At the last OKCAC meeting I got a great deal on an iOptron SmartEQ from a fellow club member. This really is a neat little mount and although it is small, it really has a lot of neat features. While setting it up for the first time, the declination motor went out. I emailed iOptron about the feasibility of replacing it. The techs were very helpful, and sent me instructions to diagnose whether it was a bad motor or a bad mainboard. As it turns out, it was just the motor. I obtained another for a very reasonable price (50.00) and the assembly came ready to install. The unit is completely self contained and designed to be drop in and plug-and-play. The motor comes with all necessary gears already meshed. All that is required is to back up the tension bolts on the mount, take off the motor tension holder, replace the unit, and snug everything back up. Took me about a half hour to replace it. Fired it up and it works perfectly. I couldn't be happier.
Here is the SmartEQ disassembled. The dec motor assembly is on the right hand side:
The process was straightforward, the ioptron tech even sent me a .pdf file with step-by-step instructions and photos to do the motor replacement. They even offered to fix it for me if I would just send the mount in. Thankfully that wasn't necessary but I was really amazed at how helpful they were. They knew I bought the mount used and went above and beyond to help me diagnose the problem and assist me with fixing it. That kind of support was just amazing. No doubletalk or red tape, just genuine help. They just earned my future business when it comes to mounts.
At any rate, here is the whole setup ready for first light:
