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I have ripped up the board sensors trying the "CD on the center bearing" trick but now I'm older and wiser. BTW, three cheers for the Orion support team who sent me a new AZ encoder assembly free of charge (I can imagine them saying, "yep another one tried the CD").

A CD or "milk jug" washers on the center bearing can be disastrous when used on the Intelliscope center bearing as any slight amount of over thickness causes a "high centering" condition that allows the upper half of the XTi base to rock or wobble in respect to the fixed lower base section!

This results in a off center pressure on the edge of the magnetic disc which then presses against the two Azimuth Board Sensors and tears them right off of the board!


I would never again replace an azimuth board without first protecting those two electronic "black dot" sensors with something like a glued on thin non magnetic washer that physically prevents the sensor from making contact with the magnetic disc!

One way of dealing with dealing with any wobble or rocking of the two base sections is to leave just enough thickness in the three Teflon base pads so that a "lazy susan" bearing assembly is taking most of the weight, with the base edges just barely "grazing" the three Teflon pads.

Those two raised "black dot" sensors on the Az board are an inherent design weakness in this system, and I just can't understand why the Mfg. continues to make the Az board this way, if indeed they still do?

Oh yes, ditto on the understanding Orion Tech Support Team.

I must have replaced three AZ boards within a couple of months, before I "wised up" as to what was going on, and what to do about it...I felt like a complete idiot, and offered to pay for the new boards, but as my scope was still less than a year old, they wouldn't take my money!

I sure hope that my Azimuth Board design change suggestion was passed on to the Mfg of those boards, this was around last Sept and Oct.

Cheers!
Bob

Edited by Bob W6PU (05/22/08 07:36 PM)

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