Telescope Reviews: Power lead for Meade 2080?

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Equipment Discussions >> Classic Telescopes

Pages: 1

Michael Morris
Member

Reged: 01/05/05

Loc: Worcestershire, UK

Power lead for Meade 2080?
#5665254 - 02/06/13 01:22 PM Attachment (10 downloads)

Our astronomical society recently inherited an old Meade 8” SCT telescope. It looks like an early 2080 model.
http://www.telescopebluebook.com/sct/meade.htm#8INCH
This model is powered via a custom 115v lead and unfortunately it didn’t come with the scope. It looks as though this is a custom power socket (see picture) and it is no longer produced by Meade. There is no 12v input for this scope, so if we can’t get hold of one of the leads we can’t use it. In fact, we can’t even test it to see if the drive works.
1 - Has anyone got a power lead for one of these scopes that we could have/buy/borrow?
2 –Does anyone know the wiring sequence for one of these plugs?

Thanks

Edited by Michael Morris (02/06/13 01:24 PM)

Post Extras:

jrcrilly
Refractor wienie no more

Reged: 04/30/03

Loc: NE Ohio

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: Michael Morris]
#5665270 - 02/06/13 01:30 PM

That was a very common connector in those days. The two outside pins are AC and the center is ground. A little browsing through cable catalogs should yield one.

Post Extras:

dgreyson
sage

Reged: 11/06/12

Loc: South Carolina

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: jrcrilly]
#5665282 - 02/06/13 01:36 PM

Quote:

That was a very common connector in those days. The two outside pins are AC and the center is ground. A little browsing through cable catalogs should yield one.

they are very common cords, this is what one looks like:

Oval Power Cord-Cable for Celestron C8-telescope NEW

Post Extras:

The Planetman
sage

Reged: 01/27/06

Loc: Western KY

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: dgreyson]
#5665340 - 02/06/13 02:03 PM

Place a wanted in the Swap and Sell section. You should find one fairly quickly.

Post Extras:

jrcrilly
Refractor wienie no more

Reged: 04/30/03

Loc: NE Ohio

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: dgreyson]
#5665376 - 02/06/13 02:19 PM

Quote:

they are very common cords, this is what one looks like:

Oval Power Cord-Cable for Celestron C8-telescope NEW

That's it, but that's a horrific price. Should be about $5 from a normal supplier. Maybe $2 from a surplus house.

Post Extras:

dgreyson
sage

Reged: 11/06/12

Loc: South Carolina

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: jrcrilly]
#5665508 - 02/06/13 03:25 PM

Quote:

Quote:

they are very common cords, this is what one looks like:

Oval Power Cord-Cable for Celestron C8-telescope NEW

That's it, but that's a horrific price. Should be about $5 from a normal supplier. Maybe $2 from a surplus house.

They went out of use in the 70's so new one are getting scarce. Plenty of used ones still around.

Steve carries new ones:
PH-165 / HP style oval cordset

Post Extras:

Joe Cepleur
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 03/18/10

Loc: Dark North Woods

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: dgreyson]
#5665998 - 02/06/13 08:57 PM

Quote:

Oval Power Cord-Cable for Celestron C8-telescope NEW

That's the correct style of cord, but not my favorite vendor. Rocky Road Systems supplies theirs with a sharp steel clamp reinforcing the plug, with two bare screws sticking out of it. You can just see a bit of it in the picture. Great way to hurt yourself handling it in the dark. When I asked to have a different, safer plug installed if I returned the cord for exchange, they said, "Sure, for an up-charge of $10." $35 for a cord that should have been right at $25? really? There are other sources.

Post Extras:

dgreyson
sage

Reged: 11/06/12

Loc: South Carolina

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: Joe Cepleur]
#5666158 - 02/06/13 10:27 PM

Yeah, I hate those plugs too. They are meant for floor polishers where the cord yanks the plug out of the wall a lot. Apex jr, no relationship, has them a lot cheaper new with moulded on 3 prong plugs:
8ft H/P Oval power cord PH-163- Alpha 544 type Black $8.95

Search for Hp or for Tape recorder power cords for used ones.

Post Extras:

Michael Morris
Member

Reged: 01/05/05

Loc: Worcestershire, UK

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: dgreyson]
#5666585 - 02/07/13 07:40 AM

Thanks guys, this has given me loads of leads (pun intended).

Post Extras:

Jon Isaacs
Postmaster

Reged: 06/16/04

Loc: San Diego and Boulevard, CA

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: dgreyson]
#5667743 - 02/07/13 07:50 PM

Quote:

They are meant for floor polishers where the cord yanks the plug out of the wall a lot.

I saw them on lab test equipment as the HP in the links suggest. The modern computer power cable seems to be the replacement is used with most modern test equipment.

Jon

Post Extras:

jrcrilly
Refractor wienie no more

Reged: 04/30/03

Loc: NE Ohio

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: Jon Isaacs]
#5667757 - 02/07/13 07:58 PM

Quote:

Quote:

They are meant for floor polishers where the cord yanks the plug out of the wall a lot.

I saw them on lab test equipment as the HP in the links suggest. The modern computer power cable seems to be the replacement is used with most modern test equipment.

Jon

I believe he was referring to the hardware store AC plug on the other end of the cord being offered for sale. A commercial cable with molded connectors on each end (as supplied by HP and other manufacturers back in the day - it was also used with comptometers and electromechanical calculators) is preferable, and much less expensive.

Post Extras:

Geo.
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 10/01/08

Loc: Upstate NY

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: jrcrilly]
#5668757 - 02/08/13 11:17 AM

This the Belden 163 or PH-163. Belden (now Volex) manufactured these. The Belden/Volex part numbers are 17952 and 17280. It was used by Hewlett-Packard and many other manufacturers in the 1960's. It was replaced by the very common IEC C13/C14, which was used by late production Meade 2080 and 2120 models.

Hands-On-Optics stocks these. New stock, but look on the used equipment page.

Post Extras:

dgreyson
sage

Reged: 11/06/12

Loc: South Carolina

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: Geo.]
#5668942 - 02/08/13 12:43 PM

They want $29 for them.
Hands on oval power cord

Post Extras:

BRisley
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/04/06

Loc: SW Florida

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: dgreyson]
#5669508 - 02/08/13 05:55 PM

IIRC there was an issue on some of the cords at one time being recalled due to the fact that they had some wires crossed. Don't know if this had anything to do with the two versions, (see this site down a little bit) as they just swapped hot/neutral but left ground in the center. It is probably good to ohm out your cables and make sure that you don't have anything crossed.
Brian

Post Extras:

dgreyson
sage

Reged: 11/06/12

Loc: South Carolina

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: BRisley]
#5669660 - 02/08/13 07:38 PM

Quote:

IIRC there was an issue on some of the cords at one time being recalled due to the fact that they had some wires crossed. Don't know if this had anything to do with the two versions, (see this site down a little bit) as they just swapped hot/neutral but left ground in the center. It is probably good to ohm out your cables and make sure that you don't have anything crossed.
Brian

That was intentional, differing OEM's had wired their equipment differently. That's why you see two different part numbers for the oval cords, a left handed versus a right handed one. Buy one, ohm it out and swap the wires at the equipment socket for whatever cord you have if you know what your doing or get a tech to do it for you.

Post Extras:

jrcrilly
Refractor wienie no more

Reged: 04/30/03

Loc: NE Ohio

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: dgreyson]
#5669675 - 02/08/13 07:51 PM

Quote:

Quote:

IIRC there was an issue on some of the cords at one time being recalled due to the fact that they had some wires crossed. Don't know if this had anything to do with the two versions, (see this site down a little bit) as they just swapped hot/neutral but left ground in the center. It is probably good to ohm out your cables and make sure that you don't have anything crossed.
Brian

That was intentional, differing OEM's had wired their equipment differently. That's why you see two different part numbers for the oval cords, a left handed versus a right handed one. Buy one, ohm it out and swap the wires at the equipment socket for whatever cord you have if you know what your doing or get a tech to do it for you.

In this application, it just feeds an AC motor. There's no preference for either configuration.

Post Extras:

BRisley
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/04/06

Loc: SW Florida

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: jrcrilly]
#5670320 - 02/09/13 08:59 AM

Yep, but I think the problem cords that got out had the neutral and ground reversed, which, depending on the wiring its connected to, could have issues.
Brian

Post Extras:

dgreyson
sage

Reged: 11/06/12

Loc: South Carolina

Re: Power lead for Meade 2080? new

[Re: BRisley]
#5670754 - 02/09/13 01:25 PM

Yeah those would need to be put in the trash for sure.

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