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Pages: 1 n0alo journeyman Reged: 01/06/12 SLT 130       #5647596 - 01/28/13 08:45 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Has anyone here made a EQ wedge for the SLT 130? Know in the past someone did but I never did get his photos and plans. Lynn Post Extras:       Tel Postmaster Reged: 03/31/06 Loc: Wallingford England Re: SLT 130 [Re: n0alo]       #5647940 - 01/28/13 11:53 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Lynn, A very warm welcome to CN and to this forum. Other opinions may differ, but my advice, based on my erstwhile purchase and subsequent use of the now withdrawn for sale, Celestron wedge, is to forget the idea completely and invest in a good German equatorial, mounting your 130SLT's OTA separately on this. Not only will this give you good GoTo accuracy throughout the entire sky, as opposed to that you will, without doubt, experience with an imprecise wedge arrangement plus an off-balance, single arm mount designed only for Alt./Az use, but also, far improved tracking ability due to a superior worm gear drive. Best regards, Tel Post Extras:       n0alo journeyman Reged: 01/06/12 Re: SLT 130 [Re: Tel]       #5648348 - 01/28/13 02:28 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thank you Tel. Would like to do that but funds are very limited at the present. Thinking about the wedge because it is something I can build here in the shop. Sometime a year or two back, someone in one of the forums here said he had made one and it worked very well for him and tracked quite well. But - will be on the lookout for a EQ mount that will fit my budget. Thank you for the welcome. Lynn Post Extras:       Tel Postmaster Reged: 03/31/06 Loc: Wallingford England Re: SLT 130 [Re: n0alo]       #5649741 - 01/29/13 06:23 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Lynn, I fully understand the situation. I think most of us are watching the pennies these days ! But yes, if you think you can build a wedge for your 130 SLT mount: and it will require quite a degree of precision coupled with a fine degree of adjustment potential if it's to work: then do give it a try ! I take it that your reason for requiring one is imaging ? But as I said and as a cautionary tale, I bought a Celestron wedge for my Nexstar 8i back in '07 but never got it to work with any satisfaction. Indeed much was discussed on the topic at that time on the Nexstar 8i Yahoo forum. The main problem was the varying accuracy of GoTos and subsequent tracking variations, depending on to which part of the sky the 'scope happened to be pointing. The conclusion we reached was that much depended on whether the OTA was "resting" on the single arm of the mount or "hanging" from it ! In essence, a constantly varying imbalance which, in turn, lead to wide inconsistencies in the quality of the images obtained. Couple this with the amount of backlash inherent in the spur gear of the standard Alt./Az. mount, (compared to the usual worm drive of GEMs), and well, you can imagine that the whole assembly was, at least to my mind, less than ideal. I too remember however, that someone on this forum managed to use the same wedge with his 'scope successfully. I might even have a record of it somewhere. If I can find it, I'll willingly pass it on to you. Best regards, Tel Post Extras:       Tel Postmaster Reged: 03/31/06 Loc: Wallingford England Re: SLT 130 [Re: Tel]       #5649761 - 01/29/13 06:57 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Lynn, Does this help? You'll need perhaps to plough through it for maybe the information you require. Look in particular to the posts of Don G and Reggie. http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/2574932/page... Best I can do, regards, Tel Post Extras:       n0alo journeyman Reged: 01/06/12 Re: SLT 130 [Re: Tel]       #5650065 - 01/29/13 11:08 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Many thanks for all that info Tel. One problem with the base on the SLT 130 is that it is tapered, not just flat bottomed like the other nexstar drives/mounts. Need to take the time and go over all that info you linked me to. May still give it up as a lost cause and put that little scope on a CG-4 mount. Then put one of my little refractors on the slt mount. Now need to get my observatory built. I live in the city and need to block all the light I can. Again Many thanks Lynn Post Extras:       Tel Postmaster Reged: 03/31/06 Loc: Wallingford England Re: SLT 130 [Re: n0alo]       #5650245 - 01/29/13 12:47 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Lynn, Well I hope that information helps somewhat but you don't tell us what you are aiming ultimately to accomplish by attempting to construct a wedge ? I make the assumption that you require it, or perhaps a CG-4, so that you can take some longer exposure images ? If this is the case, have you already pursued all the possibilities open to your 130 SLT in its existing state ? If not, maybe we can help in this direction. (?) By the way, good luck with your observatory. I got one about three years ago to house my Nexstar 8i and my 4" refractor on a Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro and have never looked back ! Now if only our constant cloud cover would disperse so that I can use it ! Best regards, Tel Post Extras:       Peter9 Post Laureate Reged: 10/30/08 Loc: Yorkshire - Born & Bred Re: SLT 130 [Re: n0alo]       #5650256 - 01/29/13 12:52 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Lynn and welcome to the Nexstar forum. Good luck with the building of your Obsevatory. Hope you can get started on it soon. It will help block stray light, protect you against the elements, allow you to have your scope permanently set up and ready to go, and overall, improve your enjoyment of this wonderful hobby of ours many fold. Regards. Peter. Post Extras:       BigC Carpal Tunnel Reged: 09/29/10 Loc: SE Indiana Re: SLT 130 [Re: n0alo]       #5652383 - 01/30/13 01:50 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Assuming limited funds AND a semi-permanent viewing spot,have you considered placement of the tripod legs and adjusting their length for a EQ orientation of the mount? This is the same method used in the Meade ETX,Bausch 4000, and even the esteemd Questar tabletop legs. Two legs are fixed in length and the one aligned with the north pole is adjusted shorter to achieve the correct tilt. This is practically no cost just tedious to adjust. And be certain ro secure the two southern legs so the whole scope doesn't fall over. Post Extras:       n0alo journeyman Reged: 01/06/12 Re: SLT 130 [Re: BigC]       #5653161 - 01/30/13 08:35 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Now I give my standard ansewer - Why the heck diden't I think of that!!!!!! Keeping it from falling over is an easy fix. Many thanks Lynn Post Extras:       Pages: 1

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