141 replies to this topic

[tim53]

So I picked this up before Labor Day weekend, but only had time to set it up today.  It's 105F outside right now, so I didn't stay out long.  There's a Thousand Oaks solar filter that came with it, so I briefly observed the sun.  I am impressed with the sharpness.  Hoping to have some time with it this evening on the moon.

 

The drive apparently doesn't work, and I don't have a power supply to try it in any case.  But the slow motion controls seem to work well enough that I can at least gander in some comfort (if it's not too hot!).

 

Whole scope, pointed at the sun with the solar filter in place (and the finder covered).

 

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[tim53]

'nother

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[tim53]

drive panel

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[tim53]

Mount stuff.

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[tim53]

So, this mount does seem to be pretty sturdy.  Does anyone know how hard it will be to fix the electronics?  Or can something like an Onstep drive be acquired or made for it?

 

I also wonder if the clamshell might fit a takahashi mount?  It looks similar (round, with 2 bolts).

 

Other thing I could do would be to mount it on my EM500 at Cosmic acres, with the Televue 4" Renaissance and maybe the Tak FC-76.  OR, the Jaegers 6" f/15 with the 4 and 5 inch scope piggyback on it?

 

-Tim.

[Mbenj2405]

Isn't that the handset that is known to blow capacitors?

[CHASLX200]

Same scope i had. Had good optics but mount did odd things on it's own. Be great for other scopes if you had a way to mount other OTA's.

[tim53]

Isn't that the handset that is known to blow capacitors?

I don’t know jack about it. Interested to find out though. 

[John Rogers]

The hand controller and panel connectors do look the same as the LX200.  It wouldn't surprise me if they used the same components.

 

Perhaps a post on the Meade Computerized Telescope forum would shed some more light?

Edited by John Rogers, 08 September 2024 - 06:13 PM.

[greedyshark]

Looking forward to your impressions after spending a night under the stars. I recall drooling over the ads and then again after seeing the 7” in person.

[jgraham]

I would ask in the Meade forum, but if I recall right the capacitor issue was with the 18v systems.

Enjoy your new scope!

[starman876]

PM me. I might have the boards you need. Will take some digging.   The electronics if I remember take some knowledge to calibrate to make sure the goto functions work correctly.   But if all you want is control to slew the scope that should be fairly simple

[tim53]

I’m out with the scope!  It’s still hot outside!  It at least not 105f. 
 

the moon looks good!  No false color. There is some scattered light around the moon,  but its low in the sky and our skies have been a bit Smokey. 
 

I do like the manual slow motions when I can remember where they are. With the scope balanced, they are smooth. 
 

the focuser has notable play. Will need to address that. 

Edited by tim53, 08 September 2024 - 10:08 PM.

[RichA]

Mount stuff.

Ah, back when Meade hand controls weren't cheap plastic junk like what came with the ETXs and such.

[Martin]

Tim,

I have the Lxd650 mount. I did a lot of research on these and it seems that the capacitors can burn out inside the mount and the handset. I have not replaced mine yet but plan on doing so. I bought some capacitors so all I have to do is make some time to do it. I use the slow-motion controls sometimes if I don't want to power the mount and they actually work fine for me, but it is nice to have the motors running for the tracking. They are kind of cool looking mounts and they can handle fairly big loads. I have the 127ED as well.  I also put my 152ED on the 650 mount and it does quite well but I have not tried any gotos with the 152ED on there so not sure how it would handle it and I do not want to burn the mount up. The 127ED is perfect for that mount though. One thing I remember reading is that the power supply that came with this mount was part of the problem and the voltage could spike at times. I am still using the one that Meade supplied with this mount and have had no problems so far but I did buy a better one from scope stuff and I am going to start using that one instead of the one Meade supplied. 

 

Try the scope out on a bright star and crank the power and see if there is any flaring. If there is you might have to do the lens centering procedure. Stars will look like comets.  Lots of info. on the internet regarding that and plenty of info. on the mount also. 

I am curious how your scope will do. Keep us posted. 

 

Martin

[deSitter]

I don’t know jack about it. Interested to find out though. 

The electronics are more or less the same as the LX200. There are 5 underrated tantalum capacitors that ride on the main 12v rail that are prone to pop (guaranteed at 18v). The ones after 5v regulation can be trusted not to destroy anything but likely those can also go short and cause a fuse to blow. The 5 problematic ones can damage adjacent components. The one in the handbox is right against the keypad ribbon cable and will burn a hole in it when it goes. These are more or less easily replaced by 30v rated electrolytics depending on your soldering skill. There are several threads here discussing this fix.

 

Do you get any lights at all? The motors are simple DC like power windows and slot cars and draw a lot of current on startup. That has its own issues. I would never run this on a simple transformer/bridge/capacitor power supply. I use a 15v ThinkPad power brick that makes 3 amps, or a lithium battery.

 

The LXD650 mount is the same as the LXD600 as far as this capacitor issue goes. The go-to system is called the CDS 1697. Other than the capacitor issue, the boards are nice work.

 

This is a very capable mount as you will find out.

 

-drl

Edited by deSitter, 09 September 2024 - 09:55 AM.

[Terra Nova]

PM me. I might have the boards you need. Will take some digging.   The electronics if I remember take some knowledge to calibrate to make sure the goto functions work correctly.   But if all you want is control to slew the scope that should be fairly simple

Good grief J! You still seem to have most everything. You should open a store!

[deSitter]

I would ask in the Meade forum, but if I recall right the capacitor issue was with the 18v systems.

Enjoy your new scope!

There was no change other than the printing of 18 instead of 12! The slewing was considered too slow at 12v, so they just ran it on 18v. Needless to say this was not the best idea. And the 18v power brick is a simple huge brainless transformer-bridge-smoothing capacitor nightmare.

 

-drl

[deSitter]

PM me. I might have the boards you need. Will take some digging.   The electronics if I remember take some knowledge to calibrate to make sure the goto functions work correctly.   But if all you want is control to slew the scope that should be fairly simple

Hey! Don't sell my LXD750s! I have dibs!

 

-drl

[deSitter]

BTW my mount has an ADM dual Vixen-Losmandy saddle and adapter plate. Check with ADM, this adapter may still be in stock although it is not listed on the website.

 

-drl

[Martin]

Hey Tim,

As deSitter said. Check out that fuse first as it may have blown. Very easy to access it. Just pop off a few screws on that face plate and you then have access to the boards.

 

Martin

[starman876]

Good grief J! You still seem to have most everything. You should open a store!

I collected and tried out a lot of gear over the years.  Problem is I just put it on the shelf afterwards and went on to the next toy.    I need to clear it all out.    will be fun when I start to do that.    

[starman876]

Hey! Don't sell my LXD750s! I have dibs!

 

-drl

your dib time timer is running low on time

Edited by starman876, 09 September 2024 - 01:42 PM.

[starman876]

There was no change other than the printing of 18 instead of 12! The slewing was considered too slow at 12v, so they just ran it on 18v. Needless to say this was not the best idea. And the 18v power brick is a simple huge brainless transformer-bridge-smoothing capacitor nightmare.

 

-drl

thats right,  But I an sure the 18 volt unit will run on 12 volts.  They bumped up the voltage to 18 volts to make it run faster.  Idiots did not change out the caps that were 12 volts. 

[starman876]

Hey Tim,

As deSitter said. Check out that fuse first as it may have blown. Very easy to access it. Just pop off a few screws on that face plate and you then have access to the boards.

 

Martin

that fuse is known to be an issue you got to take the boards out to get to it. 

Edited by starman876, 09 September 2024 - 01:45 PM.