Re: ATM Clock Drive Tune-up

[Tom Coan <tcoan@teleport.com>]

Richard,
 Misery loves company. I also recently started CCD photography and 
also have been fighting my Optic-Craft drive for periodic error. Through
trial and error I actually had it working for two nights for about 6
hours total time with less than 1.5 sec arc error on a two minute 
integration. Then ( a quarter turn on the main gear later) the periodic
error is back with a vengeance and I'm back to a 15-30 second integration
at most before trailing.
 I've written to Optic-Craft only today to get their advice on what the
best way is to adjust the drive. I'll let you know what they write back
when I get their response. In the mean time I'm back to trial and error.
 The good news is my polar alignment is now near perfect with the stars
trailing in an exact east-west line as the drive runs fast then slow.

>I need some advice on how to tune up the clock drive in my Celestron
>Super C-8 Plus.  It is really not doing well when I use the telescope
>for CCD photography.  Anything over 15 seconds exposure (or so) trails
>the stars.
>

>Thanks in advance.
>
>Richard Chalfan
>Kent, WA  USA
>
>
Tom Coan                                 steelheader/amateur astronomer
Product Engineer/Programmer Intel Corp.  email:tcoan@teleport.com
Hillsboro,OR,USA                         homepage:www.teleport.com/~tcoan
      if myself((TN *)make(telescope->nightsky.dark)) return HAPPY;