Starmaster azimuth drive questions

[Akarsh Simha]

Hey folks

I am curious if some of you have photos of the azimuth drive system on your StarMaster telescopes. I learned that the ground board is a round disk which has a sort of knurled finish, but I'm clueless about what the drive roller looks like or what the bearing surface on the azimuth looks like. Would really appreciate if any of you have pictures of your ground board and the azimuth drive system in general. I'm trying to study it for inspiration to make my own bespoke drive system

Regards

Akarsh

[Paul Reid]

Hi Akarsh,

I just found this photo online from a person selling a 24” F4.2 Starmaster scope. It looks like a stepper type motor with a knurled fitting making contact with the ground board, similar or same as the altitude drive motor that makes contact with the altitude bearing.

Paul

--
Observing Sites, Observing Reports, About TAC linked at top of:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/sf-bay-tac
 
Subscribers post to the mailing list at:
 
sf-ba...@googlegroups.com,
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Astronomy Connection (TAC)" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to sf-bay-tac+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sf-bay-tac/CA%2B9k5tzMxU90nXxvycuCj6kOHNaLp4uOEmXK6FWH5PfJBwtWow%40mail.gmail.com.

[Paul Reid]

Hi Akarsh,

Here’s another photo with a better look at the Stepper motors, gearbox and clutch setup used on Starmaster scopes.

Paul

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sf-bay-tac/6FB46C5F-3BBB-47AD-B41A-4C6E1C8D2AD4%40comcast.net.

[Akarsh Simha]

Hey Paul, I already found this photo series online — it only shows the rocker box and very little of the ground board and underside of the rocker box

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sf-bay-tac/66F13C17-8850-4EE6-8D87-1E067BEB957A%40comcast.net.

[Steve Gottlieb]

Here are pics I just took of the outer edge of the ground board, with and without the azimuth gear engaged. 

-- Steve

On May 22, 2026, at 11:50 AM, Akarsh Simha <akars...@gmail.com> wrote:



Hey Paul, I already found this photo series online — it only shows the rocker box and very little of the ground board and underside of the rocker box

On Fri, May 22, 2026 at 11:22 'Paul Reid' via The Astronomy Connection (TAC) <sf-ba...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Hi Akarsh,

Here’s another photo with a better look at the Stepper motors, gearbox and clutch setup used on Starmaster scopes.

Paul

<PastedGraphic-1.png>

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sf-bay-tac/CA%2B9k5tx7GYMv%2B%3D-bsY%2BEtemnayOOPMvFTqta1HY92DbMoQY0OQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Akarsh Simha]

Thank you so much Steve! I wonder if the knurling naturally developed in the wood from the drive wheel, or if it was intentionally patterned. Probably the former.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sf-bay-tac/E76E6375-DCBD-4754-81A3-3D0C5A05BBF2%40comcast.net.

[Steve Gottlieb]

One last one of the azimuth clutch mechanism to lock or unlock the azimuth drive. 

On

-- Steve

On May 22, 2026, at 4:54 PM, Akarsh Simha <akars...@gmail.com> wrote:



Thank you so much Steve! I wonder if the knurling naturally developed in the wood from the drive wheel, or if it was intentionally patterned. Probably the former.

On Fri, May 22, 2026 at 16:47 'Steve Gottlieb' via The Astronomy Connection (TAC) <sf-ba...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Here are pics I just took of the outer edge of the ground board, with and without the azimuth gear engaged. 

<image0.jpeg>

<image1.jpeg>

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sf-bay-tac/CA%2B9k5txBdANXTGjKYQTCKXkZdLM5-kkz-DswmLYxDDfG4mSD1w%40mail.gmail.com.

[Greg Parker]

I agree, it looks like a wear pattern to me. On my telescope the knurling is much shallower than Steve’s, and in places it is almost absent where the wheel is not perfectly parallel to the wood.