[JohnG (John)]

I need some clarification here, with the DEC backlash is it: 17 arc seconds on the screen or is 17 seconds from the time the motor stops until it restarts. If it is the latter it is way, way too excesive. You will never control that with an Autoguider.

The aim of a Drift Alignment is to eliminate as much DEC correction as possible, you should aim to maintain a star on a crosshair eyepiece for at least 20 - 30 mins. You don't adjust for RA, that is the role of the autoguider, you adjust DEC (North & South) only, the less work it has to do in DEC the better guiding will be.

I don't know where you got to unbalance in DEC, if you do this, the motor will take up instantly in one direction and will take ages to catch up in the other direction, in the end the autoguider will be chasing it's tail and never be able to catch up. You should unbalance SLIGHTLY in RA so the weight is against the worm, if you are balanced perfectly, the RA worm will rock back and forth causing a slight trailing.

This behaviour of this runaway is bizzare, if it is doing that, to me the problem is in either the electronics or the motor itself.

JohnG