iOptron PR EQ manual Balance in R.A, Balance in DEC

Balance in R.A.

To reduce the excessive stress on the mount and motor, the telescope should be properly balanced around both R.A. and DEC axes. Proper balancing is crucial to both accurate tracking and protection of the mount. Both the R.A. and DEC axis have lock levers to clutch down each axis of the telescope. To loosen the clutches on the telescope, rotate the lock levers counterclockwise.

1.Verify that the telescope is securely attached to the Telescope-Mounting Platform.

2.Loosen the R.A. Lock Lever and position the telescope off to one side of the mount. The Counterweight Bar will extend horizontally on the opposite side of the mount.

3.Release the telescope slowly to see which way the telescope “rolls.”

4.Loosen the Locking Screw on the side of the counterweight so it can be moved the length of the Counterweight Bar.

5.Move the Counterweight to a position where it balances the telescope (i.e., the telescope does not move when the R.A. clutch knobs are loose).

6.Tighten the Screw on the Counterweight to hold it in place.

The above instructions describe a perfect balancing. In fact, there should be slight imbalance to ensure the best tracking. When the scope is on the west side of the mount the counterweight should be slightly imbalanced to the counterweight bar side. And when the tube is on the east side of the mount there should be a slight imbalance toward the telescope side. This is done so that the worm gear is pushing against a slight load. The amount of the imbalance is very small. When doing astrophotography, this balance process should be done for the target area where the telescope is pointing to increase tracking accuracy.

Balance in DEC

Even though the mount does not track in DEC, the telescope should still be balanced in DEC to prevent any sudden motions when the DEC lock lever is loose. To balance the telescope in DEC:

1.Loosen the R.A. Lock Lever and rotate the telescope so that it is on one side of the mount (please refer to “Balancing the Mount in R.A.”).

2.Tighten the R.A. Lock Lever to hold the telescope in place.

3.Loosen the DEC Lock Lever and rotate the telescope until the tube is parallel to the ground.

4.Release the tube slowly to see which way it rotates around the declination axis.

5.Slightly loosen the knobs that hold the telescope to the Mounting Platform and slide the telescope either forward or backward until it remains stationary when the DEC clutch is loose. Do NOT let go the telescope tube while the knob on the Mounting Platform is loose. It may be necessary to rotate the telescope so that the Counterweight Bar is pointing down before loosening the mounting platform screw.