19
My mount's tracking motor gave out during the Perseids
It happened last Tuesday night, right as the shower was peaking. I was set up in my backyard in Boise, trying to get a long exposure of the radiant point. The motor just stopped with a quiet click, and the stars started to trail after about 30 seconds. I ended up taking the whole rig apart the next day and found a stripped plastic gear inside the housing. Has anyone had luck fixing a Sky-Watcher EQ3's motor drive, or is it a lost cause?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
vera_lewis21d ago
Stripped plastic gears are a known weak point on those older EQ3 drives. You can sometimes find the part online if you search for the exact motor model. It's a fiddly repair but doable with some patience and the right small screwdrivers.
4
michaeltorres1d ago
My old VCR repair kit had the perfect tiny screwdriver for those gearbox jobs.
10
wood.eric1d ago
Check the stepper motor shaft for play too, that'll kill new gears fast.
5