Orion 7826 EQ-1M Electronic Telescope Drive

I bought this as an alternative to the  Celestron R/A Single Axis Motor Drive , which wouldn't work for me below 50˚F. The Orion unit is also a single axis motor, but its default sidereal rate is run by microcontroller (so there's no fine adjustment). The hand controller also provides +/- 2x and 8x speeds relative to the base rate for fine R/A control. A handy spring-loaded clutch allows for disengagement of the motor, providing coarse R/A control via the tripod control knob.The unit runs off a 4 D-cell battery pack (shown in the picture in its pleather carrying case). The unit functions as advertised—even at low temperatures—with the target object centered in the field for hours (as long as the tripod-scope system is properly polar aligned). The unit has some hysteresis in the 2x and 8x control—when you center an object by reversing the motor (i.e., -2x and -8x), the return to sidereal rate has a slight lag that results in overshoot of the target; when you approach from the +2x and +8x, there is no such issue.Several reviews have noted that the drive gear can slip. This can be mitigated by keeping the thumb screw on the mount shaft as loose as possible (while still maintaining functionality), and by not disengaging the clutch too slowly. Even when it slips (which mine has on a few occasions), simply reengaging and disengaging the clutch resolves the slip on the first try.

Getting ready for the solar eclipse in my own backyard! I wanted a sidereal tracking mount for my camera that is fitted out with a homemade solar filter using Baader solar film  Baader Planetarium AstroSolar Safety Film Visual, 7.9x11.4" (20x29cm)  and a pin-camera aiming sight. Just installed this drive on an Orion Mini EQ-Tabletop  Orion 9055 Min-EQ Tabletop Equatorial Telescope Mount  EQ Mount. Installation was easy and the drive runs well so far. I opted to replace the battery compartment with a power supply  [Upgraded Version] SoulBay Universal AC/DC Adapter Multi-Voltage Regulated Switching Power Supply with 7 Selectable Adapter Plugs, for 3V to 12V Home Electronics and USB Charging Devices - 2Amps Max . I attached the EQ mount via a M10-1.5x45mm bolt and a couple of washers to a Bosch BT-160 Surveyor tripod  Bosch BT160 Alum Quick Clamp Tripod  - be sure to install a tripod spreader to keep it from splaying out too far on hard surfaces and potentially destroying valuable equipment! I will be adding a tripod hammock soon  Guerrilla Painter Tripod Stone Bag . Looking good so far.

-I must admit to some disappointment when I opened up the package after this arrived about a month ago. The materials were very cheap- the battery pack in particular. The cover's the cheapest grade of vinyl, and the actual battery pack inside looked like a junior high science project (and should be handled with care as such). However, it was easy to attach to the EQ-1 mount, and lo & behold, it actually does work!-It tracks sidereal motion in real time, and even with only a fairly rough polar alignment, will allow the mount to keep objects in the field of view with just occasional adjustments to the declination. When the drive is attached, all adjustments to the RA must be done with it- the manual RA fine tuner can't be used with the drive attached- but adjusting the RA is quite easy, and the controller allows for surprisingly fine adjustments with little trouble. Just a few things to bear in mind that I've found from experience--As I said, fine tuning the RA is actually very easy with the drive attached, but there is some drift/momentum after you release the the 8x button. However, you will develop a "feel" for that (& it's not a big problem anyway).-It's a battery PIG. It uses 4 D size batteries & it goes without saying that you should invest in rechargeable batteries and a charger (if you don't already have them). I've found I can get about 2-2.5 hours out of a charge before they begin to burn out and cause the timing to lag, so if you plan to be out for any longer than that, it might be wise to pack back-ups as well.-As everyone who uses the EQ-1 mount already knows, when you lock the RA fine tuner, it will eventually run out of gearing running to the west and need to be reset. This is pretty easy to do manually at your viewing site, but not so easy to do with the drive attached and should be done at home before going to do any viewing. I've found that to do that, it's MUCH faster and easier to simply remove to drive from the mount (which is easy, as noted previously) and do it with the manual RA fine tuner (it only takes a few minutes). 1) You have the manual feel & immediately know when you've run out of gearing to the east (meaning it's reset), 2) doing it with the drive takes forever- even at 8x- and 3) you'll completely fry your batteries in the effort. As I said- much easier done manually.-The hollow cylinder that fits over the RA fine tuner post from the motor has a small hex nut (Allen keys for both that and where the motor attaches to the mount are included) that keeps the motor drive coupled to the RA fine tuner. This has to be aligned with the groove where the nut on the manual fine tuner knob would normally fit & kept pretty tight- otherwise the motor will simply spin its wheels and not work.-Before viewing, make sure that the N/S switch is tuned to the "N" or north position (if you're in the northern hemisphere). Sounds obvious, but the switch is easy to knock out of position & it's best to check before wondering why the object is quickly leaving the field of view.-Finally, it does increase your set up time some, but the battery pack can be hung from the azimuth knob on the mount, and the controller sits nicely on the tray that comes with the EQ-1.-A few caveats, but if you keep these things in mind? It's a really nice addition the EQ-1 mount and will definitely enhance your viewing experience, and with a more careful polar alignment, allow for much better and more adventurous astrophotography, as well. AND, it won't put a huge dent in your wallet in the process. I'm quite happy I bought it.-Here's a photo I took of the moon (2018/07/23) with my old Nikon D70s digital SLR (shutter speed 1/90 ISO 200) and an Orion 90 mm Maksutov-Cassegrain.

Works great! Totally silent. The only way I know its working is to touch it..can feel it pulse. I only have a rough polar alignment on my mount and still got 30sec exposure without trailing. Maybe my “rough” alignment wasn’t so rough. DITCH THE BATTERY PACK if you observe from your backyard like me. I got a belker universal ac/dc adapter on amazon for just under $14....works great! Just search belker ac adapter and get the one that the output is 1000mA. Set it to 6V, use the matching plug and you’re good to go all night with no worries of batteries dying.The RA motor is very slow via the controller but it doesn’t matter if you know what you’re target is and where it is, just disengage the clutch and move it by hand and fine tune with the control....simple. Love this thing. Just wish the plug jack pointed down instead of straight out.....makes the wire very vulnerable to snags/etc...guess it’s good its not black so you can see it in the dark.

This thing is just exactly what it is supposed to be. Installed in 10 minutes. Everything fit well. You really have to have a good Polar Alignment but after that, it tracks like a charm and powers my EQ-1 just fine with either my 90mm Mak-Cas, or my Nikon D5100 with 600mm lens. Great buy for the price too. Also, Amazon had it and shipped right away but Orion could not ship for almost a month. A rare 5 starz from me.

This telescope drive works pretty good, and you can convert it to a 12v lighting battery that will omit the plastic "d" cell holder, longer runtime and easy to do.

Excelente producto, buen precio. Envío rápido.