My astronomy project:
EQ6 Mount, dismantling / rebuilding

Contents:

1. Introduction and Disassembling
2. Internal gearbox alternatives
3. Needed belt length, measurements
4. New timing belt and pulleys has arrived
5. Lids to worm gear adjusted
6. Lathe of 60 teeth pulley
7. Installing 60 teeth pulleys
8. RA and DEC shaft shims
9. Test installing timing belts and motors
10. Installing RA timing belt and motor
11. Installing DEC timing belt and RA shaft into chassis
12. Testing and adjusting
13. Power up and EQMOD gear ratio setup
14. Hang up the telescope, balancing and calibrating parking point
15. Fine adjusting RA and DEC worm gear play
16. Drift align and auto guide calibration
17. Setup EQMOD and PHD2 (moved to tutorial section)
18. Test of auto-guiding
19. Deep into the RA drift compensation
20. Replacing the stepper motor driver
21. New design of latitude adjuster
22. During work

Note:
I take no responsibility or liability for what are written here, you use the information on your own risk!

20, Replacing the stepper motor driver:

Introduction:

As you could read on page 19 I have some problem with the stepper motor driver in my EQ6 mount. The most important problem to solve is how to get it to work with Raspberry Linux controlled system. I could solve it by change part of the EQMOD INDI driver, not very difficult, but even then I have the error that makes the RA drift. Better to replace the hardware stepper motor driver. If it will work ? No idea but I already have one that I can test with, the AstroEQ driver box. If this AstroEQ device cause me trouble I maybe can use the OnStep solution which my friends has recommended me.

Information about AstroEQ:

• https://www.astroeq.co.uk/
  (AstroEQ)

Information about OnStep:

• http://www.stellarjourney.com/ index.php?r=site/ software onstep
  (Stellar Journey)
• http://www.stellarjourney.com/ index.php?r=site/ software telescope
  (Stellar Journey)
• https://onstep.groups.io/g/ main/ wiki/ 3861
  (Wiki Groups)

AstroEQ:

This is how the AstroEQ driver looks like. It has an USB port to connect to the PC/Raspberry, no need for a EQDirect cable.

The original driver board sits inside the EQ6 mount.

I can easily place the AstroEQ box on top of the EQ6 lid.

Or, could it be placed inside ? This is the original circuit board.

The stepper motor has these connectors, they are called JST and these has 2.0 mm pitch. The AstroEQ use RJ11 6/4 connectors to the stepper motors. I don't want to cut the wires and need to make adapter cables between.

The electronics inside the AstroEQ, the red circuit board is the power driver to the stepper motors. There is a potentiometer where the max current can be set. Much more flexible compare to the original driver, more stepper motors to chose from. On the left side: USB connector and Power inlet, on the right side: ST4 port, RA and DEC motors and a hand terminal power outlet (I think).

On the other side, the three red LED indicators: Status, Link and Power.

The box has three holes for the LED and four towers that hold the circuit board. If I 3D print a totally new enclosure I must get these holes and towers in correct place.

Just checking if there are space enough to hold the AstroEQ circuit board inside the EQ6 mount. It's the cables that cause problem.

It will be a very sharp bent on the USB cable, I have a 90 degree adapter, but too big and in wrong direction.

I start with 3D printed flat panel that replace the original EQ6 lid, with a double sided tape I place the AstroEQ box on top of this lid. This 3d printing project has it's on page, EQ6 lid.

Update:
Later I decided to do it in another way, rewrite the source code of EQMOD Indi, very difficult for me because it's not something I have done earlier. But with help of friend I could start this, follow the INDI driver project: Indi Driver.