Synscan v4 handset flashing and fading display

[southern steve]

All, I'm having a problem with my synscan handset, brand new for christmas version 4.39.04, I only get to the sun warning then the display fades, the buttons flash red about 5 or 6 times and then go blank.  I turn it off at the mount, then turn on again a few minutes later and same again.  I haven't got past the sun warning in a couple of days and may be 10 attempts.  Any suggestions? 

[Budgie1]

Welcome to the SGL Forum.

What are you using for a power supply for the mount?

They need a good steady 12 volt 3A supply to work correctly, so that would be the first thing to check. 

It may also be handy to know which mount you have.

[southern steve]

Budgie 1  The mount is the Sky-Watcher Star Discovery mount.   I am using 8 AA cells which were brand new out of the packet when I put them in.  Is there a better power source?

[Budgie1]

The Star Discovery can be run using a 12 volt 1A (tip positive) power supply unit, like THIS one . Looking at the images of the mount, it plugs in just above where hand controller plugs in.

See if you have a spare one around the house, but make sure it's the right polarity, voltage and at least 1 Amp.

If you find one, connect it, and the handset is still doing the same then it may be a faulty handset, so I would be speaking to the supplier for advice. 

[Geoff Lister]

My Skymax and Skyliner mounts have the V3 Synscan handsets, and seem to be very sensitive to voltage dropping below about +11V. I have found that the battery packs for 8-off 1.5V AA size alkaline cells can suffer from poor contact at any of the 16 contact points. The voltage may hold up during initial startup, but can drop as soon as the mount does its first slew.

As Martin mentioned above, when observing from my garden, I tend to use the 12V 1.5A or 2A mains plug-top supplies; some borrowed from the older standard external USB hard disks, or sold for use with the LED flexible stick-on light strips.

Geoff

[southern steve]

thanks for your comments fellow starloungers.  I will work on getting a superior alternate power source.  I got lucky just now and managed to progress to the timezone screen before it all faded and the display went blank. So I suspect the fault is the power source not the handset.  

[southern steve]

good news fellow starloungers, the problem was the power supply.  I used a 12V 1A AC DC adapter off the mains power supply and the handset works perfectly now.  thanks for your advice. Now I just need to figure out the alignment process...

[Budgie1]

Excellent news.

Now the fun can begin!

[Geoff Lister]

11 hours ago, southern steve said:

Now I just need to figure out the alignment process...

I use Brightest Star alignment, but found that, far too often, the suggested second alignment star was behind a tree, fence or house. So, I spent some time with "Stellarium", adjusting date and time, for dusk at the middle of each month of the year, and from a table of 14 of the brightest stars visible from my observing position, selected several with compass direction and altitude, so that I could get good azimuth and altitude separation for a good alignment, and avoiding those close to the zenith or horizon. It has saved me a lot of frustration, and I can align before it gets really dark, go in for tea, and come back to excellent GoTo and tracking. At the moment, Mars is a good first, manual target, and then I can select 2 of my tabulated stars for the automatic slew.

This is my table, including "idiot's" guide as to the relative positions, and a similar table for an hour before dawn. My house obscures the NW to NE arc, but with a gap for Polaris (not the brightest of stars, but a backup second star if there is partial cloud cover).

This is for my Az/Alt Skymax & Skyliner (and Virtuoso - using the Skyliner's handset) mounts; I am not sure if it would be the same set for an EQ mount.

Geoff

Edited January 3, 2021 by Geoff Lister
added Virtuoso to mounts list

[Neil H]

Hi I have same problem with the house being in the way (  winter time stuck on the patio) but if you go for a star and it lands up out of view just press esc it will ask if you want to stop alignment press 2 for no it will let you look for another star so that helps a bit cos I am still new to this I some times get a star in the wrong place to see it lol

Edited January 3, 2021 by Neil H

[southern steve]

thanks Geoff and Neil H that is very helpful.  Yes after a few hours frustration I realised that synscan is displaying stars which are still below my horizon....guess that's a common trap for young players... so I just have to stay up a bit later and learn to work the different alignment methods a bit better. I should have betelgeuse, sirius and regulus tonight as well as acrux here in the south.  clear sky so fingers crossed tonight's the night.

[southern steve]

at last those magic words "alignment successful".  Canopus and Sirius will always be dear to me.  thanks for your help fellas.