Skywatcher spares?

[Zachariah]

I have a Skywatcher skymax127 and one thing concerns me. Although the scope and Supatrak mount are well made the plastic clip that connects the hand controller to the mount is very fragile and I think prone to break. Has anyone had this happen and what did they do. Mine is ok and under guarantee but I worry because if it did break then the scope is us.

[Carbon Brush]

Not a direct answer. But plastic (break after a while) clips are very popular these days.

I have prepared for one expected plastic failure on my CG5. A while back I bought a few 2" tool clips ready for when the handset holder fails.

Astro Engineering used to make an ali tray to go on ETX mounts. There were round holes for EPs and notches to take the hand control. perhaps you could make something similar?

[hemihaggis]

sticky back velcro , or just sit on the accersorie shelf ?

[Zachariah]

Its the small plastic connector on the end of the hand controller that connects the wire to the mount, looks abit like a internet connector that I think is prone to breaking. It must have happened to someone out there? Also surely suppliers carry some spares?

[hemihaggis]

i had this scope for two years , never had a problem , i have never heard of anyone having a problem with this connector , most scopes with a handset ,meade , celestron, sw, ect all have similar connecter , never heard of a problem with it .

[Zachariah]

Fingers crossed then!

[sradams1977]

There seems to be very little information regarding spares on skywatcher scopes. I have the same scope and the plastic locking arms on the tripod snapped after using 4 times. I was really careful with it and do not feel I applied excess pressure; it just seemed to fall apart. I contacted Bristol Cameras where the scope was ordered from and they said they would contact their supplier. The next day a replacement part arrived from OLV Optical Vision Ltd:: Stargazing Telescopes, Binoculars, Spotting Scopes, Microscopes by OVL who I believe are the importers of the skywatcher scopes. I was very relieved as I thought I was going to have to repair with wood or something. I guess if you have a problem OLV would be worth calling.

[Carbon Brush]

The family of connectors (phone/internet type) are known as 'RJ' types. They come in different body sizes and pin counts for various applications. A very low cost multipin connector, hence their use in cost conscious applications.

The cable part of the connector tends to be very reliable. There are a few instances of the retaining clips breaking off, allowing the plug to drop out at important times. But if this happens, it is not too difficult to cut off the connector and fit a new one. With care you separate the cable cores and squeeze the new plug closed in a vice, or more carefully with pliers. Phone line repair and extension kits sometimes have this sort of thing - but for phone size connectors.

Sometimes people push the wrong plug into the equipment socket and sprain the socket contacts. My 2nd hand CG5 had suffered this. Presumably someone pushing wrong plugs in the dark. Looking with a magnifier, you should see an even height row of pins. If one has been pushed low, then careful fishing with a hooked point, or crochet hook will allow you to tease the contact back into line.

The next problem is that with every insertion and removal, you can place strain on the soldered joints to the circuit board. Some connectors are better designed than others in this respect. If this happens, eventually the soldered joints to the board can fracture. This is difficult to spot with a trained eye and magnifier. The intermittent connections giving all sorts of strange fault symptoms. The solution here is remove the circuit board. Remove surplus solder using a either solder wick, or a vacuum tool. Then reflow with new solder.

Not quite the answer requested by the OP, but hopefully something useful in there.