AutoStar GoTo upgrade

Karls48 (Karl) · #1 17-02-2007, 05:49 PM

Last year I got from eBay Meade Autostar GoTo upgrade for Meade DS telescopes. I would like to fit it to GSO SkyView 1 mount, which is just other flavour of EQ5. I have researched this upgrade on the Web and have seen pictures of Allan Gould’s mount upgrade. I would appreciate any comments from members who had done such an upgrade.

Karls48 (Karl) · #2 23-02-2007, 11:28 AM

Well, it looks like no one on this forum has tried to convert EQ mount to Autostar GoTo. So I will get my tools out and use suck and see technique.

Merlin66 (Ken) · #3 23-02-2007, 01:29 PM

My mate Chris has converted one. Weasner's ETX web page has all the details, we just followed his example. Used belt drives to improve the clearances, other than that no major issues. I'm using a similar DS Autostar goto set up on my TV systems mount for the Genesis.

Karls48 (Karl) · #4 23-02-2007, 02:47 PM

Thanks for that Merlin, I will have look on that link before I start butchering things.

centauri · #5 25-02-2007, 07:11 PM

Sorry Karls48 only just saw your post
I have converted my eq5 copy to Autostar and it works a treat.
You MUST do the Astroboy clean up first or you risk stripping the DS motor gears.
Invest in a kit called "Goto4All" which has all the other bits you will require to complete the mod.
Goto the roboscope Yahoo group as well as Weasners site and read up a little.
It is relatively easy to achieve.
Feel free to ask me questions if you need to.

Darren

Karls48 (Karl) · #6 26-02-2007, 11:28 AM

Hi Darren, thanks for input. I’m encouraged by the fact that everyone who done this modification is happy with GoTo performance. I looked on Goto4all. Unfortunately this kit will not fit to my GS mount. I coupled DS motor directly with 7mm treaded brass coupler to the Declination slow control shaft. It sticks out like sore thumb but it will be under OTA out of harms way. RA drive is a bit more difficult. I think I will use Allan Gould approach, using two gears to drive it. Do you or anybody else know size of the tread on the DS motor assembly?

Loupy31 (Peter) · #7 25-03-2007, 10:19 AM

Hi Karls48
I know its been a while since your last post, how have you got on with your mount set up. BTW Allan Gould and I both did the modes to our mounts around the same time..........I you have any question let me know............

Peter

Karls48 (Karl) · #8 25-03-2007, 10:51 PM

Hi Peter, progressing but slowly. I got two matching gears from old Makita battery drills that are just right diameter. I machined adapter to fit one gear on slow motion shaft of mount's RA drive. I failed miserably (last time I used lathe was about 40 years ago) trying to cut tread in aluminium adapter to be screwed on the Meade motor. I discarded plastic housing for worm shaft and solved problem with the tread by gluing round plastic nut that screws on the motor to my adaptor. I machined the worm out, so I got now 7mm shaft that is supported by two ball bearings inside of adaptor. Unfortunately, gears got 10mm hole so I had to make sleeve for it to fit. Now I have to make some kind of plate to affix motor to the mount. It has to be adjustable so I can mesh the gears squarely.
And I realised then both drives don’t have any kind of clutch. So if OTA hits hard stop, the motor or the electronics driving it may burn out. Only solution to this I can think of is the right value fuse on power supply to the motors. Any one knows maximum current draw by DS motor?
I hope it is going to work. It would be easier if I were fitting it on EQ5 because it was done before. But GSO mount is bit differnt, I could not find anyone who done it.