strip down every time

[Fieldsy]

Hi all

What are your thoughts on unplugging and plugging every time you finish a session , would I be safer leaving things or as much as possible still cable connected, dont want to start getting loose ports Asiair/cams/synscan.

Or leaving things plugged in and risking pressure on ports when packed away in cases and bags .

I'm Unable to leave it all set up and carry into shed 😩.

[Cosmic Geoff]

Given the British weather you won't be plugging and unplugging all that often during the life of the equipment. 😦 I have no figures for you, but the ports should stand a reasonable number of cycles of plugging and unplugging.  I have not had any trouble myself other than with the notoriously unreliable 5.5mm power plugs.

[Carbon Brush]

Totally agree with Cosmic Geoff.

The RJ11 & RJ45 (handset/guide connectors) tend to have good life.

The flimsy DC power connectors are always the achilles heel. I don't know why the manufacturers continue to put them on scopes.
Besides the connectors failing, they sometimes put strain on the soldered joints on the circuit board, causing failure here.

My recommendation is for the power connector to be left plugged into the scope. Add a cable retainer of some sort to keep tension off the wire. This can be anything from sticky tape or elastic band, through to a cable tie base drilled into the nearby body. All your power disconnect is then done at the power supply end. I have lost count of how many astro and other items where I have opened the box to solder wires and fit a different reliable connector.

Hope this helps, David.
 

[david_taurus83]

It used to take me best part of an hour to set everything up from scratch out of bags and cases and to get polar aligned. A lot of this was attaching cables in various order as kit was added and tidying. Now, I simply carry (simply being the contentious word while my back allows) the lot, tripod, mount and scope with everything attached in and out of the house. It takes me 15 mins now to set up and less to end the session. Why cant you move it to storage in one piece? The weight? Security?

[Fieldsy]

On 23/06/2019 at 10:26, david_taurus83 said:

It used to take me best part of an hour to set everything up from scratch out of bags and cases and to get polar aligned. A lot of this was attaching cables in various order as kit was added and tidying. Now, I simply carry (simply being the contentious word while my back allows) the lot, tripod, mount and scope with everything attached in and out of the house. It takes me 15 mins now to set up and less to end the session. Why cant you move it to storage in one piece? The weight? Security?

No space in shed for it setup 😔 plus it's a little heavey and awkward .I'm contemplating attaching as much as I can to a board so to reduce the amount that needs disconnecting every time.

[david_taurus83]

1 hour ago, Fieldsy said:

No space in shed for it setup 😔 plus it's a little heavey and awkward .I'm contemplating attaching as much as I can to a board so to reduce the amount that needs disconnecting every time.

Build a shed around it!

[Fieldsy]

She would love that 🤣