Quote:
Originally Posted by GUS.K
Hi,just joined forum and have a question about the RA drive motor for the old Astro optics samson mount.I do not have the speed control box for it,so can the drive be used stand alone or does it need the controller.Drive is 240 V unit and seems to turn the mount ,but I haven't had a chance to test its tracking ability.Does anybody know what type of controller was used and is there any other option to control the drive.
Thanks
GUS.K
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I owned a Sampson Mount back in the 70s and it was fitted with the standard RA and dec motor units.
The drive used is a simple variable frequency oscillator (VFO). Plans for VFO's capable of running a telescope are easy enough to find. Just look for a 240Vac VFO drive for synchronous motors. AWR for example in the UK produce such units, it's the model 3 and costs about 245 pounds sterling. see
http://www.awrtech.co.uk/
Typically you need about 10-15% frequency variation to cover almost all of the tracking speeds you'll need.
Good luck