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1.2.3. Attaching the counterweight.
The counterweight (5) can now be pushed onto the counterweight rod (4). To do this, first remove the locking
screw at the end of the counterweight rod, push on the counterweight and lock it with the wing bolt on the
counterweight rod near the locking screw. A flexible shaft is available for both axes for control of the manual
fine focus adjustment knobs.
These flexible shafts are simply pushed onto the respective screw shaft and secured with the union nuts.
Attention:
Never fit the optical tube assembly beforehand. Without a counterweight, the balance in the axis would be missing
and the optical tube assembly could collide with the tripod. The optics are always the last part to be fitted during
the assembly of a telescope system and the first part to be removed during dismantling.
2. Balancing the optical tube assembly (OTA).
In order to reduce the wear on the worm gears in the mount, it is important that the loads that the mount has
to support, in particular the optical tube assembly and the counterweights, are well balanced. Balancing
should always be repeated or checked before each observation.
2.1. The right ascension axis.
Start by balancing the right ascension (RA) axis, also referred to as the ‘hour axis’. To do this, bring the
counterweight rod into the horizontal position. Counterweights and optical tube
assembly are now facing one another horizontally. Now carefully release the
clamp of the RA, holding the counterweight rod firmly in your hand. Now
carefully release the counterweight rod and observe whether everything remains
horizontal – the ideal situation – or in which direction the RA moves. If the optical
tube assembly drops down, the counterweights on the counterweight rod must
be pushed further outwards until the system remains horizontal. If the
counterweights drop down, they are too heavy and have to be pushed further
inwards on the counterweight rod, i.e. in the direction of the optical tube
assembly. The aim here is also to ensure that the axis remains horizontal.
2.2. The optical tube assembly (OTA).
Proceed in the same way to balance the telescope tube. The optical tubes are
naturally heavier at the end in which the optics are mounted, i.e. either the main
mirror in reflector telescopes or the lens group in refracting telescopes. To do
this, leave the telescope system in the same position as when balancing the RA.
For the sake of safety, hold the optical tube assembly firmly here so that it cannot
collide with anything when the DEC clamp is released. Now carefully release the
clamp of the elevation axis (declination = DEC). If the optical tube assembly
remains horizontal, everything is perfect. If it tilts to one side, however, it is too
heavy on that side and must be moved in the tube clamps towards the lighter
side. In this case, the clamping screws of the tube clamps have to be loosened
slightly.