palatine

so after dragging my scope out of retirement i found the handset for the focuser motor was knackered ( would sometimes work if you really mashed the buttons that felt shot).

i tried re soldering the parts of the board i could access but nothing worked as i felt the buttons and the variable dial had given up the ghost

so i thought "can i make one" and i turns out i could bastardising the old one and by buying a reversible and variable fan motor switch  this one

i removed the heat sinks off the board (cos i didn't think 9v would need em) and added an "on/off" switch and crammed them all into an old baccy tin i had alan keys in and bingo

used it for the first time last night. worked a treat and is actually better ( finer control ) than before 

i used one of those mobile phone magnetic mounts to attach it to the scope 

it even has lights to tell me the power is on / which way the motor is turning

which is better for a mix of visual and dslr photos

Astronomik CLS versus Baader neodymium moon and skyglow?

thanks

Ira

hello 

 does anyone use one of these? 

what are they like?

i hope to maybe use with my Star Adventurer and try my hand at a bit of astrophotography  

Footnote to this thread 

due to @malc-c and @ozarchie sorting out how to fix @Astro-Geek’s boards 

my scope is now back up and running 

thanks to all that assisted 

this is why these forums are so great. 

Ira 

HI  can testify to just how easy it is to fry these boards having toasted both do to me being very casual about what I plugged where. 

Be careful out there. And if you do mess up. Hit @malc-c up for a fix 

So far....

so good!... 

powered up without errors

slews without hesitation or fault 

just need to check the tracking once the clouds clear 

@malc-c If you ever need anything for your car. Hit me up. 

i have everything crossed....twice..

thanks again to malc for the help with my dead boards

is there a recording of this on youtube or somesuch?

thanks

ira

i have updated the handset today 

do i need to update the motor controllers?

Firmware: Skyliner Series Dobsonian GO-TO Mounts, Version 2.09

For 8" to 16" Dobsonian GOTO mounts. Support turning off auxiliary encoders.
   Size: 5 KB  |  25-06-2018  |  Motor Controllers

ok 

i have ran the same voltage test and got the same voltages as astro got for the main board 

checked cables and connections etc

checked the motors with a probe. they run with direct connection to teh probe 

what do i need to do/test to try to find whats wrong

also looking at the chips i dont think i have the skill set to solder them out or in again. they are very small 

thanks malc

i will go through the other thread and try to do the tests you have said

it will have to be tomorrow or saturday as i'm working tomorrow day

13 minutes ago, Astro-Geek said:

I'm afraid it looks as though you may have blown the main motor board just like I did.

It's an easy mistake to make with these Flextube Goto Dobs, because Skywatcher chose a dangerous combination of socket types on the main motor panel.

In the photo attached, it shows that the Synscan handset must be plugged into the smaller RJ socket on the left, which is a 6 way RJ12. (And when using the Starsense for Skywatcher accessory, the linking cable from the Celestron Skywatcher Adapter hub must also be plugged into the smaller RJ12 socket, and not the RJ45.)

The empty 8 way RJ45 socket next to it on the right, is exclusively for use with the special linking cable that goes down to the AZ motor in the base.

The big danger with this is that although they are labelled, it's so easy to plug an RJ45 accessory item, (such as an EQMod adapter, or the Starsense for Skywatcher linking cable) into this linking cable socket.  In my case, my RJ45 EQmod adapter immediately blew the PIC controller on the MC004 motor board inside.

The mistake is made even more likely because Skywatcher often do connect their Synscan handsets to the mounts via an 8 way RJ45 socket, like on the EQ5.

....However, on their AZ mounts, like the Goto Dobs, Skywatcher connect their Synscan controllers via a 6 way RJ12 connector lead.

It's such an easy mistake to make, and I'm so determined that in a possible future moment of forgetfullness I don't make the same mistake again, I'm going to make a neat little screw on clip that holds the RJ45 linking cable plug (semi) permanenty in place !

 

hi astror

yeah i think ive got my wires crossed as i think i tried evey combo of plug in every socket at one point

ive added photos to one of my posts...lol

12 minutes ago, malc-c said:

Following on from your post in AstroGeek's thread where we resolved his issue after incorrectly connecting an EQDir cable to his ALT board on his goto Dob let's get some info and then we're start trying to work out a plan of action.

1. Is the scope under warranty ? - If so then contact the dealer for assistance.  The fact the starsense is for use with Celestron and not Skywatcher telescopes I very much doubt that any repair would be frees  of charge
2. If the scope is out of warranty, which version of control board do you have.  On AstroGeeks thread his scope used two MC004 boards, one for each axis.  Newer models apparently have a single pcb populated with components, and a connector board for the AZ motor and sensors
3. Did you hear anything go pop when you plugged the star sense unit into the mount
4. We would need to research the pinouts for the startsense and whatever port you plugged it into so we can see what might have been blown.
5. Do you have access to any test equipment, the basic would be a digital voltmeter
6. Are you able to solder?

If you have read all 7 pages of AstroGeeks thread then you can appreciate diagnosing issues with the mount can be a round-about process, but with help from other members it is possible to bring back boards from the dead, and even re[program the PIC microcontrollers on them.... so it's possible that we can resolve this for you.  

Anyway, let's start by gathering as much information as we can.  However I didn't envisage starting a part time business repairing motor boards..... so can't promise that if it goes the same way as AstroGeeks board and the PICs were replaced that it would be as quick or as  cheap... there is only so much Kama I can give   

hi Malc

1 no i bought the scope about 7 years ago, the version of the starsense autoalign is for skywatcher scopes

2  mc004 boards on each axis photo's attached

3 didnt hear anything but i'm deaf on the left side so anything could have happened

4 how do i help do that,its beond my skill level of 0

5 i have a multimeter at work

6 yes i can solder

i really appreciate teh effort

if i need to buy new boards i will but i'm getting the vibe that that isnt that easy either

ira

i have advised to explain at length what has happened to my scope

so here goes

firstly the scope has been stored in the garage for nearly 4 years due to moving house and other factors 

a family of mice nested in the tube and i have cleaned it all out and the boards didnt lok to be damaged but what do i know

then i attempted to connect the starsense camera and handset to the scope but didnt have instructions so tried to plug the starsense handset into the aux port in the synscan handset with no success i then  plugged it direct to teh scope with no joy obvs.

i then worked out how to plug the starsense set up properly via google and there was zero response from the motors. the next day  i tried to go back to original synscan set up

and the handset gave the error message" cauion no response from both axes"

ive had a friend check that theres 12volt at teh main "side" board

i'm not very clued up with electronics so here i am 

thanks for looking 

ira

forgot to add photos, thus showing my luddite prowess 

29 minutes ago, malc-c said:

Ira, it might be worth starting a new thread for this... if you can include more information as to what you plugged in where, to what board, if both boards were connected at the time, and what actually happens when you connect the handset it will help.  Are you able to check the board for any obvious damage?

This Is my original post. I will write at length what I experienced later. 

Thanks 

ira 

sorry to hijack but i'm in dire straights..

can anybody help me?

i think ive messed up one or possibly both boards trying to connect a Celestron StarSense Accessory for Sky-Watcher Mounts to me 250 goto flextube dob 

any help would be appreciated

i'm not looking for a free fix but i can get any of the shops to even discuss it at the moment 

thanks 

ira

5 hours ago, Cornelius Varley said:

The Celestron WiFi adapter won't work if it is plugged into the SW mount, the two are incompatible. If the WiFi adapter is plugged into the Starsense adapter then it should work in theory. The SW Starsense has an interface which translates the commands from the Celestron handset and Starsense camera into Synscan mount commands.

This is what i  was hoping for

thanks 

unfortunately my scope is knackered so i cant test it

 i know this is an old thread but... does anyone have a spare hand controller? 

2 minutes ago, Cornelius Varley said:

I've moved it to the mounts section.

 

i was going to put it there first .

thanks

ps 

is this the correct sub forum? 

its all a bit new to me

will these work together? or has anyone tried?

my 250 flextube goto is broken so i can't try 

i have bought the starsense camera but have been told the celestron wifi adaptor doesn't work on skywatcher scopes 

thanks

ira

May I ask. 

How is the software compatible if you can’t connect to it? 

Sorry if this is a dumb question but I’m new to this sort of tech. 

My scope is the 250 flex tube goto. So I need someone who fixes skywatcher boards/mounts. 

Pooh. I’ve just bought one. Here’s praying they update the software so it is in the near future. 

Thanks