malc-c

There will always be a way of removing the need to set up an MS account as the bulk of the income for MS is generated in the business sector and having to setup an MS account on each machine in a business environment would be impractical. It could well be that adding a machine to a Domain through Active Directory disables the need for an MS account, I don't know, and most of the youtube channels that demonstrate the way to get round this and other requirements of installing Windows 11 focus on private user / domestic set ups rather than business machines

Not being condescending, but I think you need to do a little research to grasp the fundamentals and terminology used. There is no system that you can just plonk down and press a button and Jupiter is bang in the middle of the eyepiece, at least not in your budget. All systems require calibration or alignment. It first needs to be told where two or three targets are, which is done through the handset that will come with the goto system. It normally starts by placing the mount in a starting position, typically with the scope pointing North, and then instructing the mount to go to a target, and then it monitors the corrections you enter to centre the object in the eyepiece. When it has a few of these points it works out the error and applies that to subsequent targets so the target does appear in the eyepiece. Any motorised system requires power, typically 6 or 12v. When slewing a mount can draw anything between 2 and 4 amps, so battery packs can get low fairly quick, especially in winter when the nights are so cold. Power packs are a better option than using 4 x C or D cells, but do cost a fair bit so would need budgeting for. If you are using a motorhome and have the ability of parking where you want to observe then using its 12v aux outlets is one option, or if you have main supply to the plot then a suitable mains power block will work. In tracking power consumption is low, its the gotos that will drain batteries. As far as control, yes some mounts are wifi enabled so you can connect to them as an access point and run applications on a tablet / smart phone / laptop. Others have a handset which contain thousands of targets and can be operated as a search and select action and then press goto. Or you can replace the handset with a special cable and have direct connection to a laptop or computer and run software that can control the mount simply by right clicking on a target and select the "slew to target" option on the resulting dropdown list. Some of the goto scopes have systems that have encoders on both axis so once aligned you can simply push or pull the scope to a target and it will know where the scope is pointing, so if you then select a goto target via the handset it will slew to the correct point in the sky. I didn't purposely mention particular scopes that would suit the task. Planetary viewing / imaging needs a different scope compared to one that is more suitable for seeing bright nebula and galaxies. There is no one scope fits all. The main reason I didn't recommend a particular set up is these days there is so much variety. A decade ago the choice of mounts were limited, and most goto system revolved around a GEM design and there were typically just 4 to choose from depending on the size of the scope that was going to be used, so it was easier to recommend a system. Also, do a search for a local astronomical society and pop along to one of their meetings or start parties. My local society runs "telescope workshops" where members bring their scopes along and people like yourself can come along and ask questions, see the things in action and chat to members about anything astronomical.

Welcome, You will end up being very confused as, like any subjects everyone has differing opinions and recommendations. It is possible to get an AZ-Goto scope and mount in the budget range you have given, but they will have limitations. Have a look on Firstlight Optics or Rother Valley Optics (other retailers available) websites and you'll see AZ-Go2 range of scopes. Most people suggest Dobsonian scopes, by the cheapest goto dob is outside your budget, almost double. I would also recommend locating a retailer near you and go and see the package in question. If that's not possible then give the guys at the two retailers mentioned a call and they could help you narrow down the options

If you search Youtube there are loads of videos showing you how to overcome the "hardware limitations". It's not difficult, and you'll be surprised just how old some of the PCs used are !!

What I find ironic is that with the drive (and in placed like the UK, its law) to have manufactures make hardware repairable to increase its life span we then have Microsoft release an OS that makes even quite new hardware obsolete as Windows 11 out of the box isn't supported on it. So, those who have a good understanding of what goes on under the hood can "tweak" the installation to make Win11 run on the "old" hardware, but for a lot of people who lack that experience are pushed towards replacing otherwise decent hardware, making the old machine redundant. Given all the recent stick regarding MS enforcing the use of an MS Account and software that tracks your viewing habits to make the "windows experience tailored to the user " I will be sticking with Windows 10, even after they stop supporting it. Someone mentioned that its a free update, that is true for the home user. But MS have got the commercial market over a barrel. Most firms have to pay for the licencing, and given the risk normally upgrade to the latest and supported operating system, which is predominately windows, so now that means most businesses are faced with the huge expense of replacing otherwise perfectly good hardware in order to be supported. It can also be an issue for software companies. When I was an IT tech some 12 years ago the company used a bespoke CRM system that worked well on Windows 7, but when windows 10 was released it required some big changes because some of the licenced 3rd party modules just didn't work on windows 10. This left us with the dilemma, stick with windows 7 but then run the risk of security issues on an unsupported OS, or change the CRM system over to a system that ran on windows 10, which would have been a huge cost and long nights upgrading the PCs and servers. In the end the CRM company came out with an update, albeit almost a year after Windows 10 was released.

Well if I can render 4K video using DaVinci Resolve on a 1st Gen Ryzen 5 1500X installed into a Prime X370 board with 16GB of DDR4 ram, and a 2GB RX550 GPU, I'm sure you machine will be more than adequate at processing Astro images ! Nice cable management by the way, very tidy

I was going to suggest you drop Neil a PM but he's already seen the thread. Fingers crossed his mate can help.

Personally I wouldn't try to resolve this using a bonding agent. I'm quite amazed that the previous repair lasted 4 years or more. As others have mentioned, welding would be the preferred option, however cast aluminium can be tricky to weld, and given the fact that Chinese metal has a reputation for being poor (mainly from motorbike owners where all the screws were soft as cheese :-) ) the quality of the cast may make the job of welding difficult. Thing is you have nothing to lose trying, and it doesn't have to be pretty, just functional. Look on the bright side, at least it failed whilst setting up and not at a time when the mount was loaded with the weight of the scope and counter weights.

I agree, Apollo 13 regenerated the public interest, globally rather than just in the USA, and having read Gene's book he was right about it being their finest hour. But after that most Americans interest had all but vanished, with TV viewing of later missions no longer prime time and the viewing numbers lower than some kids programs.

From what I can gather it wasn't quite like that. Whilst a lot of Americans at the time were behind the project even if it was only to get one over on the Russians, but also there was a good chunk of the population that was against the project given the huge cost, and that the return of putting a dozen men on the Moon achieved little or nothing for the everyday American. Coupled with the its involvement in the Vietnam war, which again was seen as a waste of money and lives, it certainly wasn't quite the image that is often portrayed in media. I don't think todays progress in spaceflight is slow .. The rate at which Space X is developing and testing prototype Starships is outperforming any space program that preceded it. One thing I will agree on is JFK's ambition, and being one of those personalities that when he said "jump" others would ask "how high". He certainly had a huge following, and there was so much outpouring of emotion when he was assassinated.

I find it amusing that in this day and age people still think America didn't go to the moon back in the late 60's early 70's. Why?, because several other countries have had the technology and funds to send their own probes to the moon which would an ideal opportunity to disprove the subject and publish images of the Apollo landing sites void of any evidence and shame the US as the result it proved that it never happened. Instead, probes from Japan, etc have confirmed the landings took place by showing identical images to those high detail that the Luna recognisance craft took which shows these sites are exactly as they were when the Apollo LEM blasted off to dock with the command modules. What has happened is that Musk and Space X has now become an established "commercial" service, and its cheaper for NASA to purchase missions from Space X rather than try and develop their own systems. SpaceX have now become very profitable, and able to invest the profits into Starship. The pace as which that program is being developed and tested could not be matched by a government funded project. Earl, I read an article which stated that if the top 6 wealthiest people all got together and emptied their pockets there would be enough money to resolve all the issues 3rd world countries have. The wealth of these people is more then some countries GDP... But in reality that would never happen. Governments are always saying that they haven't the money to resolve strikes from medical staff over pay, or increase budgets for XYor Z, yet can then find millions or even billions at short notice to help Ukraine, or in Aid to help in some crisis. I think a lot of Americans think the same about the investment in NASA and their space program, both now and at the time of Apollo.

I just used a 3:1 mix of sand/stone mix to cement (including the stones as a sand/cement mix is technically a mortar mix) when filling the tube with rebar for my mount.

Just looked at the MC015 board and I don't have anything like that to hand. If you can post up a picture of the cable / plug then it might be possible to locate a similar cable such as those linked to in the post above that will fit and do the same job. I presume the PCB wasn't damaged as well ?

Many thanks for the detailed reply. Nothing really jumps out to me as being the Ah-ha moment that points to the cause. There is nothing damaged on the board, and the connections ring out OK. I don't think the 10 ohm reading is relevant, but if the cable is wired pin for pin (ie pin 1 at one end goes to pin 1 the other etc) then a standard Cat5 Network cable could be substituted to see if the issue still continues or goes away. Again, if the issue is still present then it rules out the supplied interlink cable. Maybe the board is working fine, but the issue is with the encoders. Do the disks look clean and intact ? - if they look a bit grubby a clean with some IPA may help. If they look fine then that rules them out as being the issue, especially if the encoder makes several devolutions before the motor stops. The fact that the mount sets off and drives the motor when instructed suggests the firmware is following the instruction to run the motor, just that it doesn't run for long enough. If there is an option to connect the goto system to a PC and run any firmware update then its possibly worth doing just in case the firmware has been corrupted. Its almost as if the microcontroller is either making the wrong calculation in the number of steps to send to the motor, or the part then monitors the encoder isn't counting up correctly and is thinking its reached the target when it is well short. I'm at a loss... I think its time to contact the retailer to see what their stance is on replacement options. If the warranty has just expired then you still have rights under the 2015 consumer rights act, so you should be able to give them the opportunity to offer a repair or replacement. Obviously if the system is several years old then you have less options, and may have to purchase a replacement board assuming the manufacture or their main distributor has them. Sorry I can't suggest anything more

It certainly wasn't one of the scopes listed in the UK when I was the Product Manager for Tasco in the early 1980's. We didn't cater for the serious astronomer back then, with the 4.5" 11TR being the largest model imported.

Rob, The other thing is that all of us assumed the simplest thing of having the wires crossed wouldn't be the case, afterall that is normally the first thing to check. Maybe from now on if anyone reports power type issues I and others won't make that assumption and suggest checking the polarity of the supply, even if it prompts an "Of course... what do you take me for, I'm not a wally !" type reply At least it shows that Skywatcher's protection built into their new boards works !! Glad you're all sorted

For clarity, in normal operation the synscan handset gets its 12v power from the mount. It is possible to power just the handset via USB (on the later versions of handsets) or via the barrel jack. Its always difficult to diagnose faults that are intermittent. They can be power supply issues, or a component that is failing but not completely failed. If you have access to a test meter, its worth checking the voltage at the mount when the supply is under load. I don't know about the AZ-EQ6, but HEQ5 and EQ6 mounts work better at 13.8v rather than 12v. If you are sure the issue is in the board power / buck convertor circuitry then I'm willing to have a look as per our PMs. But I thought you were going to contact the retailer as the board is around 3 years old ? Oh and forgot to add that the first PSU is used in my observatory came from maplin, and one night it went pop and took my mount out with it....

So if I follow this right. Dec motor connected to the DEC connection the result is a 5-15 second run and then stops RA motor connected to the RA connection the motor runs fine Dec motor connected to the RA connection the motor runs without issue RA motor connected to the DEC connection and it runs for 5-15 seconds This does indeed suggest that the motors are fine and points the finger at the DEC board as being the cause. Its not clear form the pictures as to how they connect... Are the RJ ports used for inter board connections or are they used to connect the steppers to each board ? If they are interlink connections and you have access to a multi-meter (DVM) then you could check continuity of the cables (if you do this by touching the solder joints of the RJ connector with the cable in place then it also confirms the connection of the RJ plug and RJ socket as well). If the fault remains the same regardless which cable is used between boards then that rules the cables out. The part that I'm struggling with is what's causing it to run fine and then cut out in that 5-15 seconds. I'm not familiar with the system myself, but is there an option to update the firmware via a PC application. If so you could see if that works. If the firmware flashing is performed without any errors and the fault still occurs then it could possibly be the driver side of the board. Do any of the chips on the DEC board get hot when the motor runs ? You mention that the DEC motor seems to buzz when it stops. Can you confirm that the motors used are steppers and not DC servo motors (I can see what looks like an encoder disk and the letters "enc" are visible on the silk screen of the PCB). It may be irrelevant as the driver chips look to form an H bridge and if one side has failed then it might explain the buzzing from the motor. Chances are that a replacement board isn't available as a single litem and so a complete package has t be purchased. Depending on the age of the mount you may have a case under consumer law to have the board replaced. The fact that it might be out of warranty is irrelevant as its the fact that you would normally expect something to last for a reasonable length of time. The only caveat is that it would be clear that the mount has been opened up and "messed with" . If getting the retailer involved is not an option then before you look at getting a complete new goto kit let me have details of the chips involved and I would be willing to have a go at repairing the board. I can't promise I will be able to fix it, and there would be some costs involved such as postage and parts but it's an option. But you then have the weigh up the costs against that of a new complete kit. Drop me a PM if you want me to take a look at the board and we can go form there. I can make out that the microcontrollers used are PIC 16F chips, but can't make out the actual part numbers. Same goes for the smaller chips. If you could let me know what they are I could at least confirm that I can still get them. If the drivers have been discontinued / or impossible to source then that would scupper the repair before we started

Thanks Stu for the recommendation. Rob has dropped me a PM.

To rule out the motors, remove them from the mount and see if the same issue occurs. If it does then this suggests that the issue is electronic related rather than a mechanical issue such as a stuck bearing, thick grease restricting movement or bent shafts etc. The next thing to try is to swap the motors over at the point where they connect to the motor board. If the issue moves with the motor then this would suggest the issue is a faulty motor which will need replacing. If the issue doesn't follow the motor, and remains on the same output then both motors are fine and the issue is with the control board or handset. I've not read through the linked thread, but commercially there are two options available, a basic hand set or a goto handset. If its the goto handset then the fact the motor responds to the initial command to slew to a target suggests the handset would not be the cause. My gut feeling is that it's either a connectivity issue (the mount seems to be very similar to a Skywatcher EQ5 which used DIN plugs and leads between the two motors), so its worth checking that the motor wires are soldered nicely to the back of the DIN terminals, or that there is continuity between pins at either end of the cables. There was a thread where someone else has a fault on one axis and it was down to one wire on the back of a DIN socket that was just hanging on by one strand which would disconnect through movement). If after checking that and no bad solder joints are found, and all connections and cables check out OK then this just leaves the motor board as the cause. If it all points to the board as being the culprit then it's likely to be one of the H bridge driver chips. However replacing one is not something that someone with limited soldering experience could do. 99% of the Skywatcher boards I've repaired have been down to damage to the main processors, but I have replaced one H bridge chip on one board as it had no output whatsoever. Are you able to take a nice photo of the motor PCB and post it so I can see what components are used ? I can then advise further.

Doesn't matter if it was a laptop or mini-PC, 19v is still an over voltage for the control board, and is more than likely the cause of the original board failing. If your damaged EQ5 synscan box is lacking the USB port then there is a high probability it can be repaired. However if the damaged synscan unit looks identical to the one in the link provided then regretfully I lack the equipment to replace the main processor. All the control functionality is handled by the synscan unit. The motors should be able to handle 19v so its unlikely that they have been damaged. The options are (depending on board version) a repair of the existing synscan unit or purchase a new replacement that has the option of USB connectivity and will come with a full warranty. Either way a new 12v power source is needed to prevent repetition of the issue

Or something is binding, as the motors are reported to be "buzzing"

From Stevenage, Hertfordshire... I've never seen such a bright display this far south - Naked eye visibility even in a town !

Maybe contact your nearest retailer and go and look at some scopes and ask the salesman... you are not reading or taking on board the information I and others have provided

Yeah... I also get the feeling we are being trolled It's not great when you spend best part of an hour compiling a detailed post, explaining things only to get a single line response which contradicts what was mentioned in their previous posts. To the OP - we've given you lots of advice, now its down to you to do your own homework... I might even suggest the Mods lock this thread as we're going nowhere other than around in circles