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Re: Quite sticky mount

 

Thanks John. ? I guess I should pull my mount apart someday....it¡¯s time for an overhaul! ? Been factory default since 2008. ?Worked fine out of boxes. ? Hahaha
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Brendan
Re: Quite sticky mount

 

Bought my G811 this year and it didn't.
Re: Quite sticky mount

 

Pretty sure they are fitted std since early 2016. ?To all mounts. ?According to losmandy video. ?!?
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Brendan
Re: Az Adjustment Play/Slack

 

Michael I think you and I are on the same page re: the clutch pads have nothing to do with the alt-az adjustments and any belleville washer type of mod. so any pressure?on the az adjustment - spring or otherwise - would not impact clutch pad longevity






On Sat, Oct 5, 2019 at 3:28 PM Michael Herman <mherman346@...> wrote:
Hi gang,

The AZ and Elevation bolts have zero to do with the clutch plates that attach the telescope and DEC axis to the worm driven plates.? They are completely separate items.?

Once the Belleville washer flattens, it is the same as a flat washer.? It simply provides a spring force when it is adjustably loosened.??

What wears out clutch plates is too much knob force on the back clutch knobs, and then rotating the axis.? The plastic then has to flow along it's surface.? Like scuffing your shoes wears out the soles.? The other thing that makes the clutch plates lose grip is a flow of oils diffusing from the lubed needle bearings.??

Have fun...and read online about Belleville washers and their intended benefit for bearing performance.

Best,
Michael



On Sat, Oct 5, 2019, 3:17 PM Brian Valente <bvalente@...> wrote:
afaik there are no clutch pads on the alt and az adjustments. i have had my G11 for 13 years and haven't had any issues with them, nor have I heard of anything along the lines you described.?

i like michael's T bolts, though losmandy offers those too in stainless.

I personally would not want any sort of spring-loaded mechanism in there because once I have alt az alignment, i want it completely locked down.?

Brian

On Sat, Oct 5, 2019 at 2:45 PM John Dias <jddias@...> wrote:
So, Brian, if I do that there's no risk of shortening the life of the clutch plates?



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Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio



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Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio

Re: Az Adjustment Play/Slack

 

Hi gang,

The AZ and Elevation bolts have zero to do with the clutch plates that attach the telescope and DEC axis to the worm driven plates.? They are completely separate items.?

Once the Belleville washer flattens, it is the same as a flat washer.? It simply provides a spring force when it is adjustably loosened.??

What wears out clutch plates is too much knob force on the back clutch knobs, and then rotating the axis.? The plastic then has to flow along it's surface.? Like scuffing your shoes wears out the soles.? The other thing that makes the clutch plates lose grip is a flow of oils diffusing from the lubed needle bearings.??

Have fun...and read online about Belleville washers and their intended benefit for bearing performance.

Best,
Michael



On Sat, Oct 5, 2019, 3:17 PM Brian Valente <bvalente@...> wrote:
afaik there are no clutch pads on the alt and az adjustments. i have had my G11 for 13 years and haven't had any issues with them, nor have I heard of anything along the lines you described.?

i like michael's T bolts, though losmandy offers those too in stainless.

I personally would not want any sort of spring-loaded mechanism in there because once I have alt az alignment, i want it completely locked down.?

Brian

On Sat, Oct 5, 2019 at 2:45 PM John Dias <jddias@...> wrote:
So, Brian, if I do that there's no risk of shortening the life of the clutch plates?



--
Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio

Re: Az Adjustment Play/Slack

 

afaik there are no clutch pads on the alt and az adjustments. i have had my G11 for 13 years and haven't had any issues with them, nor have I heard of anything along the lines you described.?

i like michael's T bolts, though losmandy offers those too in stainless.

I personally would not want any sort of spring-loaded mechanism in there because once I have alt az alignment, i want it completely locked down.?

Brian

On Sat, Oct 5, 2019 at 2:45 PM John Dias <jddias@...> wrote:
So, Brian, if I do that there's no risk of shortening the life of the clutch plates?



--
Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio

Re: Az Adjustment Play/Slack

 

So, Brian, if I do that there's no risk of shortening the life of the clutch plates?
Re: Az Adjustment Play/Slack

 

HI John

Pretty much all losmandy mounts act this way afaik.?

It's really important to not loosen the bolts the entire way. in fact i barely loosen them and while it's a little tough to move the az adjustment, it makes for much more fine changes. As for the play, you just get used to it.?

The only hardware upgrade that i found helped?was swapping out the bolts for hand-tightened bolts, but that may be standard now



On Sat, Oct 5, 2019 at 9:09 AM John Dias <jddias@...> wrote:
I have a G811 and adjusting the azimuth while drift aligning is a bit of a pain.? First, there seems to be a lot of play in the gear when changing direction and makes it frustrating to make very fine adjustments.? I called Losmandy and they put me on with Scott, he suggested a shim under the female fitting.? No idea how I'll go about that but wondering if anyone has done that successfully???

Second, when I loosen the two locking bolts the mount moves a little bit and I have to compensate for that movement by moving azimuth adjustment just a tad more or tad less.? Anyone else encounter this?



--
Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio

Re: Quite sticky mount

 

i don't have a problem with that John.

i actually asked them that question directly and why don't they include it - they said it's fairly rare

Brian

On Sat, Oct 5, 2019 at 9:11 AM John Dias <jddias@...> wrote:
Agree that it is frustrating that the washer isn't original equipment.? It's clearly a problem for all owners, right?? BTW just ordered mine. :)



--
Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio

Re: Az Adjustment Play/Slack

 

Sweet, interested for sure!? GM811 is my mount.? I did replace the hex bolt on the alt adjustment lockdown with a handle that makes it easier to loosen/tighten in the dark.? I'd be open to trying a Belleville washer there as well.

Yellow would be my color preference.
Re: Az Adjustment Play/Slack

 

I find it best to install a 3/8 Belleville spring washer, faced on both sides by flat stainless steel washers, on both the AZ hold down bolts.? I then can release the AZ pressure adjustably while doing AZ adjustments.? Otherwise it goes from tight to overly loose.

For that, I also use slightly longer 3/8 stainless steel bolts and I put in colored T handles to make these more visible in the dark.??Some photos are attached.?

I also put a similar Belleville washer up the bottom center pivot point to keep that under compression.?

I also put these Belleville spring washers in the Elevation knobs, but not sure if they have any effect there...those flanges are already firmly?in place.
But here is a photo of that installed too.

I have the extended stainless steel bolts, 3/8 Belleville washers, stainless steel flat washers, colored T handles (red, yellow, black)... let me know if interested in a small package of these parts, and what color you'd like for the T-handles, and what mount you have (G11 or GM8 or GM811).??

Very best,
Michael





On Sat, Oct 5, 2019, 9:09 AM John Dias <jddias@...> wrote:
I have a G811 and adjusting the azimuth while drift aligning is a bit of a pain.? First, there seems to be a lot of play in the gear when changing direction and makes it frustrating to make very fine adjustments.? I called Losmandy and they put me on with Scott, he suggested a shim under the female fitting.? No idea how I'll go about that but wondering if anyone has done that successfully???

Second, when I loosen the two locking bolts the mount moves a little bit and I have to compensate for that movement by moving azimuth adjustment just a tad more or tad less.? Anyone else encounter this?

Re: Quite sticky mount

 

Agree that it is frustrating that the washer isn't original equipment.? It's clearly a problem for all owners, right?? BTW just ordered mine. :)
Az Adjustment Play/Slack

 

I have a G811 and adjusting the azimuth while drift aligning is a bit of a pain.? First, there seems to be a lot of play in the gear when changing direction and makes it frustrating to make very fine adjustments.? I called Losmandy and they put me on with Scott, he suggested a shim under the female fitting.? No idea how I'll go about that but wondering if anyone has done that successfully???

Second, when I loosen the two locking bolts the mount moves a little bit and I have to compensate for that movement by moving azimuth adjustment just a tad more or tad less.? Anyone else encounter this?
Re: Gemini 2 unit resets to default??

 

Tony.....this thread had moved tracks from original so I was unsure what you were asking. ?Gemini videos for battery replacement are here:

?
Other than search YouTube for losmandy Gemini battery:



These don¡¯t cover replacement of battery with power on, this has been discussed before. ?

I¡¯ve reposted this post .....as the first one got eaten & disappeared into internet electron oblivion.?
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Brendan
Re: Gemini 2 unit resets to default??

 

Magnus,

I just got a Gemini-1 unit with similar issue: ?it was going back to default values at boot up, because the backup battery was always going dead.? I think it has a bad BAT54 schottky barrier diode, so the 5V power when on, or ground voltage when off, was going directly to the backup battery, killing the battery. But it would boot up fine, just always with default values!?

?On the G1 design the BAT54 is supposed to isolate the battery from the 5V power...but when that fails, the battery is either drained to ground, or overdriven by 5V. ?

So remove and check your backup battery... See if it is reading a good voltage. If not, maybe the Gemini-2 circuit has a problem.? Brendan Smilth in Australia is a genius with the G1 systems, and so is David Partridge in the UK.? Maybe they can speak to the G2 circuit behavior that might cause a similar behavior. ?

Anyway... just another idea as to your weird G2 behavior... ?(I have never examined its circuitry...only G1s...)

Best,
Michael

On Fri, Oct 4, 2019 at 4:25 AM Tony Gabriele via Groups.Io <tgabriele73=[email protected]> wrote:
Would it be possible to get a link to the video you referred to in your reply?

Thanks

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Michael Herman
mobile: 408 421-1239
email: mherman346@...
Re: Gemini 2 unit resets to default??

Tony Gabriele
 

Would it be possible to get a link to the video you referred to in your reply?

Thanks
Re: Gemini 2 unit resets to default??

 

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I think you mean piqued ¡­

?

David

?

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Greg via Groups.Io
Sent: 04 October 2019 03:39
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Gemini 2 unit resets to default??

?

?Brian no I have no problem with torque. It just peeked my interest.

Re: Gemini 2 unit resets to default??

 

?Brian no I have no problem with torque. It just peeked my interest.
Re: Gemini 2 unit resets to default??

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

I've run my systems on 12v power for years... but recognize that "12v" is a bit of a colloquialism (12v power is seldom *actually* 12 volts). ?A fully charged lead acid battery is always delivering over 13 volts ... e.g. 13.8v for a new lead-acid battery at full charge. ?After a few years the same battery maybe only charges up to 13.4 volts.... (give or take). ?But if a lead-acid battery wont charge to better than 13 volts... it's probably time to think about replacing it. ?It might be fair to say that your "12v" battery is supplying somewhere around 13.5?? ?The best way to know is to use a meter to test it.

I've never had an issue with my mount... but somewhat recently I made some changes.

1. ?I switched from lead-acid (which weighs a ton) to Lithium packs (much lighter). ?But the problem is the Lithium packs (not sure if it's just my particular model or if this is generally a "a thing" with Lithium batteries) is that when FULLY charged, they just barely supply 12v (I've measured it at just 11.9) and as they drain, it can drop to around 10.8. ?But it's Lithium... so I can run them down to empty.

2. ?I bought a new optical tube and this optical tube weighs in at 45 lbs. ?By the time you add other accessories (cameras, finder scope, etc.) it's a bit over 50 lbs (I have 53 lbs of counterweight). ?

So I'm thinking ... maybe upping the voltage a touch wouldn't be such a bad idea even though I have never had an issue.

So I bought one of these:

SMAKN Waterproof DC/DC Converte 12V (9V-13V) Step UP to 15V/15A 15V 15A 225W Power Supply Module
by SMAKN: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UYCU0A4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_RWMLDbWJSB04N

I do not believe in using the "cigarette lighter" style plug -- the only electric receptacle that was actually designed so that thing you plug into can self-eject. ?I'm thinking I want something that has a better connection. ?I converted to Anderson "Power Pole" style plugs (I've been converting my friends over to these things one by one... and everyone loves them). ?I can't take credit for this discovery... I'm told HAM radio operators have been using them for years.

Keep in mind that the "Gemini" controller (the electronics) is TOTALLY happy with 12v power. ?You will not improve reliability of the electronics by upping the voltage (that will just get converted right back down to whatever the voltage is that runs the Gemini internally ... I'm not sure if it's a 5v system or a 3.3v system and possibly someone here can answer that, but I suspect the boards in the Gemini do not run on 18 volts.

When I bought my Losmandy StarLapse ... it was either Scott or Tanya (probably Tanya) who told em that the StarLapse (they no longer make this system) is actually the RA motor from the GM8 mount ... but modified to attach to a photo tripod. ?Also since it's just an RA drive, it doesn't use a Gemini... it has it's only small box that lets you set the direction and drive rate. ?Anyway, they told THAT system runs on ANYWHERE from 7 - 18 volts (quite a range) and that the ONLY thing you get from running a higher voltage is more torque at the motors ... and this assumes you have a load heavy enough to where having the torque is an advantage. ?If you don't have a heavy load ... you don't need the torque.

When I bought my heavier scope... I adjusted the max slew speed to 600 (down from the 800 which I think was the factory default).

In addition to the G11 mount ... I also own a GM8. ?The GM8 has my TeleVue refractor on it. ?It uses the 7 lb counterweight (even with cameras). ?So I figure I'm probably not in much danger of overloading the thing. ?I didn't bother to up the voltage or slow the slewing rate.



On Oct 3, 2019, at 4:00 PM, Brendan Smith <brenatlilydale@...> wrote:

?(¡°What is the best thing to get to increase voltage to the gemini to improve the torque if you guys dont mind me asking here?¡±)

Greg.....not sure what your asking but in relation to motor torque you can enter the web interface/servos page and increase motor tracking power percentage. ?Leave slew percentage at default. This allows more energy to the appropriate servo for tracking, lessens stall occurrences. ?Don¡¯t go mad with % changes, just a few % and retest.?


Other than that the system runs on 12 V ok.?

You stated ¡° the battery did not solve this¡±....I¡¯m confused ....is there an issue here. ?Maybe your own thread?
--
Brendan

Re: Gemini 2 unit resets to default??

 

(¡°What is the best thing to get to increase voltage to the gemini to improve the torque if you guys dont mind me asking here?¡±)

Greg.....not sure what your asking but in relation to motor torque you can enter the web interface/servos page and increase motor tracking power percentage. ?Leave slew percentage at default. This allows more energy to the appropriate servo for tracking, lessens stall occurrences. ?Don¡¯t go mad with % changes, just a few % and retest.?


Other than that the system runs on 12 V ok.?

You stated ¡° the battery did not solve this¡±....I¡¯m confused ....is there an issue here. ?Maybe your own thread?
--
Brendan
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