CGE- StellarTune™

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LEGACY MOUNT - FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY

06-09-2022 Sadly, we are retiring our services for any new Celestron CGE/CGE-Pro StellarTune/StellarDrive rebuilds, repairs and servicing from mount no.01200 onwards. All existing CGE/CGE-Pro mount builds prior to no.01200 are still supported by our limited mechanical warrenty duration until expiry.

Celestron Equatorial mounts by nature are precision made products. However, due to mass production and to keep the prices lower, they are often not fettled to the best of their ability due to the variances in each mount. Various improvements can be made to transform the performance of your mount from what is a median production build this will save you the need to upgrade to a more expensive mount, providing you are happy with the payload you have.

Basically, we developed a faster and more accurate way to tune the mounts with consistent results. The GOTO with a 4+2 Calibration after tuning is amazing. We have been testing CG5-GTs AVXs and CGems as well as a CGE-Pro, to shakedown all the issues with these mounts over the past several months, in an effort to replicate the performance envelope we have with the Sky-Watcher's.

We are keeping a close eye on all our Celestron's for feedback, as we do on our existing builds. It makes for a better mount. The results from the Celestron Reference mounts have been encouraging, and have formulated special builds for each mount, as they all have different solutions. You will not find any references to sanding down components here! We have always taken a far more engineered approach.

The Celestron mounts generically suffer from drivetrain harmonics which affects its periodic error which is well documented. I have largely been able to reduce this by reworking the reduction gearboxes, and reprocessing some of the internal components to eliminate internal stiction. Its a different architecture to the Sky-watchers which we have had much success with, and Im now focusing my energies in doing the same with the Celestron EQ Mounts. There is a lot more engineering work needed with all the Celestron EQ mounts, and this makes them more labour intensive (but have to say more interesting) as the way the drivetrain works makes it harder to get a desirable PE profile for guided or unguided work. That said, it is possible to go up to 45min exposures with the use of QHY Polemaster.

EQ mounts are subject to being outside and often in the damp, so renewing the grease is often a first port of call, using a better type of grease more suited to our climate can help reduce friction. This means the motors can drive the mount a lot more accurately both unguided and guided compared to a stock mount. We service the gearboxes from what we have developed with our Ambient tuning techniques, and in doing so make them run quieter and smoother.

Also, with much more care in adjusting the worm-gears and motor drive train, they can often be made to run smoother and quieter throughout, which also benefits better tracking and periodic error reduction.

What's the difference between a Service and a Tune and a Repair?

Our Mount Servicing is effectively to bring your tired mount back to a factory fresh setup with backlash adjustment and using standard greases and oils. However, if there is any damage, or wear, then new components may be required at extra time and cost to put right. Like a car, you cannot tune a sick motor, so we evaluate every mount before we attempt to tune it.

Our Hypertuned mounts are better than new, with more response and less friction than a factory mount. This equates to better guided and tracking performance, as proven by our customers PHD2 guide data and their amazing images! Not only are nearly all mounts independently tested by our customers, they paid to find out how good they are. The guide logs we get back from them have helped us produce what is the most cost-effective and reliably performing mount that gives an EQ8 a run for its money!

Check out how your mount compares in our performance charts.

Our tuning methodology provides a more detailed approach, using higher performance lubricants that help the mount perform better, which have been tested extensively over several years.
We also clean up the castings and can upgrade the worm-gear bearings for a better drive response.

If required, we can also upgrade the main DEC and RA axis bearings as an option, but this is rarely needed if the mount is new, as they only rotate 180º. We also load test the mount and take sound profiles, as well as stripdown/rebuild photos and video as part of the tune-up record.

What difference does your Tuning make?

Our latest DarkFrame Generation Tuned EQ6/NEQ6-AZ EQ6 GT mounts typically run at a Peak-to-Peak Period Error of circa ±8 ArcSec), which is 3-4x better from factory spec. Guided, all our mounts are now sub-arcsecond capable under PHD2, running typically 0.5 arc-seconds RMS, with a guided PE of ±1.5 arc-seconds, depending on seeing. This is proven Customer supplied data across several mounts, not a factory test.

Our tuned EQ mounts become nearly twice a responsive responsive to guiding due to a lack of stiction in the mount, requiring less quide command input. Our unparalleled experience in EQ mount tuning comes from a scientific approach to development over the past thee years. it's not black magic or just a bit of grease! It is engineered to be better, with data to prove the difference. The new Celestron CG-X moves the game on but is an expensive option to upgrade to.

We have independent customer/owner supplied PHD data and images that demonstrate these facts across a broad spectrum of EQ mounts on a variety of payloads and real world data. So, if you're happy with the payload you currently have, we can improve the mount you already have and save you hundreds, if not thousands of pounds in buying a new more expensive mount upgrade. More importantly, you save more images and time! Please check out how your mount currently compares in our performance charts, especially if you're thinking of a more expensive move upwards.

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PEC Data of NEQ6 to Build Type 6.3.2 (Bonneville).

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What's the lifespan of your tuning/servicing?

EQ mounts need checking seasonally depending on use, but most mounts we service are usually 3 years old or more. By 5+ years every mount we have come across has amassed considerable backlash and other issues associated with age, such as greases drying out or becoming contaminated, so losing their lubrication and dampening qualities. With the work we do, your mount should be fine for three years or more, and we warranty them for two. New tuned mounts should be fine for 5 years. The condition of our 2 year old Reference Mounts support this timescale after a recent Build Type upgrade to v6.3.x (Bonneville).

When can I have my mount back?

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Product Code: cge-pro-gen0

Product Condition: New

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