Eagle Mach 1 Spezifikationen PDF herunterladen (Seite 19)

CLUTCH KNOBS AND BALANCING

R.A. and Dec. Clutch Knobs

1. What do they do?

The three R.A. and three Dec. C

LUTCH KNOBS have the function of connecting the R.A. and Dec. axes to their

respective drive worm wheel gears. Their function is progressive, from no tension (axes free to move - as required

during correct balancing of the telescope) to a completely "locked up" state.

How can you find out what they really do?

As shipped, all Mach1GTO mounts have all three R.A. and Dec. C

LUTCH KNOBS firmly hand tightened. This will give

you a good idea of the maximum tightness (clutch action) that can be achieved by hand effort alone. At this point,

you must bear in mind that for optimum performance all three C

LUTCH KNOBS on each axis (R.A. or Dec.) should be

tightened evenly with the same tension (i.e. all three half tight, all three fully tight, etc.).

In order to feel the effect of the C

LUTCH KNOBS, you may wish to assemble your mount with the mounting plate and

OUNTERWEIGHT SHAFT. Do not put scope and COUNTERWEIGHTS on at this stage. With the above assembly (with the

LUTCH KNOBS firmly hand tightened - "as shipped"), you can feel the amount of force needed to move each axis by

hand. Grab each end of the telescope mounting plate and move it with a backward and forward movement of the

Dec. axis. You will feel considerable resistance to this motion. Perform the same operation on the R.A. axis by

moving the counterweight shaft backward and forward. With a well-balanced telescope, the above tightness of the

clutch knobs will be sufficient for all normal conditions of use.

Now, mount up and balance your telescope so you can "feel" what this resistance in R.A. and Dec. (movement

backwards and forwards) is like when you make these motions from the eyepiece end of your telescope as you

would during normal use when slewing (pushing) by hand to acquire an astronomical object within the field of view

of your finder or scope.

How tight can the clutch be and can you do any damage by over-tightening them?

These clutches can be tightened as much as needed. There is no danger of over-tightening. You will see that

each clutch knob has a 3/16 hex socket for tightening with an Allen key. Using the provided hex key you can lock

up the clutches so that only the worm drives are able to move each axis. You should

NOT attempt to push your

scope by hand against this "locked up" resistance, or undue stress will be placed on the worm wheel, worm gear

and bearings. Also note that locked up clutches provide no safety factor for your equipment should you hit the pier!

Most users will never need to use a hex key on their Mach1GTO’s clutches, but if you are heavily loaded, if your

system is out of balance, or if you are doing critical long exposure astro-photography, you may wish to have the

extra clutch tightness. As a general rule, if you have a big scope (6" refractor or 10” SCT) with all the accessories,

you will need more clutch tension than a 4" or 5" scope.

My clutches don’t seem to loosen up the axes as much as my 900 or 1200 mount’s clutches when I loosen the

knobs. Is this correct?

The Mach1GTO uses a different clutch system, and it also uses a different bearing system for the free rotation of

the axes. It will feel stiffer than the 900 or 1200 series mounts.

You should also be aware that the clutch knobs on the Mach1GTO have spring loaded tips that may still be

applying pressure to the clutches, even though the clutch knobs feel loose. Back the clutch knobs off by at least

two or three full turns to fully disengage the clutches.

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