HEQ5 (Black) Hand Controller Problem?

[bendiddley]

I've got an old style black manual HEQ5 mount which I think has a problem with the hand controller, but I'm not sure if what I think is the problem is just normal. When the hand controller speed is set to 2x the left RA button on the controller won't make the mount do anything. However on the side of the controller are two switches for RA and DEC which have REV written below each one. If you set the RA side switch to REV the left RA button now works on 2x but the right RA button stops working, this makes me wonder if what is happening is just the normal functioning of the hand controller, but I've got no idea why it would do this or what this functionality is for. On the other speeds (8x and 16x) both RA buttons work fine, and the DEC buttons work fine on all speeds. Anybody have any ideas what this is all about and if there is a problem with the controller or not? Cheers.

[Cornelius Varley]

23 minutes ago, bendiddley said:

I've got an old style black manual HEQ5 mount which I think has a problem with the hand controller, but I'm not sure if what I think is the problem is just normal. When the hand controller speed is set to 2x the left RA button on the controller won't make the mount do anything. However on the side of the controller are two switches for RA and DEC which have REV written below each one. If you set the RA side switch to REV the left RA button now works on 2x but the right RA button stops working, this makes me wonder if what is happening is just the normal functioning of the hand controller, but I've got no idea why it would do this or what this functionality is for. On the other speeds (8x and 16x) both RA buttons work fine, and the DEC buttons work fine on all speeds. Anybody have any ideas what this is all about and if there is a problem with the controller or not? Cheers.

 I think this is how the handset works, the handset for the EQ3 dual motor drives does the same. Pressing the left RA button causes the RA motor to stop running.

[andyboy1970]

Normal. Going East is the direction Earth rotates, therefore stopping the motor allows the Earth to move your scope (so to speak).

The reverse switch corrects this if you are the southern hemisphere.

[bendiddley]

Great thanks guys, thought you'd have the answer!