Celestron motor for tracking with Lacerta controller for CG4 mount EQ4 / 5

First , I start by saying that from 2008 when I buyed my telescope, so far, I have never mounted a motor tracking on it, until February 18, 2012.

I ordered a set of 2 motor drives for RA and DEC axis from Celestron, with variable tracking speed (1X, 2X, 4X, and 8X), wired control box, cables, power supply unit that works with 4 batteries. The set costed me 125 euros.

The mount worked very well, but I never got to try it with weights and the telescope tube mounted to see if it can support the weight, that I burned the controller. How? I've connected a wire from a Sauna Belt that goes to 12V and the motor drive only needed 6V.

I tried to fix it in an electronic repair workshop, but no results. So in April 2012, I called the shop where I bought the motor drives, and bought only another remote for it, Lacerta EQHC made ​​in Hungary, not Celestron. Works well and are proud of it.

Standard controllers for EQ3 and EQ5 mounts with dual driving axes (not GoTo versions) do not contain autoguider ports, but these mounts could be used for introduction in deepsky astrophotography. Lacerta EQHC controller solves the following problems:

- Fixed programmed speeds at 0.5 x-2x-16x sidereal speeds.

- Not only autoguider input, but also programmed speeds for the stars, moon and sun.

- At 6V power (voltage between 6V and 12V any can be used)

- An autoguider can be connected to the installed port.

So, I am using the Celestron motors, connected to Lacerta controller.

In the next article, I will show how the motor drives is mounted on a telescope mount.

Posted in: Accessories,Equipment