malc-c

David beet me to it.  Just cut the old connect off leaving enough wire to join the new wires from the stepper motor... Hopefully the colours are the same, but if not then you may need a multi-meter to check which wires form the coils

If your new PC is windows based the FTDI driver is built in.  Just plug in the EQDIR cable and it should be detected and the driver installed, with a Com port assigned under device manager.  Ensure its set to 9600 baud so as to communicate correctly with the mount

1 minute ago, Elp said:

Type in weather balloon into a search engine and see what comes up.

Could be... but then the balloon would need to be lit the same way as a noctilucent cloud as they have no self illumination.  And the object does appear to be spinning around the vertical axis....

Strange one.  It's a UFO in the sense that its an object that is flying and difficult to clearly identify   However if you search for high altitude surveillance balloons they do take on a similar shape rather then the round balloons used for weather data, and a more likely answer

The version of the PCB is stated on the board, which looks like to be Rev F  relates to the design, it will be the motor board firmware that can be found by using the Skywatcher firmware updater application.  I'm beginning to feel this is more mechanical such as having the drive on the wrong side of the mount, or back to front, possibly something the previous owner did ??   -  Changing the polarity of the motor wires, or reversing the assembly may be the way forward.  Skywatcher are not likely to change a tried and tested design for one model of telescope and then write a dedicated firmware to reverse the direction of one axis.

When you say Ascom, do you mean EQMOD or GSS software ?  Ascom is the underlying platform used to link and communicate between astronomy software.  If it's the custom park position in EQMOD then you could always place the mount in the default home position (facing North weights down) and use the custom "park to current position"  or one of the undefined  options in the dropdown list.

If you are using EQMOD then you can always delete the configuration files using the Toolbox option found in the EQMOD folder on the PC.  I don't think it will delete any alignment data, just the general settings.  You could always make a backup copy of the settings found in the C:\Users\[ insert User name ] \AppData\Roaming\EQMOD folder

Bill, some good advice from the other members, and the stack processed in DSS looks a lot better.  There are still some artefacts that are giving purple rings round the bright stars, but that may be down to how the Sony DSLR records the image, and could be removed with more processing.

You don't mention any darks or flats being used in the processing.  If you are simply stacking 20x 30sec exposures at a high ISO then you are compounding any noise in the images caused by the sensor.  I would suggest dropping the ISO down to around 800, and stick with 30s to start.  Take 50 or 60 images, and then cover the objective lens with the cap and take 40x 30s images.  This will form a start, and I'm sure others will chip in with how best to shoot the flats etc.   Look at the images and if you see any light trails or satellite trails, discard them.  Stack both the remaining lights, and the 40 darks and then see what results you get.  I would suspect you'll still get some distortion at the edges of the result, but hopefully the result will be better. 

18 hours ago, ben_mtl said:

How would you explain the fact that I have two Az board supposedly identical (MC004 Rev F) that move the motor in opposite direction ? I thought about a different firmware version but not sure that would make any sense...

There is one subtle difference between both MC004 boards.  One will have a resistor connected between a pin on Port A of the microcontroller and +5v, the other the pin is pulled to GND.  The firmware reads if this pin is grounded or has voltage and depending on what it finds configures the board to control either the ALT or AZ axis.  The direction of the axis is down to two things.  Physical placement of the mount / scope, or in the case of software driven mounts using EQMOD or GSS, the RA reverse or DEC revers check box has been ticked.  I haven't used a handset in years so don't know if such an option exists in the handset firmware and either enabling or disabling that will make your scope track in the correct direction

4 hours ago, Bill Maxwell said:

Scope mounted on AZI GTI.

Not saying this is the issue, but AZ mounts are not really "ideal" for imaging.  The reason being is that you get field rotation.  Now at 30 second exposures with 20 subs the rotation won't be a lot, and most stacking applications can process the rotation out to align the stars correctly, but when you start taking longer exposures of fainter objects then the rotation can be an issue as longer subs have the rotation in them which causes odd shaped stars.

Is the JPEG just a single sub ? - the aircraft light trails suggest it is unless they appear on every sub ?? 

very nice

Uhmmm strange one.  The fact that the mount moves both axis and doesn't report any errors (communication or other) would suggest that the actual boards are working and that the directional issue is more of a set up problem similar to the ones people get with EQ3 / EQ5 when they rotate the DEC axis 180 degrees and put the scope on the dovertail.  The controller thinks it's point up when in fact pointing down due to the orientation of the motors.

I don't know enough about these mounts to know if reversing the polarity of the motors will work or will risk damaging the MC004 boards.  In theory it should be fine as the motors used are DC and the driver doesn't appear to be referenced to ground.  In essence the driver makes one output (say the red wire) 12v and the other output GND to move in one direction, and then makes output 2 (black wire) 12v and the output1 GND to move in the opposite direction.  All the positioning is done through the encoders.

You're welcome to try it, but I accept no responsibility if the board goes bang !

Getting something with the latest gen processors is preferable to something that uses five year old technology and is a few generations behind the current, but then it's down to your work flow.  My main PC is a first generation Ryzen 5 1500x  with 16GB DDR4 RAM.   It handles rendering 4K HDR video from my Panasonic camcorder, and stacking 40 subs from my Canon D400 taking seconds per sub rather than minutes compared to the dinosaur this machine replaced.  I've lost track what generation Ryzen processors are now at, but I dare say if I swapped out the processor (and possibly the motherboard) for one of the new mid range Ryzens it would leave my 1500x standing...  But then if I'm doing a project that is likely to take hours to render I just let it do so in the background or leave the PC running overnight.   It's really down to your own needs rather than being sucked into the mad fast ever changing world of IT that makes the current fastest or highest core count processors this month obsolete the next !

To contrast this, I still use an old Core 2 duo Pentium with 4MB DDR3 ram and a 1TB 7200 mechanical drive as the Observatory PC.  It runs EQMOD, APT, CdC, and PHD2 that keeps the 200P on target and take 20, 30, 40 or more subs and darks.  It works and there is no real point at throwing an expensive modern PC in its place to do the same.  The point I'm trying to make is that if your current PC does the job its asked to do, such as stacking and processing an imaging run with DSS, but it takes most of the afternoon doing so, is the saving a modern machine offers in time going to impact you enough to justify the investment ?   If the original i5 mini computer the OP linked to is a real improvement over the current PC, and isn't bothered about the time it will take due to thermal throttling, or just a single monitor output, or the lack of expansion then it will do the job fine.  

I agree with the other posters in that unless there is a need for portability or for the PC to be mounted at the scope then look at getting a tower or desktop PC.  One thing to take onboard is that often these small NUC type PCs use the mobile version of the processor, which whilst still having the same processor  / core count has a lower THD of 28w so its performance will not be as good as a similar i5 for desktop.  The processor used in the mini PC linked to in the post above (there is a discrepancy in the title and description as to what processor is fitted !)  does indeed use the mobile variant.  The processor is also based on five year old architecture but still has hyperthreading to all 8 threads.  The listing mentions expandability, but it could mean that you have to remove 2 x 8GB memory modules and replace them with 2 x 16GB to get the 32GB stated, rather than simply adding another two 16gb DDR4  modules.  The expansion of storage in todays standards is poor, to only 2TB at most.  Given we process large files, often stacking 20 or more images at a time, that 2TB could be filled very quickly.   With a tower system the expansion is a lot easier with an 8TB mechanical drive that can be used for archiving images / subs coming in at around £125.  The main advantage IMO is that you can install a dedicated graphics card rather than use the built in GPU in the processor.  Now it could be that the software is more CPU than GPU orientated, but having the ability to connect two or more monitors makes working with files a lot more convenient, something that the mini PC lacks as it has just the singe HDMI port.  If you later purchase processing software  that does use GPU more than the processor then it's far easier to upgrade the graphics card in a tower, with the mini PC your stuck with its built in GPU.

The only drawback... cost.  A typical entry level home PC (Ryzen 5 4600G @ 3.75Ghz), 8GB DDR4 RAM, 500GB Nvme Samsung 980 SSD and built in wi-fi) will set you back around £500 these days, and that also uses the inbuilt graphics, and lacks storage space.  For something with a lot of punch, memory and storage space you could be looking at a grand for an entry level workstation !  But then like everything these days, you tend to get what you pay for.

23 hours ago, kbrown said:

Not sure how much torque is required in this application so this might not be suitable: I have successfully modelled (FreeCAD + Gears add-on) and 3D printed timing pinions and pulleys. I always used helicoil style thread inserts for the grub screws. Can't tighten them too much as it's easy to break or deform them by doing so.

Not sure of the initial torque required to get the scope moving, but it's enough to separate the flange of an ali pulley once it's been bored out as there is very little material left.

I'm not an expert in 3D printing, but if the material is hard enough this could be an option as the pulley would be made from one single piece, much the same way as the motor pulleys in an Rowan kit

By the time you've purchased or had parts made to replicate the same gearing ratio as found on the goto bases, including the encoders it would be cheaper to just buy a new mount.   Even if you could get the MC004 or MC003 motorboards they retail for around £130, plus another £150 for a pair of motors, and then around £150 - £180 for the synscan handset.

5 hours ago, g-rex said:

Thanks for the replies and ideas. Appreciate the offers but turns out someone I know has a lathe so he's going to sort them for me 🙂

malc-c the ratio is 5 to 1 (60 tooth and 12 tooth) Its going to be running on Onstep so it's just a case of re-flashing the chip with the correct number of steps. Onstep have a calculator for this and it worked ace when I went from eq3-2 to eq5. I think the Rowan mod is 5.2 to 1 so it's pretty close. 

 

Thanks again 👍

 

That's OK... just wanted to confirm you weren't expecting it to work with any handset which uses the stock 9:47 ratio.

I would advise you to have any modifications done using a lathe and or mill.  Part of the problem I had was getting the pulley to fit the shaft of the motor and remain concentric, and given the design of the pulleys it's easy to get it wrong.  The alternative is to have something like the Rowan kit and machine it from a solid piece of ali.

I think if you tried to convert it to a ROR you'll run into some issues.  One being clearance as you will need to brace the roof with some sort of truss arrangement.  The fact its made from steel section makes the structure fairly solid and less likely to flex.  I would agree with a couple of other posts that it might be more prudent to try and fix the leaks or try and design a way the two halves of the roof overlap so as to prevent water ingress.  Possibly replace the OSB with T&G boards over a membrane to help keep the rain out.  Particle board is not really ideal IMO as it will swell and crumble due to damp and wet.

12 hours ago, di0de said:

Hello all,

I was pointed here by @jmdl101 when I asked if he had any leads on an MC004 over on CN. I had some issues with a Flextube 200p that I just picked up used... tried updating the firmware via wifi dongle and it failed repeatedly. Synscan hand control was unreponsive and I couldn't update it or reach the motor controllers via serial cable. I have spent the last couple of days digesting this incredible thread and I'm happy to say my issue is resolved! It wasn't as dire as some of those that Malcolm et al have helped but it sure had me worried for a while when Skywatcher's "solution" was to buy a new base for $700 USD + tax and shipping... available in April or May.

I learned a heck of a lot about how these scopes are engineered (if you want to call it that...) and I will be extra careful not to make any of the mistakes (if you want to call them that!) that others have made. Many thanks to you awesome folks for dedicating your time to helping others. I will create a separate thread sharing my issue and solution in case others get caught in the same situation in the future.

Cheers from Canada! (It will be -13 and clear tomorrow night and I'm looking forward to getting my first view of Mars :D).

That's really good to hear you've resolved the issue encountered.  I can't take credit for this threads content.  If it wasn't for several other clever people here and on other forums who have basically reverse engineered the motor boards and pointed me to the tools used to convert the firmware etc.  Without them I woudn't have been able to offer my "skills" to replace the chips.

I would suggest you document your issue and the resolution on this post, or if you have already created the thread include a link to this thread so others can have a read and either attempt a repair themselves or drop any of the contributors a PM for advice, or make a request for a board repair.

Glad to hear your scope is back up and running, and hope it stays clear for you.

Have a read of this old post  Some links may be broken as it's over a decade old and the forum has since been updated.  -  You may also run into ratio issues as the gearing isn't as simple as 4:1 or 5:1 so you will need to run the mount from a PC using EQMOD with custom gear ratio setting

To elaborate a little on Wookies post . Here's a ring fitted to my 200P - just above the top mounting ring

7 minutes ago, Richard Wesson said:

Following mac-c's suggestion going into the network listing on the laptop I clicked on the NUC and initiated remote connection. This appears to connect. The only issue I now have, is that when signing in, I get as far as the sign in page and the user states 'other user' and does not recognise the password... 

I think this may need to either be the admin account, or set up a guess account on the NUC and try using the same credentials when RDC from the laptop.

2 minutes ago, Richard Wesson said:

I think I may be close to solving this. As suggested by Steviedvd, I connected the NUC aand the laptop to the wifi of the mini router. Suddently, the LAN connection on the NUC showed the mini-router was connected! I  retstarted and without wifi, the mini router is still connected. 

 

So with the NUC connected to the mini router via wireless, and the laptop connected via wireless to the mini-router,  both machines join the same network and you can get to the login credentials when trying to RDC into the NUC.  But, with the NUC connected to the mini-router via cable the NUC was not accessible ?

On 10/01/2023 at 20:57, Richard Wesson said:

 

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : AstroLAN
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::16a:8604:d8a7:2554%7
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.2
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

Wireless LAN adapter WiFi 2:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : home
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::b8e0:8b5d:ca2c:8340%16
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.157
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254

From the TP Link manual

DHCP Server - Enable or disable the DHCP server. If disabled, you must have another DHCP server within your network or else you must configure the computer manually.

•Start IP Address - Specify an IP address for the DHCP Server to start with when assigning IP addresses. 192.168.0.100 is the default start address.

•End IP Address - Specify an IP address for the DHCP Server to end with when assigning IP addresses. 192.168.0.199 is the default end address.

If by default the TP Link mini-router IP range starts at 0.100, then with IPConfig returning 192.168.0.2 would suggest that in the past the router has been accessed and the IP range has been changed.

Ignore my post asking you to try two cabled connections.  Having looked up the manual for the router I see it has just one LAN port.

On 08/01/2023 at 19:13, Richard Wesson said:

I use a mini PC at my mount which I remote into in a similar manner to this:

 

This has worked well with my previous mini-pc (ACE PC Mini OC with Apllollo Lake J3455 CPU). I use the same TP-LINK mini router as in the post above. 

However, at the end of last year I picked upp a used Intel NUC (513myhe) with intel i3. This is where the probelms began. Connecting the mini-router as above I tried to remote in to the NUC. No joy - despite the laptop being able to see the WIFI network created by the router. 

 

Can you see either computer from each other?  ie open "This PC" and under Network is the NUC listed on the Laptop and vice versa ?

3 hours ago, Kev M said:

IP address for Laptop when connected to portable router needs to be checked to make sure it is not the same as the NUC ip address

Kev, that's what we've been asking the OP to confirm. 

I raised this point on the first page when he listed the IP configs for the two routers, which use two different VLans   One  router uses 192.168.0.1  the other 192.168.1.1  - This confused me as the OP stated that the Home LAN wasn't being used, as he simply wanted to connect the NUC to the mini router using a network cable and then connect the Laptop to the mini-routers wifi and be able to remote desktop between the Laptop and the NUC.  In theory if both the Laptop and NUC have their settings set to automatic, and the mini-router has DHCP enabled both computers should be issued with an IP address / subnet mask on the same network.  So we've asked the OP to verify what network properties is reported by both machines, and if the option for file and printer sharing along with RDC has been enabled on both machines.  We've also asked the OP to confirm what version of Windows is running on both machines and there is no option for RDC on Windows 10/ 11 Home editions. 

Once the OP has reported back with this information then we (hopefully) may be able to advise where the issue is.   He seems PC savvy so we might be teaching him to suck eggs, but hopefully between us all we can get him up and running once more with this new NUC in place of his old PC 

One other thing to try.... If you connect the old mini PC to the same router as the NUC using a cable connection (ie so both are hard wired) and confirm that the file and print sharing is set on both machines, can you see and RDC between then both ?  Or if you used a cable connection between the laptop and NUC can you RDC to the NUC from the Laptop ?