Counterweight Mount, Meade ETX Telescope

thingiverse

A collection of mounts and adapters for counterbalancing a Meade ETX telescope in its fork mount is available. Proper counterbalancing results in less tension required on clutch locks, leading to longer life for clutch components and gears. First, an adapter is designed to attach a small 1-inch ID barbell plate to a 1/4-20 threaded hole. A picture shows a 1.25-pound plate attached to the rear hole of an ETX-125. This plate alone is not enough to balance my ETX-125. Next, a rear cap that accepts a 1/4-20 screw is used. The 1.25-pound plate was too heavy and too large in OD to allow the telescope to be pointed straight up. Stacks of large fender washers will be used on the cap for fine tuning while the 1.25-pound plate stays on the underside of the OTA. Different caps set up with correct weights can be used for each eyepiece and camera.