setscrew so it seats into the groove and makes a firm
connection.
3. Attach the Dec. motor assembly to the flange on the head
casting of the mount (refer to Figure 5) with the socket-
head cap screw and washer. First, position the motor
underneath the flange so that the gear on the motor and
the gear on the clutch assembly mesh. Next, insert the
cap screw with washer attached down through the slot in
the head casting flange and thread it into the insert on the
Dec. motor housing. Use the 5mm Allen wrench to do this.
While threading the cap screw into the housing, hold the
Dec. motor assembly in position, so that when the screw
is fully tightened, the gears make a good connection
(Figure 6).
4. If you have removed the Dec. slow-motion control cable, it
can now be replaced on either the front shaft of the clutch
assembly or the rear end of the Dec. worm gear shaft.
5. When the knurled chrome section of the clutch assembly
is rotated clockwise until tight, the Dec. motor is engaged.
Never use the Dec. slow-motion control cable when the
Dec. motor is engaged or you may damage the motor. To
use the Dec. slow-motion control cable, first rotate the
chrome bushing of the clutch assembly counter-clockwise
by a turn.
The Dec. motor is now properly installed on the EQ-3 mount,
and should appear as in Figure 7.
4. Operation
Insert four D-cell batteries into the battery pack. Orient the
batteries as indicated on the white plastic battery holder.
Connect the end of the battery pack’s power cord to the DC
power input on the hand controller.
There are two white cords that are permanently connected to
the hand controller. The printing on the bottom of the hand
controller’s front panel indicates the R.A. cord and the Dec.
cord. Connect the modular connector on the end of the R.A.
cord to the receptacle on the R.A. motor assembly, and con-
nect the end of the Dec. cord to the receptacle on the Dec.
motor assembly.
For the motor drive system to track the motion of the night
sky properly, the equatorial mount must be polar aligned.
This involves aligning the R.A. axis of the mount so it is paral-
lel to the Earth’s axis of rotation (polar axis). Consult the
manual that came with your equatorial mount for details on
how to polar align it.
When observing in the Northern Hemisphere, the N/S switch on
the hand controller should be in the “N” position. For the
Southern Hemisphere, it should be in the “S” position.
Make sure the motors are engaged, and turn the power
switch on the hand controller to the “ON” position. The LED
in the center of the hand controller should be shining green.
If properly polar aligned, the mount will now be tracking the
motion of the night sky, and the telescope should hold any
astronomical object in its eyepiece steady over time.
To move your telescope to a new object, loosen both the R.A.
and Dec. lock levers and move the telescope until it is point-
ed in the general direction of the object you wish to view.
Retighten the R.A. and Dec. lock levers. Now, disengage
both motors and use the R.A. and Dec. slow-motion control
cables to center the object in the eyepiece’s field of view.
Re-engage the motors, and the motor drive system will keep
the object centered over time. Remember, never use the
Figure 6
Figure 7
