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[Phill]

I know it's not totally on topic but there is such a wealth of knowlede here I thought I'd give it a try.

My EQ3-2 was second hand when I bought it and over the years the DEC worm shaft has got slacker to the extent that I have one degree of backlash. AstroEQ runs well but I'm unable to do much photography due to the movement. I've done my best to remove the backlash, but I wondered if any one here could advise on whether spare parts are available? Or has anyone seen a web page where someone has re-bushed the worm shaft / added bearings etc. The problem is not the worm and gear but the carrier that bolts the worm to the DEC gear.

I'm wary of buying another second hand mount but I realise that this may be the only option.

Kind regards to all.

Phill

[Zh]

i think budget mounts cant be without backlash and one degree is not a problem. Most popular solution is using slight disbalancing  un DEC axis (RA too) so gears are always touching. Here is nice video about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK2bXfVNoQU

[Phill]

Hi Zh, thanks for the response. I had seen that video quite a while ago, and I balance that way. Anyway, I stripped the axis down again and rebuilt. It is quite a bit better now as I found that the bull gear has quite a high spot covering about 30 degrees. I've adjusted so it's just tight here and OK on the rest.

There must be a market for spare parts as I'm sure there are loads of old mounts that just need a new set of gears and a tune up.

Once again, many thanks.

Phill

[BigRD]

You could look at fitting bearings. I've just done this with my EQ5 clone for the cost of £10 for 12x6x2.5mm bearings on ebay. It's not perfect things are a bit smoother and my guiding has improved. If the worm housing on the EQ3 and 5 are similar you could try it for the cost of the bearings. See here https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/212505-trying-to-improve-eq5-worm-end-float/

[Phill]

Thanks for the link BigRD. I considered doing that but at the moment I've improved it with some brass bushings. Things haven't gone well this year and my Skywatcher 127mm lens has suffered some severe mold damage. My own fault. I've treated it like a baby for years but had to store it in the shed due to lack of space. I didn't think I'd get mold damage here in Spain but I did.

I get my pension next year so hopefully I can look at a decent upgrade for scope and mount.

Currently my AstroEQ is running perfectly guiding a camera. 

Thanks again.

Phill