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For long exposure, auto guided astrophotography, another little trick is to keep the mount "heavy" on the East side, so that this very slight imbalance helps keep the gears meshed.
So, when the OTA is on the W and the Dec shaft/counter weights are on the E, you slide the weights slightly further down the shaft to make it slightly heavier on the E side.
After a meridian flip, the OTA is on the E and the Dec shaft/counter weights are on the W. You now have to slide the counter weights up the shaft so the OTA is slightly "heavier" which again should ensure the gears are in constant mesh and not in “free fall”.
As an aside, my Vixen GPDX and Skysensor 2000 warns me as I approach the Meridian, and will command a Meridian flip if you accept the warning notification. It also avoids cable wrap by going the long way around on GoTo slews as required.
Cheers
Dennis
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