Alignment Slewing Speed on Meade LX 90

[losttheplot]

Hi all, aren't we doing well for clear night skies in the UK eh? I have recently purchased a used Meade LX 90 8" scope and am very pleased with it. With warm nights everyone seems to have their windows open and I am concerned that the quite noisy motors on the scope and the incessant BEEPing from the handset may be upsetting my neighbours. Does anyone know how I can slow down the slew speed to make the motors run quieter during two star alignment process? I am able to slew slowly during final centering of an object using the number pad but this doesn't seem to work during alignment. I don't think anything can be done about the BEEP though. Any ideas please?

Clear skies 

losttheplot.

[Steve Ward]

I'd be surprised if you couldn't turn down/off the handset 'Beep' , should be there in the handset menu somewhere ... 

Interestingly I just tried going to "Meade.com" to have a look in the manual for you , but they are now blocking access to the site unless you are an approved Meade Dealership , rather a strange move on their behalf I would say ... !!!

[Laurie61]

I had a lx200 with AutoStar 2, that did give this option of reducing max slew speed. Not sure if it is an option on a lx 90.  

[ronin]

The manual says there is a quiet slew:

Quiet Slew: Sets the maximum slew rate to 1.5° for quieter operation.

Now how you set Quiet Slew I cannot see.

It also depends on the manual I am reading being the one for your scope.

P 28 of what I am looking at.

Try: Select Item - Setup - Telescope - Quiet Slew.

There looks like about 15-20 selectable options under Telescope so you will have to step through them until QS appears.

Check P23 for the menu tree.

Beep:

Select Item - Utilities - Beep.

Again the menu tree.

Amazing what is in a manual. :eek: :eek:

One thing I have learnt with Meades is that the page that has the menu tree of the autostar on it is the most useful page in the whole thing. For the LX90 that seems to be Page 23. If you have an electronic version then print that one off about 3 times, otherwise photocopy the thing. Then run a highlight over the bits of interest.

[ronin]

Thinking that Beep may say Off when you get to it, even if it presently Beeps.

I have the strange idea that it tells you what you can change it to, not what it is.

So if it is On then the change you can select is to Off, so it displays Off to you as the different selectable state available to you.

I have not a clue why I say this but some distant memory has kicked in.

I have run across that somewhere, and as I have 3 Meades it maybe there ?????

[losttheplot]

Hi guys, thank you all for your replies. I think I may have a very early example of the LX90 as I have been through every Menu title and option and found nothing for either problem mentioned.  The software version is 22Es, do you think its worth me updating this to the current version or put up with it and "leave-well-alone" while its working ok? I'm not too good at computer stuff and it would mean finding a driver for the cable someone can lend me. He is far more confident with computers than I am, but he hasn't ever updated his Meade!

(Page 23 of my manual does show the Menu Structure but Page 28 says nothing about Quiet Slew.)

[ronin]

The pdf I have it is the 4th item down on P28. Only a single line.

Manual (pdf) I have has a date of 2004. Is there a date on your manual?

Does your handset have the same menu tree as the manual?

If so just follow the menu tree to it.

I know there are some old LX90's around.

Not sure if it is worth trying to update the handset.

Meade didn't tend to make major changes, so you might be able to upgrade but get almost nothing extra.

If the upgrade fails then you really end up with no scope, not sure the LX90 is an option in the #497 handsets, the manual I have always refers to the "LX90 Handbox" never #497.

[ronin]

The pdf I have and the Meade Support LX90 pdf are identical, and the ETX-105 (with the #497 handset) all give the same menu tree. So Quiet Slew and Beep can be set.

Cannot find anything that looks prior to 2004 in the way of manuals but I do see that the LX90 appeared on the planet in 1999. So there is a 5 years "gap" that needs to be accounted for.

Quick look round and I see mention of software vrsion 4.3Ed, so if you have (what I assume) is 2.2Es then it is old software.

One other aspect is that old handsets may not be updatable.

Cannot even suggest you email Meade as they do not have an email contact on their site, thought they might have since beconing part of Sunny Optics.

Really the best I can suggest is to borrow a #497 handset and plug it in - if it plugs in.

Then see if that will control your scope.

Also ask elsewhere, possibly CN on the Meade specific part of their forum.

The Weasner site ceased being active some time ago.

[losttheplot]

Just checked for a date on the instruction manual and found  " © 2000" and  "10/00", so I guess this is one of the first LX90s. The handset does give LX90 as an option along with  ETX90 and  ETX125. No mention  of LX2000 though, or ETX105. The manual does not mention #497 as you say, and the handset has the same menu tree as the manual. I should have looked under the base of the 'scope before I bought it!!!!!! Its serial number is 006666    . 

I will follow your suggestion and see if I can borrow a later #497 and keep looking for a "non-destructive" solution. As you say,  maybe trying an update is not a good idea because I could loose eveything.

Thank you for all your suggestions and ideas, as a newbe your time and guidance is very much appreciated.

Thanks again.