How about just order a new cable from scopestuff.com --
http://www.scopestuff.com/ss_l5hc.htm

Scopestuff has a very nice cable-- longer and more flexible than the Meade stock cable- and or borrow a hand controller from a local Astronomy shop --- and see if it works -- if it does buy it.

Your first step in figuring this out is to eliminate the cable and the hand controller as the source.