Meade Instruments EZ Clutch Kit 5" for Meade LX600, LX200 14", RCX400 Telescopes

Description

The LX600, LX200ACF, LX200R, the RCX400 and the 14″ LX200GPS scopes use a 5″ diameter clutch friction plate.
The EZ Clutch Kit addresses three problems:
1) The declination knob is hard to grasp, making it difficult to apply enough force to securely lock the declination drive.
2) Repeatedly tightening the knob with even moderate force can eventually cause failure of the declination knob engagement thread.
3. On some scopes, due to load, the worm will lift off the aluminum worm gear chewing up a non-replaceable precision gear.
When installed, lightly tightening the clutch knob with two fingers is all that is required to hold even the most unbalanced scope firmly in position.  You’ll no longer have to turn the declination knob uncomfortably tight or risk having your knob popping off as you tighten it to it’s breaking point.  With the EZ Clutch you have enough “feel” that can easily dial in enough declination tightness to hold the optical tube firmly but still allow the drive to slip if  you hit an end stop or an obstruction.
Meade’s design utilizes a “wet clutch” system where two steel plates engage the aluminum declination drive gear.  The space between these plates is lubricated to prevent the aluminum gear from galling and having aluminum chips falling onto the worm gear drive below.  The EZ Clutch Kit converts Meade’s clutch design to a “dry clutch,” adding a specially developed friction plate to the system.
Meade’s older LX200 “classic” SCTs used a large easy to grip declination lock knob with a large engagement thread.  Tightening the declination lock was effortless and failures were unheard of.  The “obvious” fix to weaker declination locking was to add a similar larger knob.  But Meade’s smaller “stylized” knob utilizes a smaller engagement screw threaded into an aluminum female thread.  Any machinist knows to NEVER insert a steel adjustment bolt into aluminum, as steel abrades aluminum – causing the aluminum threads to wear out quickly.  The declination lock female thread is not only aluminum, but it’s thin – there are usually only 3 full threads there to start with.  The excessive force required to clamp the wet clutch plates leads to premature failure of the aluminum thread.  Since a larger knob would result in larger forces and an even more accelerated thread wear, we spent a bit more time with the engineering and developed this easy clutch modification.  EZ Clutch forces are light and will prolong the life of this critical aluminum thread indefinitely.
Sorry, but if your declination lock has already failed you need to talk to Meade or a machine shop as the damage is already done.
The clutch kit instructions include inspections and appropriate adjustments of the drive if factory settings are found to be incorrect.  Here’s a 5-1/4″ worm gear with minor tooth damage associated with an incorrect factory setting.  This damage isn’t discovered on some scopes until the teeth are chewed up so badly as to be non-functional.
If your irreplaceable main gear has already gotten chewed up there is a possible fix has been developed.
The EZ Clutch installation procedure is simple.  The 4 page instruction sheet contains detailed step by step photo illustrated instructions.