Satisfied
member
Reged: 02/14/08
Posts: 47
Loc: Colorado
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As some of you may be aware, there is obviously something wrong with many of the new LX90 ACF's. I just received my second one today and it has the same problem as the first one that I just returned. While tracking, the object will flutter up and down every 10-30 seconds and you can hear a rattling sound in the right fork arm. I'm aware of others having the same issue (Weasner's LX90 website for example). I just talked to Meade customer service as well as OPT and they claim they've never heard of such a problem. I guess my options are to send the brand new scope into Meade for service, exchange this scope for a third one (which I'm convinced will have the same problem), or get a refund. How irritating!
Sorry, I just had to vent.
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8" LX90 ACF
ETX 105 AT
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Joe Lalumia
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 3591
Loc: Rockwall, Texas, USA
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HOPEFULLY-------- someone from Meade is reading this forum. Many posts with the same problem--- not good.
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LX90 8" LNT, SV Nighthawk & TelePOD, SV 80/9D & M4 mount, ETX 90, Orion XT10i, 20x80 binoculars, SV-BV3s-- www.texasastro.org
"Great minds discuss ideas;Average minds discuss events;Small minds discuss people." Unknown
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Joseph Gillman
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/06/05
Posts: 2758
Loc: Aston, PA
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Try GOTOing an object near the meridian. I assume you are in alt az mode otherwise you wouldn't be using the Declination/altitude motor for tracking.
If you are on the meridian or very close, the declination motor is not needed at all for tracking (that is if viewing due south the object is at its maximum height in the sky and not moving in altitude for a little while, till it moves farther west and starts "setting")
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Satisfied
member
Reged: 02/14/08
Posts: 47
Loc: Colorado
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I still get the rattling near the meridian. Its strange, because the rattling is not very consistent regarding its alt/az position. Some positions, the problem is minimal, some its very bad.
Here's what is baffling me. How can a gear drive that is barely turning produce a rattle with such frequency and amplitude? Does anyone know how fast the motor rotates at tracking speed? It seems to me that about the only thing that could cause this rattling at such slow speeds is a motor bearing, assuming the motor rotates at high RPM while tracking.
Regardless, it appears that repairing myself without voiding the warranty is out of the question.
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8" LX90 ACF
ETX 105 AT
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Joseph Gillman
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/06/05
Posts: 2758
Loc: Aston, PA
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Odd because the motor is hardly turning if you are correctly tracking near the meridian.
Open up the cover and see if your transfer gears are missing teeth, or are poorly meshed? That will not void any warranty to just take a look (and installing things like peterson upgrades does not void warranty either, I don't believe)
Take some pictures if you can, and we might be able to diagnose the problem
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Satisfied
member
Reged: 02/14/08
Posts: 47
Loc: Colorado
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I took the cover off last night. The drive still rattles even with the spur gear removed and the clutch disengaged. This tells me that its gotta be the motor.
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8" LX90 ACF
ETX 105 AT
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Satisfied
member
Reged: 02/14/08
Posts: 47
Loc: Colorado
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I just checked again and I'm 99% certain that its the gearmotor assembly that's vibrating. I can put my finger on the assembly and feel the vibrations. How foolish would I be to disassemble this? It looks like once I remove the two mounting screws, there are only 3 or 4 small screws holding the gearmotor housing together. I bet one of the little gears in there is not meshing.
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8" LX90 ACF
ETX 105 AT
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Joseph Gillman
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/06/05
Posts: 2758
Loc: Aston, PA
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The LX90 is about the one meade scope I have not ever owned 
If the motor is the same as the LXD75 motor, which is possible since they both use the Autostar 497, then the WarpsCorp (the guy who makes LXD75 belt conversion kits) has detailed instructions about taking apart the motor to inspect and regrease the gears inside the motor. But I can't say for sure.
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Satisfied
member
Reged: 02/14/08
Posts: 47
Loc: Colorado
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I took the gear box on the gearmotor apart. All of the little plastic gears seem to rotate and mesh just fine, except for a little backlash, which should be expected from a plastic gear train. I think its safe to say that the problem is with the motor itself. Meade probably got a bad batch of them, causing this problem for a number of new owners. When I put my finger on the motor while its tracking, I can feel a lot of vibration.
I'm sure there is no way Meade would send me a new motor under warranty, even though that would be the logical, cost effective thing to do. It looks like its real easy to remove and replace.
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8" LX90 ACF
ETX 105 AT
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Joseph Gillman
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/06/05
Posts: 2758
Loc: Aston, PA
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Radio shack? Other alternatives? I'm sorry for you...
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Satisfied
member
Reged: 02/14/08
Posts: 47
Loc: Colorado
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I removed the scope from the tripod and could hear the same rattling sound coming from the AZ/RA drive. Of course, as Murphy's Law would have it, one of the tiny little allen screws is stripped so I can't remove the base cover plate.
Hmmm.....
Does anyone know if the RA motor is the same as the DEC motor?
I'm desperate enough to point the thing skyward that I just might have to turn off tracking and take some peeks before I send it in.
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8" LX90 ACF
ETX 105 AT
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Joseph Gillman
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/06/05
Posts: 2758
Loc: Aston, PA
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motors themselves should be the same
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4553
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Quote:
As some of you may be aware, there is obviously something wrong with many of the new LX90 ACF's. I just received my second one today and it has the same problem as the first one that I just returned. While tracking, the object will flutter up and down every 10-30 seconds and you can hear a rattling sound in the right fork arm. I'm aware of others having the same issue (Weasner's LX90 website for example). I just talked to Meade customer service as well as OPT and they claim they've never heard of such a problem. I guess my options are to send the brand new scope into Meade for service, exchange this scope for a third one (which I'm convinced will have the same problem), or get a refund. How irritating!
Sorry, I just had to vent.
Whoever you talked to must either be new or out of the loop. Quite a few folks have returned scopes for this reason, including Mike Weasner who, I believe, is on his third 90. I gather that at this point, the best option is getting Meade to "repair" rather than "replace," as it's pretty evident all the new 90ACFs suffer from The Jump.
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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Satisfied
member
Reged: 02/14/08
Posts: 47
Loc: Colorado
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Update: Meade has assured me that they know what the problem is and they're fixing them quickly. They've sent me a shipping label, so the scope is heading back, hopefully not for the whole summer.
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8" LX90 ACF
ETX 105 AT
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WolfgangG
member
Reged: 08/06/08
Posts: 13
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I am an owner of the 12" LX90 and i can hear some strange sounds from the declination drives too (when i remember correct, this was the same in my lx200(non gps classic) 8" scope sold ten years ago, but only in azimutal mode), but they are not periodic, but random, they come only in certain declination angles ( not recognized yet ) but the motion of the OTA can only be very, very small, because the motion of the objects ( at power of 120 )
is hardly visible ( < 5" i presume ).
do i have luck. is the error in all these scopes, but below a certain threshold for the most?
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4553
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Quote:
I am an owner of the 12" LX90 and i can hear some strange sounds from the declination drives too (when i remember correct, this was the same in my lx200(non gps classic) 8" scope sold ten years ago, but only in azimutal mode), but they are not periodic, but random, they come only in certain declination angles ( not recognized yet ) but the motion of the OTA can only be very, very small, because the motion of the objects ( at power of 120 )
is hardly visible ( < 5" i presume ).
do i have luck. is the error in all these scopes, but below a certain threshold for the most?
Luck? I'd say not. If you're getting declination vibration on the order of 5-arc seconds, high power planetary work will be impossible. I'm afraid it sounds like you have the same problem being experienced by the other (new) LX90 owners.
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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Rick Woods
Postmaster
Reged: 01/27/05
Posts: 5648
Loc: Inner Solar System
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This is so weird. Before the current troubles, the LX90 seemed like the Golden Child of the Meade line: reliable, low cost, high value.
*sigh*
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- Rick
14" LX200GPS
83% of all statistics are meaningless.
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Joe Lalumia
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 3591
Loc: Rockwall, Texas, USA
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The older ones are still "almost" bulletproof--
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LX90 8" LNT, SV Nighthawk & TelePOD, SV 80/9D & M4 mount, ETX 90, Orion XT10i, 20x80 binoculars, SV-BV3s-- www.texasastro.org
"Great minds discuss ideas;Average minds discuss events;Small minds discuss people." Unknown
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WolfgangG
member
Reged: 08/06/08
Posts: 13
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I will observe the behaviour next time, but as i am only interested in visual observing, i can live with the feature. As i said before it is not periodic, as others have experienced, but random in my case,rather small (the 5 Seconds were assumed by visual comparison with the diameter of jupiter), and does not nerve me very much. The telescope as a whole does not shake, the planet wobbles a small amount up than down or vice versa. Before i go to deepsky imaging, i will move the OTA to a GEM anyway.
Best Regards
Wolfgang Graßmann,Germay
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Kolenka
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/01/08
Posts: 1009
Loc: Seattle Area, WA, USA
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Quote:
This is so weird. Before the current troubles, the LX90 seemed like the Golden Child of the Meade line: reliable, low cost, high value.
*sigh*
Well, when your QC guys get changed out during a factory change, QC will suffer if you don't do it right.
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Orion XX12 / Orion 80ED OTA / AT66ED
Nagler 7T6, 9T6, 13T6, 17T4, 26T5
Canon XS, TIS DMK 31AF03, AstroTrac TT320X
Northwest Astro Photoblog
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