Carbon Brush

Good choice. The SW127 will delight with views of the moon when the sun is just set. Right now Venus is in a good place around sunset. OK your sunset timing in Sweden varies a little from UK. I don't know how far north you are. What I'm saying is that you can get started with the scope straight away. Become familiar. Review the finder choice. Maybe think about a different eyepiece. Then, in 3 months, you will be ahead of us with longer nights. Enjoy😁

FLO are a retailer with a very good reputation. They have many happy customers over many years. Me included. I have bought new and open box/returned items. The returned items have always had an honest description of condition. In conclusion, I have no hesitation in recommending them for any purchases. Now other retailers can be a completely different situation. Stick with a specialist astronomy retailer who has good reports on a reputable astronomy forum. Take a look at the supplier review section of SGL for example. Absolutely avoid general retailers, ebay and Amazon Warehouse. If you have a particular type of scope (or other equipment) in mind, ask around on SGL for user reports. The sale section on SGL is a god place to buy used equipment. We all want to continue to use SGL so are not going to offload rubbish or known problems without being open and honest. If you look at the items for sale you will see known defects and problems described. I have made a lot of purchases from SGL members and always had a positive experience. HTH, David.

Thank you for posting. By showing actual results, rather than the glossy sales flyers, we can see just what this equipment is capable of.

Opening warning that you hopefully don't need. Solar observing done incorrectly blinds - first time. Baader solar film is a very good low cost introduction. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/solar-filters/baader-astrosolar-safety-film-nd-50.html Make a frame to hold the film over the open end of the scope. Layers of card glued to make a frame and ensure there is a windproof and foolproof method of holding it in place. Tabs extending to the tube sides and a few elastic bands (coving for the odd one or two snapping) for example. If the filter comes off while viewing - refer to line 1. An alternative is a full aperture filter in a ready made frame, that screws to the front of the scope. This costs more. DO NOT try to do any solar energy filtering at the eyepiece end of things. You MUST limit the energy entering the scope. Once you have the solar film installed, you may use any eyepiece and maybe a variable polarising, or moon (dimming) filter for brightness adjustment. You must remember that cheap, solar and safe do not go together. HTH, David.

I signed the petition as soon as I heard of it - months ago. I think there were a couple of hundred signatures at the time. Today I see 1460 signatures. Many SGLers spend thousands on scopes, cameras, etc. Moans about light pollution, or questions about handling it, or questions about dark sites frequently appear on SGL. So why have o few from SGL (not to mention wildlife and energy waste groups) signed up? I could contribute reasons, or ask more questions but it is too much effort🤔.

This is a general mount & power supply comment. Rather than specific to this situation. But hopefully includes useful information. A power supply (PSU) with overcurrent protection may limit the current a maximum value instantly, or it may allow short term overcurrent before activating. Some OCP works to hold a constant value - if you overload a PSU the voltage reduces until the current is reduced to the protected value. Some OCP works in hiccup and retry. The PSU turns off, then retries. This can happen all day. Some hiccup circuits retry automatically, others require a mains off/on to reset. A mount electronics can be regarded as having two major components. Storage capacitors on the input circuit and a microprocessor. These need to be considered separately. If the mount has a large capacitor and you have constant OCP, the voltage will rise slowly, but get there eventually. By eventually I mean usually <1second. Think of the capacitors as a bucket and PSU current as a tap half or full on. If the PSU is 'hiccup and retry' you might never get there. Next the microprocessor. These days they usually have an internal power on reset circuit - so they start in a known condition. This circuit requires the 3.3V or 5V internal supply for the micro meets certain rise time conditions. If the OCP means a slow risetime (think dripping tap and big bucket) the micro may not start If the OCP is a hiccup type, the micro may get told to stop/go repeatedly and get confused. The mount electronics (if well designed) may not start the internal micro supply until the incoming is nearly 12V. Taking all of the above into consideration. Use a PSU with either no OCP, or a known constant OCP. Ensure OCP is significantly more than slewing motors on an out of balance mount. Include a switch between the PSU and mount so the PSU is settled before powering the mount. If the mount has an on/off switch you can omit the switch. If in doubt go over size on the PSU. Also invest in a multimeter so you can measure what is going on for yourself. HTH, David.

Nice to see a PST can be mended. Some years ago I made one from two broken scopes. Rusty objective and broken etalon. Looking at the blue ITF. Is the same size & characteristic as used in Lunt LS scopes? A cloudy blue filter is (or was) a known problem on LS scopes. They have been fixed for free long after warranty, or for a filter only cost (£35 when I paid). Maybe someone will be along who knows more about these.

An idea. Put the PCB into a larger box. Connect half decent switches by flying leads from the box lid to the PCB. Those ten-a-penny slide switches are well known for being troublesome. The annoying thing is they all seem to be different pinning, which makes obtainng replacements difficult.

My view on these DC connectors is they are unsuitable for the application. That being hundreds of insertions and often sideways forces on the cable. But if they get through warranty, especially with a lot of sales to people who don't make a lot of use of the kit....... A simple fix (depending on your skills and tools) is to solder wires from the PCB to an inline socket, dangling a few centimetres away from the box. However, in astro kit generally, the socket is often soldered to a PCB. Repeated use and sideways forces can fracture the soldered joint. Just reflow it - until next time. If reflowing, try to use 'proper' tin/lead solder. not the lead free stuff that needs a higher temperature and doesn't flow so easily. Are you certain the (low cost) cable running into the plug isn't damaged. With use you can get fractured strands in the cable, it the outer plastic sheath intact. A careful look and feel will often identify this. A fix is to buy a DC plug and solder it on yourself. HTH, David.

Yes definitely. Mine was in storage for some years. I pulled it out last year and gave it a 'sort out' for sale. Really well put together. Good mechanical engineering. Excellent optics. Manufacturers of modern under mounted and mostly plastic scopes take note🤣 To the OP. Are you sure you want to move it on, rather than take a peek through it? Even just looking at the moon will produce the 'wow'.

The TAL scopes generally attract good comments. I owned the 110mm variety for a while. It was very well built mechanically, with good optics. Unlike a lot of newer scopes, they are not under-mounted. Generally the age and absence of bells, whistles and goto put some people off. If the 120 has mirrors that look in good condition, it has to be worth a go. Keep us updated. David.

Just to be awkward...... A reflector gives more view for your ££ spent than other options. Collimation is not half as bad as some make out. Very much over thought in many cases. A 6" reflector is easy to handle. Many on SGL use a Skywatcher 130 (nearly 6") for photography. Why not buy a used 6" reflector and have a play? That will give you feel for what is involved. If you don't like it, then you can sell it on for little loss. Welcome back and enjoy the choosing. David.

From a fellow Equinox 80 owner. Sorry to hear of the problem. I'm afraid I can't constructively help as I have never had to do anything to the focusser on my scope. Hope someone who can help comes along soon. David.

Apologies if this thought to be wandering off topic. Warranty period applied by a manufacturer is not (in my view) necessarily indicative of quality. I am speaking as someone involved in designing and building for B2B sale, not retail. Some years ago I visited a car battery manufacturer and had a chat with their production engineers. Having recently been through replacing a battery that I thought had failed early, I was interested to know the construction & chemistry differences between their batteries. Some retailed with one year warranty, some up to 5 years warranty. I was told that they were all exactly the same product. Basically there is a preceived/calculated risk of failure, increasing with time. Balancing this is the car not being with the original purcjhaser when the battery fails, or the paper trail being lost. So battery with one year warranty sells for £50, 2 years £55, 3 years £63, 4 years £70....You get the idea. When deciding on warranty period, you also need to look at what your competitors are offering. I recall 30 years ago a lot of USA consumer/commercial electronics came with 3 months warranty! Nobody in the UK would consider anything less than one year. With something like a scope mount, the original owner & paper trail factors should apply more than time related failure. HTH, David.

On the 'no user serviceable parts' comment. Yes the statement is sometimes true. But not very often. Opening voids warranty is a valid label on some equipment. Sadly 'contact tech support' often means spend in effect the cost of a replacement on equipment with a 3 digit price tag. I have found that almost every Skywatcher mount/drive/scope I have encountered has benefitted from my (meddling?) fingers in there. Whether adjusting backlash on a motor drive, or adjusting a clutch, or adjusting a focusser. Then we all know about grotty DC sockets with broken joints to the PCB. Fixed in 10 minutes using a soldering iron. The worst recent case I had was a Skytee2, going in to tighten loose internal grubscrews - to remove significant backlash. Constructive comments (like those by the OP) on design/construction limitations, weaknesses, or failings, are therefore very welcome. Clear Skies, David.

I have wondered how how some of the newer mounts could be made so small, for the price. Thank you. Warning heeded.

A simple in line power meter, or a different power supply will identify the cause. Sigh of relief it is only the (low cost) power supply or lead. Good luck. David.

Another cautionary note on the 12V hair dryer or car heater type of product. At switch on the motor takes a high pulse current. Depending on your 12V source, you may have problems. A big car/leisure battery will be OK. A small 12V lead acid battery in a powertank will dip momentarily. The dip may upset the mount electronics, causing datum loss or other effects. A small lithium battery in a powertank type product will suffer a similar dip to the small lead acid. However, it may also trip the overload protection circuit, requiring a power off/on cycle to reset. Assuming you survive all of the aove, the next potential issue is when you switch off. The magnetic field in the motor collapses, generating a large negative voltage spike. The 'sell for £1 less' products from China and the like do not have suppression components. Hopefully things like the low resistance heater element in the hair dryer absorb the energy. But, if you put a big negative spike on mount electronics or a computer, you may upset it, temporarily or permanently. The only way I would use a 12V hair dryer around a scope is powered from a completely separate 12V battery. HTH, David.

I have trialled wind generators in other applications. Again retail vs industrial gives a huge difference. An absolute failure was a generator bought from Amazon, along with the charge controller/dynamic brake. Supposedly for putting near your house, on a boat, caravan, etc. It was definite chocolate fireguard stuff. You needed a gale to make it turn. The controller ate the battery power when it was idle. The (fail safe) brake relay being energised all the time. The cheapie chinese manufacturer had used low cost automotive relays - where power consumption takes a definite second to cost. He had not even though about reducing coil current after pull in. Definite kitchen table standard bodge design. In the end the whole lot was junked. Now this is a very good product I have used. https://www.leadingedgepower.com/le-v50-extreme-vertical-axis-wind-turbine-12-24-48v-1486339.html Suffice it to say, the Leading Edge turbine is fit and forget for years. In my application it is sitting on top of a power station cooling tower. It won't be accessed ever. Brought back to ground only when the tower is demolished along with the rest of the power station. But not hobby pricing😁 HTH, David.

In my experience small panels sold for retail, think in terms of obtaining 10% of the claimed power output when averaged over several days. Yes the panel performance has improved in recent years. But the claimed power often is more than reality! The figures claimed are often correct for a desert near the equator, at noon, with the panel correctly angled. With a Northern Europe solar intensity, fixed panel angle, clouds, etc....... The reduction in power is quite significant as soon as a panel goes off perpendicular to the sun. If it generates 100% when perpendicular to the sun, it drops to 50% for a 30deg solar angle - whether in alt or az. In other words, if the panel could produce 120W at noon, it would drop to 60W by 3pm. Actually the reality is worse due the panel going out in both alt and az. If you look at panels for professional use, the manufacturers make more realistic power claims and recommend mounting angles based on latitude. My feeling is that you are going to be using scopes more in winter, when the days are shorter, the sun is lower and there is more cloud. If you think of Netherlands being about 53deg N, the noon sun is at this angle at the equinoxes. At the winter solstice is only at 20deg. It might be a lot easier (and cheaper) to bring a 12V battery from the house. HTH, David.

Absolutely. Most cars are designed and built for worldwide sale. Take the same basic body and engine. Make a few changes for the region. Steering wheel on the wrong side, engine pre-heater for cold regions, airbag combination, etc. Even the dashboard switches tend to use symbols rather than words to minimise build differences. The owners manuals always show engine power in KW. Coolant, oil and fuel capacity in litres. Which is just as well as in most of the world fuel and oil are sold by the litre! If I want a horsepower value for my car, though I can't imagine why, I have to convert the KW value. 1HP = 0.746KW. Horsepower equivalent was useful to size (animal replacement) steam engines in James Watt time. Think here of horse driven gin wheels operating mine pumps. For any machinery, horsepower has long passed its use by date.

Although I have cleaned quite a few mirrors, my only OO experience has been with their older scopes, fitted with agricultural cells. Where possible, I leave the mirror in the cell as it eases handling, and more options on storage for water run off. Not having sight of the fan, I would say remove to avoid getting it wet. Some fans are very basic brushed motor types (100+ years old technology) and will dry in an hour or two. However, if it a brushless type there is a (hidden somewhere inside) circuit. This may not be waterproof and could take days to dry out without a lot of heat. There is also the matter of water in bearing sleeves for any fan. But if the fan fails at some point, they are not expensive. HTH, David.

In other words about 5% of the world population do not use metric measurement. Not a bad majority for metric.🤣

Good suggestion form @wookie1965. The weight has been my standard holiday accessory. A water bottle filled with sand. There is often a little play between tripod legs and top plate. Depending on the situation you can just tighten up. Or add a washer to fill the gap, then tighten. Not forgetting to loosen the screws if you need to fold the legs for storage. With practice you will learn how to turn the focus without putting much force on to move the scope. You will also learn how to hover just off the eyepiece to avoid moving anything. I won't talk about solutions involving a focus motor or long eye relief eyepieces as these cost far more than sand😁 Enjoy the scope. David.

I think the first task is to get a better idea of the circumstances to produce the fault. No questions about power supply as you have doubtless checked this already. Set up indoors in daylight. Run your stellarium or whatever on a separate device. Align the scope then tell it find targets. Using a compass and angle gauge is going to about the right places? Does fail in one hemisphere? Does it fail at particular altitudes? Much better than losing a clear night to fault identification. David.