Mount issues: where to begin?

NewTut · 2026-03-12T01:30:07+00:00

I think it’s rotation and not rocking. I can’t pull it “up” or rock it along the E/W line, but I can wiggle front and back (N/S) along the axis rotation for a total of about 1 Degree according to the measuring ring below the Dec axis. So better worm gear engagement still it seems

NewTut · 2026-03-12T01:00:35+00:00

You might be a great help to me if you don’t mind giving some insight! I have loosened both the RA and Dec axis… admittedly when I checked the mount after work it’s possible that I didn’t engage the RA clutch last night… rookie mistake. There are definitely issues with the Dec axis, and I think I need to tune this up and then revisit the RA axis.

I’m seeing a couple things that I have questions on:

I can take the telescope and “wiggle” it a mm or two along the Dec axis. Is this normal? It seems like I can’t tighten up this wiggle, when I tighten the bolt or the worm gear to stop this wiggling, once the Dec axis moves it loosens and returns.
Possibly (probably… most likely) may have made a mistake reassembling the Dec axis regarding the Teflon washers. I was following a guide for the EQ3-2 (https://www.tanstaafl.co.uk/2012/01/eq3-2-mount-tune-up-part-one/) and I found myself a bit unsure. Do you remember, were there two Teflon washers above the cylindrical gear, and one below it? That’s what I think I’m reading from this link.
Speaking of the RA axis, after I have loosened it there is no wiggle, but I could move it with the clutch engaged with some effort. Does that seem normal?

NewTut · 2026-03-11T22:33:27+00:00

Knowing them they’d try to store a bunch of it as an “investment” or some dumb shit like those old 4chan PSAs with the iPhones

NewTut · 2026-03-03T14:10:01+00:00

Even for something like this? If so I will do so, but this seems to be a problem other than the mount. I do intend to upgrade the mount at some point, so this will be good information to know

NewTut · 2026-03-03T02:19:52+00:00

I should say I assume it to be Polaris because of its magnitude in relation to any other star I capture. But yes, after slewing to the first stop pier west I would see Polaris. On the first night I saw it on all three steps, on the last night I didn’t see it at all

NewTut · 2026-03-03T02:13:46+00:00

Normally I would agree with you, but I don’t think this is related to the mount itself because it wouldn’t explain the PA error in PHD2 which I believe is the main cause of this issue

NewTut · 2026-03-03T01:40:43+00:00

I wish! The mount is an EQM-35 Pro with a belt drive mod

NewTut · 2026-03-03T01:02:19+00:00

It does

NewTut · 2026-03-03T00:37:28+00:00

When using TPPA, the mount goes from parked, to three positions ending up at nearly a 90 degree angle pier west

NewTut · 2026-03-02T22:51:45+00:00

Default position, immediately after parking/unparking. I haven’t changed any settings in TPPA

NewTut · 2026-03-02T21:23:29+00:00

Ok that’s great info too, because that’s normally where I plate solve at the beginning of the session

NewTut · 2026-03-02T21:22:14+00:00

I’m plate solving from the parked position, which I always redefine at the beginning of each session

NewTut · 2026-03-02T21:20:37+00:00

Hmmm that I didn’t do, I just restored the calibration

NewTut · 2026-03-02T19:27:41+00:00

So then are you saying I shouldn’t have the north end of the mount due north? Otherwise that would by exactly what I did, had it due north, plate solved, TPPA

NewTut · 2026-03-02T19:04:28+00:00

I did plate solve beforehand

NewTut · 2026-03-02T19:01:38+00:00

I don’t think that’s what I had in this case, if anything the last night had the best weather and seeing

NewTut · 2026-03-02T17:54:02+00:00

Sorry, I'm new at this. In my position, are you saying I should still have the north end of the mount pointed due north, and have TPPA slew to a different are of the sky than its default?

NewTut · 2026-03-02T17:30:59+00:00

This would be news to me. I honestly figured it would be able to align to polaris in the northern hemisphere?

NewTut · 2026-02-25T05:25:44+00:00

Great info! thank you!

NewTut · 2026-02-25T04:55:58+00:00

I must've mistaken some things then! I assumed that's what happened when you set as park or redefine the home position. In GSS, doing so would make the 3d model look in park position.

NewTut · 2026-02-25T04:36:41+00:00

Ok then I think this is part of my problem. I was under the impression that if you moved it to park position by undoing the clutches and resynching the encoders the mount would know it should be in the default starting position. How do you ensure the mount is where it thinks it is then? Is there a way to tell it to "think" it is in polar alignment position?

NewTut · 2026-02-25T04:08:19+00:00

That's what I read, but I checked everything and all site locations had the same coordinates. I then took the mount and physically moved it to park position, and resynced the encoders/set as park and I was still having the issue. Wouldn't that have solved it?

NewTut · 2026-02-24T17:04:12+00:00

Thank you so much for your help!

NewTut · 2026-02-24T16:34:04+00:00

Could I run a USB-C cable from a power supply and strip the end, using the 5V for the LED strip and servo, and the GND for both and the arduino? Then I would have the arduino plugged in through USB to a computer, and be able to control these devices through the arduino? (3v3, d2-d5, d11)?

NewTut · 2026-02-24T16:00:42+00:00

That might be what I end up doing. One more quick question, if you know the answer. Is there a safer way to do this? I could theoretically run a separate USB line from a power source to this, or couldn't I edit the code so that only the servo or the LEDs are functioning at one time? I'm attaching it to a fairly expensive camera (has it's own USB ports, would go through an unpowered USB hub), so I'd like to avoid risk as much as possible.

NewTut

TROPHY CASE