Carbon Brush

It looks like the small PCB is the charge balance circuit. The switcher supply/charge control being on the large PCB. Assuming the thick black & red wires go to the PCB, and the 6 way header goes to the battery assembly. At first glance I don't see anything obviously wrong construction-wise or charred on any board. Build quality is standard chinese with someone applying some sort of QA. Given a voltmeter and ammeter, you should be able to make some useful calls. With a voltmeter only you could for example comment on the individual cell voltages. David.

Re Dr Ju Ju comments. R100 colouring could be flux residue. The adjacent 8 pin soic chip may have a burn mark, or maybe just a flux splash from wire soldering. What is not clear without further photos, or sight of the kit, is exactly what charge control there is. But the amount of circuitry does suggest to me there is a proper charge circuit. The following notes may help dispel some of the 'black magic' associated with charging. In a ideal situation, the charger first measures the battery state. If well discharged, it allows a small current at first until things improve. Then it puts in a high constant current. For this size pack, probably around 1 amp or 1.5 amps. After some time, the battery pack voltage rises to a value (specified by the battery manufacturer) and the charger gradually reduces current to keep at constant voltage. Eventually the charge current falls to a low value (specified by the battery manufacturer) and the charger switches off. While all of the above is going on, the charge control measures the temperature. Ideally using a thermistor stuck into the battery pack, not on the charger board. If the battery is outside safe charge limits, typically 0C to 45C, then charging is prevented. If you used a plug top supply with too high voltage, then it may have prevented the voltage limit and switch off from working correctly. Or it could have damaged the charger control circuit. I'm only making an intelligent(?) guess here. Don't forget some plug top supplies have unregulated or unsmoothed outputs. The peak voltage may be much higher than the label. If you overcharge lithium cells, they don't recover. I would do two things here. First of all buy some similar cells. Whether you go for a 2-parallel, 2-series pack as original, or individual cells depends on the available space. Connect them on long wires (for easy access) to your charger. If the cells are tagged then solder, avoiding too much cell heating. If they are untagged, spend a couple of quid on holders. Monitor charge voltage and current - hence the long wires. If they don't limit and turn off as described above, then you have a flaky charger circuit. By not abusing the new cells for too long, you will avoid serious harm. If they behave as described, then you had flaky cells. You can then work out how to fit it all back together with the new cells. During your tests, just keep a finger on temperature. If the cells feel too warm, then switch off. By that I mean if you can't leave a fingertip permanently pressed on, it is too hot. Explosions are usually a consequence of cells getting really hot. Hot enough to burn your fingers. Hope this helps, David.

A word on batteries and safety if I may. Lithium is safe if used correctly. Lead acid or NiCd are equally unsafe if used incorrectly. It is not the chemistry as such that causes the problems. it is way it is used.

A note of caution if constructing a case for cabin use. Not every airline has the same size and weight limits. Some airlines are very fussy about exceeding limits. Jet2 (for example) once tried to argue with me because my bag would not easily slide into the gauge cage at check in - with my hand alongside! Ryanair start charging or objecting at literally a gram over the limit. It would be a pity to make a fantastic case only for it go in the hold - potentially at great expense. I know someone who fell foul of the size limit due only to the wheels on a case. Faced with more than £100 for it to go in the hold, he went away. Intending to get a taxi to the local B&Q or similar and buy a hacksaw to remove the wheels. Outside the building were some friendly workmen. Taxi fare avoided. The case was made compliant in a couple of minutes. If you are wandering through an airport terminal building and wonder why there are scratch and drag drag marks from the front door to a certain desk............ I always carry optical gear in the cabin if size permits. However, a jacket or similar padding around does the job.

Baader zoom yes. But if the rules dictate that a zoom eyepiece is cheating, then it has to be Baader Hyperion. By using tuning rings and taking off the scope end I still get several different focal lengths and good views.

Incredible, amazing and more. Thank you for posting.

Thank you everyone for putting some sense into the journalistic sensationalism (is that a proper word?). You got there before me. The 'Science News Reporter is now in the 'must read when insomnia strikes' folder on my tablet. That is along with the fake Apollo stories, Mars the size of the moon next year and Elvis in a spaceship! Must go now. Getting ready for a lfat earth society meet later. David.

Are you considering used mounts in your budget? An £8K new price mount may well be in your budget. You potentially get something tried and tested. Rather than the 2019 model with 2019 bugs/issues. At some point buying used risks an old rusty and wobbly package. But people spending this amount of money on a mount tend to look after them. My D6 mount was an excellent example of a used bargain. 10 years later I am still happy with it.

Skywatcher show an upgrade kit on their web site - but without details. I enquired of FLO. They had not seen the product and didn't think it had ever been offered in Europe. I think your best option is going to be to look out for a goto model on sale 2nd hand and recover some of the cost by selling on your push model. Sorry I can't offer anything better. David.

An excellent thrwad raising many good and interesting points. Thank you to all the contributors. Ref John... My personal preference in the maksutov type scopes is the maksutov-newtonian. They have longer tunbs than the folded cassegrain type designs of course but can have very small secondary obstructions resulting in truly "refractor like" images. My Intes Micro MN78 (7" dia & F8 in round figures and small obstruction) gives tremendous views. It almost never gets taken off the observatory mount. Then again at around 20Kg for the OTA, a quick scope swap to compares views is not a snap decision. It isn't grab n go! David.

Hi. i think the clue is that M31 was low. The light has to travel through a lot more atmosphere. Therefore a lot more dirt, smoke, moisture, etc.

Not forgetting the aircraft that write Morse code over wide field time exposures.

Thank you for sharing this with us. Even taking individual items you mention, it is an excellent lesson in how we can overcome failings or weakenesses in our scopes. The lesson that there is no need to run out to buy this years 'shiny new one' is not lost on me. If the 'bits of glass' are good then most other problems can be overcome. Thanks, David.

Another vote for the LS60. Late last year I started looking at the Ha options. I asked a lot of questions in the solar section and got a lot of very helpful and well informed responses. Do take a look in the solar section. After (I thought) due consideration I bought a used LS60. There were a lot of early problems with the Quarks and, at the time, scarcity of trusted reviews on their newer offerings. This put them well down the list for me. At the Kettering show earlier this year, I saw the Daystar Quark & Solar Scout offerings. I wondered if I had chosen wisely with the Lunt so looked and asked questions. To be perfectly honest I walked away happy that I chosen well. Without letting on that my bank balance was already depleted, I asked retailers (who would have liked me to reach for my wallet) about the choices of Quark vs Daystar complete scope, and the options on the solar scout. The answers were not well informed. One retailer did though admit his lack of first hand experience & knowledge and made no attempt to sell to me on the day. He said it is big money and I should think about it. I am now giving serious thought to a Skywatcher Solarquest mount to speed setting up and ease the requirements for level/align when leaving to track for a few hours. The absence of these on sale 2nd hand may be because the owners are happy, or maybe not many have sold. I'm not sure which. Hope this helps, David.

Hi and another welcome to SGL. Good advice from Philip. I would add to this by saying take your time. Have a look on SGL at reports and reviews on scopes from other members. You might want to think about buying used kit. Typically it is 2/3 of new price and less. SGL members usually have kit for sale in excellent condition and if not, are open and honest right down to mentioning a paint chip of mark on a dovetail. Avoid ebay for kit. It is very risky unless you know what you are looking at. Enjoy the journey, David.

This does sound interesting. Not something I have seen. With the eyes, we all avoid looking close to the sun. With a solar equipped scope we look at the sun. With any other scope in daylight, we generally stay well away from the sun. The only time I have used an astro scope pointing anything like close to the sun it has been for viewing an evening Mercury, Venus, etc. Excellent you tube find by Phil. Thanks, David.

Thank you for posting this. I was competely unaware of any of these problems. Historical rights over land are a complex issue that many countries encounter. At least in Hawaii, protesters will not be removed at gunpoint to vanish forever and have the opportunity to state their case. There are some countries in the wold where protests are not tolerated at all well. I will stop there to avoid getting into non SGL allowed territory.

The voltage range on lead acid, from full charge to well discharged, is well within the capbility of telescope electronics. You will find a fully charged 12V battery will be around 13.5V shortly after removal from the charger. If in use it gets down to 10.8V (1.8V/cell) stop using it and get it on charge in the next few hours. Definitely don't wait days or weeks before recharge. David.

I don't know what tripod(s) you have available. My holiday compromise for size and weight is sometimes a photo tripod & head. Stabilised by dangling bottles of sand or water from the centre. Hope the viewing goes well. David.

Hi Paul. As a former PST owner, I read this thread with interest. My PSTs were bought 2nd hand and well out of warranty. After fighting the loctite I made one from two that had suffered different problems. I'm wondering why you had to approach Meade directly. Surely RVO who sold you the scope would have 'held your coat' in any warranty arguments? David.

Finders are very much a personal preference. For me raci is the way to go on newtonian (eyepiece on the side) scope. David.

A vote here for the FLO desiccant caps. I have a few. In practice the focus leakage on 'closed' scopes, MAKs, fracs and the like, is minimal. A small bag of silica gel absorbs only a small amount of moisture compared and the OTA volume can be high. This means remembering to change (or oven dry) the bag every couple of months is more important than leakage. My MN78 has a hole for a fan - I suppose a 3D printed blocking cover could replace the masking tape currently in use! David.

Yes excellent resources. Earlier this year I bought a new (to me) Ha scope and saw virtually nothing. Had I bought a lemon? Looking at these sites, or other SGL members postings, provided reassurance!

Spiders and other creepie crawlies get everywhere. Unless you weld, or make similar arrangements on every seam of a metal shed, spiders will investigate. My 11 years old wood obsy is definitely not spider proof. But the number of bug incursions and their consequences have not been an issue. Interesting thought from Mark. I have never heard of conkers being used. Burglar alarm PIR sensors in room corners tend to suffer spiders. The alarm service tech solution is spray with Mr Sheen or similar once or twice per year. No harm in keeping your OTA, mount, etc well polished. WD40 on steel tripod legs and bright mount parts will probably discourage bugs. When I get a spider in a corner of the obsy, and it is not doing harm, I leave it. Basically while the spider is there, it eats anything else that happens to be passing. If replacing my shed, I would go for wood again. lots or reasons. But that is another discussion. Hope this is useful. David.

I bought piece of this a few years ago... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/misc/starsharp-red-filter-for-laptop-screens.html Cobbled together a hook to put it over the top of the screen I use in the obsy. No software involved and a good supplement to the (sometimes limited) brightness/colour options on the computer. Easily lifted off for day use. David.