Yes..
Yes,
sort of.. Being a (former) Carpenter, I use a tape measure and measure between
the Toe Saver Washer on the end of the counterweight shaft and the bottom edge
of the lower weight.. *but* I only do this before initial startup when I am
finding the ¡°It balances here¡± and ¡°I need to move the weight
a half an inch here¡±.. Then I put it back balanced, power up, and ¡°do
my thing¡±.. For me, that involves an eyepiece, a GOTO a bright star or
planet, switch to a high power eyepiece, center.. Then I switch to the camera, adjust
the weight slightly, center the target, and synch.. All this occurs before
Sunset and before you can see any stars (by looking up at the sky).. (To do
this, you need to know exactly where the focus point of your eyepieces are, as
the contrast of a target in a bright sky is quite low..).. Then I wait or do
other setup things until it is actually dark..
?
Once
it¡¯s dark, if I switch sides of the pier, I just move the weight ¡°by
feel¡±.. i.e. one hand feels the counterweight shaft and edge of the
weight while the other loosens the bolt holding the weight and I ¡°feel¡±
how much the weight moves, tighten the bolt, and carry on..
?
It¡¯s
not an exact science and it depends on the payload.. My G11 is only carrying
about 30 pounds so *for me* it doesn¡¯t matter if it is ¡°barely¡±
or ¡°a lot¡± East Heavy.. My Goal is ¡°just enough¡± so the
drive wont be able to ¡°flop¡± to the other side of the gear tooth.. With
a heavy payload ¨C like when I get around to mounting my 12¡± SCT ¨C
I will be *much* more exact.. When I do this, I will make two sticks or rods
that can go between the weight and the toe saver so I can accurately adjust
with no light..
?
YMMV,
but it works for me and my tracking is pretty good..
?
Derek
?
?
On Thu, Jan 28, 2021 at 10:54 AM, Derek C Breit wrote:
I move the lower counterweight up or down the shaft
depending on which side of the mount things are.. *AND* I find where these
points are ¨C before ever turning on the mount ¨C during initial balancing..
?
Doesn¡¯t take much offset from balanced, just
¡°some¡±..
Derek
Thanks very much for replying and explaining your approach to this topic. Just
checking I understand correctly - So when the counterweight shaft is on the
eastside you slide the lower weight a little down the shaft from it's
'correctly balanced' position and when the scope is on the eastside you slide
the lower weight up the shaft a little way beyond it's 'correctly balanced'
position. Presumably you use tape or something to mark the shaft for each
position?
Is this method which most use?
Many thanks
Terry [uk]
