DarkFrame Ltd

Why rebuild my EQ Mount?

Our Customer Data proves our rebuilds work, saving you time, money and with better images!

Before, if you wanted more than your mount could offer in terms of usable payload and tracking, you would have to upgrade to a heavier and more expensive mount. This is because you would have to deduct a third to half of the stated visual only payload for reliable imaging. Now, you can image at full payload from your existing mount, but also with better tracking, pointing, guiding and more reliable imaging at a lower cost.

Lifespan is extended and retains greater value and with recommended service intervals of 5 years your mount could last for up to 20 years or more. We know this because we have successfully restored mounts dating back to 1996 with better performance than stock!

Without servicing we are seeing EQ6's suffering from 10+ years of neglect and some are honestly a gamble to tune or repair once they are this old. Send in photos first, before sending in your mount, as we will save whatever mount we can! Bearings need re-greasing every 4-7 years or they wear out faster. There are NO sealed for life components in these mounts. They do degrade over time. We know these mounts better than anyone else, because we have rebuilt more than anyone else.

PLEASE NOTE: All data is customer quoted data averaged across several mounts (of each stated model) with various payloads. Therefore performance is subject to age & condition of mount, payload, location conditions and user skill in setup.A run-in period of 15-50+ hours is needed for the mount to attain full performance, due to tighter tolerances from the rebuild. Please contact us for specific performance data related to your equipment setup.

It's your existing mount transformed.

Sub-Arcsecond reliability. Full Payload Imaging.

If it was as easy as just slapping in some better grease and bearings, then don't you think manufacturers would be doing that already? To many, that's what 'tuning' is. But it's much more than that.

Our latest DarkFrame 'Bonneville' Tuned Sky-Watcher HEQ5/EQ6/EQ6-R/NEQ6/AZ-EQ6GT mounts typically run at a Peak-to-Peak Period Error of circa ±7.5 ArcSec unguided or less, which is 3-4x better from factory spec (circa ±28+).

Guided, all our tuned mounts are now sub-arcsecond capable under PHD2, capable of circa 0.16-0.7 arc-seconds RMS guided, depending on model, from EQ3-2 to EQ8, AVX to CG-X.

This is proven independent customer supplied data across hundreds of mounts with a variety of payloads, not a factory test. It is not

Our fully rebuilt mounts are at least twice accurate (and super-reliable!) than with just the Rowan Belt Kit fitted by home build or other 'tuners', due to our meticulously evolved-build philosophy. We have over 35 Reference Mounts in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and the USA. They provide us unparalleled feedback data on developing better mount performance.

That's why we can uniquely offer a long worldwide warranty, even on older mounts!
No-one else does this.

One example of innovation from our unique Reference Mount Program, is the development of precision RA/DEC worm-gears called StellarDrive™. This level of enhancement is perhaps the ultimate iteration of an HEQ5/EQ6 class mount so far. These mounts run even better for the very best in guided and unguided performance, with super-flat PHD graphs and more consistent guiding, which a must for bigger telescopes or longer exposures...

For the Sky-Watcher EQ6/NEQ6/EQ6-R/AZ EQ6 GT mounts typically run at a Peak-to-Peak Periodic Error of circa ±5 ArcSec unguided (StellarDrive™), which is nearly 6x better from factory spec (circa ±28+). This is without PEC (Periodic Error Control). Guided, a StellarDrive EQ6/EQ6-R is capable of circa 0.16-0.55 arc-seconds RMS guided, with a guided PE of ±0.5 arc-seconds or 0.66arcsec/min RA unguided (@5000mm focal length), depending on seeing, payload, balance and polar alignment and run-in time. These figures are averaged across several tested mounts.

Simply put, a StellarDrive™ EQ Mount has proven to be 30-40% more accurate than our standard StellarTune™ in real terms, providing easier guiding, to consistent sub-arcsecond performance even in poorer seeing conditions. Our new StellarDrive ULTRA for 2021 matches the performance of high end mounts, but for a fraction of their price, either a new mount, or as owner supplied mount. This has been further independently confirmed with stepped up builds on the same mount, rebuilt as a StellarTune, then a StellarDrive and finally as a StellarDrive ULTRA...

The difference between early belt-kit mounts and with our Bonneville 6.3x Build Type typically halves Periodic Error (circa 2016).

Celestron EQ Mount data is also demonstrating improved sub-arcsecond tracking. Reports of up to 20-30 minute guided images with the AVX/CGEM/CGE-PRO/II range of mounts, with better GOTO alignment, and smoother operation. With an 11" Dall-Kirkham OTA on a CGEM-DX, 4 mins unguided are achieved, which floods the CCD! Periodic Error and gearbox harmonics are reduced.

Celestron AVX's can track sub-arcsecond guided with an 80mm Refractor, or 200mm SCT, without the need for different needle roller or thrust bearings as some magic-bullet tuning, as they don't improve anything. We can remove over 95% of the internal stiction in these mounts in such a way, that it totally transforms their performance without resort to 'fixes'... Our work too on CG-X and CG-XL demonstrates the full potential of these mounts.

Re-engineered to perform.

Equatorial Mounts wear out. It's that simple. If you think you can get away without servicing your car for ten years then good luck! Servicing them makes them last longer, and tuning them makes them perform even better! Same with telescope mounts. Our own Indexed Lubricant Suite makes for a faster reacting and smoother running mount. Reworked worm-gears lower periodic error, and new treated bearings revitalise the mount.

We go further than anyone in re-building for you the most accurately tracking mount possible from what is a low-end mount. Ultra-Precision Engineered to Micron level tolerances in our fully equipped workshop, we improve your mount in number of ways to make them more reliable and accurate.

Our StellarDrive-SPX gears can make an EQ3-2, EQM-35/EQ5, HEQ5/NEQ6/EQ6-R/AZEQ6GT/EQ8 guide down to 0.16-0.55 Arcsec RMS (average, after mount specified run-in period), using several patentable processes. Our StellarDrive 8/8-Pro offer the ultimate high-end solution at an amazing price point... All our StellarDrive EQ mounts can do this AND offer assured full payload sub-arcsecond guided performance! Not something advised or possible with a stock mount. Again, this is customer supplied data.

The Benefits of StellarTune™, StellarDrive™ and now StellarDrive ULTRA™

All our StellarTune™ EQ Mounts are distinguished by these unsurpassed and proven features:

Perfect balance and stiction free! All our mounts offer the best fluid motion possible due to our indexed lubricant packages specific to each mount and payload requirement. This helps transform the mounts micro-agility and tracking, making them up to 40% more responsive than before. Forget a trick two-part grease package or SuperLube. A StellarTune™ has a 5+ year lifespan.

Ours is a spectrum of researched and tested greases and precise surface finishes to ensure the highest tolererances. Each treatment has bespoke properties tailored to make your mount run more accurately. It's what our proven and evolved Bonneville 6.3.x Build Type is based on, and it really works!

Maximum Imaging Payload: for example, customer data collected across our StellarDrive 6 class EQ Mounts confirm they are running sub-arcsecond imaging up to full 25Kg Payload when precisely balanced. Previously, it was always advised by many dealers that 25Kg was visual and 18Kg was for imaging for an AZEQ6GT. You now gain lost payload for imaging.

Fewer Dropped Frames: More data can be gathered over an evenings session, because it tracks reliably, balances better and therefore means your mount is now a stable imaging platform. Once run in our mounts have provided consistent performance without adjustment for 3 years or more, ideal for remote observatory use, especially our StellarDrive 8, with a full 50Kg imaging payload.

Round star shapes: Yes, no trailing, just tight, round stars. If you pixel-peep your astro-images that's where you find the effects of precise tracking at the edges of the frame with consistent round stars from the edge to the centre. That difference is due to the mounts tracking micro-agility, and the 0.8-1.5 ArcSec extra tracking headroom it produces over a stock mount in poorer seeing conditions.

Longer, reliable exposures: All our mounts can produce 15-20+ minute subs. Ideal for Narrowband, and the HEQ5-EQ8 are capable of 40+ minutes, once setup on a pier and drift aligned or 30+mins on a tripod. You can now image while you sleep.

The best in guided and unguided tracking: It's not just a case of better greases and some bearings. If it was that easy it would already have been done. Our mounts have improved tracking in poorer seeing conditions, because they are highly reactive to guide input. How? We re-engineer the existing components to far higher tolerances, than factory stock mounts. That's why they track pixel perfect.

Our Bonneville v6.3.x/v6.2.x means very flat graphs, and reduced amplitude (typically less than ±0.25 ArcSec guided in ideal conditions -NEQ6) in guide corrections, that is unmatched in a stock mount. Effectively, a faster reacting mount means you are effectively image stabilising your telescope to 10 milliseconds or less under guiding. Essential when imaging with larger, high-resolution sensors and longer focal lengths.

Cheaper and better than rebuilding it yourself: a typical HEQ5/EQ6 rebuild could cost nearly £400 in just parts alone to refurbish the mount (just ask for a list of parts and we'll send you one), and we charge just £569. Plus, we have all the right tools and custom CNC machinery with a wealth of experience across several hundred of mounts, that at least doubles the accuracy of the best home builds. All backed up by a 2 year warranty and worldwide support, even on a 20 year old mount!

Saves money upgrading to a more expensive mount: Your sky is ultimately the limiting factor. 50-100Kg payloads mean little to most imagers. Our mounts have real-world performance you can achieve because they have been rigourously tested by our customers! An EQ6-R is rated at 18kg imaging capacity, but as a StellarDrive 6R rebuild it has been tested at 25Kg at circa 0.33 ArcSeconds RMS with a 130mm refractor, and tracks like this for hours. A StellarDrive EQ6 is 0.55 ArcSec RMS with the same payload. A StellarDrive 6R ULTRA does the same at 0.16 ArcSec RMS. Normally, an EQ8 or iOptron CEM60/70 would be considered for this telescope payload.

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Our rebuilt mounts are validated using our custom made SIDAC-36M test rigs to measure unguided tracking to 0.0001ArcSec/min resolution. You can only optimise a mount when you can measure what it does. No-one can match our data, because our mounts are ultra-precision engineered to be better.

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All the figures quoted are dependent on the condition of the base mount for rebuild. Older mounts that have not been regularly serviced or cared for, may not achieve these average figures. Based on the data across several hundred mounts, we strongly recommend a 1st service within 3-5 years of the purchase of any new mount, with main axis bearings changed every 7-10 years at most. This is dependent on use, and storage of your mount. You should exercise your mount (even stock) every three months regardless of use, to work

the bearing greases.

Sometimes, tuning work may require some readjustment (backlash) as the mount settles down after use, which we do for free within the first 30 days, on a return to base basis, at customers cost. The mounts are designed to be adjusted, we can supply intructions to do so. However, if it is found the the mount has been tampered with to undo any tuning work we have carried out, or disassembled after tuning (!) then costs will be incurred to restore the mount. Workshop charges are at £70 per hour, inc VAT.

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