Danger of cable snagging

[eoliveira (Eduardo)]

Hi there,

Could you please help me on strategies to avoid cable snagging while slewing the mount? Also, what are the consequences of a bad cable snagging to the mount? If it does happen, how can I be sure the mount gears were not physically damaged compromising accuracy of tracking?

Thanks for any thoughts on this...

Eduardo.

[Atmos (Colin)]

I velcro pretty much all of my cables to the vixen plate and then they all run down the side of the mount. I have learnt that I cannot do this with the QHY22 power cable as it causes too much drag when sitting against the mount (same would go for me and an SBIG).
I also keep the dew heater cables running free but that is just because they're not long enough to reach the controller otherwise

As it stands, the only cable for me that can get snagged is the QHY22 power cable but it limit its length as I run it through my EQ6 accessory tray.

[eoliveira (Eduardo)]

Thank you for the suggestion. I am now using a cable spiral wrap to get all the cables from the rear of the scope running together. I am going to try to get this cable wrap attached to the side of the mount too.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Routing most cabling close to the pier means minimal pulling against the mount head but you still need to have it all free enough to not drag. Also you may need to keep powre and digital lines seperated to prevent noise issues.'
I run power up one side (SW) and signal (NE) with free swing loops to ensure no drag.
Not always pretty to see but effective.