Guys,

Balance side-to-side setups with a dowel rod on a table and save yourselves the headaches.

https://www.astro-physics.info/tech_support/accessories/mounting_plates/balancing-side-by-side.pdf

Jack,

I forgot that you have a side-by-side setup.  Those are a bear to balance.  As I recall, it took me nearly an hour to get my side-by-side solar setup properly balanced in all directions and axis the first time.  And your scopes are so much larger and heavier.

But at least the meter is helping.

All that said, if I could justify the cost, I’d sure like to get the AP gear-release retrofit kit their “new” mounts have.

Woody

Woody,

I installed the PowerWerx meter in line with the power supply yesterday and tested balance. Al was fine in RA with equal current draw while moving the mount slowly.  However, when I set the scopes parallel to the ground and moved the mount North-South, the current draw to elevate the scopes was higher than that to lower the scopes.  So I need to correct the balance on the OTAs riding on the mount.  And since I have parallel OTAs, I not only need to check balance on the scopes in the North-South direction, I also have to adjust the parallel dovetail East-West to make sure all imbalance is accounted for.

Thanks for reminding me about the meter.

Jack Huerkamp