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Charlie Hein
Postmaster
Reged: 11/02/03
Posts: 6571
Loc: 26.06.08N, +80.23.08W
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Can this worm wheel be saved?
06/22/08 07:30 PM Attachment (155 downloads)
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As some of you may know I've recently had some troubles with my Atlas. Specifically, I lost a tooth on the high resolution transfer gear that caused the mount to lock up out at our dark site last month. Stock Atlas owners need not worry - the high resolution gear was a custom job. The stock Atlas transfer gears could never have this problem. However, losing the gear meant I had to open up the mount to remove the gear set and (at least for now) replace it with the stock set. I figured that once I open up the mount I should go ahead and do a complete cleaning and re lube of the RA axis. I've been having trouble getting the RA worm gear mesh set properly for a long time now. It always was either too stiff for my taste or had too much backlash when it ran smooth enough. The DEC feels absolutely perfect so I'm not going to touch it.
So - I've disassembled my RA axis and had a look at the worm wheel - and I'm starting to panic. Aside from being difficult to find the mesh, the mount has run fine. However you certainly couldn't believe it looking at the worm wheel.
(let me say that I'm willing to admit that I'm overreacting here - when you see the picture you be the judge)
It is evident that the worm gear has not been running in the center of the wheel and to me the wheel shows evidence of gross over tightening. Although it's certainly possible, it's hard for me to believe that I had tightened the wom against the wheel as hard as this appears. In fact I don't know how it was working at all with the wheel tightened up that hard to the worm, or why the worm itself isn't bent due to the force that must have been needed to do this.
Anyway, there's my horror story, and I'm sticking to it. Time to move forward from here.
The big question looms - can this wheel be saved? If so, what needs to happen? If not, where can I get a replacement wheel?
Bummer!
Charlie
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