metalwork required is to cut to length and drill and countersink 2 holes.

[alandee]

Great advise and exactly what I was looking for.
Thanks all, appreciate the info

[[1ponders]]

Al, have a look at this site (http://www.ewellobservatory.com/ccd/). You'll find some very handy useful info there, from balancing scope to polar aligning.

[alandee]

Fantastic info there Paul.
Thankyou.

[Shawn]

Similar problem, see my recent post, Let the Mods begin, a neat unobtrusive 3d balance system should be the end result.
good luck