The DM-4 is a down sized version of the DM-6, designed for the 4” and under grab & go scopes. It can handle a light 130 very well. It weighs, 6 pounds with saddle and is not much bigger than your hand.
Tom, do you reckon the DM-4 is sufficient for a 6" Mak (Intes MK-67)?
Steffen, you might want to ask your question on the Discmounts yahoo group or directly to Tom; he may not monitor this thread. The stated load limit for the DM-4 is 18 pounds.
Steffen, you might want to ask your question on the Discmounts yahoo group or directly to Tom; he may not monitor this thread. The stated load limit for the DM-4 is 18 pounds.
I agree with this advice, Tom was very responsive to me when I had questions...
Mmmm, drool… I sure will. The T-Rex was the mount I originally looked at, which brought me to the DM. There isn't a lot of people that have used both apparently, so I'm eager to listen to some first hand insight.
Mmmm, drool… I sure will. The T-Rex was the mount I originally looked at, which brought me to the DM. There isn't a lot of people that have used both apparently, so I'm eager to listen to some first hand insight.
Cheers
Steffen
In ignorance there is bliss with respect to the T-rex...I get my DM-6 in a few weeks...I only want to hear about a comparison between the two if the DM comes out on top.
Sorry, but I seldom get the time to visit all the forums. I always respond to my emails, if there’s something on a forum I should answer and don’t, please email.
Casstony mentioned he had slight stiction on his DM-6 az axis. There should not be any stiction on either axis. Slight stiction can be caused by the friction adjusting nut being to lose. The mount is used, so maybe there’s a problem, it’s hard to hurt one, but you never know. Casstony if you haven’t got it worked out, email me off-line, maybe I can get it back on track for you.
The C-8 is a good match for the DM-4. Steffen, I use a TEC-6 with mine, it work very well. Since I don't think manufactures should tout there products on forums, it's best to email me.
Scott, your DM-6 is on my bench behind me. It looks so good maybe I should keep it for my self. Don’t you think!! I’ll see you at NEAF and will give you the grand tour!
Tom
Last edited by DiscMounts, Inc; 28-03-2010 at 08:04 AM.
Reason: stuff showing up that should'n be in the message.
Scott, your DM-6 is on my bench behind me. It looks so good maybe I should keep it for my self. Don’t you think!! I’ll see you at NEAF and will give you the grand tour!
Casstony mentioned he had slight stiction on his DM-6 az axis. There should not be any stiction on either axis. Slight stiction can be caused by the friction adjusting nut being to lose. The mount is used, so maybe there’s a problem, it’s hard to hurt one, but you never know. Casstony if you haven’t got it worked out, email me off-line, maybe I can get it back on track for you.
Tom
Hi Tom, I haven't used the mount since I got the Sky Commander sorted out - it's waiting for a new ota which I should have in the next few weeks. The striction is only with micro-movements in the Az axis but I'm very happy with the mount overall; if there seems anything abnormal after I've played with the new ota I'll contact you in future.
I've made a balance plate to experiment with too - curious to see whether it's useful or not when using a 30 pound cassegrain. The inside nut is welded in place so the shaft can be screwed in without having to remove the plate. The welding shop had 6mm flat bar the correct width so they just had to make two cuts and they tack welded the nut on for me, all for the princely sum of $2.
Actually the DM-6 was designed to have a counterbalance if needed, this is why the back plate is so thick. I stock a few, with an aluminum plate and 1.25" stanless steel shaft (there's pictures in the DiscMounts forum picture section). Originally the top plate was designed to slide off and the counterbalance dropped into the rear groves, rather than unscrewing the the shaft. A few customers wanted to beable to mount the scope on either side of the mount. To do this I had to change the Sky Commander top plate, which was originally designed to easily remove the cable, to a plate with a universal cable pass-through. Unfortunately the with the new universal SC plate it's difficult to remove the cable to allow the counterbalance assembly to drop in. I don't advertise the counterbalance, because I don't want customers thinking it's alwayse necessary. It's only needed for the heavier scopes.
The original DiscMount (?) is a 40 year old equatorial with 8.5 inch disc and 9" gears on both axis. Equatorial mounts require a counterbalance. When I design I try to allow for the future, I wanted to do a tracking platform, but never had the time.
If you stay inside the specs, it's very difficult to hurt a DM-6 or DM-4 (they can be cosmetically damaged, but even that is hard). I like simple designs because there's less to go wrong, especially at night. I designed the the Discmounts to last a lifetime with little or no maintenance. The friction disc is NOT teflon and should last longer than you or me. There's only two moving parts so there's not much to wear-out. If you still have problems with your Az axis email and I'll help you figure it out. I have tracked at 700 power, and I just received a call from a customer that was tracking at 500 power. It's not what you would want to do all the time put it's possible, but both axis have to be smooth to do it.
I wasn't aware that you make a balance plate Tom; I found the pictures you referred to. I prefer being able to screw the shaft into the plate since that allows the plate to be left in permanently - no mucking around with the top plate and cables each time the mount is moved. Your alloy plate and the thicker shaft are nicer than mine though; I've pinched the shaft off my EQ5/Skyview Pro mount.
Tony,
Your counter weight looks very nice and serves your purpose. Mine are expensive. I only keep a few in stock and making low quantities is expensive. The Hard coat is 10 times the volume price, and that's if it is plated at the same time as the mounts.
My big mount is portable, but the counter weight is 80 pounds. I needed a way to mount an dismount such a heavy best, as an assembly. The DM-6 has a similar design. The DM-4 was designed to allow the 2" hi res. encoders to be used, so space was at a premium, and I couldn't carry the sliding cover idea through to it. The DiscMounts are designed as a box for two reasons: I can make very accurate right angles, which means the mount is very orthogonal, and it's easy to make "stuff" to mount on a box such as the counter weight.
Hope I'm not violating my own rule of not selling on a forum. I always liked knowing why an engineer went in one direction over another.
I look forward to it!
