malc-c

* Why, on Earth, would Sky-Watcher put a USB type-B port on the hand controller, but not allow it to be used to program/control it. It is used as a power supply port. The handset does actually have a Prolific 2303 chip which is a USB to TTL serial adapter, that statement about it just being used to power the handset is incorrect * USB was invented in 1994 and shortly after that PCs stopped carrying COM ports. Why would Sky-Watcher have a COM-port based interface for their mount? It’s been 16 years guys. The upgrade is overdue. Cost.... Whilst there may be new revisions that utilises changes such as those discussed here, namely the move form DIL package drivers to SOIC, the design is still the same, the firmware is still the same. To design a new board around a new processor with built in USB and to re-write the firmware is a big undertaking.... but its happening. The new boards are being brought out, but again they will use the serial protocol because that is what is used in the handsets, and by 3rd party software, so applications such as EQMOD, NINA and possibly the ASCOM platform would need a re-write and compile to use native USB protocol

Well you can't do any more that that.... I think you're run out of options and a replacement is the only way to resolve it. Was the mount like this when you received it? If it was it's a bit naughty of the vendor to sell it in that condition, but then again, maybe it developed the fault which was why it was listed. If the latter then the vendor should have stated that it had this fault. - Still no point in raking over old coals, it is wat it is.

Your board is also the newest revision which uses the ARM ST processor. The tell tail USB - B socket gives the game away.

You should be able to connect the USB cable between the handset and the PC as it has an in built serial port. It should show up as a new COM port in device manager. You may need to change the baud rate to communicate with the handset. By default 9600 is the speed set, but the other to try is 115,200. You also need to put the handset into a setting called PC-DIREC which allows the firmware to be passed through the handset to the mount. Once everything is connected and powered up the firmware uploader should detect the com port (or manually choose it) and then you should be OK to upload the firmware. You do not need an EQDIR cable between the PC and the serial cable from the handset. Older version that do not have a USB port used a serial cable (that is normally supplied with the mount) and a true serial to USB adapter (ie ones that produce true RS232 levels) to communicate. DO NOT use an true RS232 to USB adaptor to connect between the PC and the Synscan unit. You WILL blow the board for sure. If you want to replace the handset with a connection to a PC then use the appropriate EQDIR cable

That's certainly not sounding right. The spooling up and down seems to be out of phase. Fingers crossed flashing of the firmware sorts that out. It's certainly an old board. rer I circa 2010, which would suggest this is a board used in EQ3 / EQ5 as there is no jumper for the EQ35M. You'll also notice that the driver chips on the later revision board shown at the beginning of the thread are the surface SOIC type where your board uses the older DIL through hole type. Can you confirm the mount you purchased is indeed a EQ35M and not a bog standard EQ3 ? - Do you know the history of the mount, and if the previous owner has replaced the boards. at any time. I would drop Ian at RVO an email to confirm which revision their board is, and if it's rev J with the two jumpers then it should be a straight forward swap. If you do end up replacing the board don't bin the old one. I'm always after a challenge and it would be fun to have a play about and see if I can get to the bottom of the issue

Re-reading through the thread (which I should have done to recap) it seems the same board is used in all three mounts, so yes the one RVO have listed should be a drop in replacement once the jumper has been removed. I would suggest you try replacing the A3992SBT that relates to the affected axis, but sourcing them from a UK supplier is harder than finding hens teeth. E-bay have some listed at around £10 each and may take 4-6 weeks for delivery... Most UK suppliers such as Farnell don't have the DIP packages in stock, and the TSSOP packages have a 365 day lead time !! Looks like the only option is to look at getting a new replacement board

The $64,000,000 question. Unless someone has done this before we can only speculate. Googling EQ35M Motor Board throws up images of an EQ3/5 board, so you could assume that it would work in an EQ35M. However it could be a case of a simple stock image being used rather than the exact one for the 35m. If your synscan unit has a built in USB socket then that would suggest it used the newer boards based around ARM processors, so the images would be wrong. Interestingly one retailer uses the image above with the blue circles....( https://tavcso.hu/termek/MotherEQ3 ) thus proving the point that you can't go by images alone Best advice would be to post up images of the PCB in your synscan unit (both sides if possible) and compare them to the EQ3/5 board above. This will confirm which MCxxxx board it is. However if the board is responding to commands and not giving any "no response" messages then the fault would appear more power related through the drive train rather than related to the Micro Controller. It could be the supply you are using, or anything from a capacitor braking down to the actual driver chip. What power source are you using ? - Does using a different supply of the same voltage but capable of providing more amps make any difference? You could try reflashing the firmware, just in case this has been corrupted, but my gut feeling is that won't make much difference. You could also drop OVL, the main importer and distributor for SW in the UK, an email and post the question to them. If they confirm that the same MCxxx board is used in all three models then you might be able to obtain a spare direct from them or via FLO or RVO (other retailers are available ). How old is the mount. Under consumer law you should expect an item to last a reasonable amount of time, regardless of any warranty offered. If it's just outside the warranty period you may be able to have the mount repaired under consumer law through the retailer you purchased the mount from.

Yes it's the SOIC with the red blob on it that needs replacing. As I said it's not difficult to replace them, but you are really jumping in the deep end if you've never soldered before. Soldering the new one is the easy part, removing the old one without damage to the pads or tracks on the PCB is the tricky part. Any business offering PCB fabrication, or even a decent TV repair centre that repairs to component level should be able to do the swap with their eyes closed A good quality flux also helps to get the solder flowing, and avoid lead free solder if possible

probably down to all the listening its doing and sending it all back to Google so as best to taylor your next youtube experience

Just pop out one night with a ladder and stick a bit of card around the light so it's less of a problem I'm sure no one will notice Hope you get over your cold soon. I too am suffering, thought hay fever, but anti-histamine had no effect, CV test was clear so just a nasty summer code. I'm sure we can wait until you are back up and firing on all cylinders

Personally I think you will be pushed to find anything that with that sort of budget other than an illuminate reticle that would give you a set of cross-hairs to manually guide the mount, but then you really need an off-axis guide adaptor or a guidescope that has a standard eyepiece fitment, both of which takes you over your 100 euro budget. And it still requires a second motor on the DEC axis so you can make adjustments in both directions.

Excellent, yes that is an older board, with the PIC16F886 - How good is your soldering skills ? - the old chip can be removed using a dedicated hot air gun, or you can carefully cut the legs off using a dremel with a cutting disk, and the remove the legs using a soldering iron. If that's not an option, do you know of any local repair shop, or company near you that could remove and resolder a new chip in its place ? If so drop me a PM and we can sort out getting a replacement programmed and sent to you.

As I mentioned, web cameras have been used, but they tend to be more high end than the cheaper ones. MS Lifecam has been used and is easy to adapt to fit a standard focuser. Phillips SPC 900 webcams work well, but are now so old they are not easy to come by. As for the onestep, I believe it requires stepper motors of a particular type - all is explained in that link The problem you have is that you are wanting to take your imaging up to the next level, but lack the funds to do so.... Imaging isn't cheap when done seriously.

I'm no imaging guru by a long shot, but I know darks taken after an imaging session helps with the result. But I am very impressed with the results you are getting taking lots and lots of short exposures. Personally if you are still set on using guiding to get longer exposures then I would save up a little more and get the enhanced set of drive motors with the ST4 port. Then look at guide scope options. One of the cheapest ways is to use a SW finder scope and camera. The 9 x 50 scope and guide camera combos are around £200 (ZWO 120MM Mini camera included). You can then use a laptop with PHD2 to handle the guiding, with the camera relaying control commands via the ST4 port. This really is probably the cheapest option to get started. The onestep system is fine if you are into electronics and don't mind going down the DIY route. Its worth investigating, and may give you more for your money but it's not going to be plug and play.

Given the equipment listed you should be very proud of the results. Your polar alignment must have been very precise if those images were taken unguided. It might be useful to post up how you got them, ie exposure, ISO settings etc and how many lights / darks etc were taken and what your post processing is so others with basic equipment can be encouraged to get into imaging

@Lotinsh Right, that's the basic motor drive. This one is the controller with an ST4 guide port. You mentioned you were looking at getting into guiding and that was why you were asking if the HEQ5 kit would work. I'm not entirely sure what it is you are hoping to achieve. The drive on the RA axis that you have should ne more than adequate to track a target for visual use provided you have the scope polar aligned. Guiding is associated with taking images through the scope. Are you looking at doing some astrophotography? What exactly are you wanting to so because without knowing this we could all be wasting time recommending equipment that you either don't need or is beyond your budget. Guiding falls into two categories, manual or automatic. Manual system typically use a special eyepiece that has a cross-hair in it and you make the small adjustments to keep a target star under the cross-hair. Thus having dual axis drives helps as you can compensate for any error in polar alignment. Automatic guiding works on the same principle, only its software running on a computer in conjunction with a camera that makes the corrections. So tell us exactly what you want to do and then we can best advise you what you need. But if you have no budget to speak of then it's going to be a non starter

Yes, post up some pictures. I'm confident the unit is an older PIC based unit given the fact it's out of warranty and you use an EQDIR cable rather than a USB cable. The newer revisions have a USB-B type port in them (with a TTL Serial to USB convertor chip like that used in an EQDIR cable internally )

That's not bad turn around for the price. If they do the job then its money well spent.

I'm still confused (easily done) - because after points 4 and 5 the mount (presumably handset) is left in a working state. But having said that I think I see where the confusion is. Should the description have read ? 2. Connect handset from my SW HEQ5 to my EQ3-2 and I get the "both axes no response" message 3. Connect EQMOD cable to my EQ3-2 and get failure to connect 4. Connect the same handset to HEQ5 and it works perfectly 5. Connect the same EQMOD cable to HEQ5 and it works perfectly 6. Inspect Synscan EQ3-2 motherboard with magnifying glass and can see no sign of blown components. PS If you have one of the older syscan boards which have 2x 16F886's but lack the option to program them drop me a PM and we'll try and sort something out.

Can you be more specific on what motor set you have on your EQ5. The enhanced dual motor kit for this mount is around £140 and has an ST4 port which can be used for a direct connection between the guild camera and mount. This is not that far off your budget (assuming you already have a guide camera with an ST4 port) and would at least allow you to dip your toe into the dark science of imaging without the need to try and perform surgery on a standard single (or dual) axis motor unit.

But you mention an HEQ5 - no mention of EQ3-2.... If the fault lies with an EQ3-2 then why confuse matters by stating the HEQ5 in your original post ? If an EQDIR cable and a Handset fails to connect to a Synscan unit then the chances are that the synscan has a fault. This is either blown diodes (by that there will be no physical signs of damage, but the internal part has gone) on the TX/RX lines, or the serial UART on one or both PIC microcontrollers have been damaged. Have a read of this thread which may give you some assistance. If your sysnscan unit on the eq3-2 has a USB B port then ignore the suggestions in that thread - the newer units have an ARM processor and programming one of these and replacing it is a more specialist task than most home users.

The no response message basically means that the handset (and EQMOD) doesn't receive a response to the initial message sent by the handset / EQMOD to find out what motorboard it is communicating with. You don't mention if you powered down the mount between swapping handsets and EQDIR cable (swapping them whilst powered up is a good way to blow the motor board). There is nothing damaged with the board as you state in options 4 and 5 that communication is established / re-established. I would advise you stick with using either just the handset or just the EQDIR cable. The firmware is expecting one or the other to be connected at power up.

Nope, mainly for the reasons already mentioned. Physical size is different, step count is different, gearing is different, and the firmware in the control board is written for the specs of the HEQ5, so this would need overwriting with the EQ5 code, which whilst older boards use the same PIC microcontroller, the boards use different driver chips so the EQ5 code will most likely not work with the HEQ5 motor board.

It's difficult to make suggestions as it can depend on what you are classing as a star party. This could be half a dozen friends meeting up for a few days or a public event such as the SGL events, Both will have differing requirements. A public event will need some third party public liability insurance. It's not just cover should someone trip over a tripod and end up in A&E, it also covers damage to the equipment and any thefts etc. Also the venue for a public event should have access to toilets and have suitable car parking, ideally away from the area people are viewing from. Naturally if you want to hold an event for one night only then three is little need to worry about where people will sleep. If its an event spread over three days or more then location may dictate what facilities are offered. A commercial camp site will have pitches with hook ups for power, water and even toilets so those with camper vans can just hook up and have all the home from home conveniences. Also there is options for catering, such as inviting burger vans or pig roasts, and if so the cost will need to be covered by those attending... Maybe PM one of the SGL moderators who organise the SGL parties. They should be able to provide you with answers to most of your questions.

Do you launch EQMOD and then launch NINA and try and make the connection, or do you get NINA to launch EQMOD from within NINA. This error can occur when there is more then one instance of EQMOD running, Or there is a permissions issue as EQMOD needs to be run at administrator level. You could also ask the question on the EQMOD user group to see if they have any other suggestions