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Orion EQ-3M Dual-Axis Electronic Drive
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Orion EQ-3M Dual-Axis Electronic Drive
$139.99
 
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  • Precision mini-motor attaches to your AstroView equatorial mount to provide motorized tracking of celestial objects
  • Drive provides regulated sidereal-rate tracking in right ascension axis - the same axis stars appear to move around in the night sky
  • Electronic drive controller features 2x, 4x, and 8x speeds and pause mode
  • Includes motor, controller and battery case. Runs on four D-cell batteries (not included)
  • Fits Orion AstroView equatorial mounts (sold separately)


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Item #  07828
Mfg Model #  07828
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Pop this precision mini-motor on a compatible Orion or Celestron equatorial telescope mount and track celestial objects automatically. It'll make observing easier and more fun! Drive provides regulated sidereal-rate tracking in right ascension and declination. Electronic hand controller has 2x, 4x and 8x speeds and pause mode. External disengage allows coarse movement of the telescope by hand with motor attached. Both systems include electronic motor, electronic hand controller, and battery case. Powered by four D-cell batteries (not included).

This EQ-3M Drive System is compatible with the Orion AstroView 6 Reflector Telescope, the Orion AstroView 120 and 120ST Refractor Telescopes, and Orion StarMax 127 EQ Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescopes.

Warranty

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact us at 800-676-1343.

Product Support
Visit our product support section for instruction manuals and more
In the Box
R.A. motor assembly
Dec. motor assembly
Dec. clutch assembly
Computerized Hand Controller
Batter pack
Socket-head cap screw
Washer
5mm Allen wrench
4mm Allen wrench
2mm Allen wrench
Shipping Info

Orders received by noon Pacific Time for in-stock items ship the same business day. Orders received after noon will ship the next business day. When an item is not in-stock we will ship it as soon as it becomes available. Typically in-stock items will ship first and backordered items will follow as soon as they are available. You have the option in check out to request that your order ship complete, if you'd prefer.

Reviews
Orion EQ-3M Dual-Axis Electronic Drive
Rating??
2.8 / 5
2.8 / 5
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating Breakdown 4 Reviews
5 stars
1
4 stars
0
3 stars
1
2 stars
1
1 star
1
Mechanical Quality??
2 / 5
2 / 5
Tracking Accuracy??
4 / 5
4 / 5
Ease of Use??
3.5 / 5
3.5 / 5
Value??
2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
1 out of 2(50%)reviewers recommend this product.
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4
4 Attach the Orion EQ-3M Dual-Axis Electronic Telescope Drive to a compatible Orion or Celestron equatorial mount and you can track celestial objects automatically, without needing to touch the mount once you've found and centered the object.
Rating??
2.8 / 5
2.8 / 5
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating Breakdown 4 Reviews
5 stars
1
4 stars
0
3 stars
1
2 stars
1
1 star
1
Mechanical Quality??
2 / 5
2 / 5
Tracking Accuracy??
4 / 5
4 / 5
Ease of Use??
3.5 / 5
3.5 / 5
Value??
2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
1 out of 2(50%)reviewers recommend this product.
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Ratings summary
Rating??
2.8 / 5
2.8 / 5
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating Breakdown 4 Reviews
5 stars
1
4 stars
0
3 stars
1
2 stars
1
1 star
1
Mechanical Quality??
2 / 5
2 / 5
Tracking Accuracy??
4 / 5
4 / 5
Ease of Use??
3.5 / 5
3.5 / 5
Value??
2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
1 out of 2(50%)reviewers recommend this product.
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Product ReviewsWrite A Review
Rating??
5 / 5
5 / 5
good stuff
PostedJune 28, 2009
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Bruce
 
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i got the motor drive along w/ the astro- view mount for my apex 102mm mak/cass and i am very pleased with my purchase. the drives are extremely quiet, and well made... not a lot of drain on the batteries either. installation was straight forward also. thank you orion for another fine piece of equip.....
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+2points
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Rating??
3 / 5
3 / 5
Works, but may not do everything you expect or want.
PostedAugust 8, 2011
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StevenChristenson
 
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from??California
Owned this product for:Less than 3 mos
Mechanical Quality??
3 / 5
3 / 5
Tracking Accuracy??
4 / 5
4 / 5
Ease of Use??
3 / 5
3 / 5
Value??
4 / 5
4 / 5
User submitted video
I have only had this two weeks and only used it 3 times so far. Most of my comments are about the mechanical design.
It was pretty simple to install on my AstroView (EQ-3) mount. It's quiet, and seems to track accurately.
Two things that bother me about the drive system:
1. The drives bolt on to the mount and by their design protrude in places that expose them to damage - e.g. by laying the mount down except in a specific orientation, or by attempting to lift the mount improperly. I haven't damaged anything yet, but I notice where another reviewer has complained about this.
2. The RA drive is connected to the RA slow motion pin via a tiny set screw and a plastic articulating "elbow". Once you've installed the RA drive it is impossible to use the RA slow motion control because turning it will damage the motor or the connection - and it is quite impractical to loosen and tighten that tiny set screw in the dark.
The Declination motor, however, has a gear and a well thought out knurled knob which you can tighten or loosen to engage or disengage the drive gear. When loosened, the manual declination slow motion knob can be used freely.
The declination motor has a plastic gear and is attached in a "squirrelly" way. It must be angled and slid properly to engage the gear that is added to the declination slow motion shaft. And the whole motor and bracket is held in place with only one set screw. It doesn't seem possible to engage the gears 100%, at best I could get was 50% meshing (meaning the drive gear is offset from the driven gear by about half of the thickness of the gear.
The drive options allow "Off", Sidereal (for North or South), 2x, or 8x sidereal. There is no option for tracking at lunar speed. Moreover, there is no autoguider port - something that seemingly would have been very simple to add (and can be added manually if you're willing to void the warranty).
The drive is very quiet. VERY quiet. Since at Sidereal rate it turns very slowly the only way to easily tell if it is running is to touch the motor housing to feel a slight "dit-dit-dit" as the stepper pushes the axis. The "green" indicator on the hand unit also indicates Sidereal tracking is in progress, though I generally keep the unit face down in the accessory tray so as not to be distracted by lights. It's not too bright, though.
Finally though 8x sidereal may sound fast, it's painfully slow. To rough position the mount it is necessary to disengage the RA clutch (or Decl clutch). 8x may be helpful for adjustments while viewing, but I'd love to have a much faster slew - especially since as noted it's not practical to disengage the RA motor. This is admittedly a very minor point.
For those who have noted stuttering with their drive I didn't observe that, however my guess is that good balance is important. My load was two cameras totaling perhaps 8 pounds (with heads).
Favorite object to observe:??Ultra Wide Field Milky Way & Meteor Showers
Pros: inexpensive, easy to install, good battery life
Cons: difficult to disengage ra motor, sidereal only, can't slew (fast movement), no guiding port
Yes, I recommend this product!
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Rating??
1 / 5
1 / 5
RJ11 PCB Board Broke! RA Motor Stutters
PostedJune 18, 2011
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pt109
 
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from??Atlanta, GA
Mechanical Quality??
1 / 5
1 / 5
Tracking Accuracy??
4 / 5
4 / 5
Ease of Use??
4 / 5
4 / 5
Value??
1 / 5
1 / 5
Terrible design. The RJ11 jack on the declination motor broke off when my son turned the scope apparently too far. This is a bad design. The RA motor stutters creating a vibration throughout the scope that blurs the image. You have to turn off the motor to see objects without blur from the stuttering motor. We bought the setup, but did not actually use it until the warranty expired....shame on us!
No, I do not recommend this product.
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Rating??
2 / 5
2 / 5
vibration
PostedDecember 16, 2010
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kevin j
 
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I bought the EQ-3M with my Astroview EQ 6, and have had vibration problems to the point that I was forced to disconect the drive to appreciate the image. UUpon contacting customer support I was told that they had never heard of this problem and gave no suggestions,as if this had resolved the matter. I then went to the Returns website which directed me to the same support number.If you order this product check it first, and don't except weather aberation as an explination turn off the drive and return if you have any vibration.
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