Altair Astro Skywatcher EQ8-R and CQ350 PRO Pier Adapter Plate
This Altair Astro CNC machined aluminium pier adapter is used to secure your Skywatcher EQ8, EQ8-R and CQ350 PRO Equatorial mounts to your Altair Skyshed Pier or any other pier with standard 130mm 6-hole PCD pattern.
It's flat and smooth, with a large 200mm / 8" surface diameter, allowing easy rotation and more accurate polar alignment, and is clear-silver anodised. Thickness is 13mm.
Q: Why use this pier adapter instead of just bolting your mount to a pier directly? Most piers do not have a completely flat surface and the flatter and harder it is, the better for accurate polar alignment. Any bumps, distortions, or "soft spots" on the pier adapter surface will reduce the "repeatability" and smoothness during polar alignment.
Q: I have seen plastic, Delrin and Teflon lined pier adapters on the market, why is this all-metal surface better? An all-metal surface is better because plastics deform slightly under pressure (often non-linearly), and behave differently according to environmental factors, such as temperature and moisture content. If the surface of the pier adapter is made from a relatively hard metal surface, which is of similar hardness to the mount base (also aluminium alloy), so in this case aluminium is the ideal material. The material must be smooth and hard for smooth rotation so we mill the surface flat on a CNC machine. This is the reason why engineers use flat milled steel slabs on their workbenches upon which to measure and align metal objects.
Q: What is the hole pattern for attaching to my pier top? The "Altair Astro" standard pier top hole pattern is 6x 8mm ID holes, arranged with 130mm PCD
Q: Can I use this pier adapter with other piers? Yes of course. There is plenty of space to drill and tap your own holes on the large 8" flat surface as required.
Included fixings:
6x cap-head stainless steel bolts are included to fit the threaded holes in your Starbase field tripod.
Optional fixings (order in dropdown menu):
For our Altair Astro / SkyShed Observatory Pier, order 6x optional additional Stainless Steel M8 nuts in the dropdown menu which will allow you to use the included bolts to attach to the pier (this is because unlike the Starbase field tripod, the SkyShed Observatory Pier isn't pre-threaded so you can use the buts under the pier-top to fasten the pier adapter).
To attach the EQ8 mount head to the pier adapter, you can use 2x M8 bolts, and 2x M8 Nuts. These go on each side of the mount base, or you can use the included thumbscrews which come with the mount. Please check what you have as the mount hardware varies. You can also use an M12 centre-bolt, which is fastened upwards from the underside of the pier top-plate into an M12 threaded hole on the underside of the mount, or the one provided, depending on your pier design.
If you do not have an Azimuth Stop Post with your EQ8 mount, you can order the Stainless Steel EQ8 AZ stop post which we make specifically for the EQ Pier adaptor: Product code: AZPOST-EQ8 (order in dropdown menu or separately).
Confused? Just email or call to determine what you need.
Hole and fixing dimensions:
The pier adapter attaches with 6x M8 holes, equally spaced, with a 130mm PCD.
The 6x 130mm PCD holes fit the Starbase and Altair SkyShed piers, and are countersunk to match the included 6x Stainless M8 cap-head set screws, so they do not protrude above the adapter surface.
The pier adapter has 2x M8 threaded holes 160mm Centre to Centre for the Skywatcher EQ8 side-fixings.
1x M10 threaded hole for an Azimuth stop-bolt of your choice (54mm radius Centre to Centre).
1x M12 hole in the centre, through which you can attach an optional M12 bolt to protrude into your EQ8 mount form below. (For convenience, order it in the dropdown menu).
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In the case of special order items, the delivery time may be longer. If you have any concerns or questions about the delivery of your item, please don't hesitate to Contact Us. We are here to assist you.
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