HEQ5 Strip Down Guide http://www.astro-baby.com/heq5-rebuild/heq5-m1.

htm

There seems to be a lack of manuals for the HEQ5 online as regards stripping the mount down,
cleaning and lubricating etc. This is my effort at providing a comprehensive and easy to follow
guide for the HEQ5. The HEQ5, HEQ5-Pro and Sirius EQ-G are the same basic mount - the
only difference is the GoTo versions with the motors, the power board, the main board, the
handcontroller and the cosmetics. The strip down procedure will be identical.

I found on strip down mine had a reasonable quantity of manufacturing debris left inside - this
became noticeable after a GoTo upgrade with the motors stalling and the mount sticking.

If your mount performs relatively well but suffers only from motor stall then before stripping
down the mount you should try the 'adjusting the worm engagement' part of this guide.

1 - Strip Down and Cleaning of the Declination Axis

2 - Lubrication and Reassembly of the Declination Axis
3 - Strip Down and Cleaning of the Right Ascension Axis
4 - Lubrication and Reassambly of the Right Ascension Axis
5 - Adjusting Worm Gear Engagement / Motor Gears
6 - Adjusting the altitude thrust bearings

7 - Appendix - Hardware and Software History

Return to Astro-Baby Home Page

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1 - Synta HEQ5 - Stripping & Cleaning the Declination (DEC) Axis

This procedure will guide you in stripping down and cleaning the HEQ5 Declination axis. Re-assembly of the Declination axis is covered HERE.

To carry out this procedure you will need a good assortment of tools including cross head and Phillips screwdrivers, a rubber or nylon mallet, a soft
toothbrush,
degreasing agent, metric Allen keys, long nosed pliers, lots of lint free cloths and lithium grease.
I found commercial degreasing agents somewhat ineffective and resorted to using good old hot soapy water. Lithium grease is easily available from shops
selling bicycles. Its also advised to have a large soft towel or similar to lay the mount on while working on it to protect its external finish.

I would strongly advise you do not attempt this procedure without reading it through a few times in advance to understand the process. The procedure takes
around 2 hours from top to bottom unless you are very confident of what you are doing and have exactly the right tools. Its definitely best to have someone
around to help you with some elements of it - remember take your time and when in doubt STOP and think. Take a break when tired because you dont want
to bodge anything.

The DEC and RA worm gear adjustment process required after re-assembly can be quite lengthy as its very much trial and error so bear this in mind before
starting and allow plenty of time to carry out the procedure - it will pay dividends in terms of smooth and precise running and longevity of the mount.

Stage 1 - Stripping the Dec Axis

Remove the silver Phillips screw in the declination Remove the lock lever. You may need to prise this Remove the brass declination lock bolt. You may
lock lever. up by using the tip of a flat bladed screwdriver and need to use a small spanner or pliers to loosen it.
gently twisting the tip.

Remove the small 'button' if this didn't come out Unscrew the 6 Phillips screws around the plastic Remove the motor cover and lay it aside with its
with the lock bolt. If you cant get this out don't motor cover. screws.
worry it can be removed at a later stage.

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Loosen the 3 set screws in the dovetail carrier. Remove the dovetail carrier. You may have to twist Loosen the deep set screws in the Declination
These are located closest to the dovetail. it back and forth and gently rock it off. barrel. On my mount these screws do not hold
Note: You can at this point remove the anything as the barrel is a single piece of machined
counterweight bar by pushing it up and out of the metal. But some mounts are two piece.
DEC axis after removing the knurled safety nut on
the end.

Unscrew and Remove the round 'nut' at the top of Loosen the three set screws in the counterweight Unscrew the counterweight collar. It may be quite
the Declinationshaft. You can use either a pair of collar. tight.
Allen keys, two small Phillips drivers or a pair of
strong snipe nosed pliers as shown here. At this
stage you may be able to remove the Declination
barrel if its in two pieces (mine appears to be a
single piece) . If not don't worry and carry on - it
will
be freed up later.

Remove the tapered bearing behind the counter- Remove the Declination scale from the counter- Loosen the worm adjustment set screw located
weight collar. Mine showed very little lubrication as weight collar. If the mount is to be GoTo apply a just
can be seen here. small smear of grease otherwise clear any grease in front of the power panel. This will need to be
from the collar. loosened a lot.

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Loosen the opposing worm adjustment set screw Remove the three cap head bolts. They are usually Now lightly tap the end of the Declination shaft
opposite the screw on the previous step - as silver coloured located on the top of the worm which is exposed (after removing the counterweight
shown carrier. collar) with a rubber mallet or block of wood.
above. This will also need to be slackened off a lot.

Slide out the Declination shaft and set it aside. Remove the brass Declination gear carefully. Take care to note and remove the small clear
On my unit the Declination barrel refused to budge washer andremember to replace it later.
from the main shaft - this isn't important.
Note: If you had been unable to get the lock lever
'brass button' earlier - it will now be easy to
remove
from inside the Dec barrel.

Remove the worm drive carrier. Remove the roller bearing from the main housing. Remove the two roller bearings from the
My bearings showed poor lubrication from the Declination
factory. gear. The gear showed swarf contamination from
the
manufacturing process in my mount.

Stage 2 - Stripping the Worm Carrier

Remove the brass drive gear from the end of the The worm is held into the carrier by two 'float' Remove the worm itself. You will notice it has two
worm. This has two set screws and may need to be adjusters. These require a special tool BUT can small bearings, these can be removed. One of the
pulled off using some blunt nosed pliers on its be removed by using a pair of small screwdrivers. bearings is shown in the picture in the bottom
central raised area NOT on the teeth. Inser the drivers into the small slot and rotate right hand corner.
using even pressure. Remove only ONE of the Note the worm adjustment set screws. You will
Do not lever this off as it can be easily damaged. float adjusters. need to adjust these at the end of re-assembly.

Stage 3 - Cleaning & Lubrication

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With a clean lint free cloth now wipe all the oil from the components. On my mount the roller bearings
were sealed and appeared to be well lubricated so were left alone. The tapered bearing had almost
no
lubrication and so was cleaned and relubricated with lithium grease.

To lubricate bearings put a blob of grease onto the palm of your hand and press the bearing into it
and
then rotate the bearing around forcing the grease into the inside of the bearing.

The brass worm gears and steel worm should all be cleaned in a degreasing agent. I personally find
really hot water and a basic detergent works best. These were cleaned with a soft toothbrush and
then rinsed and left to dry. All of the gears showed either little lubrication and/or engineering swarf
though none of the legendary black 'goop' that is supposed to be used in Synta mounts.

The picture to the left shows all of the gears and bearings cleaned and awaiting lubrication and
re-assembly.

That completes strip down of the Declination Axis. If you wish to go to the re-assembly guide click HERE
or go back to the main page HERE

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2 - Synta HEQ5 - Lubrication & Re-Assembling the Declination (DEC) Axis

This procedure will guide you in re-assembling the HEQ5 Declination axis and follows on from the stripping down and cleaning guide HERE.

NOTE 1: Very little of the mount assembly requires brute force on tightning down components. They need to be firm but not so tight the threads pop.
Generally a light touch is required rather than brute force. Remember this is a precision piece of engineering and many of the fittings are aluminium so threads
can be easily stripped and ruined.

NOTE 2: When this guide was originally written the accepted wisdom was that white lithium grease was an overall good lubricant. However it would appear
that
standard white lithium grease may cause problems under some extremes of damp/temperature. All of the mounts I have rebuilt have been done with white
lithium that is stable and often mixed with a syntehtic like Teflon or PTFE. It is best to consult the manufacturer on the quality of the product.

Stage 4 - Re-assembling the Worm Carrier

Lubricate the small roller bearings and replace Replace the float adjuster and tighten down. The Here is the assembled worm carrier. Its been
them adjuster should be just tight enough to stop the cleaned and loose flaky paint removed.
on the worm, then replace the worm in its carrier. worm moving from left to right in the carrier but not You can see the worm now has a thin coat of
Note: the worm has a longer spindle one end than over tightened. If its too loose there will be 'play' lithium
the other.The longer end goes to the motor gear. in the mount, if too tight the mount may 'bind'. grease.
Note: The motor gear can be reattached now or
left until later.The motor gear must have one of its
set screws on the flat portion of the worm spindle.

Stage 5 - Re-assembling the Declination Axis

Replace the bearing in the main housing. Apply a Reassemble the brass worm gear with its bearings Replace the round nut in the Decliantion barrel.
thin layer of lithium grease to its surface. (you may need to tap these in with a nylon mallet) Tighten down using the long nosed pliers or
and replace the assembly onto the Declination a pair of small screwdrivers.
barrel and shaft. Apply a thing layer of lithium
grease
to the gear and all bearing faces.
You can also see in this pic the main housing
bearing has had lithium grease applied to its
bearing face.

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Tighten down the 3 deep set screws on the Replace the worm carrier onto the Declination shaft. Slide the declination shaft back into the main
Declination barrel. Replace the clear washer on top of the brass housing.
gear. Its almost insivisible in the picture above.

Replace the tapered bearing at the bottom of the Replace the Declination scale on the counterweight Replace the counterweight collar. Tighten this down
main housing after lubricating it with lithium grease. collar. using only hand pressure. Tighten it as far as it will
Note If this wont push all the way in dont worry. As go and then back off until the counter-weight lock
long as there is some thread showing on the Dec lever is in line with the Declination lock
shaft for the counterweight collar. lever.
Note: The threads on this part of the mount can be
very stiff - I applied a small squirt of WD40 to ease
the threads a little.

Tighten the 3 set screws in the counterweight Replace the cap head bolts (normally silver Replace the Declination lock 'brass button'.
collar. coloured) with just enough pressure to hold the
worm carrier in place. Make sure the carrier is lined
up with the mount.
Note: The worm engamement will need to be
adjusted this is covered in the guide HERE.

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Replace the Declination lock bolt. Apply a coat of Replace the Declination lock lever and make sure it Replace the silver Phillips screw in the Declination
lithium grease and hand tighten down. is free to move to both lock and release the lock lever.
declination axis.

Replace the counterweight bar into the Declination Replace the dovetail mounting. Make sure the Tighten down the dovetail holders 3 set screws.
axis. locking screws for the telescope dovetail bar are
oppositethe Declination lock lever.

At this point you will need to adjust the

worm/motor engagement. This
procedure is covered HERE.

When worm/motor engagement has been

completed proceed to the final step of
replacing the motor covers.

Replace the plastic motor cover. Replace the 6 Phillips screws in the motor cover.

The Declination axis is now completed. If you wish to strip and adjust the Right Ascension axis go back to the main page HERE

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3 - Synta HEQ5 - Stripping & Cleaning the Right Ascension (RA) Axis

This procedure will guide you in stripping down and cleaning the HEQ5 Right Ascension axis. Re-assembly of the RA axis is covered HERE.

To carry out this procedure you will need a good assortment of tools including cross head and Phillips screwdrivers, a rubber or nylon mallet, a soft
toothbrush,
degreasing agent, metric Allen keys, long nosed pliers, lots of lint free cloths and lithium grease.
I found commercial degreasing agents somewhat ineffective and resorted to using good old hot soapy water. Lithium grease is easily available from shops
selling bicycles. Its also advised to have a large soft towel or similar to lay the mount on while working on it to protect its external finish.

I would strongly advise you do not attempt this procedure without reading it through a few times in advance to understand the process. The procedure takes
around 2 hours from top to bottom unless you are very confident of what you are doing and have exactly the right tools. Its definitely best to have someone
around to help you with some elements of it - remember take your time and when in doubt STOP and think. Take a break when tired because you dont want
to bodge anything.

The DEC and RA worm gear adjustment process required after re-assembly can be quite lengthy as its very much trial and error so bear this in mind before
starting and allow plenty of time to carry out the procedure - it will pay dividends in terms of smooth and precise running and longevity of the mount.

Stage 1 - Stripping the RA Axis

Remove the polar scope cover. Remove the polar scope. You may need to grip it Once loosened simply unscrew the polar scope
with a wrench - if so wrap a cloth around the and
polar scope to protect it. Alternately use some place it somewhere safe.
masking tape to protect the scope.

Remove the silver Phillips screw in the RA Remove the lock lever. You may need to prise this Remove the brass RA lock bolt. You may
lock lever. up by using the tip of a flat bladed screwdriver and need to use a small spanner or pliers. Also remove
gently twisting the tip - see the Declination strip the small brass button beneath the lock bolt.
down procedure for a picture of this. If this is hard to do leave it -it can be removed
easily
later in the procedure.

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Unscrew the 6 Phillips screws around the plastic Remove the motor cover and lay it aside with its Slacken the two lock screws on the polarscope
motor cover. screws. mounting plate.

Now remove the polarscope mounting plate by Loosen and remove the RA setting circles lock nut. Now remove the RA setting circle. It should just
unscrewing it. You can use either some snipe slip off.
nosed pliers to locate into the holes OR a pair of
small/medium Phillips screw drivers or similar OR
a pair of small Allen keys.

Loosen the three lock screws set around the large Unscrew and remove the circular nut. You may Remove the main RA Unit (right) from the base
circular aluminium nut. need a wrench to do this - if so be careful of the (left).
polar-scope mounting plate threads. The Alt-Az base contains a bearing which will most
Alternately use a pair of flat bladed screwdrivers or likely not remove easily. Leave it in-situ but clean
similar to apply even pressure using the slots in the bearing and the Alt-Az internal area and grease
the nut - do this with care. the bearing face with lithium grease.
Once removed observe the tapered bearing. It may Note: At this point the small brass button for the
come out at this point - if not it can be removed RA locking lever will be easy to push out if you
easily after the following step. were unable to extract it earlier.

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Remove the tapered bearing from the polarscope Here's the RA axis removed - naturally it also has Unscrew the power panel. Its attached using two
end of the RA axis. the DEC axis as part of it. Phillips screws.
Note the red washer on top of the worm gear.
Make
sure this is kept safe and is replaced during
re-assembly.

Shift the power panel slightly. Be careful not to pull Loosen the worm engagement set-screw located Loosen the worm engagement set screw opposite
too hard as it has wires which connect to the main behind the power panel. the power panel and above the Declination scale.
board inside the RA main housing.

Remove the 3 cap headed bolts (silve coloured) Remove the worm carrier.. Remove the brass worm gear making sure the
from the worm carrier. small
red washer is kept aside.

Remove the roller bearings from the brass worm

gear. They should slip out easily.

Stage 2 - Stripping the Worm Carrier

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Remove the brass drive gear from the end of the The worm is held into the carrier by two 'float' Remove the worm itself. You will notice it has two
worm. This has two set screws and may need to be adjusters. These require a special tool BUT can small bearings, these can be removed. One of the
pulled off using some blunt nosed pliers. be removed by using a pair of small screwdrivers. bearings is shown in the picture in the bottom
Insert the drivers into the small slot and rotate right hand corner.
Do not lever this off as it can be easily damaged. using even pressure. Remove only ONE of the Note the worm adjustment set screws. You will
float adjusters. need to adjust these at the end of re-assembly.

Stage 3 - Cleaning & Lubrication

With a clean lint free cloth wipe all of the oil from the components. On my mount the roller bearings
were sealed and appeared to be well lubricated so were left alone. The tapered bearing had almost
no
lubrication and so was cleaned and reblubricated with lithium grease.

To lubricate bearings put a blob of grease onto the palm of your hand and press the bearing into it
and
then rotate the bearings around forcing the grease into the inside of the bearing.

The brass worm gears and steel worm should all be cleaned in a degreasing agent. I personally find
really hot water and a basic detergent works best. These were cleaned with a soft toothbrush and
the rinsed and left to dry. All of the gears showed either little lubrication and/or engineering swarf
present.

The picture to the left shows the brass worm gear and its roller bearings and the steel worm. The
motor gear, brass RA lock nut and small roller bearings from the worm assembly aren't shown.

That completes strip down of the Right Ascension axis. If you wish to go to the re-assembly guide click HERE
or go back to the main page HERE

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4 - Synta HEQ5 - Lubrication & Re-Assembling the Right Ascension (RA) Axis

This procedure will guide you in re-assembling the HEQ5 Right Ascension axis and follows on from the stripping down and cleaning guide HERE.

NOTE: Very little of the mount assembly requires brute force on tightning down components. They need to be firm but not so tight the threads pop.
Generally a light touch is required rather than brute force. Remember this is a precision piece of engineering and many of the fittings are aluminium so
threads
can be easily stripped and ruined.

NOTE 2: When this guide was originally written the accepted wisdom was that white lithium grease was an overall good lubricant. However it would appear
that
standard white lithium grease may cause problems under some extremes of damp/temperature. All of the mounts I have rebuilt have been done with white
lithium that is stable and often mixed with a syntehtic like Teflon or PTFE. It is best to consult the manufacturer on the quality of the product.

Stage 4 - Re-assembling the Worm Carrier

Lubricate the small roller bearings and replace Replace the float adjuster and tighten down. The Here is the assembled worm carrier. Its been
them adjuster should be just tight enough to stop the cleaned and loose flaky paint removed.
on the worm, then replace the worm in its carrier. worm moving from left to right in the carrier but not You can see the worm now has a thin coat of
Note: the worm has a longer spindle one end than over tightened. If its too loose there will be 'play' lithium
the other. The longer end goes to the motor gear. in the mount, if too tight the mount may 'bind'. grease.
Note: The motor gear can be reattached now or
left until later.The motor gear must have one of its
set screws on the flat portion of the worm spindle.

Stage 5 - Re-assembling the Right Ascension Axis

Replace the roller bearings into the brass worm Place the brass gear back onto the RA shaft and Replace the assembled worm carrier and replace
gear - apply a small amount of grease to the place the washer back to the top. Note the brass cap headed screws but only just tight enough to
edges. gear has a layer of lubrication on its gears and on hold the worm carrier in place.
These may have to be tapped into place the bearing face.
using a nylon hammer or a block of wood.
Apply lubrication to the brass gears.

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Remount the Alt-Az base of the mount to the RA Replace the tapered bearing after making sure it is Replace the round slotted nut and tighten. This
axis - make sure the roller bearings faces are clean and has been well greased with the lithium needs to be not much more than hand tight.
given a smear of lithium grease. grease. Make sure that it is compressing the tapered
bearing into place.
Check slack in the RA axis and if it binds too
much then slightly then loosen this nut.

Tighten down the locking screws located in the Replace the Right Ascension scale and set-screw. Replace the polarscope base plate. Don't over-
slots tighten.
of the round nut.

Tighten down the small set screws in the polar- Replace the RA brass button and lock nut and and Replace the RA locking lever and make sure it is
scope mounting plate. make sure its has been lubricated with lithium free to lock and release the axis.
grease.

You will now need to replace the motor gear

on the worm spindle if you omitted that step
earlier.

The power cover has not been replaced as

you will need it off to carry out the
adjustment to the worm/motor engagement.
This procedure is covered HERE.

When worm/motor engagement has been

completed proceed to the final step of
replacing the motor and power covers.

Replace the RA lock lever screw. Replace the polarscope.

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Replace the plastic motor cover. Replace the 6 Phillips screws in the motor cover. Replace the polarscope cover.
The polarscope will require recalibrating.
See my polar alignment guide HERE

The Right Ascension axis is now completed. If you wish to strip and adjust the Declination axis go back to the main page HERE

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5 - Synta HEQ5 -Worm / Motor Engagement for RA and DEC Axis

This procedure will guide you in setting up the HEQ5 worm engagment and also aligning the motor gears after the Declination and Right Ascension
reassmbly. These steps are best carried out with the HEQ5 head mounted onto its tripod or some other type of stable base.

The worm setting procedure - especially for the RA axis is very hit and miss and you will probably need to go through it several time to find the 'sweet spot'
where there is both no play in the mount and the RA motor can turn the mount smoothly with no motor stall or gear binding.

Worm Engagement for DEC Axis

Loosen the DEC axis worm carrier three large Loosen the DEC worm carrier upper set screw .....Tighten the lower DEC worm carrier set screw
silver cap screws JUST ENOUGH so that the and........... just enough so that you can feel some play in the
small set screws can move the worm carrier. axis.
Note: You should loosen and tighten these screws
by approximately 1 quarter of a turn each time.

Now loosen the lower set screw and......... .......Tighten the upper set screw JUST UNTIL Now tighten down the DEC worm carrier cap
ANY PLAY STOPS. headed screws. Work around the screws
Note: You should loosen and tighten these screws clockwise tighetning a little each time until fully
by approximately 1 quarter of a turn each time. tight.

At this point return to the DEC Assembly

Guide or simply replace the Motor Cover.

Remove the motor cover and check that the motor Run the mounts DEC motor a full 360' to make
gears can easily move the axis by manually turning sure there is no binding at any point in the cycle.
them by hand or using the mounts motors. If binding occurs you will need to readjust the set
screws. This can be a long process to get the
perfect balance between no play in the axis and

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smooth motor running.

Worm Engagement for RA Axis

Loosen the RA worm carriers three large silver cap Loosen the RA worm carrier upper set screw .....Tighten the RA worm carrier lower set screw
screws JUST ENOUGH so that the small set and........... just enough so that you can feel some play in the
screws can move the worm carrier. Note: You will have to remove the power panel to axis.
get axis to the upper RA set screw. The panel is Note: You should loosen and tighten these screws
retained by two Phillips screws. by approximately 1 quarter of a turn each time

Now loosen the lower set screw and......... .......Tighten the upper set screw JUST UNTIL Now tighten down the RA worm carrier cap headed
ANY PLAY STOPS. screws. Work around the screws clockwise
Note: You should loosen and tighten these screws tighetning a little each time until fully
by approximately 1 quarter of a turn each time tight.

At this point return to the RA Assembly

Guide or simply replace the motor cover
and the power panel using the Phillips
screws.

Take care when replacing the power

panel not to trap any wires.

Remove the motor cover and check that the motor Run the mounts RA motor a full 360' to make sure
gears can easily move the axis by manually turning there is no binding at any point in the cycle.
them by hand or using the mounts motors. If binding occurs you will need to readjust the set
screws. This can be a long process to get the
perfect balance between no play in the axis and
smooth motor running.

End Float Adjustment

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Remove the soft rubber covers to reveal the end Loosen the float adjusted using either a small Replace the rubber worm float covers
of the worm shaft and float adjuster. jewellers screwdriver or a small allen key to locate
into the adjusters slots. You should feel the some
play in the axis. Now tighten the float adjuster down
until any play disappears. The float adjuster should
be in contact with the worm bearing but not
overtight or else the axis will 'bind'
Motor Gear Adjustment

The HEQ5 Motor gears should all be flush with each other as shown in the picture to the
left. The gears should be closely fitted but not pressed together too tight to prevent
excessive gear wear.

REMEMBER one of the gear set screws must be against the flat of the worm
spindle.

The gears in my mount are liberally coated with Lithium grease to reduce wear and also to
muffle running noise.

Back to the main page HERE

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6 - Synta HEQ5 -Adjusting the Altitude Motion

My own HEQ5 suffered from excessive play in the altitude bearings. Even with the altitude bolts done up tight the mount could still rock slightly to and fro.
Heres how to eliminate play the altitude bearings of the HEQ5/Sirius mount.

Setting the altitude thrust bearings

Remove the latitude scale from the mount. This can Behind the RA scale you will see a large bolt which Replace the RA scale using a few small drops of
be removed using a sharp craft knife to prise it holds the mount to the altitude unit. Around the bolt Superglue. You may want to use a spirit level to
away from the mount, Mine came away quite easily are three Allen headed set screws. Turn each of ensure the scale is as accurate as possible.
but they can be very tough to remove. these a 1/4 turn until the play in the altitude goes
away.
WARNING - you can easily damage this beyond
repair so exercise judgement and due caution.

Back to the main page HERE

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1-Introduction

The Synta/Skywatcher/Orion Series of Equatorial Mounts have been around a considerable period of time. In an effort to capture a little of the history
I have created this potted history from web research. Dates where unknown are stated as such. Information was gleaned from Syntas own history
and various web research.

As far as I know dates given are accurate but there may be discrepancies especially between country release dates for earlier mounts.

2-Release Dates and Versions of Mount Hardware

Below is a potted history of the EQ6 and the HEQ5. You should note that due to the long supply chains and local stock situations some older mounts
were being shipped at various times and also some versions appear slightly different even from the factory.
The most easily visible differences in the mounts are the polar scope illuminators. No two mounts ever seem to be the same with some having very bright
LEDs and some having very dim ones. Some of the earlier versions have a dimmer control (EQ6 Only) set into the side panel.

Mounts manufactured after 2008 are, based on my own experience, better in many respects. The overall Quality Control (QC) seems better. Older
mounts were often loaded with a dreadful lubricant. Even later mounts may suffer under lubrication and poor overall tuning. All mounts can be improved by
careful tuning and older ones imporved by cleaning out the factory lubricants and replacing witha modern lithium grease.

The EQ6/NEQ6 and HEQ5 broadly comprise of three main units; The motors; the motor control board and the handset (the HEQ5 has two internal boards
one for the motors control and one for the power input the two boards are identical in function to the single board in the EQ6).
All of these are replaceable. The GoTo and Syntrek versions are identical as far as the mount hardware goes the only difference being the hand controller
while the non-GoTo versions use different motors and motor control boards. These are removed and replaced during a GoTo upgrade.

Early version mounts up to Early 2006 were shipped with version 1 or 2 handsets. These are non software upgradeable.

2001 (Spring) First version of EQ6 Released. Tracking motors only. Rated payload for the EQ6 is 25kg.
2001 (Fall) First version of HEQ5 released. Tracking motors only. Rated payload for the HEQ5 is 15kg.
2004 First version of Synscan released. Version 1 and 2 handsets are non-upgradeable.
First version 3 handsets start to ship with GoTo (Pro) models. These feature flash upgrade options. A full listing of software
Early 2006
updates is given below.
Across the mounts development period some mounts feature slightly different features. Users had complained that early mounts
Dates unknown had too bright an LED in the polar scope. Some mounts were supplied with a very reduced power LED while some other mounts
feature a small rotary control that allows for variable LED power/dimming.
Syntrek versions appear. These have the same mount internals as the GoTo (Pro) version mounts but are not supplied with the
GoTo handset. The GoTo functionality can be supplied via PC with third party add-ons. The Syntrek version may have only
Date Unknown
become available in 2008 with the roll out of Synscan Version 3.21 which allowed support for external serial commands to the
Motor Control Board.
First NEQ6 versions of the EQ6 start to appear. These are initially supplied ONLY with the 300P telescope tube. First versions
2008 (May) feature only an extended weight bar to help balance the 300P tube. Internals are identical to EQ6 versions. No data on Motor
Board and some NEQ6s reported to have Version 1 MCBs (this is not validated).
Some mounts appear using an upgraded Motor Control Board (version 2). Version 2 Motor Control Boards allow for software
2009
dimming of the polar scope LED via the GoTo handset which combined with version 3.27 Software.
NEQ6 Mounts start to appear sold as EQ6s. Most have just the extended weight bar, a few start to appear with dual saddle
2010/2011 plates which can be swapped out between a Vixen and a Losmandy Plate - this is a physical changeover rather than a dual plate
and requires the user to remove the plate from the mount and replace it with the alternate plate.
Across this period NEQ6 and EQ6 are often identical in everything but name plate although the NEQ6 always ships with a longer
Various weight bar. All internals are identical. Some mounts ship with just a Vixen saddle, some with the kit which allows the saddles to be
swapped and others with dual saddle plates which can accomodate either dovetails style.
All EQ6 Shipments are now of the NEQ6 version. This version features a single saddle plate which can accommodate either a
Mid 2011
Vixen or a Losmandy dovetail. All other specifications identical to later EQ6s.

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An EQ6 / NEQ6 Pro alongside a standard HEQ5. Pro versions with GoTo are mostly white while the
non-GoTo versions are most usually black. Weights for the mount head are given.
Note: This applies only to European versions. American versions with the Orion Brand are often black
even when GoTo equipped.

3-Synscan Software Releases (most recent first)

Version 3.28 BETA - Release Date circa 31st March, 2012

BETA TEST VERSION OF 3.28 NOT the official SynScan EQ official firmware release.
A new feature of Polar Re-alignment is added under Alignment sub-menu of the hand control in the firmware.

This is an 'any star' polar alignment routine.

Version 3.27 - Release Date 6th January, 2010

1. Fix the bug in the SAO catalog regarding disabling the key- pressed slewing
Problem: Unable to drive and slew the telescope with the directional keys after browsing the SAO catalog.
Result: The directional keys are properly activated after browsing the SAO catalog.

2. Fix the bug in the User Object coordinate editing.

Problem: In the User Object function, under RA-Dec format, when the user enters an object with a declination angle between 0 and -1 degree the
value becomes positive after the coordinates are saved. This causes GoTo pointing inaccuracy.
Result: The user-entered coordinates are saved properly.

3. Fix the error in the database of NGC, IC catalogs.

Problem: In the NGC and IC catalogs, the coordinates of the objects located between 0 and -1 degree in declination always read as positive.
This causes GoTo pointing inaccuracy.
Result: The coordinates are read as their true values.

3.27 also supports a polar scope dimming feature from the UTILITIES menus of the handset if the mounts
Motor Control Board is version 2 or above.
** This was not in the Synscan documentation.

Version 3.25 - Release Date 24th June, 2009

1. Fix the bug existed in the Time Zone Setting

Problem: Unable to save the data entered by using the scroll-down key.
Result: Now the user is able to enter the data by pressing either the scroll-down and scroll-up key.

2. Fix the bug existed in the PAE Function

Problem: Incorrect data calculation occurred when the RA axis of the telescope (AX2) was pointed at a negative angle.
Solution: Now the PAE functions properly when the RA axis (AZ2) is pointed at a negative angle.

Version 3.24 - Release Date 26th January, 2009

1). Fix bugs in firmware version 3.23

Now the hand control setting will remain upon power up, after the PAE function was performed.

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2). Improve LED and LCD backlight performance.

Version 3.23 - Release Date 30th July, 2008

1. Fix bugs existed in firmware version 3.22

Now tracking mode is deactivated automatically when the goto object selected is an user-defined alt-azimuth position.

2. Fix bugs existed in firmware version 3.22

Now the hand control will not lock up when the user chooses to advance directly to the Show Position option, skipping the initial alignment procedure.

Version 3.22 - Release Date 5th June, 2008

1. Add SAO submenu in Object Catalog.

The total number of objects in database increased to 42,900.

2. Enhance Show Position Function: display telescope current position by RA/Dec, AZ/ALT or motor drive readings of both axes.
The data display is accurate to one arc seconds.

3. Add precession compensation in coordinates calculation.

4. Additional information such as the rise, transit and set time of an object is available when browsing the information for an object.
If a selected catalogue object is currently below horizon, the hand control will prompt "Below horizon!" for two seconds to notify user.

5. Improve "PC Direct Mode" function and fix the directional key lock out problem in "PC Direct Mode".

Version 3.21 - Release Date 4th January, 2008

1. Smoother response to manual guiding and PC based autoguiding command.

2. "PC Direct Mode" added.

It allows the PC to communicate directly with the motor controller via RS-232C connection.
The RS-232C port of the PC should be configured as 9600bps, 1 start bit, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity check and no flow control.
Activate "PC Direct Mode" under "Utility\PC Direct Mode>".
Press the "ESC" key to exit. The 4 direction buttons and rate controlling function operate as usual under this mode.
This feature is also designed for future applications.

Version 3.20 - Release Date 16th November 2007

Improved the planet orbital calculation and fixed the inconsistent Double Star and Variable Star Catalogs.

1. The time zone setting has been changed to more precise in minutes for locations with half hour definition.
For example, if you live in a region with -3.5 hours of time zone, the setting will be -03:30, indicating minus three hour and thirty minutes.

2. The planets' orbital calculations have been enhanced

based on "Keplerian Elements for Approximate Positions of the Major Planets",
published by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The calculation data are available and reliable from 1800 AD to 2050 AD.
Most of the calculation precision will be within one arc minute and others such as Jupiter and Saturn will be within a few arc minutes.

3. The Identify function has been improved to be able to identify planets.

4. The inconsistency in Double Star and Variable Star database while scrolling the list has been corrected.

5. In the SETUP menu, we add a Factory Setting function under the SETUP menu.
You may choose to reset the settings to the default settings. Restarting the mount (switching off the power and turning it back on) is
required afterward.
Note: All the settings of Longitude, Latitude, time zone, daylight saving, backlash, PEC data, PAE data and previous alignment data will be
deleted, except for the user defined object coordinates.

Version 3.12 - Release Date 13th March, 2007

1). More options available for alignment star selection

Auto select or manual select, and alignment stars sorted by magnitude or alphabet. See "Alignment Stars" under submenu "SETUP".

2)."Clear PAE data" added under "Utility".

3). Three parking positions available:

a. HOME +90 degrees (Northern Hemisphere) or -90 degrees (Southern Hemisphere) in DEC.
b. Current Position Park the scope at currently position.
c. Custom Position Slew and park the scope to the previously saved parking position.
To save a parking position, choose one of the above parking positions under Utility-Park Scope, then turn off the power.
(ESC to cancel and escape from the Utility menu.) If there is a parking position stored in the system, SynScan will prompt "Start from park position?"
at power up.

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4). IMPORTANT!! Re-enter the Time Zone data on your hand control after installing the V3.12 firmware.

Version 3.11 - Release Date 17th January, 2007

1. Firmware version and warning message displayed at power up, before the Initializing message.

2. Daylight saving setup required throughout the year instead of just in summer.

3. The hand control displays hour angle and clock position of Polaris after location, date and time are entered.

4. Fix default backlash retrieving bug and set the default backlash as 0°02'00" when the hand control is powered up for the first time.

5. Fix bugs in PEC Training and PEC replaying.

Version 3.10 - Release Date 15th November, 2006 (First version for the V3.0 Handcontroller)

1. GPS function added.

The SynScan hand control automatically retrieves Longitude, Latitude, and Universal Time for initial setup when the SynScan GPS is in use.

2. Criteria for alignment star selection implemented in the software.

The star alignment list contains only the appropriate stars for the time, location, and star alignment method selected.

3. Automatic backlash compensation when under PC control or slewing using directional keys.

4. Adjustable beeper volume under SETUP menu -- HANDSET SETTING.

5. PAE function accessible from the UTILITY menu.

6. Temperature and Power Voltage display under UTILITY menu -- SHOW INFORMATION.

7. Bugs reported in the 3.01 firmware fixed.

GO BACK TO THE MAIN EQ6 PAGE HERE

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