Hi all,
It's been awhile! I have plodded along with my Skywatcher ED80 and EQM35 Pro goto mount. As typically, after a year or so, i feel the upgrade bug biting at me.
I recently purchased a 6" RC GSO scope which out of the box works quite well. I'll delve in to collimation soon.
One thing that has plagued me since day one is this mount. In short, it's crap. Sure there's now a love hate relationship having stripped it apart, put it back together etc and yes I can do 5min subs without too much hassle. The main issue seems to be Dec backlash. PHD cracks the poops every time I start a session and tracking is often good. Except on particular targets where the mount just flops out.
I had a crazy thought, now I have the 6" on there which is heavier and right on the 10kg limit (if not more). Can I upgrade the motors to be slightly larger, giving me more tolerance and tracking? I have a box of nema stepper motors, but happy to buy one. I did take a photo of the existing stepper for DEC and I can't find spec's on it. It's labeled: EQ3GT-F00-1 and No. 20200911
What actually determines the weight rating? The top where the dovetail sits is quite solid, so surely it's something else. I would even go so far as to upgrade the cogs too. If I could squeeze smooth tracking out of the mount at 15kgs then that would be fine.
And before you say: No buying a new mount is out of the question for the next year (cant justify 5k+).
I like to muck around with these things and a challenge. A simple no is not good enough! Lets think outside the box.
Damien
