Automating Polar Alignment

[Sayfog]

Hi guys, long time lurker first time poster here -

I just got myself an Heq5 and while its a big upgrade over my Star Adventurer in terms of go to there's still the annoying polar alignment. Now I'm nIce been using the magic of AstroTortilla's plate solving + polar alignment error to get it good but using the imprecise bolts is annoying to say the least.

I can play with stepper motors until the cows come home, I was wondering if anyone had attempted a similar thing in the past/has any mechanical tips. I was thinking of adding teeth to the outside of the mount but that might be quite hard to get some with the right curvature. Plan B would be drill a hole through where the polar bolts are and replace them with a long worm gear.

Am I off my rocker or does this sound doable?

[Wavytone]

I'd say you're making a mountain out of a molehill and about to ruin a perfect good mount. Once aligned you still have to manually lock the mount in azimuth and altitude, or it will be wobbly.

Here's how I do it and with practice all done in 5 minutes http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=172879

With plate solving obviously you can get closer than I do, but then there are other effects such as atmospheric refraction that apply so there really isn't a perfect way for a scope to track, without optical feedback from a guider of some sort, so its a bit pointless obsessing about "perfect" polar alignment better than 15 arc minutes.

[bojan]

No real need for that.
Drift alighment (as refinment after polarfinder) is accurate and easy.
The best approach is permanent mounting on pier of course.

[kens]

Already been done:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=qH-NZuUYFe0