EQ6R-Pro Sticky Axes Quick Fix (No disassembly required!) [DIY]

Do the axes on your EQ6R-Pro not move smoothly?
In this video I will show you how to get those sticky axes moving
freely again. There is no disassembly of the mount required - just
loosening and adjusting the two main axis nuts.
Tools needed:
2mm allen key
2.5mm allen key
Strap wrench (like for an oil filter, get at an auto parts store)
A couple of small screws (M4 or #6/8) and a screwdriver if the strap
wrench doesn't do the trick
This is a quick job and shouldn't take more than a half hour, probably
even less.
I hope you find this video helpful!

[@jaimenegrete1253]

I bought my EQ6R PRO last year and also is a bit stiff, tomorrow I will do the job you suggest and I will be sharing the results, many thanks for your contribution to the astrophotography community. Everyone of us spend not a little amount of money and this simple tuning steep will be a giant leap..., thanks and greetings from Chile, South America, to everybody following this channel.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Hello, Chile! You're welcome and thanks for this wonderful comment! I'm wishing you success with making the adjustment tomorrow...please stop back by and let us all know how it went!

[@Safestassets]

How did it go?

[@MPesarchick]

Thanks so much for all the tips in this video, especially your trick of putting screws in the unthreaded holes in the big black cylinder nut on the RA axis to gain leverage. I literally broke one strap wrench trying to get that nut loose and wore another one smooth. Not even channel-lock pliers did the trick (other than marring the finish). But your screws in the holes trick worked right off the bat, and now I should have a much easier time balancing. Thanks again!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

I'm happy it helped!

[@ianbirkettactionmedia412]

Great video! I've been having some guiding problems when in varying temperatures and I always thought it was the grease issue. I looked inside and didn't think there was too much grease at all (I'm in industrial maintenance so I'm familiar with bearings being overloaded). I didn't know these mounts had compression nuts on the bearings and it makes perfect sense now. I reset the tq on them and it's as smooth as can be now! Thanks a bunch!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thank you for the kind comment!

[@amp2amp800]

Great stuff. Thanks! I was about to do this to my old EQ6 as I have that issue too when balancing. But I realized that when I loosened the clutches and spun the axle the clutch levers were dropping under their own weight causing the clutch to drag very slightly. That was the main thing for me making it feel tight. I changed the lever orientation a bit and cleaned the clutch (removing excess grease). But of course, now you got me curious about taking out that last tiny bit of tightness. So here goes. Inspirational!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thank you for the comment and the kind words!

[@74shsgrad]

Thanks for posting this video. I've been living with pretty severe stiction on both axes since I got my mount 2-3 years ago. The procedure was easy peasy with nothing getting stripped and just a strap wrench worked on both. Now if the clouds would abate for a night....

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! I'm glad it didn't fight you. Hope you get some clear skies soon!

[@BBROPHOTO]

Well... I’ve had this video saved in my favourites for almost a year. On first viewing I went immediately to do this for my EQ6R and instantly hit the road block of not being able to loosen the black smooth ring on the RA axis. No problem, lets find some bolts and do what you did. Nothing fit properly and it wouldn’t move. Fast forward until right this hour - I finally have it undone. I had to use one heck of a strap wrench and with so much torque applied that I quite literally lifted the entire mount up off the floor. An entire hour of trying to undo it with a long handled strap wrench and IT FINALLY CAME LOOSE. Holy moly, I cannot tell you how happy I am hahaha. I literally have blisters trying to loosen the MF 😩 Thank you so much for this video, I finally have a smooth and free RA and DEC axis. I can finally now balance my 8” newt properly!! I truly cannot fathom why Skywatcher do everything up so tight on seemingly all their products 🤪

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! I'm happy to hear that you came out on top against that darn RA axis. It is indeed a MF as you said. Thank you for sharing your results, and clear skies!

[@scarman123]

The 4 grub screws on the black ring for the RA axis… on my mount… are 5/64ths. Using a 2mm allen on those 4 could strip them out.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thank you for your comment! I did the math on this, and converting 5/64 in to mm came out to 1.984375 for me (5/64 * 25.4). So, very close (less than 0.02 mm difference). Good to know for anyone out there that wants to do this but only has imperial tools in their kit.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Unfortunately, there isn't a very close match for the 2.5 mm wrench needed for the dec axis. 3/32 in comes out to 2.38125, which is a bit smaller than I'd be comfortable using. The next 64th up, 7/64, comes out to 2.778125. I'm guessing that wouldn't fit in at all. Looks like the moral of the story is to just get the proper metric wrenches...

[@haythrower]

I used two 9/64 Allen wrenches rather than 4mm bolts on the RA axis locking nut. It was very tight!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

The Skywatcher employees must all be into body building...thanks for the comment and the smile!

[@rogersliva4120]

I got my Eq6-r Pro a month ago but haven’t had much time with it due to rainy days (Kentucky) until last night. Got a photo of the Ring through the clouds and tracking was rough. Used this video to check and fix what was a very sticky mount. Thanks much for easy to follow steps. I’ll try again soon, I’m sure this will help!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

I'm happy to hear you found it useful! Wishing you some clear weather to see if it helped!

[@tompalmer3727]

Hey - just did this and had one issue. While doing the DEC axis, two of the three grub screws actually came out and fell down into the cover. I'm pretty sure I didn't loosen enough to really get them all the way out - assuming they were actually in to begin with. In any case, it was easy just to unscrew the cover all the way and grab them. On the RA, like you the strap wrench wouldn't work so I tried your two-screws method. Bent two before it budged - but it did! RA was super tight. Glad to have things loosened up a bit and looking forward to next clear skies to test. Thanks!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thank you for the comment! I'm glad you were able to recover easily on the dec side. That RA made me pretty nervous with how hard I had to turn and it sounds like yours might have been even tighter. Happy to hear you got it! May your skies be clear soon!

[@MayfieldCreekObservatory]

I made all the adjustments tonight. I will wait for a good night to see how it does, but each axis is free now. My RA was incredibly tight. I had to back off a lot on it and DEC too. I made sure no up and down play. Thanks!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Awesome! It's been great hearing about everyone's successes with this, thank you for sharing yours and clear skies!

[@siberx4]

I had to do a very similar adjustment on my HEQ5 to get optimum tracking and guiding. My experience was that I had to keep both axes a little tighter than shown here; if I loosened them enough to "free swing" then I would get L-shaped moves when issuing guide commands, indicating some slop even though I could not feel any motion in either axis. I definitely ended up with the axes looser and easier moving than stock though, and it helped with some stiction issues I was having.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@davidswinnard7565]

I found the same thing on my HEQ5 as well. Loosened, but not too loose. Made an nice improvement in guiding. I purchased the mount new so it came from the factory somewhat tighter than needed.

[@jmundale]

Great Post! I compteted procedure in under 30 minutes with only 1 glitch. If you loosen the DEC axis bearing cone nut set screws too far the drop into the cone nut, which requires the complete removal of the nut to fetch the screw. Be careful of the bearing dropping out if you need to remove the cone nut completely.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thank you! You're the second person to mention having those fall out. I think I'm to blame for saying not to be shy backing them out! Alas, I didn't want anyone to drag them across the shaft threads if they weren't out enough. Happy to hear that you recovered fine! Clear skies!

[@jurgenketterer7531]

Thank you for sharing this video ... I followed your procedure and applied your screwdriver magic trick ... fantastic! now the mount seems to be very happy and rotates free with low force ! Compliments to you and greetings from Switzerland . It was a pleasure to meet you on KZbin! Juergen

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! I'm happy to hear about your success and thank you for the kind comment! Clear skies!

[@WolfCoveInn]

Thank you. Making adjustments was so simple after watching this. Can't wait to see the results, hopefully tonight!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome, and thank you for the comment and kind words! Wishing you clear skies tonight!

[@kristofcappoen43]

Well on my last adventure my guiding went to complete crap +10" hopefully this fixes it , thanks for the video

[@Calzune]

THANKS! I went from 1.0-1.11 down to 0.6 and its stable!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing your results!

[@chrosbahr]

Just tried this on my EQ6R Pro, and while I'll have to wait until next clear night to test the effect for real, it was surprising how far off balance my setup actually was. Thanks!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Right on! Thanks for the comment!

[@robb7342]

Sadly, I wished that I had come across this video a month ago. I have the HEQ5, which during the winter months at -20c became very stiff. I opted to disassemble the mount only to find out that the bearings and lubricant used were not the cause of stiffening. Unfortunately, the threaded Dec cap had been stripped during original assembly, but OEM stepped up and took it back under warranty without question - great support. All that being said, I came to the much the same conclusion as what you have presented here. I'd be curious to know if your guiding results improved?

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Didn't really see much difference in guiding. It would have been cool if it had improved, but I'm happy that I didn't make it worse! Regardless of that, the mount is just easier and more enjoyable to use now. Glad to hear that SkyWatcher took good care of you!

[@AndrewThomas73]

Just followed your instrctions, what a difference its made to the RA and DEC. Now with zero stiction, now living in the uk wont be able to test it for ages, but im very hopefull it will make a big difference, i wonder why in the factory they tighten everything up to the max, bearing in mind (no pun inteneded) the whole idea is to move smoothly through RA and DEC motions. Thank you for this video, it was about as much as im capable of doing myself, dont mind admitting if i cant fix something with a hammer and a can of WD40 then its beyond me...

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome, and happy to hear that it went smoothly (pun definitely intended) for you! Wishing you some clear skies so you can give it a go!

[@thomasmorrow1080]

Thanks for the great video. Just loosened up my very stiff mount and now am able to properly balance. Looking forward to seeing if there is any noticeable improvement in guiding. It surely can’t hurt. My mount was so stiff my OTA wouldn’t move it without a shove.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome, and thanks for commenting! Skywatcher must be only hiring bodybuilders to assemble these things or something. I figured it was only one here and there that was tight but based on the comments here it seems that being tight is sort of the norm. I'm happy to hear that you got yours sorted out. Let me know if you see any difference in guiding, and clear skies!

[@janezschrott8429]

Thaks a lot for this, I just bought an eq6 and it's super tight! I'm doing this today 😊

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thank you for taking the time to comment! I hope it goes smoothly for you!

[@DeveshPande]

Great video. Thanks. I bought a used mount and both the axes were so stiff that i wasn't able to balance at all. I used your technique and it has done wonders. With my 102mm ED, it guides at 0.6 RMS. I am not pro at guiding but this is ku h better than what I had before. Also seeing and light pollution at my location is terrible so that might affect the numbers a bit. Thanks for the great guide

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! Thank you for the comment, it is really great hearing this. 0.6 RMS is definitely something to be happy about; it sounds like you made a good purchase! I wish you the best and clear skies!

[@MrDennisLB]

Thank You!! Some great information. That will come in handy soon.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! Glad it will help and I appreciate the feedback. Clear skies!

[@danjensen9425]

Great video. Thank you. Stiction is bad in mine too . I’ll be doing this to mine. Way easier than a complete hypertune job.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! Hope you have an easy time with it and thanks for watching!

[@phfreddie6242]

Great video, Thankyou my Eq6r pro tracks even better now. Great location where you shot this video, the background looks like Mars !

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! I'm happy to hear it was useful. Clear skies!

[@lesgatechair3907]

Thanks for the great demo. It was recommended by Jay Lamb, and I did it, following you along, worked great. Seems greatly improved. My strap wrench is about 30 years old, but did the trick. Probably time for a new one. My polar scope was, and still is upside down. Couldn't seem to fix it, perhaps you have a video on that? Don't use it much, but nice to have things lined up right? Keep up the great work. Don't see your name anywhere! Thanks again. Les

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Hi, Les! You're welcome and happy to hear that you found this useful. My name is Rich. I'd say hold on to that strap wrench! Mine wasn't much help despite being straight out of the package. I don't have a video on the polar scope. How do you mean that it is upside-down? I have to admit that I have never used mine; I use kstars/ekos and it has a polar alignment routine that I use instead. Thank you for the comment and clear skies!

[@lesgatechair3907]

@@explorelearnshare8222 thanks for the reply. I too have evolved away from the polar scope, prefer sharpcap polar alignment tool. When i look through my polar scope, the clock image is upside down with 6 at the top and 12 at the bottom. When i used it I just ignored the numbers. I presume there is a calibration procedure but never worked it out.

[@mesample1705]

Excellent information. Thanks for sharing the knowledge. I'll give you an A for production. I held back the A+ for the shadow on the RA portion.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome, I'm happy to hear it was useful! Thank you for the generous grading! I didn't realize how dark that section was until I got to editing...just need to remember to check the footage as I go more carefully from now on. Thank you for your honest feedback. My goal is to make the best content I can, and feedback like that really helps!

[@Maximus0389]

Amazing Tutorial. Thanks for this and greetings from Germany 😎🤘🏻

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thanks so much for the kind words! I visited Germany for a business trip many years ago and loved it there. I'm happy I was able to return virtually!

[@robertdavis7499]

Thank you! I had no idea it was so easy to adjust an EQ6R - much smoother now :-)

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! Thank you for the feedback!

[@marklimbrick]

I think there is a misunderstanding about how a precision (not high speed) pre-load will make a mount feel like something is wrong. You have steel bearings in an alloy casting so full temperature range in use has to be allowed for as well. Pre-load takes into account distortion of the casting as loads are fixed to it. If guiding is 0.5" , then it is working fine.

[@MetaView7]

THanks ! I don't have a EQ6R, but the knowledge is good ! It might come in handy one day.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome!

[@MayfieldCreekObservatory]

I tested mine this week and seems to made my RMS go up a little. I think I have it too loose so going tighten back up a little. I got too aggressive with it. I plan to send this off for Hypertune soon anyways. Great video and thanks!

[@MayfieldCreekObservatory]

I tightened it back up a little and yep way too loose. That was my fault. I also adjusted the backlash on my worm carrier which I had done before. It should be good to go. I appreciate your video because it has taught me to adjust and learn how to do things with my mount and not be scared to do it. Thanks again!

[@Neanderthal75]

I'm going to look into this also, because PHD2 is having issues correcting the Dec many times and PHD2 need to send the pulse command 3-4 times when the DEC finally responds, (and most of the time over-corrects by the time the mount reacts) sounds like a sticky axle. I have no issues on the RA, but the DEC definitely feels too tight when trying to balance it also.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

I hope you solve it, please share your results. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@richparsons7320]

Fantastic! Just what inwas looking for.. My new eq6r mount was so difficult to balance as it was so stiff on both axis. I was so afraid to tinker with it as i thoughts i would mess up the tracking and everything. This video put my mind at ease. Both axis now move much more freely and slewing seems fine whem i tested it all plugged in. Liked and subbed! Cheers mate.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Nice, glad it helped! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@SimjetAU]

Fantastic video...just what I needed for my Saxon mount..same as the skywaatcher

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thank you, I'm happy to hear that it was helpful!

[@bkumark]

i sold of my eq6 long sometime in 2016 because of the same issue. wish i had known this earlier.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Oh, no! Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@williamdrapeaud6288]

Hello from France, usefull informations and easy to follow ! Waiting for a good weather now ….

[@explorelearnshare8222]

👋🇫🇷❗Thank you for commenting and clear skies!

[@big_bad_lynx]

I'm actually jealous of the weather you have there. I bought mine 2 weeks ago and literally had 1 night where I could do some photos without clouds here in England.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Ugh, that's rough! On the plus side, you made it past the first lottery and actually got one of these elusive mounts, so hopefully the new year has some clear nights in store for you. I appreciate you taking a moment to comment! Happy New Year!

[@big_bad_lynx]

@@explorelearnshare8222 thank you for sharing this video. I tuned mine and now is buttery smooth.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

@@big_bad_lynx You're welcome and clear skies!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

@Jack Mundale made this comment in a reply: "I re-checked the alignment of the polar scope after this procedure and it was dead on, no adjustments necessary." I wanted to pin that reply but it seems that pinning doesn't work for a reply. So, I'm reposting the comment here. Thank you for sharing this, Jack! You can see the original comment in a reply to elythomaslumber.

[@rockanthems]

I prefer Alan Wrench for grub screws.

[@Thunder_Dome45]

Boy it was hard to get that black thing on the RA to loosen but it seems much better to balance. I'm in a week long dry hurricane so I can't test the guiding any time soon.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Agreed! I hope your weather clears up soon!

[@henri-julienchartrand3387]

Useful information. Great explanation and execution. Thanks

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome and thanks for the comment!

[@TheMje1963]

Thanks for sharing this info with the world. I'm sharing this video on my discord beginners section

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! Very kind of you to share it, thank you!

[@rockanthems]

So I’m brand new to this . I just hooked up the Mount and the up down moves with the hand control but only a little each way…after I tighten the green number band. It seems I can’t get the left right to move only the green band moves…I can’t get it tight enough the move the telescope ? Is there a special tool to tighten the hand tightener on the green band? Seems stupid there so many little stupid things that should be explained… things you have to deal with , learn, find power connectors . Then Cameras then computer hook ups then photo programs phones . You definitely helped out loosening the Mount so it moves easy!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thanks for the comment! Yes, there is a learning curve to this, but, it is very satisfying when you overcome it. Just be patient and keep absorbing information. There are a lot of great videos out there covering all the basics. You don't need to worry too much about those green numbered bands. They are just a reference and would be used when manually moving one axis or the other through a somewhat precise number of degrees. They don't affect the operation of the mount in GOTO mode. If you are driving the motors with the hand controller and you can hear the motors moving but the mount is not moving, my guess would be that you need to tighten the clutch. Those are the bigger black levers. Check the user manual if you're not sure what I'm referring to. You will learn all these little details as you go, and I'll bet it doesn't take as long as you may think. Good luck on that journey, and feel free to ask more questions if you need to. Most people in this hobby are eager to share what they've learned.

[@rockanthems]

@@explorelearnshare8222 Gotcha I like to first see if I can get it working. Thank you for the answer you helped a ton! Yes I tightened the clutch and you are right it works well. So now I’ll have to rudimentary set the North Star and follow the directions. I can’t wait for the TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE ON NOV 8 or shall we say NOV 7th after midnight ….totality 2:16 am

[@explorelearnshare8222]

@@rockanthems You're welcome; enjoy the eclipse!

[@tomzukouski6041]

Thanks so much for the info ,by the way did you notice any improvement in your already great performing mount?

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! I didn't see too much difference in guiding performance. Being able to get good balance makes me feel better, though. Thank you for the comment!

[@rockanthems]

Thanks the screw trick is brilliant

[@MrGuitar50]

Thanks!! Very helpful!!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! Thanks for taking the time to comment!

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

I've got the same issue with my AZ EQ6 GT so might look into this as getting balance has never been easy

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thank you for watching and commenting! I think the AZ EQ6 is fairly different, so you may need to find a video more specific to that mount. Good luck and clear skies!

[@markcompton1249]

Dumpy Dalek Observatory - did you ever find out how to do your AZEQ6? I am struggling…

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

@@markcompton1249 sadly no I haven't I may have to send it somewhere to get it serviced at some point

[@srikanthmeg]

Thank you!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! And thank you for your comment, it is great to know that you appreciated it!

[@marcrascolnicov8050]

Thank you for this very useful and well explained post. I am a beginner, got my EQ6-R and was able to follow your instructions easily. Like others, was unable to move the last piece in RA axis with the strap wrench but the trick with the screwdriver easily worked. Now the two axes move easily, before they were very stiff and couldn't balance well. Edit: I noticed now, just after setting everything back up, that RA clutch tightening results in a slight move of the RA axis which I believe is the result of the (RA axis loosening) procedure. (I was extra careful to loosen it only so much as to achieve the 'free gliding', nothing more). Makes me wonder if this is OK? I hope this does not have any adverse effects on the gear/tracking. Thoughts?

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! Regarding the edit: I'm not able to see exactly what you're seeing, but when you say tightening the clutch results in a slight move of the RA axis, what do you mean? If the axis rotates slightly when tightening the clutch I don't see that as a problem. If it is shifting laterally (i.e., across rather than around the axis of rotation), I would guess that you may have made the axis too loose. Not to worry if that happened, just get back to that big black nut and tighten it up a little. You may have to go back and forth a few times until you find the right balance there. Don't hesitate to ask more questions if you need to, and thanks for watching!

[@marcrascolnicov8050]

@@explorelearnshare8222 Hi, thanks for the reply. Tightening the RA clutch forces a 0.5 - 1.0" lateral rotational move of the counterweight shaft. For example, if I position it to the home position straight down, upon tightening is moving by that amount to the left (as I am facing the mount). Not too important for the home position but a bit annoying during polar alignment via the polarscope when aligning the reticle at 90 degrees but no biggie). Regardless, tonight I took the telescope out for the first time and I am getting better guiding than before (0.65 arc sec total error, which I achieved previously once but subsequently was getting mostly higher total error). Not experienced enough to tell if this is due to a better balancing as a result of the RA loosening (I believe) a better polar alignment or both.

[@luisgutierrez6347]

Gracias!

[@riccardopacini8335]

I couldn't unscrew my RA part. Failed with the rubber wrench and tried the 2 screw and screw driver, ended up bending the cmscrew driver and still it didn't move. All 4 grab screw were completely loosened

[@explorelearnshare8222]

I'm sorry to hear that you weren't able to best that RA nut. The only reason I didn't bend my screwdriver doing mine is that screwdriver is the heaviest one in my kit...I don't think I have the strength to bend it. In the video I was using quite a lot of force, enough to lever the entire mount up on to one tripod leg. If you watch the video closely you can see it move. I'm not sure what makes that thing so tight. I understand your reluctance to use too much force. Thank you for sharing your results here, and clear skies!

[@markcompton1249]

Thanks for a great video- very helpful. My problem is that I have an AZ-EQ6GT and thought I would be able to modify your process - but can’t work out how to get it apart on either RA or Dec. Do you have any suggestions? On Dec I removed the 3 grub screws but couldn’t loosen the silver ring. And on RA, I found some hidden behind the polar scope but found nothing that fitted in order to loosen them 🥲. I can send some photos if it will help with suggestions.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! Unfortunately, the AZ-EQ6 is a totally different design from the EQ-6R. The main issue is the way the clutches work on the AZ-EQ6. They are in the way, and I'm not sure how tightening the axes works with them there. I found this video which may be helpful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGLag4mpg7ppldk. I didn't watch it all the way through, but I skipped around and he does disassemble both axes. The part you want to see is how the tapered bearing on each axis is retained. That is the part you will need to loosen slightly. Hopefully that is shown in that video. If you don't get what you need from that one, try searching for a teardown video for the AZ-EQ6. Hopefully someone out there has shown how your mount comes apart (and goes back together!). If you find some videos but are still stuck, feel free to reach out to me via email if you want a second set of eyes to take a look. Sorry I can't be more directly helpful!

[@markcompton1249]

Ok, thanks for the response - I had already started looking for similar videos but would rather avoid a full tear down. Hopefully the video will give enough info to do a quick fix. I also read that these mounts do get stickier at high latitudes due to their bush arrangement. And I am 61 North…

[@explorelearnshare8222]

@@markcompton1249 Sorry I wasn't very clear...my intention was not to advocate a full teardown, but rather to use teardown videos to determine the minimum disassembly required to get to the place you can make the adjustment. Based on what you said, it sounds like you came to that on your own anyway. Indeed, that was the technique I used to figure out what to do on the EQ-6R. Again, if you think a second set of eyes will help then feel free to reach out. Good luck with this, and please do let me know how you make out!

[@markcompton1249]

@@explorelearnshare8222 - that's what I understood, so I guess my response was ambiguous. I blame it on just having had Covid and come in from outside trying to get some planetary shots before the clouds rolled in. Amazing how cold one gets standing still in -16 deg C!!! 🥶Will send you an update if I make any progress, but probably won't get to do much until after the silly season, and maybe not before it gets warmer. Is this the best way to send you a message?

[@markmuratore413]

Great video. Thanks

[@explorelearnshare8222]

You're welcome! I appreciate the comment!

[@Microtonal_Cats]

Helpful. I appreciate it. I think someone just redid it, "EQ6-R pro upgrade in 15 minutes without taking it apart!" by KZbinr "Astro Adventures"

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Glad it helped and thanks for the comment!

[@FromGregg]

Great video! I just received my new EQ6R-Pro last week and mine is tight just like yours was. I’ll be guiding great at .34” then every minute or so I’ll get a big RA or DEC spike over 1” I may have to try this. Have you had a chance yet to see if it makes any improvement in the RMS error numbers? Thanks for sharing

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thank you for the comment and your kind words! Congrats on the new mount and very cool that you're down at .34"! What mount were you using before? I did get a chance to run it again last night, and I didn't see much difference in my RMS numbers. Like you, I do get some excursions over 1" occasionally (in RA, and both before and after doing this). My wild guess on that is that the worm carrier is probably also overtightened. I'm tempted to try adjusting that too but I'm worried I'll make it worse instead of better... Check out AstroBloke's hypertuning video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6bNpGqBqcRplcU) to see more of the internals of the mount if you're interested.

[@FromGregg]

@@explorelearnshare8222 I’m coming from a AZ-EQ5-Pro which I believe you took apart and cleaned, greased and tuned in a previous video. Although I think yours was black but looks the same as my mount. Thanks for letting me know the result I’m hoping we just need to break our mounts in a little bit and the spikes will go away with time 🤞 I hope my heavier scope will help do the trick if it ever come back in stock lol. Have you tried PEC guiding yet? Im using an ASIAIR Pro so I don’t have that ability yet… However, I here it works really well with the EQ6R Pro especially after hypertuning. I’ve watched that video and I’m not ready to take the plunge yet as my total RMS is still much better than the ~1.5” I was getting with my AZ-EQ5-Pro. Love the mountains in your video! Looks nice and dark. What’s your Bortle rating at that area you shot the video? Keep up the great tips

[@explorelearnshare8222]

@@FromGregg Looks like we're on similar paths with mounts at least lol. Interesting that we both got the EQ6 at the same time. Yeah, my previous one is an AZ-EQ5 rebranded for Orion. I'm pretty sure all the Orion mounts are Sky Watcher rebrands. And I definitely remembered you from the previous video...yours is still the nicest comment I've ever gotten. My AZ-EQ5 is at about 1.5" rms also, but it was .8-.9 once upon a time. Over the summer I took it all apart and cleaned and greased it again but didn't get any improvement. I'm going to replace some bearings next, especially now that I really don't have anything to lose with the EQ6 in the mix. I plan to make a video of that. Regarding PEC, it really made a difference for me on the AZ-EQ5, but I trained the EQ6 and it made things slightly worse. I need to try it again now that I've adjusted the axes. Maybe it was correcting for the stickyness (which wouldn't be predictable) and not the periodic error? Just a guess, but definitely worth another try. The mountain view here is quite nice; the "Clear Outside" app claims bortle 3, but I think it's darker than that when looking away from the nearest city. Which scope are you waiting on? And how do you like the ASIAir? Did it recognize the USB port on your EQ6? I use a plain Raspberry PI running ubuntu and it can't see it. Fingers crossed your scope is in stock soon!

[@FromGregg]

@@explorelearnshare8222 so true! We must have both ordered them the day they came back in stock lol. I’m using a WO Redcat 51 and absolutely love it! Yes, I had no connection with my ASIAIR Pro and had to download and install a larger OS from ZWO on a 64GB micro SD card that have the updated USB chipset drivers for the new EQ6R-Pro. I used Win32 Imager to extract the ISO image of the new OS and write it to the larger 64GB micro SD card. You should do a video on the process!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

@@FromGregg I've been considering a redcat 51. No one seems to have anything bad to say about any of the WO stuff, and it all looks beautifully made. For now I'm using a Nikon 200-500mm lens that I already had. What scope are you waiting on to come back in stock? I still haven't sorted out the USB issue, so maybe there will be a video lol. I still had an eq direct cable hanging around from before I realized I could just go straight to the USB port on the AZ-EQ5 so I'm using that for now. Forecast is showing nothing but clouds which is nature's way of telling me to figure that out I guess! What's the workflow with the ASIAir? Does it do the entire capture process, guiding, etc? So, no computer? In my setup, I'm basically only using the Raspberry PI as a proxy so that I just have a single ethernet cable going out to the scope. Could also work wirelessly but it's slower. I still need to use the computer inside to manage everything.

[@runematthijssens2304]

Hi! I followed your tutorial for the sticky axis. But for the Ra I could not get the black smooth nut of. Not with your two screws method. I’ve not yet tried it with a strap wrench but I think that will have less power then the previous method. I loosened all the grub screws (luckily none were stripped). Do you need to get through some locktite or what’s the deal back there 😂. Cheers Support from Belgium

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Hello, Belgium, and thank you for the comment! Everyone is struggling with that nut. I had to use a lot of force to move that thing. More than I was comfortable with on a brand new mount if I'm being honest. The two screws were a little bent when I was done. I'm not really sure why it is so tight. Maybe there is some loctite in there. I think part of it is the grub screws...I'm pretty sure they dig into the threads. The nut then has to push through that damage. Not sure if that is all there is to it, but that's my theory (totally unproven lol). You may just need to use more force, but I totally understand if you are unwilling to do that. I definitely don't recommend doing anything you are uncomfortable with. Thanks again for watching and commenting, and please let me know if you give it another go and how you make out. Clear skies!

[@runematthijssens2304]

@@explorelearnshare8222 I got it! I used a oilfilterwrench to undo the big black nut. Some scratches later but dat doesnt really matter. I also fixed the backlash and now its waiting for some clear skies!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

@@runematthijssens2304 Awesome, congrats! I'm happy to hear that it worked out. I hope that clear skies find you soon!

[@neiltonks]

I've got an EQ6R. Got to say for the money I paid, it's every so slightly disappointing. The locking bolts in the legs are rubbish, I'm no weakling but takes considerable force to make sure the leg doesn't slide when the mount is loaded. The power cable coming out at 90 degs just perfect to damage during the night in the dark. No covers for the ports for the handset/aux The main bolt that holds the head to the tripod feels like your screwing into sand. And lastly, the noise when it moves at 100% .

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@Chamsdlr]

I wanted to follow the tutorial. But weirdly after loosening all 4 screws of ra the thing Didn't get loose. I applied a lot of pressure? How can this be

[@explorelearnshare8222]

That ring is very difficult to move and I'm not sure why. I definitely struggled with mine and many others have commented that they struggled with it as well. I'm not sure what to offer for advice here; if you aren't comfortable applying more pressure I don't blame you. The only thing I feel safe having you check is that the 4 set screws are backed out several turns. Just loosening them isn't enough because they cut right into the threads you are fighting against. I'm guessing you probably did this already, but that's all I can think of right this moment. If you have more questions please ask them. Thank you for the comment!

[@TheImprovisations]

My new EQ6-R comes nowhere near those figures. Total RMS goes anywhere between 0.8-2". And that is with a PERFECT polar alignment(at least according to KSTARS/EKOS). Should I suspect there is something wrong with my mount?

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Thanks for the comment! Nice to meet a fellow Ekos user, too! I don't know if it's time to blame the mount yet, but I also don't know what you've tried so far or how much experience you have. Have you had other mounts that you were able to get good guiding out of in the past? Is this your very first mount and first attempt at guiding? Somewhere in between? Let me know what gear you have and what you've tried so far. I'm down to help figure out how to get the best from it!

[@elythomaslumber]

Thanks a lot for that great video! I just adjusted the DEC axis which was very easy. Now I have a question about the RA axis and especially to the polar scope. If turning the black ring for the axis adjustment and after that placing back the polar scope isn't it needed to adjust the polar scope because it is (maybe?) twisted a little bit now?

[@explorelearnshare8222]

I may be visualizing what you described incorrectly, so correct me if that is the case. The polar scope threads into the inside of the RA shaft and the black nut threads on the outside, so where the nut ends up shouldn't affect the polar scope. That was very difficult to see in the video. I have to confess that I don't use the polar scope, opting instead for a software tool that uses plate solving to polar align. In hindsight it probably would have made sense to mention that in the video. I believe it should thread back in to about where it was when you started. I consulted the user manual and it instructs that one should rotate the RA axis to get the marks lined up with the stars, so it seems the final rotational position of the polar scope is not critical. Getting it aligned parallel to the axis is critical and the manual outlines making the proper adjustments for that. The process of unscrewing it and screwing it back in should not affect how parallel it is by much if at all. Thank you for the great question! Let me know how you get on if you continue with the RA adjustment, and clear skies!

[@elythomaslumber]

​@@explorelearnshare8222 Great and thanks for the fast answer! Yes in the video because of the black parts it is hard to see the details in the big nut on the video. Unfortunately I cannot remove the polar scope without a tool at the moment. But if the polar scope placement is independent of the position of the black nut everything would be fine. :-) I use the polar scope for polar adjustment but after that also plate solving (Astroberry) Clear skies from rainy Germany.

[@elythomaslumber]

Hi, today I managed to remove the polar scope! It was very hard to remove it so I designed and 3D printed tool. With this a tiny noise appered suddenly and then it was free. The polar scope sits within a separate thread with no contact to the black adjustment nut. So enough today, tomorrow the final show. Here are some pictures I made for a German forum: forum.astronomie.de/threads/schwergaengige-eq6-r-einstellen.318301/#post-1642259 CS Hardy

[@explorelearnshare8222]

@@elythomaslumber I love the tool you made! Mine also made a noise before it gave up and turned. I noticed your one comment on the forum that everything seemed to have been tightened by the terminator, and that's exactly how mine seems also. The last nut you're facing was the tightest of all, so good luck! And big thanks for sharing my video!

[@jmundale]

I re-checked the alignment of the polar scope after this procedure and it was dead on, no adjustments necessary.

[@Deep_Astro]

Is this going to work on a heq5 pro as well? I just have tu unstick the declination axis

[@explorelearnshare8222]

I don't have access to an heq5, but I took a look at a rebuild video for one. It appears that the declination axis is set up very similarly so the same steps should work. Check out Astrobloke's hypertune video for more about that mount: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqi9n3-hr7OEotk. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@Deep_Astro]

Thanks a lot for the help, really appreciate your reply, I will give it a try.

[@SPACEJUNKastro]

Hi, the big black Bolt on tha RA is so tight on my mount that I am not able to undo it even with the screwdriver method..do you have any other tip for this? Thanks!

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Wow, that's nuts! I'm not really sure what to suggest. You're sure all 4 of the grubs screws are loose? Mine had one that appeared to be missing but further inspection revealed it was in there but stripped badly. About all I can think of is making a better tool, for example a thick piece of wood with the screws driven through it so that they protrude from the other side in the proper spacing for the holes in the black nut. I'm not sure that's a very good description, so please let me know if it isn't. You're welcome, and thanks for watching!

[@SPACEJUNKastro]

Man I got it loosened..but let me tell you..at one moment I felt like an idiot, I questioned the small screws so I took them out completely, I even questioned myself if I am rotating the right way. I bent 9 bolts and accidentally scratched the big black bolt when the screwdriver slipped but no big deal. When it finally let go I felt like a world champion and all neighbors came to congratulate. Now both axis spin like it’s no tomorrow and balancing now became a fascinating hobby inside a fascinating hobby. Thank you.

[@explorelearnshare8222]

@@SPACEJUNKastro You're welcome! Congrats on your victory!

[@woody5109]

Why would you do anything “off camera” being on camera is the point of this…🤪

[@explorelearnshare8222]

Sometimes in the heat of the moment I forget to start recording. As Ron White said, "Did you ever forget? It happened to me..."