Solved M-Zero OBS Motorized Polar Alignment Azimuth Backlash

Dear Avalon support and members,

Is it possible to minimize the backlash in the Azimuth axis of the Motorized Polar Aligment system of the M-Zero OBS? There seem to be a fair bit of backlash and, as a consequence, it can take a long time before the mount moves in azimuth, making adjustments somewhat more complicated. On the other hand, the Altitude axis is very responsive and very efficient.

Great little mount by the way.

Thanks for your help.

Follow-up!

I took the azimuth cover (black 3D printed cover) off and saw that the bronze sleeve, through which the azimuth adjustment screw goes, wiggles a bit if I manually move the mount in azimuth. Could the problem be that the bronze sleeve is not tightened enough on the mount plate, or is the wiggling normal? If it needs to be tightened a bit more, I will take the mount inside to corret the situation. Otherwise, any suggestions are very welcome.

Thanks for your help.

Gilles

Thanks very much for the information Stefano

I finally got the azimuth adjustment to work, by being patient , as when changing adjustement direction it takes some time for the adjustment to take effect. I wonder if it is possible to change/increase the speed of the motors (similar to what can be done with the RA and DEC motors) for the motorized polar alignment system, particularly if the correction vector is long. That would reduce the time needed to perform the polar alignment as the system would be somewhat more responsive. I'm running the mount from KStars and INDI and making polar alignment corrections using the hand controller, if that's relevant.

Thanks for your excellent mounts, they perform flawlessly, even in our -20°C canadian winter.

Best Regards,

Gilles

Thanks very much for your help and info Stefano!