Star Adventurer Insides

[@lesliefranklin1870]

If you use AA batteries, I also recommend putting a ribbon underneath them so they are much easier to remove and replace.

[@Teslawaverunner]

the worm gear cradle can rock and the hex adjuster screw has a ball bearing and screw on the end, so its actually a well thought out design. Its best to slacken off the hex adjuster before screwing base back on then slowly tighten hex adjuster into base (which pushes ball bearing against cradle) , tighten just enough to remove the backlash in the ascension gear.

[@SergeiKotikov]

14:33 "This is why we have a 12lb weight limit to the mount" While it is true that the motor is all that drives RA, it's also supposed to be balanced, so the motor sees only the inertia of the payload during startup - and through a substantial mechanical advantage at that. I believe the real limit is mechanical load bearing capability of the device comes down to pre-chosen stability parameters - i.e. all the flexing the mount does under load.

[@followthetrawler]

Steven, thank you for this video. My clutch had frozen solid and I was all ready to send mine for repair (cheaper to buy new probably) but your video helped me understand how to disassemble and free up the clutch. Thanks again - saved me a bunch of cash.

[@StevenDoye]

You're welcome. Glad I could help.

[@lesliefranklin1870]

Thank you very much for posting this video. I bought a new one and just received it. Sadly, it had that problem from the factory. Fortunately, with the help of your video, it's working great now.

[@jarrod-smith]

Just ordered this while it's on sale. Thanks for the video, very useful to know about this issue, and how it all works.

[@nushensenevirathna5231]

13.08: Actually, the set screw at the bottom is pressing against the worm cage, not the worm gear. so, it is good design.

[@fernandocolima7561]

its correct what you say

[@C40V15]

Yes. I came to the same conclusion watching where the mount point of the cover are in regards to the backlash screw. 18:48 There must be a spring to couter-act the movement in the alternate direction. My guess would be that the 2 black well tightened screw hold this spring.

[@nushensenevirathna5231]

Had the same issue, metal shavings caused by the bolts. cleaning the clutch made it buttery smooth.

[@C40V15]

A great design that could be ruined by careless assembly. Thanks for the tour.

[@pekwalker]

I was thinking the whole time, "Warranty Voided" LOL Thank's for sharing this information. I just ordered one of these and hope that I don't have to go through this procedure.

[@1pcmedic]

Thanks for giving us a peek!

[@StevenDoye]

No problem, somebody had too😉.

[@herblapp6134]

Steve thanks for showing its interior. It's rival the iOptron unit is belt driven. I hoped the SW would be too. But seeing it's not l'm still ok as the worm gear has that tension assembly, set screw with ball bearing. I agree with another commenter it is a good design for a little unit. Keeping it simple avoids needing more room and added manufacturing cost. I think this design is more than adequate and tested that gear backlash isn't a problem. That is proven by all the incredible images taken by so many users.

[@MetaView7]

Those brass gears are far more superior than belts.

[@dougedwards7570]

nice tips and techs - thanks

[@Dntblnk90]

I came here because out of the box, I had issues getting the mount to turn with the clutch backed off all the way, it was really hard to turn, especially over 30 deg thru the 360 turn. That being said, I watched your video and took the mount apart. I didn’t see wear or metal shavings. However at 9 minutes you talk about removing grease from an edge. You absolutely want some lubricant there, as those are two metal surfaces that have relative motion. There was a little bit of graphite lube in my mount in that location. As soon as I wiped it off, there was squeaking between the two parts to the point where I can’t actually use the mount until I buy more lube. That being said, if you have a mount that’s hard to turn or sticks in one area, it seems that there’s a roundness issue between the clutch metal part and the toothed follower that causes the parts to contact, and that friction is what’s causing the bind. I’m taking my parts into work to measure them on a cmm and I’ll trim as needed. You definitely need some lube there.

[@StevenDoye]

You are right it is an out of round issue. Check out my other video where I show the high point and reshape the clutch plate. I even supply a 3d printable adapter to hold the plate center while you reshape it.

[@Dntblnk90]

@@StevenDoye interesting you filed below the threads there, the close clearance is between the max OD of the clutch part and the max ID of the toothed part, that’s where I’m getting wear.

[@StevenDoye]

That was the point of sticking the toothpick on the mount, to see where the high point actually was on the clutch plate. That clutch plate is actually casted so the rubbing spot may vary between mounts. This is the problem with these mounts. Skywatcher tries to get a casted clutch plate part to ride precisely inside the machined ring gear part. I think they where just trying to keep manufacturing cost down. A guy with a machine shop at his disposal cold make a killing just machining replacement clutch plates for these mounts.

[@Dntblnk90]

@@StevenDoye yeah thanks for the videos, they were really helpful overall

[@donnyutube535]

Thank you so much for posting this video - there is hardly any practical , technical information around for this device . Mine suddenly developed a similar problem with the motion binding together - I have followed your video and managed to get the fluidity back however the worm gear doesn’t seem to engage the RA at all , regardless of how much I fiddle around - any suggestions would be much appreciated! I have clear skies for a change but can’t do anything with it ! :(

[@StevenDoye]

Sorry for the late reply. I wasn't getting any notifications from KZbin. Did you manage to figure it out?

[@oldgittarist]

Very informative, many thanks!

[@StevenDoye]

You're welcome. Glad to help.

[@iamhondo]

Thanks for the interior tour. It looks like an owner can fix the source of the shavings but 1) removing the saddle plate screws, 2) removing the saddle, 3) removing the possibly misaligned clutch screws and 4) screwing the clutch screws correctly. (Obviously finish in reverse order) Is that correct?

[@alexpol9065]

Hi Steve, could you advise how to remove a polar scope? Actually release a ring to be able to change a position of meridian groove ( marker)? That small line just behind a Days ring. I need to align RA axe horizontally with this small groove.

[@woody5109]

Once apart it’s a Good time to change out any grease to something better, ie low temp white lithium.

[@andrex66it]

Thank you so much,very informative. A question for anyone who could know: How much do I need to tighten the allen screw underneath the base of the SA? The RA was rotating freely apart for a spot and after releasing the screw the tightness went away but I'm afraid some amount of "pushing" from the screw is necessary for the gears to engage

[@StevenDoye]

That is the right ascension backlash screw. I even first thought it was pressing on the actual worm gear. But in reality it is pressing on the cradle of the gear. That cradle is rather stiff and backing it off doesn't really move it. You need to push it away from the gear while it's a part. Then turn the screw into the point where it just touches the right ascension gear. You should have no play in the mount while the clutch is locked when done. I am working on another video because that tight spot and never really went away. I have found the actual cause to it and will be correcting it. I will also be going over how to set up our backlash.

[@andrex66it]

@@StevenDoye thank you for the quick answer! Maybe I'll try to take the SA apart and have a look if everything it's ok. I'll wait the new video, will be extremely helpful for fixing these annoyances,clear sky time is so limited and we can't waste it trying to fix things in the dark!

[@ScutuRC]

Thanks for doing this for me :) I was just about to do it .. not to fix anything but out of curiosity about what was inside :D ... Do you think the issue with the clutch has been fixed with the 2i wi-fi version? Being a mechanical issue I don't think so, but worth asking...

[@StevenDoye]

What can I say. We all just like to know how stuff works. I don't think they changed anything mechanically between the version. They just gave it WiFi what made the advanced firmware a little easier to use on a device, instead of deciphering red light flashes on the mount itself.

[@herblapp6134]

Steve have you communicated with the factory or marketing people on what you've learned? I tried to find contact info for them but they must have gone into witness protection. Might there be another user manual revision to get rid of their first useless piece of c^%&?

[@carbonbadu]

HI Steven, I broke my snap port of my SA, how can I Fix? It is not actually holding it up against the hole.

[@drkumarharaprasadmisra5562]

My clutch is not tightening , how to solve it?

[@MetaView7]

I wish they had added a tiny LED to illuminate the alignment glass.

[@StevenDoye]

I did design and 3d print a glow in the dark polar Illuminator for the Star Adventurer. Just search for it on the cults3d website.

[@MetaView7]

@@StevenDoye That's great. I will check it out. Thank you.

[@mikehardy8247]

@@StevenDoye I don't do social media.

[@StevenDoye]

@@mikehardy8247 I don't blame you 😉. The cults3d website it just a site to download 3d printable files. I'd post a link, but you can't on KZbin comments.

[@mahook]

how tight should we turn the black ring to engage the clutch?

[@StevenDoye]

It depends on how much weight you have riding on the mount. You shouldn't have to wrench it super tight though. That's the point of a clutch. It gives you grabbing strength by adding just a little pressure.

[@astrogerard2022]

Great video. Thanks. One quick question if you don't mind. I have to defocus my polar scope slightly CW in order for my rear polar scope cover to clip on fully. Is this normal?

[@StevenDoye]

Yeah this is normal. Also when focusing it you can't have the reticle and stars both in focus. It is better to have the stars slightly defocused and reticle sharp, making it easier to see polaris and line up in the scope. P.S. Sorry for the late reply.

[@herblapp6134]

Thanks for the tip abt focusing on reticle and having slightly out of focus stars.

[@kamilkp]

Do you know what is the transmission ratio in this worm drive?

[@StevenDoye]

Sorry no I don't.

[@abhitanshuusoni]

Thanks bro

[@Teslawaverunner]

anyone know what type of grease is recommended for the worm gear ?

[@pekwalker]

For stuff like this, I usually go with a White Lithium Grease.

[@gm010379]

THANKYOU...

[@CardBoardBoxPro]

Is the polar scope removable?

[@StevenDoye]

I never dug into it that far. But from what I saw, it looked like it was press fitted into the bearing. I'm not sure why you would want to remove it. I did have someone want to upgrade their's with the Eq5 polar scope. I suggested to just simply unthread the eyepiece of the polar scope. Then you can back off the 3 calibration screws. That will release the reticle and replace it with the one out of the scope for the Eq5. The reticle looks like an eyepiece filter. It's just a small glass disk in a metal ring that has your scope markings on it. Hope this helps.

[@herblapp6134]

@@StevenDoye l

[@herblapp6134]

I removed my reticle as it needed to ve aligned. I think manual said don't do that. Their way as about everything else was confusing. I took it out and learned abt it. I put it back and using a tooth pick moved it round to get it as aligned as I could. The cell it sits in is beveled abd it needs to go in with larger diameter edge up against inside lip...if not #1 the set screws won't hold it firmly, the cell will slip & 2. the lettering of the reticle will be backwards.

[@puretoronto]

Chinese quality control 👌🏼

[@patrickzavas]

I love the video but please don't use a drill that has no trigger speed control to take out or put in fine machine screws

[@MatHelm]

Is the gloves a youtube thing, or just another millennial (gonna die young of some undiagnosable autoimmune disease) thing? But I did enjoy the tear down. And I don't think the 11lb limit has anything to do with the size of that motor. It's the size (thickness) of those gears. If that motor gear was half it's current size (teeth count, and 4 times as wide) and the 2nd was doubled is size, I'd imagine it could lift a small car (in a day or two).

[@luigilugnani7456]

Avvitatore "Spacca viti", damaging screwdriver

[@sajjadahmed46]

Is there any way of replacing the polar scope on this?

[@StevenDoye]

From what I can tell it was press fitted in. It can be changed but I don't know why you would want to and it would be difficult. I did have somebody that wanted to change the reticle (reference marks in the scope) on it. I suggested just taking off the eyepiece of the polar scope and you can actually replace the small reticle inside it. it is just a glass disc with a metal ring around it that has the image scribed into it. It is held in with the three calibrations set screws.

[@sajjadahmed46]

@@StevenDoye thanks, I gave it to a friend to calibrate and its come back basically destroyed.. Lol.. He drilled bigger holes for the set screws.. Its a complete mess!!