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I have an EQ8-R and like many people who own them, most will complain about the horrendous Dec backlash that comes with many of these mounts from the factory. I considered trying to adjust it only to find I need to have a very short head Allen Key which I have just acquired.
The onboard cable management works well for me. I have an Intel NUC that I used to have on my scope with a previous mount but now it sits on a small platform near the base of the pier. It has a USB 3.1 Gen 2 port (5 Gbps) and I use that for the USB in. On top of the mount, I have three cameras (two imaging and guide cameras) and other USB devices and (touch wood), I have never had any major USB issues other than when first booting up the mount, sometimes, I need to reset my cameras. The cable management works very nicely.
I have two Pegasus Pocket Powerboxes (PPB), one near my NUC that supplies power to the cable management and the other on the scope which provides power to my cameras and autofocuser, etc. Three DC out on top is just not enough. Interestingly, the one on the ground provides 12.1 volts but the one on the scope, only provides 11.7 volts. It looks like some voltage is dropped from the bottom to the top of the mount.
I provide mains power to the mount so it doesn't use the PPB. My QHY cameras are known to get a bit upset if they don't get 12 v DC but so far, it hasn't been a problem.
Apart from the terrible Dec backlash which I hope to fix, I have all sorts of issues with Green Swamp Server. I have given up on it and have gone back to EQMOD. The limits setting was a bit fiddly due to some setting in the mount itself. It has an autohome facility that unfortunately only works when using the SynScan controller.
The payload was what sold me. I looked at the Paramont MyT but it all started getting a bit too expensive. I want to install a dome and the extra money needed for the MyT can almost cover the price of the dome.
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