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Batteries in or out?

pastiche

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pastiche

pastiche

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Take them out - you only need one power source :)

Thanks Brantuk,

I thought that was the case but I am sure I had read somewhere that the Autostar handset needed the batteries in place to work.

I must have been mistaken.

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pastiche

pastiche

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Occasionally the switch thats built into the DC input jack can fail when you start using an external power supply meaning the unit wont work of the internal batteries again...

It happend to mine...

Peter...

Thanks for the warning Peter,

Is this a common problem? Has anyone else come across this?

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brantuk

brantuk

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I just read the instructions for the scope to double check and it suggests it can be powered from a variety of sources - batteries, powerpack, or mains adaptor - but doesn't say to keep the batteries in whilst using one of the other sources.

The handset and scope should both work once connected to your powerpack without the batteries far as I can see :)

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Psychobilly

Psychobilly

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if it does go al you need to do is get a battery box and wire it to a DC jack plug...

You can also get better "rechargable" performance this way by using 10 rather than 8 batteries...

Alkaline batteries are 1.5V per cell , NiMH 1.2V so 8x1.5V gives you 12V and 8x1.2 gives you 9.6V by using an external battery box with 10 x NiMH you get back to 12V and the scopes much happier...

Most professional kit thats can run of batteries is designed to hold 10 Rechargables and comes with 2 dummy shorting link batteries if your using Alkalines...

We use hundreds of the DC input jack sockets a year in work and get the odd one or two failing per year...

Peter...

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pastiche

pastiche

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if it does go al you need to do is get a battery box and wire it to a DC jack plug...

You can also get better "rechargable" performance this way by using 10 rather than 8 batteries...

Alkaline batteries are 1.5V per cell , NiMH 1.2V so 8x1.5V gives you 12V and 8x1.2 gives you 9.6V by using an external battery box with 10 x NiMH you get back to 12V and the scopes much happier...

Most professional kit thats can run of batteries is designed to hold 10 Rechargables and comes with 2 dummy shorting link batteries if your using Alkalines...

We use hundreds of the DC input jack sockets a year in work and get the odd one or two failing per year...

Peter...

That's great Peter, I think I will give it a go then.

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pastiche

pastiche

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It's something to be "aware" off... probably wont happen but it had me "foxed" for a while and I should have known what might had happened...

Thanks for all your help. At least I won't freak out if it does happen!!

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matsey

matsey

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Is that a GOTO? In mine I prefer to leave the batteries in even though I use a powerpack... just for the off chance that during an observing session I accidentally pull out the DC jack, the unit will then switch to using the batteries - otherwise everything shuts down and I've got to go to the bother of going through the whole alignment process again when I plug it back in... it's happened to me before and it's a real nuisance ! :)

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pastiche

pastiche

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Is that a GOTO? In mine I prefer to leave the batteries in even though I use a powerpack... just for the off chance that during an observing session I accidentally pull out the DC jack, the unit will then switch to using the batteries - otherwise everything shuts down and I've got to go to the bother of going through the whole alignment process again when I plug it back in... it's happened to me before and it's a real nuisance ! :)

Hi Matsey,

Yes it is a GOTO and I hadn't thought of that.

Are you sure it's OK to leave the batteries in whilst the powerpack is connected? I thought it might confuse the Autostar.

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matsey

matsey

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I've got the Celestron GOTO, so while I can't swear to it for your Meade telescope, definitely on mine I've been using it like that since I got it at the beginning of July and haven't had any problems at all. :)

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