Quote:
Originally Posted by Grimmeister
Hi David,
Yep got out last weekend and wow these things are great to use.  the guiding graph is soooooo smooth.
Very happy camper indeed. I do have a small concern over the declination axis that I am exploring as it feels a bit loose. When I spoke with the Australian Distributor they eluded to a known problem but am awaiting some more details. I don't want to speculate till I have all the information at hand.
As an aside it didn't seem to impact the final product when imaging so it may be a nothing issue in the end.
Cheers
Anthony |
If your concern is a loose Dec axis as a result of excessive backlash, then the following may help.
After picking up my own EQ8 yesterday, I had a look at the Dec axis drive on a friend's unit. The worm is mounted in a separate block to the worm wheel support and is driven through a flexible coupling by the stepper motor. This block is mounted from the underside of the Dec axis stepper motor drive and being separate to the worm wheel mount the backlash can be adjusted by moving the relative positions of the worm wheel and worm. Moving the worm towards the worm wheel (reducing backlash) or away from the worm wheel (increasing the backlash). You would have to test the drive by doing at least one full revolution of the worm wheel checking the backlash at every tooth with feeler gauges or dial indicator and making any adjustments at the tightest spot where there is the least backlash. To do it at any other point may result in binding of the worm and worm wheel and overloading the drive motor.
Taking the Dec axis drive apart may void your warranty, but if Tasco don't fix the problem it may be your only solution. I would have to warn you that if you do not feel competent in making mechanical adjustments and checking the backlash with feeler gauges or dial indicator then don't touch it. If you decide to go down this path there are plenty of people around who would be able to make the adjustments. But this would be a last resort if Tasco do not come up with the goods.
Hope this helps.
Good luck
