Cable snag disaster resulting in slightly different "mount not connecting".

[piprees]

Hi, 

I'm fearing something awful, you see, I had a cable snag BIG time. The RS 232 got ripped out of the connector on the NEQ6pro mount, shearing off one of the screws. I took the mother board to a computer shop and was told that it should be ok with just one screw holding the RS connector as long as the cable is immobilised, which I have done.

Trying to connect the mount with Green Swamp. Followed the tutorial but then got the message......Mount:Error No Response Axis 1. Time out. 

I've read some of the replies about "both axis no response" but can't seem to find the problem of just one. My fear is that I've somehow damaged the motherboard or internal connections to one of the axis motors. The new RS connector cable is a Ugreen PL2303 with the appropriate driver and this appears on the port tab in Device manager.

 

Just maybe, if this has happened to someone out there, what advise can you give.

I live in hope.....

Kind regards

P. 

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Was the damage all on the 'external' part of the connector pair, but also on mount side ? If so, was there any damage to the internal wiring, i.e. from the connector to the motherboard ?  have you checked the internal wiring for any damage/disconnections ?

Note: replacement plugs & sockets, with & without, fixing hardware are readily available from multiple sources e.g. RS Components, Farnell etc....  

[piprees]

Hi Doc, the connections seem okay, the initial damage was to a retaining screw on the RS connector leaving it's sheared half in the threaded nut that holds the female side to outer casing. I undid the nut and got a replacement from a tv. Screwing it into the nut holding the connector to the mother board, that one sheared off, can you believe it, and those nuts seem to be rivetted in to the female connector!!! I then had the idea of getting a whole female assembly for the motherboard but that would mean soldering connectors together.....😟nooooo!!!

P.

 

[Carbon Brush]

I am assuming the motherboard had a good tug.
There are possibilities that are not expensive.

The first is that the D connector fastened to the motherboard got some bent/distorted pins and now they don't make contact with the cable half.

Second, as above but damaged pins in the cable half of the connector.

Third. The cable may have a broken core. Somewhere hidden in the length due to being stretched.
Or being tugged and breaking off inside the plug.

Fourth. The violent tug has broken a soldered joint from motherboard to connector.

Options 1,2,3 are by far the most likely. These can be investigated easily.
Visual inspection of the connector pins/sockets.
Visual inspection inside the connectors after removing the dovers.
Continuity check on the cable.

No expensive test equipment necessary. No advanced electronics skills necessary.
A decent magnifier, good light and any old continuity checker or multimeter will get the job done.

As @Dr_Ju_ju has said. Replacement cable connectors and multi core cable are are readily available.

If you aren't happy to tackle this yourself, then anyone with basic wiring/construction skills can help.
Swapping a D connector (if necessary) on the motherboard is not a major task for a competent technician.

HTH, David.

 

 

[malc-c]

The "no response" message is because when the handset (or EQMOD / GSS) sends out a "what mount are you" it doesn't get a response back from the motor board.  On older boards (those not fitted with a USB port) there are two PIC microcontrollers, one handles the RA axis and the other the DEC.  The TTL serial connection on the D type connector has two pins for TX and RX, which go to the TX and RX pins on each of the two PIC micros.  Blocking diodes are used as the ports on each PIC are connected to the same pin.  The fact that you get a response from one of those PICs would suggest that the physical connection between the D type connector and the UART of one PIC is fine as it reports back a response from one axis.  This would suggest that either one of the blocking diodes has failed, or the UART (serial port) on the PIC that controls the failed axis that doesn't respond has been blown.  There is 12v on adjacent pins (as per the diagram below) that will blow the UART of the pic as that is running at 5v TTL levels

I've managed to fix a few blown board by replacing the damaged PICs with new ones that have been programmed with the relevant firmware as documented in  this thread - .  If you can't see anything obvious then drop me a PM and we can try and see if we can effect a similar repair on your board

[malc-c]

Any update on this - Has the issue been resolved ?

[Rallemikken]

On 25/05/2022 at 16:10, piprees said:

Trying to connect the mount with Green Swamp. Followed the tutorial but then got the message......Mount:Error No Response Axis 1. Time out. 

Before you spend a single dime, try to connect with some other software. Stellarium, Kstars or whatever. Preferably with other drivers. INDI for ASCOM and vica versa. Check that the misbehavior is consistent.