Celestron 6se Question

[brewaskew]

I just got my Celestron 6se the other day and got to use it for the first time last night.  I got everything set up fine and it was locating and tracking objects great and then after a little bit (maybe an hour), it stopped locating stuff.  It would move like it was searching for the object, act as if it had found it, but then I could hear the motor making slight constant adjustments, but the scope was way off target and seemed to be stuck.

I thought maybe the batteries were going, but I fixed that by using the power adapter and then I reset things by powering off and powering back on, which worked for a few minutes, but then it went back to not locating things and seeming to get stuck.

Anyone experience anything like this?  Any ideas on what is going on and how to correct it/stop it from happening?

Thanks!

[Cornelius Varley]

If the mains PSU was not of the regulated type this might cause problems. Cheap non regulated PSU's are not recommended because they cannot provide a stable voltage when the load on them is increased (slewing the mount). The voltage drops below a value that will make the mount perform erratically or stop. Internal batteries don't last long either as you may have found out.

[valleyman]

When you say you used the Power adaptor, do you mean to a mains connection or to a power pack.

Using AA batteries on this mount just eats them and the symptoms you describe sound like a power issue.

If your connection to the mains then your 240/12v adaptor should supply at least 1.5Amps.

Pat

[davedownsouth]

Sounds like a power supply problem to me. Exactly what I get when I plug in the power supply, but forget to turn it on. Chews through the batteries in 45 minutes and them just goes into a more noisy, slow motion thing, not finding anything but looking like it is trying & is just basically bust.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hootsitabernacle]

If you have a plug socket handy then go for this wee chap..works a treat

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/power/maplins-xm21x-7a-138v-regulated-mains-power-supply.html

[brewaskew]

I plugged it directly into an outlet, not a power pack, but maybe I had a loose connection with the plugs somewhere and it was still running off the batteries, like I said it was my first go with the scope.  Should be clear skies tonight, so I will give it another go using the plug and not batteries and see what happens.

Thanks for the feedback.

[CSM]

The power connector on the NexStar 6SE can be too loose.  This can lead to loss of alignment .  See here at the NexStar Resource site.  I bought a connector from Maplins and I have no problems now.

[LukeSkywatcher]

The power connector on the NexStar 6SE can be too loose.  This can lead to loss of alignment .  See here at the NexStar Resource site.  I bought a connector from Maplins and I have no problems now.

There have been many reports of this on the SE range. Its a simple fix of just spreading out the connectors in the jack, or fastening the cable to a tripod leg so as not to let it hang loose. 

[brewaskew]

Awesome.  Thanks for the tips.

[brewaskew]

Used the power pack last night and had no problems, so looks like a loose fit with the power supply that comes with the scope.  Again thanks for comments and tips.

[valleyman]

Glad you fixed it.

Pat