AstroEQ for EQ mounts

[booth_robert]

thanks tom next problem is that RA motor works from slew control on eqmod but the DEC motor just twiches back and forth have tryed both motors in both ports so motors and cables are ok still the motors get very hot very quickly

bob 

[booth_robert]

and witch motor ic type should i be useing

[TCWORLD]

DRV8824/5 is the ic type.

If the DEC motor just twitches then it means you have a bad connection on one of the coils. Just double check that all the joints are solid.

[booth_robert]

thanks tom 

[Quatermass]

Welcome Pete and looking forward to seeing some images from Spain.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[TCWORLD]

thanks tom next problem is that RA motor works from slew control on eqmod but the DEC motor just twiches back and forth have tryed both motors in both ports so motors and cables are ok still the motors get very hot very quickly

bob 

Come to think of it, its more likely that the current limit is set too high for the motors which would be why they are getting sot hot also. To adjust the current limit you need to open up AstroEQ (two screws on the back of the box), then you will see two purple circuit boards which both look the same. In one corner of each of these boards is a screw potentiometer. While the mount is connected to EQMOD and the motors are stationary, turn these two screws anticlockwise to reduce the current limit.

The motors will normally run warm, so you only have to adjust the limit until the motors are not uncomfortable to hold.

[Quatermass]

I had the same issue but its easy to turn down the current using those two screws and they both run at an even temp now. Hope fully a clear night so will be out there again tonight having a crack at the whale galaxy if the rain stays off long enough. Doug and I are working with Tom on the guiding to nail down a few issues with it so please give us your feed back on guiding as well if your doing it with astroeq the more feed back we get from you all the better. Cheers.

[booth_robert]

sorry tom problem now is that i can run both motors in ether port but not together i have a solid red led for power ihave solid led on status and flickering led on the link as soon as i open ascompad both motors twich the status led goes out and nothing 

bob

[booth_robert]

will do i  go to get this running first quatermass lol

[booth_robert]

quatermass can i use any webcam to guide with

[Astropedro]

Thanks Quartermass.

[Quatermass]

You can use webcams to guide with certainly but some are better then others. I use the Logitech 4000 to guide with and it works quite well at finding a guide star. Once you get your Astroeq up and running I suggest you also try Astro Tortilla which is great for getting your alignment spot on.

I suspect poor Tom is being bombed with questions about Astroeq at the moment so sharing info between us all will help ease some of the correspondence.

[namreg]

The webcam needs modding though - the lens has to be removed and an adaptor used to attach it to the finderscope, or whatever guidescope you're using. This isn't a five minute job guys

[Quatermass]

If you want a guide on how to do this take a read through this section of my blog where I first did my early mod on the standard skywatcher control box. If you scroll down a bit you can follow my conversion of the webcam.

http://astrocasto.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=webcam

[booth_robert]

have got a webcam that i trided worked on the moon but could never pick up a star

[Quatermass]

Some webcams have better sensors then other ones, I have only used the Logitech 4000 so cant comment on other ones. I got it second hand from a friend and it is a nice cheap alternative to a dedicated guiding camera like the qhy5.

[booth_robert]

astroeq box getting hot and a funny smell (burning)

[Quatermass]

Eeek that does not sound good!

[booth_robert]

checked and double checked all the wiring i did find one of the pins in the DEC not making contact with the plug so that solved the twitching motor problem just cant get both to work when both are pluged into the box 

[The_PSY3NTIST]

What power supply are you using Robert? That doesn't sound good at all

[Astropedro]

Whilst on the subject of power supplies, my proposed power supply states 12 volts but doesnt say how many amps.  Its off a lava lamp which I assume isnt going to need a massive amount.  Should I purchase a new one or should I be OK?

Pete

[booth_robert]

12v dc 5amp as per pic in this thread

[The_PSY3NTIST]

Shouldn't matter as long as it's over the minimum. Are the motors getting too hot? Wonder if you are pulling too much through the Astroeq. I'd take that up with Tom if there's a burning smell. The motor potentiometers might need adjusting. I'm just guessing though

[booth_robert]

Just waiting before i go any further back on late shift this week

[TCWORLD]

Is the supply '12v DC' or '12v AC'?

Do you have a multimeter, if so make sure that it is definitely 12V, some supplies have a funny habit of putting out a higher voltage than they should - I have a 7V rated supply which puts out 12V!

Burning smells are not a good sign. Are any parts of the circuit board getting hot? - Check the corner next to the power supply socket and also the motor drivers. The motor drivers will usually get quite toasty though they have a built in thermal cutoff.