Star Adventurer "Tight Spot" Clutch Repair
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- WARINING: Graphic Abuse to a Star Adventurer Mount😉.
This is not something I'd recommend just anyone to do. If you do this, you DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK! I was even skeptical when doing it myself😁.
In this video I look in depth into the cause and a repair of this tight spot the Star Adventurer has on some mounts. You only notice it when the clutch is loose. I also do a re-grease of the ring gear, bearings, and finally a backlash set-up. (Time Stamp 30min)
It is a bit long, so I sped it up as much as I could. Feel free to just skim over it to get the basic idea.
Star Adventurer Clutch Repair Tool 3D Print File: cults3d.com/en...
Music from: www.bensound.com
I just learned about the backlash screw today that that’s there. 😂Thanks for the video.
Just did a cleanup and regreasing on my Star Adventurer. I could not find the super lube so have used a light lithium grease. As others have said the factory grease seems to be sticky. The result is that I now have a smooth running drive with good balance. Thanks much for the video. Very nicely done.
Sometimes you can reduce out of round errors by simply unbolting and changing the orientation of the assembly (rotate 90 degrees, re-bolt on, check oor error, unbolt and rotate again, re-bolt on and check error again, etc). If there is an orientation in which the out of round error is lower than other orientations, mark the assemblies so that you always bolt it on in the same orientation. This is a common practice in situations where there is a slight offset to the bolt holes, and could minimize the amount of sanding/filing needed to fix the problem.
This is what I tried but it didn't make any difference for me. I was thinking you could enlarge the holes so you have a bit of play when screwing the parts back together, so you can adjust the axis of rotation before you tighten the bolts down again. If it's just misaligned but circular, you dom't need to grind away material, just reposition the parts relative to each other. If you have the right measuring tools (dial indicator) I'm sure it's possible to do the alignment very precisely if you enlarge the screw holes.
@@alphanimal True in a lot of cases, as the old saying goes: when all else fails, make it adjustable. :)
I've outsourced the printing, using your data.
I will try to adjust the clutch when I get it. Thanks for making your great data available.
Hi Steven, I saw your video "inside of the star tracker" before I decided to buy a star tracker. I received my star tracker today, and sure enough right out of the box after setting it up, the arrow lights started flashing. I replaced the batteries just to check the obvious and the same problem. So I followed you video and took it apart. I didn't find metal shavings, but I did find dried paint chips on one area of the splines on the middle brass gear. Was able to remove the paint chips, reassemble and it works fine now. Just wanted to say thanks, and hopefully provide some info for other people.
You're welcome 😊.
The biggest cause of the tight spot lays in the mechanical design of the mount itself.
The inner Part (The Eyepiece/Mounting Plattform) is fixed with 4 little screws in the Center of the mount.
Around this Eyepiece/Mounting Platform there is the big metal gear.
Then there is the backlash adjustment screw which is pushing the messing worm gear against the big Metal gear.
But when the messing worm gear is pushing against the big metal gear, the big gear could only slip a little bit to the opposite side (in its rotating tolerance)
But the Eypiece/mounting plattform which is inside the big metall gear could not slip away because its fixed with the screws and this results
in an outcentered axis between inner metal (Eyepiece/mounting plattform) and outer metal (big gear). This leads to the tight spot.
What works for my mount and i have done to make this off axis of the two rotating elements getting better centered:
1. I loosen all 4 screws inside the mount which fix the Eyepiece/Mounting platform. Now it has a very little bit more mechanical game.
2. Then i made the backlash adjustment.
3. Then i rotate the mount with full turns several times (inner metall piece has chance to center with the outer metal piece)
4. Then i tighten evenly the 4 screws of the inner Eyepiece/Mounting Plattform
5. i made the steps 1,3,4 severall times until the screws were tight (always testing if the tight spot is ok)
Sorry for my bad english
I never knew that bottom screw thing fixes the little rattle/shake of the saddle when the clutch is locked. THANKS A LOT!
You're welcome. Glad I could help😉.
Mine's got the tight spot and it's annoying as hell. Nice to see an actual video instruction in how to deal with this. Thank you for sharing!
Maybe try to see if you can get rid of it first by backing off the backlash screw. You'll still have to open it up to push the cradle down then reset the backlash. If the tight spot still comes back after setting the backlash then I'd say you need to find that high spot in the clutch plate and work it out. Good luck 👍
Steven Doye right, thanks so much for the tip! When i was first looking to get a tracking mount, it was either the EQM-35 or the SA. Should have gone with the EQM-35, or even saved up for the real deal, like the EQ6R-Pro for example. Lesson learned. Cheers!
Thank you Steven! Mine doesn't have a big tight spot and I'm not sure I would have the guts to do all of this,but nice to know I can eventually fix my SA1Keep up the good work!
Brilliant!
Thanks. I see other guys balancing gear on their mount with a smooth range of motion. Mine just sticks there and barely moves no matter how much I unscrew the clutch or how unbalanced the counterweight is. I knew there had to be a problem.
I'm getting a 3D printer for xmas. Might be good opportunity to try printing out your special tool and trying this out.
Hi Steven, Great video! I've got one and it needs the same treatment you performed on yours. The suggestion on having a machine shop dress it up is excellent for those that don't want to do it themselves. Having a mini lathe would be great! This procedure could also be done with a drill press and a milling vise. (Drill press should not wobble!) One more thing, I was saying to myself just before you mentioned the aluminum shavings and dust all over... Wonder how much you got in your coffee LOL! Also I would suggest to anyone doing this to keep the bering away from the sanding/grinding area. I'm presently making an adapter to put the iOptron electronic polar alignment scope on my Star Adventurer. I like the idea of being able to polar align by looking at my laptop screen instead of bending down or kneeling to look through the builtin polar scope... Again GREAT video and all of us Adventurer owners with that tough spot thank you! Clear Skies to you now!
Thanks alot. I'm glad you liked it. If you're interested, I have designed a few other 3d printable accessories for the Star Adventurer. My glow in the dark polar Illuminator is pretty popular. I also have an adapter that will attach a webcam to the polar scope to save your back. And of course all my model's a free to download.
cults3d.com/en/users/skippy111taz/creations
Nice video. I subscribed. It may be useful to know how to repair especially it if it is out of warranty . On my first mount that i bought, the Ioptron skyguider Pro the clutch got stuck, also had other problem so I returned it, and i decided to buy Sky-Watcher EQM-35 PRO GOTO
Good call! I wish i got the EQM-35 Pro, but i decided to get the Star Adventurer instead, and while it's a nice little mount, there are many frustrations with it that you just don't get with a proper mount like the EQM-35 (or better ones).
@@aerozg if you do not travel in mountines for astrophotography and need to go at distance for the car best use a more solid mount. I haad first ioptron skyguider pro but felt like a toy compared with the eqm35 pro
Ioan Nemes i agree. I usually travel 2 or 3hrs to get away from the city light pollution, and i drag all my gear with me. The polar alignment was a nightmare on the Star Adventurer, but now i have gotten used to it. Working with mounts like the EQ6R-Pro is light years better than flimsy tracking mounts like the SA. It's a nice toy, but you overgrow it very quickly and want to do more, with bigger lenses and longer focal lengths. I don't want to shoot Milky Way all the time, deep space objects are calling :)
@@aerozg if you are on a loeer budget the eqm35 pro is a very good upgrade. With the ed80 600mm makes a nice pair and i heard it can perform good even with a litle bit heavier telescopes but i haven t test it myself. With an autoguider and a rough polar alignment i used it up to 10 min exposures
Ioan Nemes 10 minutes, that is great to hear! But i am still a beginner, my skills do not warrant an upgrade yet :) Still shooting Milky Way and learning how to process images. I still need to reach the point where i can deliver consistent results with the current gear, and then i will allow my self to graduate to more complex machines. We have a great local shop, offering good financing options, like paying in up to 24 installments, with no interest %, so that's a big plus. So i will keep learning, and saving up money for the upgrade. I think of all things, the most important thing in this hobby is Patience :))
gracias. muchas gracias.
Consider this: If the outer edge of the cast clutch fits snuggly within fine tolerances of the ring gear, the low tolerance inner spool that rubs unevenly when the clutch is loose will not affect the performance of tracking or the worm gear calibration at all . . . not in the least, once the clutch is tightened up. Now, finding chips of paint and metal shavings . . . that can be an issue.
I do mention this it doesn't effect the tracking, but it dose make it difficult to balance and it is just annoying to feel. If you see my other tear down video, you'll see where the one screw was just rammed in and forced to find the hole from factory. It scrapped the paint and left metal shavings in the clutch area.
@@StevenDoye Yes. Watched the old vid first. That ripped up screw install was worth showing to the company for Quality Control! And, the 'paint chip' problem is also disconcerting. How does the adjuster screw feel on the worm gear carriage? What are the instructions on adjustment? My Pro 2i will arrive Tues/Wed, so I will check it out myself.
@@leonarddaneman810 The SkyWatcher instructions don't say 💩 about the worm gear adjustment. I just figured that out on my own. It dose come set from factory so if you notice no play in the RA while the clutch is locked, just leave it alone. You have to open it up and physically push the carriage down to back it off. Then slowly tighten it untill you have no play. Just like I show in the video.
Another thing the instructions are wrong about is the calibration Date/Time for the polar scope. They are off by 20min. Most people don't use the setting circles to locate the position of Polaris anyways.
@@StevenDoye Hmmm . . . using the circle to get to true North is important. Will check that out. The new 2i will be here in a couple of days. Will let you know how it sets up out of the box.
I'm very appreciative of your work and the time you've taken to share it, thank you. As I have noticed the rotation getting difficult in spots, I have also seen the polar scope is wobbling when I rotate the saddle. Do you think that is coincidental or can those two things be connected? As the clutch fits over the scope quite snuggly, I would think enough play in the clutch plate rotation would ruin the alignment of the polar scope... making my polar alignment off... which would explain why I've been getting star trails.
Thanks 😉
As I have mentioned this tight spot doesn't effect the performance of the mount. It just makes it difficult to balance.
The polar scope is secured within the bearings so it can't really wobble. The clutch plate however is casted and not perfectly round and it rides on the bearing and inside a machined ring gear what is perfectly round. This is what at least I have notice is causing this issue. I have been tempted to have a machinist make me a clutch plate on a lathe.
I have 2 of these mounts and both the polar scopes show that wobble when rotating and viewing through them. I believe it is more just the optics though. As you rotate the mount while looking through the scope, the view you see also moves with the scope. Aslo my crosshairs in the scope stay center on my target when calibrating, but yes the whole image moves with it.
Maybe check the calibration of your polar scope. Just center the crosshairs on a far target during the day and ensure the crosshairs stay on that target as you rotate the mount.
@@StevenDoye , yes! I experienced the same thing and thought it was so odd. Despite the over all wobble of the image, the object does, as you say, stay centered in the crosshairs during an alignment test.
By the way, did you find that all the extra lubrication has an effect on smoothness and accuracy (= longer exposure capability)? Or it is just more peace of mind with regard to the longevity of the unit?
@@JasonGabler I wouldn't say it's extra. It is essentially the same amount that was in there prior. The grease I used though wasn't as sticky as the original though. It dose slew smoother as for exposure it's still the same.
Thanks for the Star Adventurer stuff. Thinking about getting one myself. Your video from a year ago showing the Insides of the Star Adventurer is classified as "content for children" for some reason so I can't leave a comment or save the video to my playlists. Is this a mistake?
but if you sand you get even more gap between parts. mmmmm I am not sure if it is a good idea. Any way, thanks a lot for your experience.
Hi Steven. At the 3 minute mark where you tighten the screw that pushes up against the worm, do you know what size that screw is. I have had issues with my SA and have just looked and the screw is actually missing so I need to replace it
Why add detracting background music to your excellent presentation?
Sorry for the late reply. UA-cam didn't notify me of this comment.
This video turned out a hell of a lot longer than I expected. I had to try to shorten it by speeding up the process. Instead of leaving Long blanks, I added the background music. I'm glad you like the presentation and I'll keep this in mind for my next videos. Thanks
Wow. I can’t believe how bad your clutch plate is out of round. It looks like 1mm high in that area. Just bought the Star-Tracker WiFi Pro Pak. I hope they got this issue corrected on the newer units. You might have tried putting masking tape on the clutch plate surface to prevent scratching with the file sand sandpaper. Do you have the STL file for your drill adapter?
Yeah it was pretty bad. That's what you get when you cast the part instead of machining it. I honestly wish I had a lathe to fix it but that's why I ended up designed the drill adapter. Here's the link to the adapter STL.
cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/star-adventurer-clutch-repair-tool
@@StevenDoye Thanks. I’ll be sure to check my Star-Tracker out closely. At least I know how the whole thing works from watching your videos. It looks like a good product but you’d think they’d machine that part instead of using a casting. Thanks again for your insights.
I bought the Star Adventurer 2i Pro pack recently and it's got the same problem. So, no I don't think they honestly care at the manufacturer's factory.
Hi Steve, thank you for your videos and learn from the possible failures of the star adventure. I've barely used mine and lately it's leaving me traces in the stars with 10 seconds of photo using a focal length of 400mm only. I move the dial off and turn it back on and keep tracking but for a short time and stop tracking again. What could be going on?
It's hard to say without seeing it. It could be a number of things. Low battery, motor overload (lights will flash, can be due to overweight, not balanced, or backlash set too tight), clutch not tight enough (it'll track fine then slip and track again eventually), too much backlash (saddle will have play when clutch is locked). Really though the backlash should be okay because it's pre-set from factory. As you can see in my video it is a bit tedious to set.
I have personally experienced the clutch not tight enough problem. I'd get a good couple of exposures then trail's. It's rather surprising how tight you need to lock it down.
@@StevenDoye thank you very much for your answer, I will try to tighten the clutch more, the equipment used was the 72ed refractor of skywatcher, guide tube of 30mm of zwo and main camera 294mc, so it is less weight than the maximum allowed and the PowerTank battery is new and had all the charge. The polar alignment was perfect and stayed on the watch face when rotating the axis, so polar finder calibration and alignment are fine.
@@StevenDoye the lights did not flash and were always fixed, I guess then it is not an engine failure right?
Hi Steven,
I’ve just been watching your video on the “inside of the star tracker” and the problem people are getting with the screw thread that can jam up or gets stuck inside when you try and turn the clutch over time !
I’ve just purchased one today and is about to be sent to me from the retailer.
So should I ask them to do this for me as it looks like it happens quite a bit so I know it’s in good working order plus it’s still under there warranty or is it something you suggest I do straight away so I never have this problem
kind regards
Simon ✨🪐💫
I really don't think the retailer will open it up. The most they might do for you is check if the saddle rotates freely with the clutch loose. If you're buying new, just check it as soon as you get it. If you notice the saddle binds or has a grinding feeling then at least you know what is happening inside and can send it back under warranty. I believe the mount comes with a 1year warranty.
Could you do a video on replacing the polar scope?
I am curious what you will replace the polar scope with?
what is the rpm of the motor?
Great video mate! Mine does have a big tight spot I'm planning to do exactly the same as you did with yours. Just when I'm downloading file of Thingiverse it says is corrupted
I'll look into that as soon asap. In the meantime I do have on my stuff on Cults3d because Thingiverse seems to be unreliable. Give this a try cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/star-adventurer-clutch-repair-tool
@@StevenDoye Thanks mate
@@DawidSorokad_worms Okay so the Cults File was corrupted too because it just pretty much copied my Thingiverse account over. Thanks for the catch. The files should be good now. If not I also put it in a Google Drive folder for you. Good luck on your repair. drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cDg3SoXawckyR-8G-CMKcOxtLtkJftaA?usp=sharing
@@StevenDoye Yeah it was corrupted now both are working thanks again
Happily reporting that tight spot is gone. Hit it with Dremel as you did then 400 grit sandpaper it took me no more than 30 min 👍
Have just checked and I see mine is missing that worm drive screw. Is that M3 ?
Are you talking about that backlash set screw that threads in from the bottom. It is way bigger then a M3. I honestly don't think that's even a metric thread. I'd have to remove mine and measure it out to get the proper size. If it is missing you should see a big hole in the bottom of the mount.
Yes that screw at the bottom is missing. I can see the plate that it pushes in to. Thanks for great video.
@@grantmclauchlan2843 when I get a chance I'll remove mine and measure it out for you so you can get a new one.
All good. I’ll rummage around in the garage and hopefully find one for it.
Hello! I have the SA, my problem is that I have lost the screw that adjusts the wheel of the dial, and I cannot know the size of the Allen screw. Would you know how to tell me which one?
Thank you very much for your tutorials!
Are you talking about the mode selection dial? That is a m4 thread you'll need. Most the screws on the mount are m3 and m4 thread. Hope that helps.
@@StevenDoye Yes, I was referring to the mode dial, where the tracking speed is selected. I arrived on a trip and noticed that the dial is loose, and if I want to change speed or just put it into operation, it seems to skate, and skip a position when moving it. When you look at the hole to see the screw, you don't see anything, that's why I think it has come loose and fallen.I will try to get the M3 screw that you tell me to see if it works.
Thank you very much for your support!
The mode dial is a M4 not M3
@@StevenDoye OK thank you very much!!
@@StevenDoye Hello! Thank you very much for your help! Finally the screw was inside !! Even so, adjusting it fully, the dial wheel is still loose.I tried pulling it out and seeing the shaft (where it fits with the screw) is fixed to a nut. It is seen that on the inside of the case there is a locknut that adjusts the entire system. I do not have access to that nut but it is opening all the carcass right? I'm afraid of breaking something or leaving it that way, half loose.
What do you think?
I have a new 2i version and have found that RA does not revolve in Star mode but does revolve in Solar and Lunar mode. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Not sure. That sounds software related and I'm not familiar with the 2i version. Sorry
@@StevenDoye I think you are right. The screw is there after all. It has a recessed head so I mistakenly thought I was seeing a n empty hole. Will send it back to shop for them to sort. Thanks for your very informative videos for future reference. Screw is M6 btw. Cheers