141 replies to this topic

[deSitter]

Why would it say LX200?

Same electronics

 

-drl

[CHASLX200]

Same electronics

 

-drl

I don't remember since it was in 1998 when i had mine.

[starman876]

The lx200 electronics went into a lot of mounts.  Same controller used with all of them.  Later on they went to the small controller.  There is an outfit that sell the electronics to Smith all the lx200 gear out.

[CHASLX200]

The lx200 electronics went into a lot of mounts.  Same controller used with all of them.  Later on they went to the small controller.  There is an outfit that sell the electronics to Smith all the lx200 gear out.

All of my 200's and LXD600 had the big hand control and the 750.

[starman876]

All of my 200's and LXD600 had the big hand control and the 750.

the change to the new electronics is not cheap.  Around $600.  

[tim53]

I may not be able to work on this for a few days, as we're heading to cosmic acres for our anniversary (49 years today!).

 

-Tim.

[starman876]

I may not be able to work on this for a few days, as we're heading to cosmic acres for our anniversary (49 years today!).

 

-Tim.

congratulations

[tim53]

Back from Cosmic!  Will head on over to the Meade forum with this issue.

 

-Tim.

[tim53]

Today I thought I’d try to set the oat on my super Polaris with the gotonova kit. But when I plugged the gotonova in, the ra motor gives me an overvolt error and won’t turn. I disengaged the spur gears and it still gives me the error. 
 

so, induce I have two sp mounts, I swapped for the older one without the drive motors attached, and put the it’s on it using the rings I got earlier in the week from agena Astro. It works!  And balances with two stock so counterweights. 
 

it’s mostly clear out today, though we still have smoke everywhere from the Altadena fire. It’s supposed to be windy again, but it’s been calm here for a couple days now. I’m not optimistic about the seeing though. It’s usually quite awful during Santa Ana winds. 
 

tim

[deSitter]

Today I thought I’d try to set the oat on my super Polaris with the gotonova kit. But when I plugged the gotonova in, the ra motor gives me an overvolt error and won’t turn. I disengaged the spur gears and it still gives me the error. 
 

so, induce I have two sp mounts, I swapped for the older one without the drive motors attached, and put the it’s on it using the rings I got earlier in the week from agena Astro. It works!  And balances with two stock so counterweights. 
 

it’s mostly clear out today, though we still have smoke everywhere from the Altadena fire. It’s supposed to be windy again, but it’s been calm here for a couple days now. I’m not optimistic about the seeing though. It’s usually quite awful during Santa Ana winds. 
 

tim

You're having no luck at all with electrons

 

-drl

[CHASLX200]

You're having no luck at all with electrons

 

-drl

Reason i never use em.

[tim53]

In the good old Ac synchronous motor days, I never had a problem. Even the drive for my 1973 optical craftsmen mount still runs, and I used it as my main mount for a couple decades. 

[CHASLX200]

In the good old Ac synchronous motor days, I never had a problem. Even the drive for my 1973 optical craftsmen mount still runs, and I used it as my main mount for a couple decades. 

It all went downhill in the mid 90's.

[deSitter]

In the good old Ac synchronous motor days, I never had a problem. Even the drive for my 1973 optical craftsmen mount still runs, and I used it as my main mount for a couple decades. 

Is the Gotonova DC servo? Sounds like a motor with an internally shorted armature.

 

-drl

[tim53]

Is the Gotonova DC servo? Sounds like a motor with an internally shorted armature.

 

-drl

I haven't used the SP in a few years.  Last time was to image Neowise from Utah, so whatever year that was.  I would often find the drive resetting itself after several minutes, such that star alignment was a waste of time.

 

I still have the Skysensor 2 from the late 80s.  It really sucks power though.  I drained my car battery with it after a couple hours one night at RTMC.  i'd have to switch the dec motor mounting bracket back to the old mount, of course.  But that would be easy enough.  I put the OTA away, in case I don't have the gumption to go out and gee whiz with it tonight.

 

I'd really like to fix that LXD600, of course.  But I'm not smart about how to troubleshoot or repair it.

 

-Tim.

 

P.S.  Here's the scope on the older SP:  

Attached Thumbnails

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[starman876]

Believe it or not the motors in the drives of most LX gear were slot car motors. I bought a few of them over the years. Not easy to replace. The wheel tack is mounted on the end of the motor shaft and the optical sensors are mounted around that disk. They are not easy to replace considering it is a press fit. I remember the first time I heard a lx drive slewing I thought the sound was familiar. I used to race slot cars.

Edited by starman876, 10 January 2025 - 09:18 PM.

[Sean Cunneen]

Those were Mabuchi mini-motors, 130's sometimes 160's. Those motors were in EVERYTHING in the 80's. Edmund used to sell them in a bag of 20. Slot cars, toy robots, line tracers, you name it. 

[deSitter]

Those were Mabuchi mini-motors, 130's sometimes 160's. Those motors were in EVERYTHING in the 80's. Edmund used to sell them in a bag of 20. Slot cars, toy robots, line tracers, you name it. 

IIRC they are also in many car windows!

 

Tim, it is possible to rewind a shorted armature. Just need to get an accurate length and observe the pattern as you unwind the old coil.

 

-drl

[deSitter]

I haven't used the SP in a few years.  Last time was to image Neowise from Utah, so whatever year that was.  I would often find the drive resetting itself after several minutes, such that star alignment was a waste of time.

 

I still have the Skysensor 2 from the late 80s.  It really sucks power though.  I drained my car battery with it after a couple hours one night at RTMC.  i'd have to switch the dec motor mounting bracket back to the old mount, of course.  But that would be easy enough.  I put the OTA away, in case I don't have the gumption to go out and gee whiz with it tonight.

 

I'd really like to fix that LXD600, of course.  But I'm not smart about how to troubleshoot or repair it.

 

-Tim.

 

P.S.  Here's the scope on the older SP:  

One thing I love about this scope is its light weight. An LXD75 is more than enough. It was WAY over-mounted on the LXD650!

 

-drl

[tim53]

I had been thinking about going out tonight to observe with the scope.  But sad news of the fire keeps coming in.  It's now over 150 of my JPL colleagues who's homes have burned down.  My hobby seems trivial right now.

[tim53]

Those were Mabuchi mini-motors, 130's sometimes 160's. Those motors were in EVERYTHING in the 80's. Edmund used to sell them in a bag of 20. Slot cars, toy robots, line tracers, you name it. 

These look inexpensive.  Maybe I'll test mine to see if I can make it run, and buy a couple if it doesn't.  The motor in the Gotonova looks similar.

 

-Tim.

[DAVIDG]

 Tim.

   I was worried and  glad to hear your Ok. My thoughts and payers to people affect by the fires. Those motor are not typical slot car motors. They have custom made armatures that are designed not to cog at  low speeds. So you just can't use any old motor. On the LX200GPS I have rewound the ones that the wiring has burned out. It is not difficult.. You need the wire diameter and the number of turns per coil. You can get that by carefully rewinding a coil.

 

               - Dave 

Edited by DAVIDG, 11 January 2025 - 11:49 AM.

[DAVIDG]

 Here is a picture of the type of armatures in the motors in the  Meade mounts.  Note the slots between the armature sections are on an angle and not straight up and down in a typical armatures. The angled slotted armature allows the motor to turn at low rpm and not cog ie jerk but turn smoothly.  So while the motors may look like what is used in toys they are more complex then that. 

   The top one is what happens when the windings short and over heat. The bottom is one that I rewound.

 

           - Dave 

 

 

Edited by DAVIDG, 11 January 2025 - 01:00 PM.

[tim53]

I saw some mention of a battery (button battery?) in the option gotonova?  I should have noted that the red led comes on when I plug the ac to 12v dc adapter into the ra box, but the green led doesn’t come on when I switch to on. The sec motor works, but I get the overbuilt error on the hand controller about the ra. 

[tim53]

But I think I’ll look at the lxd600 first.