DaveL59

ahh I've spent a few days trawling around the XDA developers forum looking at what Note-X ported ROM's are around for this old note-3. The Note-7 port ran nice but was android 6 so SkEye would load and work but not starsense - play wouldn't even offer it. So I've moved up to an AOSP ROM now that is droid 10 and got it to install. The message about incompatibility is different I think, means you are on android 7.1 so the app installs. I guess it may be something about a hardware component it was looking for and either didn't find or found older firmware than it expects. I notice that on the play store app reviews there's many who said it works a couple times then says incompatible and doesn't work after. Guess we'll find out as we try. Did your app report it was a beta when first fired up? Mine did on the note-3 but can't recall it doing that on the note-10

just reflashed my old note-3 to android v10, loaded up a few apps including starsense explorer as that wouldn't install on the N7 ROM version (android 6.0.1). Funny when I fired it up it said not compatible, then seems to run just fine after that. I guess I'll know more once mine arrives and I have an unlock code to try and see if the camera and everything are picked up correctly.

Doh good spot Alan, I'd not noticed that!

I expect it'll need programming, unless a replacement can be sourced but sounds like there's no support now for this board. Not sure if the PIC chip would've survived as no clue which it is or the specs for it. Could be worth replacing the 7805 and try see if we're in luck...

ouch, that's not so good, sounds like the regulator may have failed short-circuit, not sure how the PIC would've handled that 😞

ok so the 12v feed to the end of the diode is good so at least the supply circuit is still sound up to that point. I'd expect to see the below on the board so if you aren't getting 5v then it sounds like the regulator has failed. But first check that you are getting 12v at the other pin 🙂

Can you confirm you have 12V at the band-marked end of the diode D3? Sounds like the voltage regulator may be dud if there's 12v at the diode, I assume it'll be something like a 7805 linear regulator, should be marked on the front.

Hi Astrid I think it varies as I have both SloMo cables on one EQ5 and knobs on the other.

worst case I wonder if something like this could full the role? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GSM-ROLLER-SHUTTER-OPENER-MOBILE-PHONE-REMOTE-CONTROL/321125300037?hash=item4ac48f3745:g:uIIAAOSwcOFWatKP

hehe I've never messed with PIC's but at this stage I'm thinking along the lines of basic circuit diagnostics. With luck it might just be something simple, if it is the PIC then I've no clue how we get that tested or programmed, esp without the original code. At least part of the upside is it's old pin-in-hole stuff, much easier to work with 😉

can you check that the electronics side if the circuit is getting 5v? Should be present across this small capacitor for example. at least that'd prove the 5v regulator side is still working and not gone open circuit. I'm assuming that is the regulator next to the cap and that D3 is a protection diode against reverse polarity. Worth checking that diode is passing correctly too if you don't find 5v coming off the regulator.

looks then that the relay was switched to connect that output pin to com/ground Which would explain the burned track and the fuse not being affected. Quite likely that the relay was toast internally, can you continuity test that pin 1 against the others? If you get continuity across to pin 2 or 5 then your 12V would have hit the 5v side of the circuit which may not be the best news, especially if the board was also still powered at the time. Are Rigel able to offer a circuit diagram at all or troubleshooting tips?

am wondering about these 2 marks in the back of the board, is there a component we can't see from the angle of shot for the other side? Pin-out for the relays looks like: so that track that burned looks to be connected to the switched pin-1 that leads to the left-most pin on J1. Does imply a short when you applied voltage direct to the motor wires. Did the fuse on the board survive? Worth testing with a meter as some can look intact but have failed tho with a track burning I'd expect a fuse would be very blown too.

challenges, challenges huh Gina 🙂 Might be a stronger motor is the way to go, as a slight breeze could leave you still under-powered?

Mine should arrive Monday Steve. Hoping it'll work ok on EQ mounts as most of mine are. Was thinking much the same re the scope and if I can rig something for my phone on the Joby holder then the starsense pod can stay on the scope and be either a lightweight to carry when out or be passed to daughter/grandkids to use.

I'm hoping it'll work fine on EQ mounts too as most of mine are, will see soon, hopefully. Should arrive monday but when the skies will play ball is another matter as ever 😉

at least there will be no need to fiddle with focus and getting more mag will be a simple pinch-to-zoom for hubble-like views 😉

would be nice but rained all day here and still is 😞 Hope you get to enjoy the views tho 🙂

decided to have a closer look at the other angle finder and open it up to see what the rattle is. Vainly hoping it might be the missing detent pin of course but no such luck. So here it is, a pretty simple affair really, an angled mirror that the objective projects onto and ahead of the eyepiece end a pair of lenses that handle the image flip. The rattle is coming from the lens cell pictured which uses a crimp at 120 degree separation around the edge to secure the lenses in place. Not something I think I'll be attempting to try to open up, may just melt a drop of wax at the edges to try get the lenses to stay put a bit better (worked fine on the Wetzlar Jagd's so could be worth a go). Still need to sort something for the missing detent pin, looks to be m2.5 diameter and approx 3.5mm long, so a ball bearing of m2.5 and a small packing piece might work if I can lay my hands on a single ball bearing from somewhere.

investigated the securing screw issue on the TAL100RS finder foot, unfortunately not viable to re-tap to 5mm as the hole is too close to the edge. So the solution I adopted was to run a drill through the existing hole and drill out the opposite side using the original hole to help guide the bit. Then a simple re-tap from the other side with a 4mm HSS tap and we're in business. The bevelled inner edge of course guided the drill downward into the plate base but that's fine. A touch of black paint pen and it'll look passable 😉 So, on with the finder and yes, it's holding nice and secure as it should be Of course I'll continue with using nylon thumbscrews here so the ally doesn't end up chewing out the thread again as it had done with the original screw in previous ownership, it was always loose since I purchased this scope so is about time I put it right 🙂

after umming and ahhing on this one I just pulled the trigger and ordered from Harrison's, damn you SGL throwing temptation at my credit card 😄

Gave the SV171 8-24mm behemoth a spin earlier since I could see Jupiter was out, tho lots of cloud so wasn't expecting much. Set up the TAL100RS and Jupiter snapped nicely into focus at the 24mm end. No detail at all just a white ball, seeing very poor so no surprise. Zooming in I had to tweak focus around halfway, the white ball grew a little bigger but down at the 8mm end was hard to pin focus, just a ball of fuzz really. Jupiter then blinked out so I expect that was the thin cloud badly aflicting the view. Not a great test to be fair but I was itching to get a look at something celestial with this one, will redo on a better night when I can also switch to other fixed eyepieces to compare. For sure it's not quite parfocal but with the good reports I'm hoping that for £49 it'll be a nice buy and very handy for quick sessions rather than swapping EP's to and fro 🙂

tonight I notice Jupiter vaguely showing, lots of cloud which doesn't help but thought I'd at least give the finder mod and the zoom EP a quick try. Had to reverse the finder bracket for a more comfortable fit but it worked well and much easier to switch from EP to finder and back. I think I'll be rebuilding the acrylic adaptor with the 32mm ID tube so that I've more depth for the screws to hold, didn't like the sound of acrylic straining plus to remove it needs the screws undone most of the way. They of course easily drop out as there's only a shade under 2mm of tube holding the screws at that point. Overall tho it seems a reasonably good mod and the pentax angle finder is nice and sharp giving good views without losing much FoV. The SV171 zoom performed fairly well, nice and sharp at the low power end with Jupiter showing well but no detail at all, tho I put that down to very poor seeing. Zooming in I did need to tweak focus but the view became more fuzzy. Not a good test really given the cloud and then Jupiter all but vanished so most likely the clouds that made the zoomed view poor. Will have to test again on a better night when I can then swap to other fixed EPs to see how things compare. I think I am going to have to re-tap the finder securing screw as it wasn't good before with the metal original thumbscrew loose in the threads. This nylon one felt a little more secure but can't take any securing pressure. And sort the rusty screw holding the focuser in place too, hadn't noticed that before this pic.

figured it'd be something like that Chris, having had a few of various makes apart, might be useful for others tho 🙂

personally I'd be real careful of aiming a laser into the night sky. You could fit a RDF tho if you can find a suitable mounting, one of the riflescope types may work tho I can't say I've ever tried given mine are wider angle than a 20x probably is.