TonyDralle
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/17/06
Posts: 615
Loc: Bethel Park, PA
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I have an 8" Cave GEM, including 1.5" shafts and rotating tube rings, about 25 years old. (The OTA is not by Cave but was assembled mostly from Meade parts.) The clock drive was rarely used and no longer seems operable. The mount was not well cared for but, apart from the drive, seems to be in good condition.
I'd like to restore the functional parts of the mount and, if possible, replace the clock drive. Are suitable clock drives available for sale anywhere these days?
Can anyone recall a thread on this forum possibly dealing with a similar project?
Thanks for any suggestions,
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- TonyD
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Lew Chilton
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/20/05
Posts: 1138
Loc: SoCal
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Tony,
If your clock drive is still enclosed in its aluminum housing, then it's been protected and probably very restorable and may only need a new synchronous motor or power cord, and certainly a good cleaning and lubing. With the housing removed and the power cord plugged in, does anything happen? Do you hear the motor? Can you see its output shaft turning? Do this with the OTA and counterweight(s) removed. The clutch will also likely require servicing, but none of this is rocket science. It might help to post some good, clear close-up pictures of the mount and exposed clock drive for us to look at.
Lew
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I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! 
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1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron)
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clintwhitman
Caveman
Reged: 01/01/07
Posts: 2943
Loc: ValVerde CA(SoEasyaCavemanCanD...
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Tony click here and read the part about the drive!!! Caveman  The problem with the Cave housing is that the only hole that lets the water drain out is half way up the electric drive motor!! For those of us luck enough to have a exterior Cave mount!! is other words, some one thought the rain was good for it! 
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Clint & Debbie Whitman (aveman
Please joint us at the CLASSIC STAR PARTY @ PINOS AUG. 6 thu 8 2010 You are the reason we are having it!!!
My Time Machine is a 1984 Astro Pysics, Nine Inch!! F10.6 Refractor... A NINE INCH AP !!!!! WOW!!!!! It will be at Mnt. Pinos!!! Rolando Called it a onesy. We Call it the Pearl. The 1984-2010 Whitman / Cristen 9" Refractor..
Edited by clintwhitman (01/10/08 05:03 PM)
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clintwhitman
Caveman
Reged: 01/01/07
Posts: 2943
Loc: ValVerde CA(SoEasyaCavemanCanD...
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With AN HOURS work and some elbow grease prestooooo
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Clint & Debbie Whitman (aveman
Please joint us at the CLASSIC STAR PARTY @ PINOS AUG. 6 thu 8 2010 You are the reason we are having it!!!
My Time Machine is a 1984 Astro Pysics, Nine Inch!! F10.6 Refractor... A NINE INCH AP !!!!! WOW!!!!! It will be at Mnt. Pinos!!! Rolando Called it a onesy. We Call it the Pearl. The 1984-2010 Whitman / Cristen 9" Refractor..
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clintwhitman
Caveman
Reged: 01/01/07
Posts: 2943
Loc: ValVerde CA(SoEasyaCavemanCanD...
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$5 to the first correct guess as to who this hansom devil in the photo is!! NO LOCALS Lewis
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Clint & Debbie Whitman (aveman
Please joint us at the CLASSIC STAR PARTY @ PINOS AUG. 6 thu 8 2010 You are the reason we are having it!!!
My Time Machine is a 1984 Astro Pysics, Nine Inch!! F10.6 Refractor... A NINE INCH AP !!!!! WOW!!!!! It will be at Mnt. Pinos!!! Rolando Called it a onesy. We Call it the Pearl. The 1984-2010 Whitman / Cristen 9" Refractor..
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TonyDralle
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/17/06
Posts: 615
Loc: Bethel Park, PA
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It looks as if I might be following a similar path on the mount and drive! Except I believe the drive does work, although I'm nervous about how secure the electrical connections are.
I'll probably be back!
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- TonyD
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Awesomelenny
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/04
Posts: 2955
Loc: Long: 81.42 W Lat: 41.21 N
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Hi Tony!
I too had a Cave years back. I recall sometimes the motor shaft wouldn't turn. Reason? The motor cover (shell) on the synchronous motor would slip off a bit and lost the magnetic connection to drive it. I just stuck a cotter pin it that little hole on the edge of the cover and presto, it was failsafe.
If you're handy with a soldering iron, You could easily buy new outdoor rated 3 wire cale in its black jacket, re-feed it and make the same soldering connections where the old wire was. Not a problem to work with. I used to like to seal up all the exposed electrical points of solder with black electrical tape. Nowadays you could even put shrink tube over the exposed parts and just swing a flame from a match under it for a fraction of a second and presto, the material shrinks to form a tight seal on the bare wire!
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Len
Meade 178 ED APO
Astro_Tech 127mm ED APO
Unitron 4" f/15 Model 166 with UNIWITT Pier
Unitron 2.4" f/15 Model 128C
Televue Genesis SDF 101mm f/5.4
W.O. Zenithstar 66
Coronado Solarmax 90 DS Telescope
Losmandy Titan; G-11; all w/Gemini
All in a "Backyard Observatory"
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."
Psalm 19:1
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 16597
Loc: Kuiper Belt
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That's our Takahashi loving friend isn't it? 
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, Tektites, Fossils, Minerals, Crystals, & Trinitite.
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clintwhitman
Caveman
Reged: 01/01/07
Posts: 2943
Loc: ValVerde CA(SoEasyaCavemanCanD...
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Mike Won and didnt even blow the guys cover. And actualy is he not more of a Goto loving friend!!! ScopeMan SM
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Clint & Debbie Whitman (aveman
Please joint us at the CLASSIC STAR PARTY @ PINOS AUG. 6 thu 8 2010 You are the reason we are having it!!!
My Time Machine is a 1984 Astro Pysics, Nine Inch!! F10.6 Refractor... A NINE INCH AP !!!!! WOW!!!!! It will be at Mnt. Pinos!!! Rolando Called it a onesy. We Call it the Pearl. The 1984-2010 Whitman / Cristen 9" Refractor..
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Rcade
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 09/04/04
Posts: 759
Loc: GA
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My Cave quit and with cleaning and a rewound motor all is well. I had trouble finding a drop in replacement motor so I had the motor rewound for $60.00 and with a little brass polish the drive works suprisingly well. I did re-solder and re-wire everything. The insulation on all the wires was powdery and falling off. Clint is the expert. He does amazing work.
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Clear Skies,
Rob Cade
Cave Astrola Deluxe 8" f8 (Achilles)
Stellarvue NH-II in Stardust Blue (Cleopatra)
Celestron C9.25 (Maltese Falcon)
Celestron C6R-GT (Criminal Intent)
Oberwerk 15x70
Vixen Polaris Mount
Clear Sky Chart == Macon, GA
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