Hi. I have been looking at some HEQ5 pro and EQ6-pro both with goto and have noticed the payload they can carry.
The question is when does "the payload" start. Is it the dovetail bar and up(anything that is put on) and are the counter weights to be included in the payload when adding up the weight?
Thanks
The HEQ5 is usually specified around the marketplace as 15Kg excluding counterweights. Other brands might be different.
From a design standpoint the amount of counterweight could obviously vary, depending on what else you hang off the mount, but if the critical performance parameter is really the torque of the motor + gearing, and not the dead-weight load on the bearings, then you could specify it that way.
The specs are actually unclear - 15kg at dovetail is not the same as 15kg away from dovetail (because you have piggybacked 10kg on tube weighting 5kg).
Basically, the less, and closer to mount, the better.
Personally, I wouldn't put much more than 10kg on EQ5, and more than 15kg on EQ6.
If you want/need to put on more, then it is better to hang it on other side of the DEC axle (and this way reduce the counterweight, or bring it closer to RA axle).
Thanks for the info Jon, Geoff and Bojan. I just weighed my 8'' SW Newt and it came in at 9.6 kg. I can see how the extra payload of the EQ6 is very tempting.
Gives me something to think about now
The specs are actually unclear - 15kg at dovetail is not the same as 15kg away from dovetail (because you have piggybacked 10kg on tube weighting 5kg).
Basically, the less, and closer to mount, the better.
Personally, I wouldn't put much more than 10kg on EQ5, and more than 15kg on EQ6.
I will back this up.
I had ~15kgs on my HEQ5 and only after rebuilding it was it able to "work".
Work well... it did not.
Threw old gear back onto it and got it under 10kg (around 8kg) and it worked well.
If you have the spare cash, bypass the HEQ5 and go with the NEQ6 (EQ6 Pro), especially if you have a large payload (newt).
I have found that around 18 kgs - at the dovetail - is a good limit for the EQ6.
Mine rides very smoothly with an 8" Mak (11kgs) an 80mm guidscope (around 3kgs) and camera gubbinses (another 4kgs ish).
Getting the balance right has a profound effect on how well the mount performs.
I try and balance mine over four "points" on the extremes of the axes.
This is a little fiddly but sems to pay dividends in performance.
Sorry to jump in on your thread. I recently noticed the specs on the EQ6 pro goto was 25 Klg's. I have a 12 inch gso dob that I want to mount on the EQ6 pro. It is a very heavy unit and was wondering if I could get some Advice. The specs specified,
Extra Heavy Duty: 25kg capacity
Dual saddle (Vixen-style and Losmandy-style)
Extension shaft.
Latest version 3 firmware
Positioning Accuracy up to 1 arc minute
Stepper motors with 1.8° step angle and 64 micro steps driven
Slewing speed up to 3.4°/sec (800X)
SkyScan, precision computerized GOTO system
Automatic slewing to over 13,400 objects
Auto-guider interface for astro-photography
So can someone confirm these figures as my dob is about 20 Klg's.
Thanks Whzz28 and Waxing Gibbous for your help. Asteri, no probs, i hope your question can get answered. I have got some valuable info in these answers.
Labros,
For imaging and serious guiding the NEQ6pro rating is more like 15-17Kg.
I have a C11 (12.5Kg) a spectroscope and four camera and an electronic finder etc - probably 4-5Kg and need at least 4 x 5Kg counterweights.
IMHO you couldn't load much more than that!
Just finished my new setup on the NEQ6 Pro and it comes in at 18.5 kg all up and when balanced well it runs nice and tracks well, not done a lot yet due the lovely weather but the setup is looking good.
Like Merlin66 (Ken) says I wouldn't like to load it any more.
Ken (nico),
How many c'weights do you need to balance that set-up??
Hi Ken,
If i use the extension bar just the two std weights, just weighed them, 5.2 kg each so 10.4 kg.
But if I use just the std C/W bar length then I add two 2.5 kg weights and it's fine.
So it's 10.4 or 15.4 kg but so far I've found that it seems to like the heavier load of 15.4 on the short bar.
Possibly the closer inertia and the shorter moment but you have to ask the engineering boys to do the maths on that one.
So it's 10.4 or 15.4 kg but so far I've found that it seems to like the heavier load of 15.4 on the short bar.
Is your 'standard' counterweight bar 285mm fully extended? Mine is, but I've heard that later models had a longer bar (or maybe mine is the longer one?).
Is your 'standard' counterweight bar 285mm fully extended? Mine is, but I've heard that later models had a longer bar (or maybe mine is the longer one?).
Yes mine is the same, 285mm fully out, I can't see them being any longer as when fully retracted it is equal to the internal length of the head as I recall.
I guess that's not to say they wouldn't make one that protrudes when fully in but I haven't seen any like that being advertised.
Mine is as far as I know one of the later models as it's about nine months old and it came with the newer dual dovetail head that takes both Vixen and Losmandy plates.
Yes mine is the same, 285mm fully out, I can't see them being any longer as when fully retracted it is equal to the internal length of the head as I recall.
I guess that's not to say they wouldn't make one that protrudes when fully in but I haven't seen any like that being advertised.
Mine is as far as I know one of the later models as it's about nine months old and it came with the newer dual dovetail head that takes both Vixen and Losmandy plates.
Thanks for that. I read the history of the EQ6 at astro-baby (and elsewhere), which talks about the counter weight bar length changing, but later EQ6s have the same bar as NEQ6s, apparently. The other main change was the dual-saddle head as you mentioned.
Last edited by Astro_Bot; 27-08-2012 at 10:56 PM.
Reason: Typo
