Nexstar 114gt (15 years old!) Hand control and tripod question

[mmusicmman]

Hello all,

I am new to the site but old for looking at the stars! 

I was looking at Jupiter the other night when my handheld just DIED!  I started moving my telescope around manually twisting and turning the base (man that was difficult).  Then it occurred to me that I was (have) screwed up the base motor.

 I think all the electronics are in the handheld and the tripod is just a motor being driven by the handheld.  Can anyone confirm?  Boy I really wanted to peak at Jupiter and Saturn tonight!

If I get a new handheld will that make it all better?

Thoughts?

 

 

 

[Grotemobile]

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/offers/offer_celestron-nexstar-5se_117221.html 

If your looking for another scope. Always send the handheld back , if it is not that.

[Cornelius Varley]

Both the handset and the mount contain electronics. The mount can be manually moved in the alt (up/down) direction but shouldn't be moved in the az (left/right) direction.

[Cosmic Geoff]

Potentially fixable by re-flashing the firmware but needs some research to determine if firmware is available, etc.  I have had to bring my SLT mount back to life twice by re-loading the firmware.  Not recommended for the techno-phobic. Check with nexstarsite. com for guidance.  You can find decode of any error messages online (or ask us).  Also beware of power problems (bad plug connections).

If the handset (or mount) is really dead it may be time for an upgrade to another telescope and mount. 

[Cornelius Varley]

3 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

Potentially fixable by re-flashing the firmware but needs some research to determine if firmware is available, etc.  I have had to bring my SLT mount back to life twice by re-loading the firmware.  Not recommended for the techno-phobic. Check with nexstarsite. com for guidance.  You can find decode of any error messages online (or ask us).  Also beware of power problems (bad plug connections).

If the handset (or mount) is really dead it may be time for an upgrade to another telescope and mount. 

Depends on the age of the mount/handset. The original GT mount/handset had no provision for updating the mcb or handset firmware. Later models (mid 2012 on) used the Nexstar 4/5 mcb and Nexstar+ handset.

[Davey-T]

Hi and welcome to SGL, whereabouts are you located, I've got an old one of these mounts that works, could try a bit of trouble shooting, swopping controllers etc if you're nearby.

Dave

[mmusicmman]

Thank you all for taking the time to share your thoughts:

Brown Dwarf: I would like to keep my scope, bit I will check out the link.

Main Sequence: I think I'm screwed both up and down and sideways!

Sub Dwarf: This I will try, but I many be heading the way of the upgrade

Main Sequence:  I'll check the mount, but I think my scope is - 2012 , maybe 2006 to 2010 (YES it has lasted that long!)

Hyper Giant: I am close to M52, I am , as the say, worlds away from M25.

You all have given me much to think about.

I'll be back soon with my ultimate decision.

Thanks again,

Mark

   

[dobblob]

Could this be a battery question? 

I know nothing of this controller but batteries/supply is always the first place to look in any electronic situation.

[Cornelius Varley]

12 hours ago, mmusicmman said:

Thank you all for taking the time to share your thoughts:

Brown Dwarf: I would like to keep my scope, bit I will check out the link.

Main Sequence: I think I'm screwed both up and down and sideways!

Sub Dwarf: This I will try, but I many be heading the way of the upgrade

Main Sequence:  I'll check the mount, but I think my scope is - 2012 , maybe 2006 to 2010 (YES it has lasted that long!)

Hyper Giant: I am close to M52, I am , as the say, worlds away from M25.

You all have given me much to think about.

I'll be back soon with my ultimate decision.

Thanks again,

Mark

   

You might want to use usernames rather than ranks "main sequence" , "hyper giant" etc