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malc-c

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Everything posted by malc-c

  1. You have to open the EQMOD folder to locate the EQASCOM folder from the start menu, which contains the toolbox app, so you must have found it.. For reference C:\Program Files (x86)\EQMOD With the mount powered up if you click on the ASCOM CONNECT button of the toolbox application it should launch EQMOD and connect to the scope. If you then click on the spanner, can you see and configure your gamepad ?
  2. wow, resurrecting a 6 year old post !! Under your EQMOD folder you should have a gamepad monitor application - you could see if that's detecting the gampad Can you run the EQASCOM toolbox from the EQMOD/EQASCOM folder and configure the gampad
  3. Guys, no expert, but here's my 2p worth If you can control the mount via the handset, but not with any EQ-direct cable then the issue isn't with the motor control board, it's an issue with the comms board (the smaller board where the handset plugs in). If both the BT module and Shoestring cable work with another mount but not yours then this would suggest it's the serial port on that board that mount that is to blame. I've never been a fan of the Shoestring & BT modules, preferring the use of a direct cable connection based on a 5V FTDL USB cable. When EQMOD reports com errors it's either because the settings are wrong, the port on the computer is mis-configured, the connections aren't perfect, or the cable is at fault. If you are positive that these options have been explored then I have no other suggestions, especially as the handset communicates with the mount perfectly. One possible option is to buy one of the cables that plugs into the handset and set the handset to PC-DIRECT mode - this would confirm if there is simply a compatibility issue with your mount and the shoestring cable / BT module.
  4. I think that there would be little chance the main board has the same fault as mine as the mount is fully functional when used with the handset. I personally prefer a direct cable connection. Bluetooth has always seem flakey in my experience
  5. Wow, that's a strange one. The fact the mount works fine with the handset would suggest the main board is fine, and its an issue with the EQDIR / BT adaptor. But you say that they both work with a second mount ?? - very confusing. Do you have an other PC that hasn't been used with the adaptors and try and install EQMOD and Ascom on that, then connect up the EQDIR cable and see if it communicates with the mount. If it does then the issue is with the original installation on the main PC. This may be port handling within Windows, or simply a corrupt driver that needs re-installing.
  6. I just received an e-mail from OVL, they contacted a "skywatcher engineer" who gave the following response
  7. Geoff, thanks for the explanation. I was guessing it was more PSU related as the charge pump caps would seem to be the four smaller caps near the PWM driver chips
  8. Hi, No problem. It was the two 470uf 25v caps (top right of your picture). There was nothing physically obvious with them (no bulging or leaking) - I have no idea what part they play in the circuit, but swapping them out resolved the issue for me. Good luck
  9. Well, thanks to a recommendation from a fellow SGL forum member, I contacted a guy on the East Midlands Stargazers forum. It was suggested that I replace two capacitors on the board as these seem to be very sensitive to voltage drops / spikes and fail. I didn't have the right can size as the ones I had in my electronics box were 35v rated rather than the 25v rated fitted by synta, but they were persuaded to fit, and as it isn't as if anyone is going to see it ! Well I'm pleased to say the mount is now fully operational
  10. Does anyone know what the part number of the four 24 pin driver chips are on the mainboard are
  11. Thanks Chris for the confirmation that I'm on the right lines... so what do you think cold be the issue, or how to go about diagnosing the main board
  12. Thanks for the comments. Regretfully as the mount is permanently set up in an observatory I no longer have the handset, so have no other means of testing. As the mount requires an external USB to serial adaptor, this does indeed suggest that the communications is handled by the PIC micro, which would in turn suggest that the issue is driver chip related rather than processor. But the fact that 90% of the board is surfaced mount components diagnosing what needs to be replaced will be hard. It really peeves me that there is no easily replaced protection components on these boards, and power spikes, glitches etc can cause such a main component to fail - and at £100 a pop (no punn intended )
  13. Due to an accident last summer I've not used the telescope in the observatory over the winter period. A few weeks back I gave the observatory a spring clean, and checked the scope was still operational by driving it through RA and DEC using EQMOD on the PC, it was fine so parked the scope and that was that. Today I thought I would see how the sun looks, so powered up the mount from the Fusion 13.8v bench PSU, booted the PC, placed the solar filter on the scope and slewed to the sun. I needed to do a small adjustment using the gampad and that's when I first noticed something nor quite right, the mount began to track at the adjustment speed on the same axis, so I re-targeted in DCD and it locked on. A few moments later I could smell electrical burning coming from the area of the PC / PSU - I bent down to check the PC and as I did glanced at the PSU to see that it was still showed nothing untoward such as a massive current draw, which it wasn't, showing little over an amp being drawn. However the PSU then went POP and the display went out. I disconnected the wires to the mount and removed the unit. Opening it up the smell of cooked electronics was striking - but there was no sign of anything obvious, no smoke, no scorched components or anything burst open. The only thing I could find was a wet patch on the board which looked like it had sweated or a viscous fluid had leaked - but none of the capacitors had vented, unless it was from underneath. OK so I need a new PSU. But I need to power up the mount and park it so I don't loose all the sync points in EQMOD. I got a 12v -2amp wall block PSU from an old network switch and connected that to the mount. Where EQMOD was upset and displayed Time Out Comms issue, it now displayed Long / Lat/ RA / DEC info etc, so the mount was communicating with the PC, but I couldn't hear that audible high pitch whine from the mount, and using the gampad or PC the mount fails to move. I do however hear that initial clunk you get when you first power on the mount, so power is getting to something, although manually turning the motors there is no difference in resistance when power is turned on or off. I've tested with a DVM and I'm getting 5v (or close enough) on the main board connectors at various pins. So I'm at a turning point. Do I shell out the £100+ for a new main board, plus another £30 for PSU, or is there a possible simple fix. I've been involved in electronics for over 30 years and you would seldom find that a complete board has failed, and that it's often a small descrete component that has failed (diodes, or regulator) - seldom a PIC or driver chip. The thing is I'm not sure if the communications come from the main board which would suggest the PIC micro is running, or if it comes from the power board where the handset and power connectors are. Any suggestions ? Malcolm
  14. I must admit the felt I've used has held up, just my ignorance in thinking the way I folded and overlapped the felt at the edge of the boards would be enough. If I had used this flashing material with a belt and braces approach then the OSB may have been fine. If I ever need to re-felt the roof again, I may look at using the MDPM rubber. Maybe for those who are at the design stage should take on board the true amount of pitch required to ensure proper water run off. The fall on my roof was at the calculated minimum, but having it dropped by 2" wouldn't have caused me much of a problem in reality as I'm not a tall person.
  15. We'll almost 7 years since starting the build I've had to undertake my first repair to the warm room roof. The other week whilst getting something from the observatory I noticed that the inside rear corner wall had water marks running down it, and the internal plywood at the edge where it joined the wall was darkening and wet. I got the steps out and went up onto the roof to find standing water in a small shallow in that area. I couldn't do anything about it then given the snow and rain that we were having. Today the weather was decent enough to lift the felt and have a look at where the leak was coming from. I was shocked to see that the OSB under the felt was wet and falling apart. The area was about 8" wide by 18" long from the rear edge. The wood wasn't rotten or black, but you could break it easily with your hands. Considering the roof was fine (I stand on it whilst cutting a hedge) last Autumn, the damage occurred rapidly over the winter. It seems the water had got in between the folds in the felt at the end of the side panel, and then as the wetness was drawn up by the wood, it sagged causing the water to remain rather than run off (one of the pitfalls of having a shallow pitch). Having removed all the old damp wood I cut a strip of timber from an old draw front I had laying around and made it fit the hole as tightly as I could. This was then screwed into the frame and then covered with 150mm wide self adhesive flashing obtained from B&Q. This was quite pliable and could be moulded around the side panel and under the tracks for the roll off roof. I used several strips to cover the area and make a good seal. The felt was then re-laid and the track refitted. For good measure a further strip of the flashing material was applied over the fold of the felt to ensure no water could seep back up. It probably hasn't cured the standing water issue, but at least the water can't now (hopefully) get back in. So word of warning to anyone who is planning or constructing their own observatory. In hindsight I wished I had used 18mm exterior grade marine ply for the roof as it would have stood up to the water a lot better than the OSB and would have made the repair a lot easier. But then given this is the only issue I've had with the observatory in seven years I guess it's testimony to the construction methods used and I shouldn't complain. Some commercial sheds don't last this long
  16. I started this post five years ago (almost to the day) and pleased to say that my annual maintenance this year, like the last, consisted of a coat of preserve and the addition of a couple of galvanised nails to provide a better attachment of one small section of shiplap on the roof where the constant movement over the years and the expansion / contraction due to heat and cold had made a small gap between it and the frame. That was it for another year ! It's pleasing to find that something I've built has withstood temperatures from -12c to 35c (in the shade), 18" of snow, gallons of rain and hail the size of baked beans, and winds up to 62mph yet still looks as good as the day it was completed
  17. Martin, thanks for the comments. Looking forward to seeing your build.
  18. Fantastic construction... really solid. Keep the updates coming...
  19. These days with cat6 cabling it's less of a problem.
  20. Well the FTDI 232r -5v cable supplied to a UK address is the same price as a Hi-tec Astro cable from Rothervalley Optics. When these first came out they were upwards of £50 so it was worth making your own, but now there's hardly much point in a DIY option if obtaining the genuine FTDI cable.
  21. There is also a large blob of solder on the pins of the chip itself, which looks like it's shorting a couple of pins, so you may of been stuffed before you even unpacked the thing from the jiffy bag !
  22. The PL2303HX chipset has 3.3v TTL level I/O, not 5v. Some pins are pulled high to the 5v USB lines via internal pull-ups, which might explain why you are getting different voltage levels on different pins, although if it is connecte dto the mount, you will get nearly 5v on RX line as the mount will be sending TTL signals at 5v levels. The EQMOD site recommends using FTDI chipset at 5v TTL levels, and whilst these may well be 10x the price of the e-bay listing direct from FTDI, they work well and are well supported by FTDI if you ever experience an issue. Spending £15 on a decent cable is nothing when you have a mount costing £700 or more, and I personally wouldn't risk damage to the motor board by using something from HK at less than a quid.
  23. I was a "traditionalist" when I built my observatory, and went with the concrete filled pipe set into a large concrete block foundation. That's not to say that bolting several cinder blocks together to is less suited, or under-enginered for the job. But, IMO the foundation to which they attach should be of suitable depth and size to give the blocks a good standing. It's interesting to see two extremes to pier construction on the forum. From concrete slab and a couple of cinder blocks bolted together, to a rather substantial installation in this thread http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/247778-windy-knoll-observatory-my-build-thread/ These cinder block piers seem to have the advantage of being cheap to construct, but in reality (based on my costs when constructing my own) the costs compared to the traditional pipe and concrete block, the costs come out about the same. You could argue that the traditional way is more labour intesive, but that depends if you mix the concrete by hand or use a mixer. For me apearance plays a major factor in the things I make, and for me I would need to dress the blocks in some way, which is additional costs. The plastic pipe I used was simply sparyed mat black as the orange wasn't that appealing.
  24. Can't agree more !! WOW... makes a change to see the traditional cubic meter foundation above ground than below !! One thing for sure, that mount ain't gonna have any stability issues !
  25. Nice find.. I personally prefer not to rely on a mechanical connection, but for those who want a quick way of making an EQDirect cable, that's a great suggestion
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