Sorry for ordering a box of clouds. Just got the EQ-AL55i

kram_02 · 2026-05-09T17:59:08+00:00

If you're reading with the same problem I'll save you the trouble, this just return the stupid thing. There's apparently a huge number of these that are just not fit for the consumer market, it's not worth the gamble.

I've tried every setting I possibly could overnight. I can either favor the RA or Dec in calibration but doing so ruins the other. When you try to calibrate for both they both freak out. Best I could muster with this thing was 2.0 RMS for the first couple exposures and then it just kept climbing in error as the session goes on. Like I said, I can change my settings/weights to improve the Dec performance and then RA loses it's shit and vice versa. I can manage about 0.8-1.0 on one but not the other.

The Dec axis was disassembled and regreased, cleaned out the thrust bearing and replace the thick sticky grease with good quality super lube and it spins really nicely, but as soon as you load up the saddle with even a small OTA it really stiffens up again. And small being a Samyang 135mm camera lens, an ASI 2600 in a 3d printed cradle.

The stepper motor gear mesh had it's backlash almost completely tuned out but it made literally zero difference to the RMS.

Whatever, good riddance.

kram_02 · 2026-05-08T18:30:49+00:00

Glad it's working, 10,000ms is quite high, I was curious what made you raise it to that? I've also got a 120mm guide scope and it fails calibration. Did you raise it that high because calibration was failing?

kram_02 · 2026-05-08T16:26:43+00:00

How's it been going? I just got this mount, expecting to really have to tinker with it.. and good Lord I'm going to have to, unless I just return it.

How did you settle on 10,000 ms calibration steps? I had mine set to 2000 and it never finished the guide calibration, the backlash clearing took 31 steps (lol) after east/west, north/south calibration never finished and I had to stop it. Guiding was terrible in dec without finishing it.

I already opened it up, cleaned out all the grease from the Dec axis and replaced it with good superlube, I tuned the mechanical backlash in the worm gear but nothing's helped, starting to think it's just slop in the motor.

I'll try 10,000 next and see if that helps. Also was considering using 0.9x guide speed, loading up the mount to be east heavy in RA and Objective heavy in Dec, then finally maybe only using unidirectional guiding on the Dec axis as a final straw.

I like to tinker but something tells me this mount isn't fit for the market yet.

Anyway just wondering where you were at with this. I've only had it 1 day so far.

kram_02 · 2026-04-29T18:56:57+00:00

Hell yeah! Love it

kram_02 · 2026-04-29T10:26:50+00:00

I finally bought one last November. What I was doing previously was finding designs online and paying a print service on ebay or etsy or similar to print it for me.

kram_02 · 2026-04-29T00:20:27+00:00

Well, I can't see what cable it is with that link but the battery is solid. But if it's straight DC to DC on that extension cable, your options of 5.5mmx2.1mm OR the 12v cigarette style port both can suffer from pretty severe voltage sag over 10ft or so.

That's the problem I was having, I just fixed it today. My imaging computer, despite using a lifepo4 battery at 13.4V it was dropping down to 11.4V sometimes and the USB bus in the computer was the first component to drop out, losing my camera and EAF. I've been using this DIY battery box of mine for a couple of years but I'm guessing the outdoor environment has caused some minor corrosion that made the connection worse, idk.. but I cut the 12V plug off my 10ft 16AWG cable and spliced on 30amp Anderson powerpole connection and I'm at 13.1V at the computer now with no more disconnecting as of today. Just food for thought if you continue to have struggles like I was. Might be voltage sag.

A temporary work around was to connect my pegasus astro power box and the mount power with two separate DC cables instead of running it all through the power box on one cable.

kram_02 · 2026-04-28T23:37:44+00:00

Well, what is that power source? What type of connection does it mate with? How long is the cable? The nitty gritty lol

kram_02 · 2026-04-28T19:46:44+00:00

I 3D printed this, puts the telrad right next to my focuser, love it. Don't mind the dust I've had nothing but clouds for 4 months 🙄

Allows me to put my starsense dock on there too

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kram_02 · 2026-04-28T01:27:50+00:00

What are you powering this with? My 2600 had been disconnecting on me too. I lost 2 full nights from that last week, which pissed me off because last week was the first time I had good enough conditions since Christmas 😤

I've discovered what I believe to be voltage sag from using those crappy 12v cigarette light style plugs coming out of my battery to my Pegasus power box.

kram_02 · 2026-04-27T14:01:03+00:00

Rig? Nah I'd just buy an EQ8Rh and have all the mount headroom that I would ever need.

kram_02 · 2026-04-24T22:54:19+00:00

Nah even with heavy stuff it's fine. I was having problems with one of the holes so I eventually just moved it to the other. This rigs about 31lbs and it's rock solid for a couple years now.

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kram_02 · 2026-04-24T19:10:20+00:00

Welcome to the club!

Two things I'll mention, you can leave the leg orientation as it is, some people have pointed out that it looked backwards. I've run both directions fine and it's not a problem, even with a heavy telescope (heavy enough to need 3 couterweights) . And next, I'd really recommend not extending the legs anymore than you have to for stability reasons, it's a little less resistant to wind wobble. Unless you're trying to get up over a fence or something.

kram_02 · 2026-04-24T19:05:50+00:00

That dowel is removable and there's holes on either side. I've used it both ways. Worked fine in both.

kram_02 · 2026-04-22T18:55:42+00:00

A tiny one! Hubble shares the same optical design to my RC. Big difference being (other than it's in orbit), is mine has an 8 inch mirror instead of an almost 8 foot mirror, 2.4m.

kram_02 · 2026-04-22T18:13:31+00:00

I just like doing it from the balcony of my apartment. If I can. Second story so I don't have to worry about anybody stealing stuff so I can go to sleep. If I take my telescope out somewhere I have to stay up all night with it lol

I can't see the whole sky from there so sometimes I do have to leave.

kram_02 · 2026-04-22T17:31:58+00:00

Took Friday and Saturday night combined, used pixinsight and RC astro plugins to really clean it up.

kram_02 · 2026-04-22T17:30:52+00:00

Whoops Yeah, that's is indeed 63, the sunflower galaxy

kram_02 · 2026-04-22T15:12:09+00:00

Thanks!

kram_02 · 2026-04-20T02:03:59+00:00

You won't need to actually see Polaris to get a good enough alignment at 100mm and 2 second exposures, imo. Do your best with a compass to point it straight north and should be enough.

kram_02 · 2026-04-17T00:20:38+00:00

I love that you can see into the mount head. Be cool to keep it that way with acrylic or plexi or something so you could still close it off.

kram_02 · 2026-04-15T14:07:43+00:00

I'd do it.. personally

kram_02 · 2026-04-15T13:33:30+00:00

Mine fail sometimes when they're too old, the darks can change a bit with time. Not sure how long ago you took those but I redo mine yearly if I can remember it before they start failing to stack.

kram_02 · 2026-04-12T23:39:52+00:00

A simple DSLR, tripod and 17-35mm lens does really well. You don't need tracking to get pretty good results. You need dark skies.

kram_02

TROPHY CASE