· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Equipment Discussions >> Mounts Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 Eddgie Postmaster Reged: 02/01/06 LXD 750 power 18Vdc or 12 Vdc?       #2943080 - 02/22/09 02:42 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I have an older LXD 750. It is marked "18vDC" on the power interface jack. Seems that I saw some newer LXD 750s that were marked with "12vDC to 18vDC". Does anyone know if Meade actually changed something, or did they just decide that working it on 12vDC was OK? If not, does anyone know if it can be modified to work on 12v DC? Thanks! Post Extras:       Fish professor emeritus Reged: 10/13/07 Loc: Norridgewock, ME Re: LXD 750 power 18Vdc or 12 Vdc? [Re: Eddgie]       #2943685 - 02/22/09 08:33 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Good evening, The LXD650/750 and LX200 scopes like to see 18vdc. 12vdc will work provided it doesn't drop much while in use. 13.8vdc from most AC power supplies is fine and battery operation is OK as long as there is minimal drop. The biggest problem with the lower voltage is with the tracking motors. At 12vdc they produce less torque, are more prone to stalling and therefore overheating. Meade used to make a 12-18vdc converter but discontinued it. Good thing as it really was not up to the task. So, go ahead and run on 12vdc. Just be sure the voltage doesn't sag under load. Regards, Marc Post Extras:       Eddgie Postmaster Reged: 02/01/06 Re: LXD 750 power 18Vdc or 12 Vdc? [Re: Fish]       #2944486 - 02/23/09 10:03 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Excellent.. I suspected this was the case, that you COULD run it on 12cDC, but SOME circuits don't tolerate it and damage things. I actually have a multiple volatge DC supply that I bought on the web for about $15 and it works beautifully. Just one more thing to schlep around though, and was hoping to eliminate it. So, it isn't that I don't already have power, just another box to manage. If there is a good chance it will work, I will just try it out. I have a Radio Shack 3 amp 12 vdc supply that should give a solid 12 volts, and next time I go out with the mount, I will use it and put a meter on it to check the volatage. I never power it from batteries, so this hopefully will work fine. So, my biggest concern was smoking something on the power board. It sounds like this is unlikely, so I will try it out. Thanks! I appreciate your response! Post Extras:       Arctic_Eddie Post Laureate Reged: 12/30/07 Loc: St. Petersburg, FL Re: LXD 750 power 18Vdc or 12 Vdc? [Re: Eddgie]       #2944674 - 02/23/09 11:53 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   If you get a PS intended for amateur radio use it will be 13.8VDC and properly regulated. The extra 1.8VDC might make a big difference in performance since you're already low. Post Extras:       Eddgie Postmaster Reged: 02/01/06 Re: LXD 750 power 18Vdc or 12 Vdc? [Re: Arctic_Eddie]       #2944730 - 02/23/09 12:23 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I think measured the Radio Shack unit at 13.2. Not well regulated, but all of my other scopes seem to work well with it. Thanks for the tip though.. If I do have problems, I might try one... Post Extras:       Skywatchr Carpal Tunnel Reged: 06/03/06 Loc: North-Central Pa. Re: LXD 750 power 18Vdc or 12 Vdc? [Re: Eddgie]       #2945977 - 02/24/09 12:06 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Do NOT run it at 12v or you risk burning out the motor controllers. I use an IBM Laptop power supply (yellow tip) that is 16v @ 4.5 amp, and the 3.36 amp model will work too. You need voltage and amperage so when the scope slews, it will have enough "oomph" to run it without drawing too much amperage. Running it at lower voltage results in higher amperage draw. Jeff Post Extras:       Skywatchr Carpal Tunnel Reged: 06/03/06 Loc: North-Central Pa. Re: LXD 750 power 18Vdc or 12 Vdc? [Re: Skywatchr]       #2945983 - 02/24/09 12:09 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Also, for 12 volt (field) use, I use an Auto adapter made for a Laptop (universal voltage) that can be switched to 16 or 18 volts. They're much cheaper than the Meade 18 volt adapters and work very well. A decent one is regulated. Jeff Post Extras:       Pages: 1 Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 11 registered and 30 anonymous users are browsing this forum. Moderator:  Bowmoreman, bilgebay, iceblaze  Print Thread Forum Permissions       You cannot start new topics       You cannot reply to topics       HTML is disabled       UBBCode is enabled Thread views: 326 Jump to *Announcements and News* -----   Cloudy Nights Announcements   Discussion of CN Articles, Reviews, and Reports   Celestial Events*General Astronomy* -----   Beginners Forum   General Observing and Astronomy   Outreach   Light Pollution*Equipment Discussions* -----   ATM, Optics and DIY Forum   Binoculars   Binoviewers   Cats & Casses   Classic Telescopes   Equipment   Eyepieces   Mounts   Observatories   Reflectors   Refractors    Video and Electronically Assisted Astronomy*Astrophotography and Sketching* -----   Beginning and Intermediate Imaging   Film Astrophotography   DSLR & Digital Camera Astro Imaging & Processing   CCD Imaging & Processing   Solar System Imaging & Processing   Sketching   Astro Imaging/Sketching Contest *Observing* -----   NEO   Planetary and Solar System Observing   Lunar Observing   Deep Sky Observing   Double Star Observing   Solar   Variable Star Observing and Radio Astronomy*Telescope Specific Forums* -----   Celestron NexStar    NexStar GPS / CPC Telescopes   Questar Forum   Meade ACF/RCX / LX / GPS    Meade ETX*Speciality Forums* -----   Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo   NEAF (Northeast Astronomy Forum) and NEAIC (Northeast Astro Imaging Conference)   AstroArt   Astronomy Clubs and Star Parties   Astronomy Software & Computers   AstroWebsites   Science! Astronomy & Space Exploration, and Others   Space Rocks   Stellar Media*Swap and Shop* -----   Shop and Swap Audio Components*CN Feedback and Vendor Announcements* -----   Vendor and Group Announcements*International Year of Astronomy 2009 - Forums are now closed.* -----   IYA Archive Info CN Forums Home

Cloudy Nights LLC Cloudy Nights Sponsor: Astronomics