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Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1184
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
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Quote:
Glad to see it is working again-- but you should not be getting motor faults "all the time" ???????
Once in a while if the scope is very unbalanced --- but not again and again--- keep an eye on it-- may be something else???
Cheers Joe,
Like you I was not impressed when I unpacked the scope and after doing a mock "Easy" alignment and slewing to an object the scope stopped dead in its tracks and I got the "motor drive failure (or was it drive motor failure") message. Tried again - same thing.
Phoned repair shop & told to do a "reset". Still got the same failure message. Not a happy bunny.
Still, I persevered and played around doing mock alignments again and I didn't get the fault message. If I get one more, I'll be writing a letter to the shop (and expecting them to ship it back to the shop, fix it and return it for free - as the shop is nearly 200 miles away).
Art
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
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Joe Lalumia
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 3612
Loc: Rockwall, Texas, USA
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Yes-- that motor fault may be the reason behind WHY the board blew a fuse!! 
--------------------
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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Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1184
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
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Quote:
Yes-- that motor fault may be the reason behind WHY the board blew a fuse!!
Good point.
So, would you advise not using the scope and getting the azimuth motor replaced?
If so, is this a simple DIY job? I really don't want to make a 400-mile round trip and the extra expense of getting a shop to do it if I can easily replace the motor.
Any idea of how to test the motor to see if it is suspect? I have a digital multi-meter.
Art
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
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Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1184
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
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I spent yesterday (my day off) fitting two finder brackets to my Celestron NexStar 6SE.
The old Celestron RDF was to be fitted to my newly-repaired ETX105 as the Meade 6x25 RA finder is absolute PANTS. This I attempted today. Then I set out to align the newly-installed RDF ready for the first decent night's weather.
Sadly, it was not to be 
I got not only the "Motor Unit Fault" message like I was getting on Wednesday, but the scope AGAIN wouldn't slew anti-clockwise (and no motor noise either). So I couldn't align the RDF except by manually moving the scope in RA anticlockwise and then slewing at a low rate closkwise (I was using the top of a mobile phone mast about 3 miles away).
Phoned the telescope shop. They are collecting it Monday by courier!
Grrrrrrr! NOT a happy bunny at all (to say the least)!
Art
Incidentally, Steve (the guy at the repair shop) said that the motor, gearbox and driver board had all been replaced during the repair.
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
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JT5
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/08/07
Posts: 583
Loc: Ozarks of Missouri
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Arthur:
Sorry to hear that the hospital has had to recall their patient. I hope the fault(s) get totally corrected this time.
John
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My wife shares my love of the night skies and tolerates all of my other hobbies.
Televue Pronto w/Starbeam pointer and Televue tripod
Meade 2045D, ETX-125PE, 12" Lightbridge
Celestron: 7Amp PowerTank, 15X70mm binoculars
Meade, Swan and Televue Lenses (33, 26, 20, 15 & 9mm), Televue Barlow
Catsperch Observing Chair
Member: Astronomical Society of Eastern Missouri
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Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1184
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
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Quote:
Arthur:
Sorry to hear that the hospital has had to recall their patient. I hope the fault(s) get totally corrected this time.
John
Thanks John,
What I'm more concerned about is that I don't end up paying TWICE.
Also, it has to be said, that the scope ends up being fixed this time for good.
Art
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
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Joe Lalumia
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 3612
Loc: Rockwall, Texas, USA
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Arthur-- hope they fix this the second time around-- bet the motor is causing the board to short out-- just guessing though--- ??????
--------------------
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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Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1184
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
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Hi Joe,
That's what I'd bet too - except that Steve, the guy at the repair shop, said that the motor, gearbox and driver board had all been replaced during the repair.
So I'm really puzzled as to what could be possibly causing this. The scope is powered by a Celestron 7Ah PowerTank (the output is 12.6V - I checked this with a multimeter this afternoon) and the scope is not "labouring" in any way when slewing in RA. Plus, it isn't against a hard-stop.
In fact, the scope is in "Home" position (ie Control Panel is facing due West, scope has been rotated anticlockwise until it reaches the stop, then rotated clockwise until the fork arm displaying "Meade" is above the Control Panel and the OTA is pointing due North). When the RA lock is released, the OTA freely rotates just over 1 3/4 revolutions to the other hard stop - ie just over 630 degrees.
I did a "mock" Easy alignment. The scope slewed to Capella OK, the second star chosen was Rigel (which, as you will know is slightly to the East of Capella). The Dec motors changed the altitude of the scope but the RA motor was silent. I then got the dreaded "Motor Unit Fault" message. A Reset didn't fix it, nor did a "Hard Reset" (ie power off/power on).
Any more ideas guys?
Art
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
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Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1184
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
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UPDATE:
Scope was collected Monday and returned home again today.
Did mock "Easy" alignment indoors - no problems. It also doesn't sound as if it is binding any more.
Repair note says "RA motor/gearbox assembly replaced. Worm tension checked on replacement unit and RA axis tension checked. Scope passed encoder test and 4 hour slew test" so hopefully (!) my baby is better.
Now all I need is some clear skies and to get rid of this wretched cold!
Art
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
|
Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1184
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
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FURTHER UPDATE:
Well, the saga continues.
Three weeks ago, whist some friends were visiting for the May Day Bank Holiday, I got the scope out to show them the Sun's disc as they had commented on a recent BBC news report of a "quiet sun" (they were impressed that you could use a telescope to look at the Sun). I tried a mock alignment and the RA drive broke again (but this time it was accompanied by the smell of cooking electrics, but no smoke) 
Unable to work out why as a Celestron PowerTank was powering the scope at the time, so the voltage was just over 12V and the scope didn't appear to be binding at all.
The scope was duly returned to the Telescope Hospital and returned home this afternoon.
So far, it seems to work OK - or at least it has done continuously for over 3 minutes 
I wonder whether it will work when I turn it on again 
It is a real shame because OPTICALLY the ETX is fabulous.
Is this indicative that Meade's QC is appaling (sending out duff part after duff part) - or is there something fundamentally wrong with my scope mechanically (although I have been assured that this has been checked out)?
With the RA lock off, the axis is free to move both clockwise and anti-clockwise and the scope's hard stops are OK. Internally, there is no sign of loose connectors or frayed wires, so I'm puzzled.
As I said a few lines above, scope is currently WORKING - touches wood (head) for luck 
Art
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Joe Lalumia
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 3612
Loc: Rockwall, Texas, USA
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Well my OLD ETX90 is still working just fine on a Celestron powerpack-- at least for the last three years! Ha! (knock on wood-- where did I put that wood!)
Unless the shop has a bunch of bad motors? is this scope still under warranty-- if it is I would demand a replacement.
--------------------
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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Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1184
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
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Hi Joe
No, sadly, the scope is a s/hand unit purchased from a private individual. It is an ETX-105 EC and several years old, so out of warranty.
You may be correct I suppose in that the shop has had a batch of duff motors and/or electronics - hence my comment that I'm not impressed with Meade's QC if this is the case.
So far, I have only paid one repair charge including return shipping and all the subsequent to-and-fro shipping of the scope and repairs have been carried out by the shop at no further charge - to their credit.
I just hope this latest rapair is from a different batch of motors and/or electronics - otherwise "Yo-Yo" as I'm beginning to call my scope will be travelling South again!
Art
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 6763
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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Hmmm, I own quite a few Meade scopes and I've gotten great service from all of them. The smell of burnt electronics can never be good. The only thing I've feared is getting the polarity of my battery pack switched (which would be bad), but thankfully in 6 years of use it hasn't happened yet.
--------------------
-John
================================================
Homebuilt scopes from 4.25-16.5"
Meade LXD75-N6/SN6/SC8, DSX-90, ETX-60BB, ETX-125PE, DS-2130
Orion StarBlast, BinoViewers, Coronado PST
Rebel XT/XTi, DSI Pro (I, II, & III), DSI, LPI, Electronic Eyepiece, Phillips SPC900NC
Tasco 60mm Refractors
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Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1184
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
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Quote:
...The smell of burnt electronics can never be good.
No, it never is!
Quote:
The only thing I've feared is getting the polarity of my battery pack switched (which would be bad), but thankfully in 6 years of use it hasn't happened yet.
I've not done this to a scope but I have fried TWO electronic speed controllers (ESC's) when r/c car racing.
First one went in for repair & the company (who had a life-time warranty) replaced if for me 3 weeks later. My son and I went racing the day I got it back and I connected it up AGAIN reverse polarity. Talk about embarrased 
They also replaced that one too!
After that I made sure that all the battery connectors were keyed so I couldn't make the same mistake for a third time!
Art
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
|
ones
super member
Reged: 05/27/08
Posts: 135
Loc: IL
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Quote:
FURTHER UPDATE:
Well, the saga continues.
Three weeks ago, whist some friends were visiting for the May Day Bank Holiday, I got the scope out to show them the Sun's disc as they had commented on a recent BBC news report of a "quiet sun" (they were impressed that you could use a telescope to look at the Sun). I tried a mock alignment and the RA drive broke again (but this time it was accompanied by the smell of cooking electrics, but no smoke)
Unable to work out why as a Celestron PowerTank was powering the scope at the time, so the voltage was just over 12V and the scope didn't appear to be binding at all.
The scope was duly returned to the Telescope Hospital and returned home this afternoon.
So far, it seems to work OK - or at least it has done continuously for over 3 minutes
I wonder whether it will work when I turn it on again
It is a real shame because OPTICALLY the ETX is fabulous.
Is this indicative that Meade's QC is appaling (sending out duff part after duff part) - or is there something fundamentally wrong with my scope mechanically (although I have been assured that this has been checked out)?
With the RA lock off, the axis is free to move both clockwise and anti-clockwise and the scope's hard stops are OK. Internally, there is no sign of loose connectors or frayed wires, so I'm puzzled.
As I said a few lines above, scope is currently WORKING - touches wood (head) for luck
Art
I don't feel Meade did a good job with the plastic parts. Say what you will, it made my decision on my next scope. It won't be a Meade. I hope you get things worked out.
--------------------
Kev
ETX 125PE
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Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1184
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
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I'll keep you posted.
Either the shop has had a bad batch of motors/electronics (hopefully this repair is from a different batch)
or
there is a fundamental problem with the scope.
I'd like to think that the scope is properly repaired this time.
I used to refer to the scope as "baby" and the larger NexStar 6SE as "Junior". However, due to the scope being back to the shop for repair so often, I'm beginning to think of it as "YoYo"!
Art
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
|
Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1184
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
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UPDATE:
Scope returned and it WORKS 
I just hope that it works the next time I turn it on.
It has this nasty habit of breaking when I turn it on again!
Here's hoping
Used it to take a picture of 'ol Luna on Friday evening.
A bit of sharpening & brightness adjustment in Photoshop.
Art
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
|
Joe Lalumia
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 3612
Loc: Rockwall, Texas, USA
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Nice shot of the moon--- keep us posted on the scope--
Clear Skies!
--------------------
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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David Castillo
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 09/09/06
Posts: 882
Loc: Carmel Valley, Ca
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Got my fingers crossed too. I can't believe the problems you've had with that scope. I hope it never gives you any more problems.
----
Dave
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Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1184
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
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Cheers David. Don't know whether there is something fundamentally wrong with the scope (I did purchase it s/hand after all) or I've just had a duff batch of circuit boards/motors fitted (it DOES happen).
Sincerely hope that it is fixed. As I'm powering the scope with a 12V PowerTank, I can't see that I'm doing anything wrong!
Joe, I'll keep you posted.
I'm still waiting for the Sun to develop some spots. I have a solar filter for the ETX but not for my 6SE. Then I'll do some AP (or should that be SP for Solar Photography?) on it. Last time I photographed the Sun, it looked like a ping-pong ball!
Art
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
|
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