26 replies to this topic

[OzAndrewJ]

Gday All

Is there anyone out there with an LX85 that knows how to use a multimeter to measure pins in a port and is willing to do so? ( A simple unpowered continuity test will be OK for the +12 and grounds )

A user recently plugged in a StarGPS lump and it got fried.

Also, part of the users PCB blew, but on measuring the voltages in the Aux port ( which supplies power to the lump ), he is registering that the ground and +12V pins are swapped relative to all other mounts.

I have attached a piccy of a std Meade control panel and what pins are +12V and what are ground for the Aux port.

If someone can check their port on the LX85 and confirm it is either opposite or the same as what i have attached, it would be most appreciated.

Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia

Edited by OzAndrewJ, 05 October 2019 - 04:06 PM.

[OzAndrewJ]

OK if no one has the ability to test the pins, do any LX85 owners have the ability to open the housing

and take a detailed close up piccy of the circuit board where the connectors are

( similar to circled area in attached )

Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia

[Geo.]

That looks like it may have been a tant cap between the 12+ trace and the ground plane. It would not have liked reversed polarity. 

[OzAndrewJ]

Gday George

The user cleaned up the board and it was an inductor

Basically, StarGPS pinches +12 and ground via the aux port and drops it to 5V via a built in regulator

When the user plugged in the StarGPS

The 12V from the Aux went into the ground of the reg, which was tied to the rs232 ground in the hbx

This was tied to the power panel ground via the Hbx cable and ( luckily ) the first thing to blow was the inductor

 

Meade have now confirmed that both the LX65 and LX85s have their Aux ports wired mirror image

so no one should plug any legacy items into the port.

StarGPS has developed a new cable specific for the LX65/85 and it sounds like Meade are revising the boards, but that leaves a lot of time bombs out there.

 

Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia

[EdIII]

I ran into that problem with my LX65.  It burned up an LNT module and would not work with my GPS. How could such an error get out of their doors unnoticed? Did they not try the aux port on something??

 

Ed

Edited by EdIII, 29 October 2019 - 11:57 AM.

[OzAndrewJ]

Gday Ed

I am assuming you are the same Ed who is corresponding with Chris ar StarGPS

If so, did you actually smell anything in the mount???

The LNT may have fried with simple reverse polarity

but by plugging in the StarGPS, it allows 12V from the Aux port to be put into the ground lines of the Hbx via the rs232 cable

This then allows a ground loop inside the mount which "may" have burnt out a chip in the mount.

I would be asking Meade to replace your LNT, and also advising whoever you sent the mount back to

to check it for damage.

Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia

[EdIII]

Hello Andrew,

 

Yes, I have communicated my experience to Chris. Too much trouble to ask Meade about the LNT. I used the plastic parts to repair one that had physically broken plastic, so no big deal. My GPS still works, so no damage there. I smelled something in the mount, but did not look any further and that is known by all concerned. Really like the 65. I just want to get one after the corrections are made.

 

Ed

[Geo.]

Dyslexic Designs. Inc. That's the kind of mistake I'd make=8)   

[Geo.]

Ed I break up a lot of mounts and always debate whether to store any of the plastic. It doesn't help when people say they found the stuff useful and I have to weigh that into my decision. Where am I going keep all the d**n stuff??

[EdIII]

  

Ed I break up a lot of mounts and always debate whether to store any of the plastic. It doesn't help when people say they found the stuff useful and I have to weigh that into my decision. Where am I going keep all the d**n stuff??

 

 

[Kebino]

StarGPS.ca has a crossover cable for this issue. It is called GPS-ASTARX as opposed to the regular GPS-ASTAR. 

The cable is specifically made to solve this problem.

also stated on their Website is that later models of the LX65 have the aux ports properly wired. A properly wired LX65 will have a white dot painted or affixed to the housing near the aux port.

That’s all I know, I’ll leave it the more experienced members to go into detail.

PS- I have a LX65 6 ACF in transit to my home as I write this, hopefully it will be here by Friday.

 

https://stargps.ca/manual.htm#meade497

Edited by Kebino, 18 December 2019 - 01:06 AM.

[carolinaskies]

StarGPS.ca has a crossover cable for this issue. It is called GPS-ASTARX as opposed to the regular GPS-ASTAR. 

The cable is specifically made to solve this problem.

also stated on their Website is that later models of the LX65 have the aux ports properly wired. A properly wired LX65 will have a white dot painted or affixed to the housing near the aux port.

That’s all I know, I’ll leave it the more experienced members to go into detail.

PS- I have a LX65 6 ACF in transit to my home as I write this, hopefully it will be here by Friday.

 

https://stargps.ca/manual.htm#meade497

Thankyou for the update!

[Kebino]

Thankyou for the update!

Glad to help. I’m just happy the StarGPS people are on the ball and made a cross-over cable.

[Karlberg]

Hi All,

 

Sorry for waking up an old thread, but I have just bought a used Meade LX85 mount and in the bundle I got was a Synscan wifi module.

Wifi sounded fun so I tried it in the HBX port as stated in the manual for the Synscan and poof, up went the magic blue smoke and the mount stopped working.

Today I opened it up and found almos exactly the same image as shared here earlier, but it was L12 that got burned in my case, not L13 as in the picture above.

Does anyone know the values for that inductor, I would like to try to replace it and see if I can get the mount back in working order again. Or if it is possible to buy a new PCB, I tried to contact Meade directly but they just referred me to my local dealer and they will not order spare parts from Meade since it took a year for the last spares to arrive.

 

BR,

Anders

[carolinaskies]

Hi All,

 

Sorry for waking up an old thread, but I have just bought a used Meade LX85 mount and in the bundle I got was a Synscan wifi module.

Wifi sounded fun so I tried it in the HBX port as stated in the manual for the Synscan and poof, up went the magic blue smoke and the mount stopped working.

Today I opened it up and found almos exactly the same image as shared here earlier, but it was L12 that got burned in my case, not L13 as in the picture above.

Does anyone know the values for that inductor, I would like to try to replace it and see if I can get the mount back in working order again. Or if it is possible to buy a new PCB, I tried to contact Meade directly but they just referred me to my local dealer and they will not order spare parts from Meade since it took a year for the last spares to arrive.

 

BR,

Anders

Meade should be offering replacement PCBs, if they aren't selling directly see if they can at least provide you a part number which you could then ask other vendors if they can order one for you. 

I'm wondering too, whether an older PCB for an LXD75 might be adaptable.  

Maybe

[OzAndrewJ]

Gday Anders

Have a squizz at

https://www.cloudyni...b/#entry9902348

you arent the first and wont be the last

 

Andrew Johansen Melbourne ustralia

[EdIII]

Quote:
Hi All,

 

Sorry for waking up an old thread, but I have just bought a used Meade LX85 mount and in the bundle I got was a Synscan wifi module.

Wifi sounded fun so I tried it in the HBX port as stated in the manual for the Synscan and poof, up went the magic blue smoke and the mount stopped working.

Today I opened it up and found almos exactly the same image as shared here earlier, but it was L12 that got burned in my case, not L13 as in the picture above.

Does anyone know the values for that inductor, I would like to try to replace it and see if I can get the mount back in working order again. Or if it is possible to buy a new PCB, I tried to contact Meade directly but they just referred me to my local dealer and they will not order spare parts from Meade since it took a year for the last spares to arrive.

 

BR,

Anders

 

End Quote

 

 

 

 

I returned my 65 after a similar problem. Who wants to start out with a repaired scope?

 

Ed

Edited by EdIII, 28 March 2020 - 05:14 PM.

[Karlberg]

Thank you so much Andrew, I will try to replace the L13 inductor with a thin wire and also check the handset before trying it together with the mount again!

And I agree with both Paul and Ed, replacement boards should be available and it is not especially fun to start digging into the innards of a new mount (it is new to me even if it is used...)!

 

Thanks again,

Anders

[gdjsky01]

Ok y'all got me scared. I want to hook the thing up to a DSC, or a GPS, or SkyFi. 

I have no white dot...

Now what?

[OzAndrewJ]

Gday gdjsky01

 

What mount do you have???

If its the LX85, AFAIK, Meade never released a modified board, so its reversed.

If its an LX65 without a white dot, it is probably reversed,

but what i would do is check using a multimeter no matter what.

If it is reversed, and you only want to grab power,

then you will need to make an adapter pigtail.

Very simple to do, but a nuisance, and dangerous if you forget to plug it in.

 

Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia

[gdjsky01]

Reply. I have the LX-65. No white dot. What I want to do is be able to plug in things like skyfi.

[OzAndrewJ]

Gday Jeff

Then you will need to make an adapter cable that can plug into Aux Port

or maybe use a splitter cable from the power supply cord with a correctly wired RJ socket.

The latter would be more flexible, and you could also fuse it if reqd.

 

Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia

[bry73]

Here it is July 2020 and I just purchased a LX65 mount and no white sticker in the battery box.

So I got out my trusty old Fluke Multi Meter and tested the HBX and AUX ports and yep they were reversed.

So going to make a dongle for my guide scope.

[JD4x4]

Here it is July 2020 and I just purchased a LX65 mount and no white sticker in the battery box.

So I got out my trusty old Fluke Multi Meter and tested the HBX and AUX ports and yep they were reversed.

So going to make a dongle for my guide scope.

Well, if the wiring in the 1st pic here is the correct wiring, then the 5" LX65 that I bought (new from a high volume retail vendor) 5 days ago and took delivery of yesterday ... is wired wrong. !  Battery box has no white dot either. !!

 

 

[OzAndrewJ]

Gday JD4x4

The wiring in the first picture is correct.

If you want to cross check, just look for the dozens of reverse polarity threads which show the

traces in the circuit board.

https://www.cloudyni...r/#entry8217832

 

Basically, all LX85s are wired in reverse

Any LX65s with no white dot are reversed ( but i would still check an LX65, no matter what )

 

And i just noticed something i have never noticed before.

The pin nos on the PCB pictures show pin 1 being +12V on the Hbx socket, but pin 4 being +12V for the Aux.

ie if someone read that and blindly made a new board thinking that also matched the std RJ nomenclature

then they would reverse something :-)

 

Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia