Motor drive options

[Lismore Bloke (Paul)]

Does anyone know of a good RA motor drive
that could be adapted to fit a German
equatorial mount (home made).

It uses 1 1/4" steel shafts and pillow block
ball bearings. The old drive I use came from
Astro Optical, a long time ago. The thing cogs quite a bit
and won't maintain position very well at higher
magnification.

When I win the lottery I might go for a Losmandy with all the bells and whistles and dump all this old home made stuff.

[Ian Robinson]

Look up Beakon Hill Telescopes in the UK , they sell worm-wheel sets and drive motors .

http://www.beaconhilltelescopes.cwc.net/

From their site w-wheel sets:
3.5" diameter ........ £77.50
6.5" diameter ........ £110.00
8" diameter ........... £130.00
11" diameter ......... £176.00
14" diameter ......... £242.00

Synchronous Motors ......... £40.00

So there you go : just a matter of choosing the set you want and asking them to bore the right size hole for your shaft.

[Lismore Bloke (Paul)]

Thanks Ian. Good solid looking components.
Pricing seems pretty competitive too.
Good to see well designed gear not made in China!!
They need a local agent....

[Ian Robinson]

Originally Posted by Lismore Bloke

Thanks Ian. Good solid looking components.
Pricing seems pretty competitive too.
Good to see well designed gear not made in China!!
They need a local agent....

Was one for a while in the late 1990s.

I am sure they will be more than happy to deal direct with you , BTW : you will be VAT free so that lowers the prices a bit. If I remember right they are phosphor-bronze so are good gear.

I've dealt with them and the owner is a nice chap ---- very old school (like Kenneth Novak was).

[xelasnave]

Hi there Lismore bloke and welcome to IceinSpace from me.
I can not help with your question but see you are near where I live (I am West of you)... have a look at the Northern Rivers notes in the star party section if you arte interested in a night with other like minded folk.

alex

[Lismore Bloke (Paul)]

Thanks for the welcome.
The problem for me is that the main 'scope and mount is so heavy that it's not exactly transportable. The other ones (4" f8 and 6" shorty) are a bit small. The 10" mounting really needs a bit of a refurbish - hence the question about motor drives. The optics are pretty good and the base solid half inch steel. Everything in between needs attention. OK for normal viewing, but forget about cameras. A GSO 8" or 10" dob may be the answer for a travel 'scope when funds permit. Cheers.