You know what I just noticed? All the time I was focusing on the RA axis and it seems to be moving at exactly 15 degrees (I also greased it). But never tought of the DEC and noticed that just once out of 5 tries it moved. All other times it was static. Is it something normal? Does it have to have any movement on that axis everytime? Maybe the simulator thinks it is perfectly polar aligned?
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There is a guy on YouTube that shows how to tune the mount through the small screws on the sides for the RA and DEC axis. As per the video, both sides have to be equallty screwed (if I understood correctly), but mine are not. That is how I got the mount, but will try to tune it a bit so both sides are equal. He also mentioned whirling sound, withi is due to overtightening, which I hear...
So, after the disassemble, grease and re-assemble, now is the tune time. Wish me luck! 
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I tried your suggestion. Without any weights on it, the mount is way underbalanced. So it was a couple degrees off. Once I put all the gear and balanced it perfectly well, it came to exactly 15 degrees angle for 1h. So I guess it is all good while indoors in a room temp.
Next, i will disassemble it and try to isolate it a bit from the colder weather with some isolating aluminium tape. I was also adviced to buy lithium grease and put some so it would compensate for the gearing contraction a bit. Wednesday might be the next clear night, so wish me luck!
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These are pretty tight. I can't move it to any directions once tightened. I could say the balance is pretty good too. Since I don't believe my phone leveler at 100%, I boght one of those small bubble levelers, so it is perfectly leveled too.
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Yes, I can hear the motors working. As for the weight, I believe it is way underweighted as I am using a Pentax k5 with 135mm lenses, and a small guidescope 120mm with SV105 guidecam. Other than that, I have attached a small battery pack with RPI4 on the mount. Everything in total is less than 3kg. So it should be good.
What is the thing about the clutches?
I also heard that since to bearings inside are sort of plastic, the cold weather shrinks them and this might cause the wrong tracking. Is it possible?
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Hi!
I really need help here... The situation is getting desperate already.
I have the iOptron SmartEQ Pro mount and it is not tracking at all although Stellarmate says it is tracking.
I have all the coordinates set, polar aligned through the polar finder, plate solved.
However, I get the following errors:
1. The Polar align through Stellarmate gives an error when moving for the second picture. It aborts the action and I have to restart the mount. It starts rotating and I have to stop it with the HC, and then restart the mount so it works again.
2. Even when the mount is balanced, polar aligned through the polar finder and plate solved, it won't track for even 10sec with 135mm. Stellarmate says "Tracking", but it actually doesn't at all. But I can hear the motors working.
3. When trying the guiding, I get the following error: GUIDE_RA: Scope cannot reach the start point after 21 iterations. I tried reducing the Pulse as suggested, but still the same...
4. Multi star alignment through the HC still won't track...
Please help me with any ideas where the issues might be as I have tried everything I could think of.
Thank you!
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So, I bought Stellarmate and still it won't track, and the Guiding stucks at "RA drifting". If it by chance starts guiding, it won't operate the mount at all... Any ideas? I am using ZEQ25 driver for the mount. I read iEQ driver is newer for the mount, but I get an error with it. Is there a special driver to be additionally installed as Stellarmate says it is up to date, including INDI?
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Thank you for the advice! I got the Stellarmate and will try in out tonight or tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
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Hi guys! Apologies for the long post, but I want to be as detailed as possible...
Few months ago I bought a used iOptron SmartEQ Pro+ mount and wanted to use it with my DSLR camera (no telescope yet). I have had good nights with tracking about 1min (haven't tried more), but most of the time I am having issues with the tracking... sometimes it tracks and sometimes it doesn't. I was adviced to get it guiding, so I bought RPI4 (8GB) and installed Astroberry on it. I read in the forums that the driver for this mount should be ZEQ25. Is it the most accurate one?
I am using the following equiplent now:
iOptron SmartEQ Pro+
Pentax K-5 with 135mm lens as main camera
Svbony SV165 guidescope
SvBony SV105 as a guidecamera
Everything is connected the the RPI4 and it should operate the mount with the information received from the main camera and the guidescope camera. Since the SV105 doesn't have a ST-4 port, I have connected it with the RPI4 through USB that came with it and then the information should be sent to the Mount HC with USB>RJ9 4P4C cable (it was advertised to be for iOptron Go2Nova Handcontroller to Computer Control and Firmware upgrade)
When I run the INDI server, everything connects as it should, I can control all devices (Pentax cam, guidecam, the mount), but still, the tracking is off most of the time.... I do the Balancing, Polar Align, Plate solve and slew to target through EKOS. Pretty much the basics, but it still sometimes won't track with the speed of the Earth movement, and startrails appear... Last night I managed to get a 60sec images with minimal startrails. But then just a few images later it all failed. Also, the PHD2 connects, but it won't follow the star. Once the star is lost, I get an error in the mount driver and have to restart the mount.
I believe there is something I am missing with the settings in EKOS/INDI as there have been night that it tracks pretty good. I recently noticed the default setting EKOS for "Guide rate" is set to 0 and I am not sure whether this is correct. So, if someone is using the same mount (no matter the other equipment), could you please show me what your settings for it are?
I am getting more desperate with each night out without any luck as I know the mount is working. I even disassembled it, greesed, checked all the gears, etc.
Thank you in advance!
Clear skies!
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