The Sky-Watcher EQ5 PRO manual German Equatorial Mount's Mechanical System . . .

• Body: The rugged equatorial body of the manual version of the EQ5 PRO is die-cast and machined from virgin aluminum and powder coated in classic scientific instrument white for long life. Large polar and declination castings provide stable thrust bearing surfaces with tight tolerances. Sealed ball-bearings are used on load-bearing surfaces in both right ascension and declination for smooth tracking with payloads up to 25 pounds. To make a casual polar alignment for visual use quick and easy, there's a latitude scale and fine adjustment controls in both altitude and azimuth. Right ascension and declination slow motion control gears are built into the equatorial body.
  

• Manual slow motion controls: Precisely-geared manual slow motion controls are provided in RA and Dec. Thumb-locks disengage the slow motion controls to allow swift manual orientation of the optical tube assembly. Once roughly centered on an object, the thumb-locks are re-engaged and precision centering and tracking is then controlled by deluxe spring-steel cable control knobs.
  

• Setting circles: Manual analog setting-circles are provided in both right ascension and declination axes for locating sky objects by their celestial coordinates.
  

• Dovetail saddle: A Vixen-style dovetail slot is built into the top of the mount head. This accepts any optical tube using a Vixen-style dovetail slide bar and mounting rings. It allows the optical tube and dovetail to be quickly and precisely moved fore and aft on the mount to balance the optical tube as accessories are added or removed. This eliminates the need for an extra counterweight to balance accessories in declination. Setup and takedown times are exceptionally fast, as a single large hand-tighten knob holds the optical tube dovetail bar in place. A second lock knob prevents the tube from sliding off the mount should the hand-tighten knob loosen.
  

• Counterweight(s) and counterweight shaft: The counterweight shaft is machined from solid stainless steel. The number and weight(s) of the counterweights provided with a complete Sky-Watcher telescope/EQ5 Pro manual mount package will vary, depending on the weight of the optical tube being used. When the mount is purchased by itself, the two 11 pound (5 kg) counterweights are provided. They are made of cast iron, powder coated white for long life. Use one or both, depending on the weight of the optical tube you are balancing. Using both will let you balance payloads up to 25 pounds (11.36 kg), with no additional counterweights needed. The counterweights lock in place with a single hand-tighten knob each, making it easy to rebalance the mount in right ascension if you change optical tubes or add heavy accessories.
  

• Tripod: The all-metal tripod uses 1.75" diameter tubular steel legs with excellent damping characteristics. The mount for scopes 10" in aperture and larger uses 2" diameter steel legs. The tripod head is rigid cast aluminum. A spreader-bar with a tension-lock locks the legs open to insure optimum rigidity. The large circular central area of the spreader-bar is drilled to form a convenient accessory tray that holds eyepieces to keep them up out of the dew-soaked grass.
  

• Polar Alignment Scope: A polar alignment scope (with diopter adjustment to match the scope to your eyesight) is installed in the center of the RA axis. A transparent etched glass reticle in the polar scope displays the regions around the celestial poles. For the northern hemisphere, the reticle shows the stars that make up the constellations of Cassiopeia and Ursa Major (the Big Dipper), and the position of Polaris, the North Star. Simply use the micrometric elevation and azimuth controls built into the mount to line up the actual stars of Cassiopeia, the Big Dipper, and Polaris as seen through the polar scope with their positions as shown on the reticle. This automatically centers the polar axis of the mount on the North Celestial Pole to achieve precise polar alignment for critical astrophotography. The reticle also shows the constellation Octans, whose star Sigma Octantis visually defines the position of the south celestial pole. This allows you to use the polar alignment scope in both northern and southern hemispheres.
  

• Optional go-to motor drive system: The EQ5 PRO manual mount is upgradeable at a later date to a fully-computerized go-to drive by adding an optional Sky-Watcher SynScan motor control system.