26 replies to this topic

[sevenofnine]

Hi Noger...+1 on vtornado's suggestions. I recommend taking the base boards apart and having a good close look at them. The mechanism is really pretty simple. Just two round melamine covered particle board plates that slide against each other with bits of teflon separating them. Something has to be hanging them up. Check the assembly diagram carefully. Maybe a part is missing like a washer or a sleeve. The two plates should move freely but not glide either. There should be a little drag or you will be over shooting your target at the eyepiece. Good luck! 

Edited by sevenofnine, 29 January 2023 - 07:09 PM.

[whereIsIt]

I am sorry to report that I bought a 10" Orion dob and experienced the very same issue.,the azimuth was like a truck without power steering.,I tried everything I could come up with and finally I bought a lazy Susan type thing which is much better but the thing is still like driving a tank compared to my Zhumell 8" dob. Not sure what to say or do because so many are happy with their Orion dobs.,Good luck with your choices.,

FYI... I have a 10" DOB that was verrry stiff.
As part of my tweaking to add homemade DSC, I cut some Glide blocks from HDPE and that reduced the force required to rotate the scope (keep in mind, the entire base's upper structure with the big scope is the load).

I measured the force required to rotate it - it takes less than 3 Lbf to rotate and is low enough that I can nudge-rotate with only my Thumb.

Photo shows the HDPE block next to the original thin teflon pad. There are 4 of them.

 

(hum, image not getting posted...)

Edited by whereIsIt, 29 January 2023 - 07:17 PM.