SkyWatcher - SynScan Pro GOTO Upgrade Kit for EQ-6 Mount

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JayTee United States of America
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SkyWatcher - SynScan Pro GOTO Upgrade Kit for EQ-6 Mount

#1

Post by JayTee »


Is anyone familiar with this upgrade kit for the eq6 mount. I just recently acquired an eq6 mount where both axes are motor driven but there is no go-to for it.

Here's a link
https://www.apm-telescopes.net/en/skywa ... eq-6-mount
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac
∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO
∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5
∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros.
∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000
∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3
∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100
∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°

Searching the skies since 1966. "I never met a scope I didn't want to keep."

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Ylem United States of America
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Re: SKYWATCHER - SYNSCAN PRO GOTO UPGRADE KIT FOR EQ-6 MOUNT

#2

Post by Ylem »


JayTee wrote: Sun Sep 11, 2022 11:27 pm Is anyone familiar with this upgrade kit for the eq6 mount. I just recently acquired an eq6 mount where both axes are motor driven but there is no go-to for it.

Here's a link
https://www.apm-telescopes.net/en/skywa ... eq-6-mount
I had the kit for the Synscan EQ5 / SVP, it was a good kit, easy to install, worked well and was very quiet.

Very easy, and actually fun to install.

I would guess the quality of this kit on par with the EQ5 version.
Clear Skies,
-Jeff :telescopewink:


Member; ASTRA-NJ



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JayTee United States of America
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Re: SKYWATCHER - SYNSCAN PRO GOTO UPGRADE KIT FOR EQ-6 MOUNT

#3

Post by JayTee »


So I ordered this upgrade kit the day of my original post which was the 11th. There were no shipping options from the company that I bought it from, it was one standard fee for shipping. The package arrived today from England! That's only 5 days from the date of order to the shipment arrival at my house, I've had domestic mail take twice this long to get here.

I was flabbergasted.
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac
∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO
∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5
∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros.
∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000
∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3
∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100
∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°

Searching the skies since 1966. "I never met a scope I didn't want to keep."

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Re: SKYWATCHER - SYNSCAN PRO GOTO UPGRADE KIT FOR EQ-6 MOUNT

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Post by JayTee »


The upgrade kit arrived Saturday and I installed it on Sunday (yesterday). After reading through the installation instructions it seemed as though it should be "easy peasy, lemon squeezy!" -- until it wasn't!

It did initially go together as the directions said it should until you applied power and neither axis moved because the gears did not mesh, pretty much at all. So I opened the panel again and tried to figure out how to get the Dec and R.A. gears (both of them) to mesh correctly. This required that I keep power applied while I did a slew of both axes to see if anything was obviously amiss. Nothing seemed amiss, so on to plan B.

The directions say to push the motor against the compartment wall and then tighten down the retaining screws. Well, this obviously didn't work so I loosened the retaining screws, pulled out each motor, and cleaned up the 20-year-old grease off the in-place gears. I then nestled the new gears into place feeling for a "click" or "thunk" or some confirmation that they were making contact with their respective axes' gears. It was actually a "thunk" that was noticeable when the gears did mesh. Now I firmly pushed the gear housing up against the compartment wall, cinched everything up, and pushed the direction buttons on the HC to see if there was motion, there was motion -- Yay! So the panel went back on and the upgrade was complete.

The test run to see if everything worked like a goto mount should was tonight and everything worked surprisingly well. This is my first SW/SynScan mount so a small learning curve was accomplished. The only thing I was unsure of was the noise made by each axis's motor when slewing -- was what I heard, the "normal" noise. There was no grinding or other awful metal-on-metal noises. The gotos were sure and swift and the object always arrived in the center third of the FOV. You can't ask for better than that! All in all a successful test and I now have a fully AP capable EQ 6 mount for a very small sum (comparatively).

If there are any tips or advice I should know about regarding this mount please let me know.

Cheers -- here come the pics
EQ6 Old Panel.jpg
This is the old panel, it housed two tracking motors and the PC board to run them.
EQ6 New Goto.jpg
This is the new panel that has all the bells and whistles.
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac
∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO
∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5
∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros.
∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000
∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3
∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100
∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°

Searching the skies since 1966. "I never met a scope I didn't want to keep."

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davesellars
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Re: SKYWATCHER - SYNSCAN PRO GOTO UPGRADE KIT FOR EQ-6 MOUNT

#5

Post by davesellars »


Good to hear it worked out in the end!
SW Flextube 12" Dobsonian.
Starfield ED102 f/7; SW ED80; SW 120ST
EQ5 and AZ4 mounts
Eyepieces: TV Delos 17.3 & 10; Pentax XW 7 & 5; BCO 32,18,10; Fuyiyama Ortho 12.5; Vixen SLV 25.
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Re: SKYWATCHER - SYNSCAN PRO GOTO UPGRADE KIT FOR EQ-6 MOUNT

#6

Post by Juno16 »


Very well written and documented procedure that will certainly help someone planning this upgrade.

Glad that all worked well in the end!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
Dog and best bud: Jack
Sky: Bortle 6-7
My Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Juno16/
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Re: SKYWATCHER - SYNSCAN PRO GOTO UPGRADE KIT FOR EQ-6 MOUNT

#7

Post by Bigzmey »


Congrats on the successful upgrade JT!
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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Re: SkyWatcher - SynScan Pro GOTO Upgrade Kit for EQ-6 Mount

#8

Post by JayTee »


These are my second impressions of the SW EQ6 mount and the SynScan HC.

This is my first SkyWatcher/SynScan mount. Prior to this mount, I'm pretty proficient with Celestron (both EQ and AltAz), Meade (AltAz only), and iOptron (EQ only). Now I can add SkyWatcher to this list.

It's a fairly easy user interface to navigate. The HC is laid out very similarly to the Celestron HC so it's a very quick learning curve. My only complaint/comment is that it takes 3 punches of the "Enter" button to get the mount to slew to an object. It's kind of like, first I vote, then the committee votes, and then we all go there together! Is there any other way to bypass and/or set up the HC so the "slew" happens with fewer button pushes?

That being said, I have used this mount for the last two nights and it is a joy to use. The mount itself is 20 years old, but with this new upgrade, it performs like a new mount! Even the goto's (after the vote count) were spot on, so I have ZERO complaints about the mechanical functioning of this SW EQ6 goto mount.

This upgrade was well worth the money because I can now use this mount as my #2 AP EQ mount. This pushes the AVX back to #3 and it will most like be only fitted with just a DSLR for very widefield images.

If you are on the fence about this upgrade and you have the (£££/€€€'s)* then don't hesitate to get it. You'll be glad you did.

Cheers,

* I used these monetary symbols because this upgrade is not available in the US or Canada. :confusion-scratchheadyellow:
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac
∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO
∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5
∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros.
∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000
∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3
∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100
∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°

Searching the skies since 1966. "I never met a scope I didn't want to keep."

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