Panic Mode HEQ5 problem

[Anthonyexmouth]

18 minutes ago, Tomatobro said:

OK, having made a note of the Com port number that appears when the cable is connected in Device manager) then connect it to the mount, open EQMOD on the laptop and see if the comport number (the baud rate and config also) in the EQMOD matches. If not then put the correct number (s) in the box and see if it connects to the mount.

If still unresponsive (even if it connects) then a repair of the board is most likely

You may well be right regarding the red led. On my EQ6 with power applied and the serial cable connected with the power switch off the LED is off

all the pc side setting are right, laptop and mini pc were both working fine the day before. I've ordered a new EQ cable from amazon to try, will be here tomorrow, faint hope that its a problem with the cable. amazon returns are nice and easy. looking likely that i'll be buying a new board, just as I'd saved up for an askar 400 too. 

[malc-c]

I can't speak for commercial EQDIR cables, but for an HEQ5 all that is needed is TX, RX and GND.  Using the standard colours used in FTDI cable this equates to 

Pin 4 of the RJ45 to the TTL232R Black wire (GND)
Pin 5 of the RJ45 to the TTL232R Yellow wire (RXD)
Pin 6 of the RJ45 to the TTL232R Orange wire (TXD)

The fact the RJ45 is keyed means you can't rotate a cable and cause any damage.  Most boards I've repaired have been Dobsonian where the interconnection cable and handset port allow them to be swapped, or an standard RS232 to USB adapter has been used rather than a TTL serial adapter, and 12v (or a differential of 24v) gets applied to the UART in the PICs and both get blown.   

The puzzling thing here is reading through the thread you have been using the same cable previously so its not as if the first time use and it's the wrong type of cable.  I notice in your signature you state the mount is pier mounted.  Do you store the mount outside, or is it stored inside and brought out as and when required?  I know some keep the mount outside and protected by a plastic dustbin or similar.  My thinking is that if kept outside this could be a dampness / condensation issue which has cause a short on the board.

The way to test the EQDIR cable  is to short pins 5 and 6 of the RJ45, and then use a serial terminal such as putty or even the one supplied with the Arduino IDE and with the correct port selected in the terminal software type in anything into the send box and hit return.  It will then echo whatever has been sent back to the terminal.  If this works remove the short between pins 5 and 6 and connect it to the mount.  With the mount powered, type in :e1  (colon, lowercase e and one) and hit return.  The mount should return a six digit number if the board is responding.  If it report backs the six digit string of numbers then both the EQDIR cable and the mainboard is fine and the connection issue is software and not hardware related

[Anthonyexmouth]

3 minutes ago, malc-c said:

I can't speak for commercial EQDIR cables, but for an HEQ5 all that is needed is TX, RX and GND.  Using the standard colours used in FTDI cable this equates to 

Pin 4 of the RJ45 to the TTL232R Black wire (GND)
Pin 5 of the RJ45 to the TTL232R Yellow wire (RXD)
Pin 6 of the RJ45 to the TTL232R Orange wire (TXD)

The fact the RJ45 is keyed means you can't rotate a cable and cause any damage.  Most boards I've repaired have been Dobsonian where the interconnection cable and handset port allow them to be swapped, or an standard RS232 to USB adapter has been used rather than a TTL serial adapter, and 12v (or a differential of 24v) gets applied to the UART in the PICs and both get blown.   

The puzzling thing here is reading through the thread you have been using the same cable previously so its not as if the first time use and it's the wrong type of cable.  I notice in your signature you state the mount is pier mounted.  Do you store the mount outside, or is it stored inside and brought out as and when required?  I know some keep the mount outside and protected by a plastic dustbin or similar.  My thinking is that if kept outside this could be a dampness / condensation issue which has cause a short on the board.

The way to test the EQDIR cable  is to short pins 5 and 6 of the RJ45, and then use a serial terminal such as putty or even the one supplied with the Arduino IDE and with the correct port selected in the terminal software type in anything into the send box and hit return.  It will then echo whatever has been sent back to the terminal.  If this works remove the short between pins 5 and 6 and connect it to the mount.  With the mount powered, type in :e1  (colon, lowercase e and one) and hit return.  The mount should return a six digit number if the board is responding.  If it report backs the six digit string of numbers then both the EQDIR cable and the mainboard is fine and the connection issue is software and not hardware related

Its a good EQ cable, bought it from FLO when I bought the mount. Yes it's kept outside on the pier, has been for over 3 yrs constantly 365 days a year, gets covered with 3 layers of BBQ covers and never have a condensation problem. when I poured my pier I had a 40mm hockey stick conduit through the middle for power/data cables and it unintentionally chimneys fresh air inside the covers. 

Just wondering whats powering the red led from the laptop when its only the EQ cable plugged in. Power cable unplugged and the mount switched to off, flicking the switch on the mount doesnt change the led state though, just says on, albeit dimmer than when plugged into power. 

[Tomatobro]

As per Malc's suggestion you might find TeraTerm (its free to use) for the comms check easier to use. In settings select the com port number shown in Device manager (should default to the correct settings) and in terminal set to local echo.

The led is being powered by the usb port supply to the serial chip in the cable.

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by Tomatobro
more info

[Anthonyexmouth]

14 minutes ago, Tomatobro said:

As per Malc's suggestion you might find TeraTerm (its free to use) for the comms check easier to use. In settings select the com port number shown in Device manager (should default to the correct settings) and in terminal set to local echo.

The led is being powered by the usb port supply to the serial chip in the cable.

 

should there be a route from the rj45 port to the power led to light it? or is that a sign of a fault in the board?

[malc-c]

I stumbled across this whilst searching for a link to the new board https://www.campkinscameras.com/sky-watcher-motherboard-for-heq5-pro/

£30.00 - 

Not 100% sure, but from a reversed engineered schematic of the HEQ5 the LED is driven from a PIN on one of the PICs, rather then from the switch.  I would need to strip my HEQ5 to confirm.  On the RJ45 of the EQDIR cable you have, how many wires are terminated? - If you have access to a DVM, place the GND probe on pin 6 and check the other pins to see if there are any voltages present, if if so that they are 5v and not 12v.

If the LED is faintly illuminated when just the EQDIR cable connected this would suggest that there is a path for voltage from the EQDIR cable to find its way to ground via the LED... How / Why ?? beyond my level of how these boards work / are wired.

[Anthonyexmouth]

14 minutes ago, malc-c said:

I stumbled across this whilst searching for a link to the new board https://www.campkinscameras.com/sky-watcher-motherboard-for-heq5-pro/

£30.00 - 

Not 100% sure, but from a reversed engineered schematic of the HEQ5 the LED is driven from a PIN on one of the PICs, rather then from the switch.  I would need to strip my HEQ5 to confirm.  On the RJ45 of the EQDIR cable you have, how many wires are terminated? - If you have access to a DVM, place the GND probe on pin 6 and check the other pins to see if there are any voltages present, if if so that they are 5v and not 12v.

If the LED is faintly illuminated when just the EQDIR cable connected this would suggest that there is a path for voltage from the EQDIR cable to find its way to ground via the LED... How / Why ?? beyond my level of how these boards work / are wired.

just tried but my probes aren't fine enough to get between the little grooves. i'll see if i can find some pins to use with my crocodile clips

[malc-c]

36 minutes ago, Anthonyexmouth said:

Its a good EQ cable, bought it from FLO when I bought the mount.

Is that based on testing it as suggested or are you just making that presumption because it worked last time and looks the same?  Not wanting to gripe, but it would be handy to have a little more detail on the results of various things I and other SGL members have suggested.  Does the cable echo text back when the pins are shorted as suggested.  Do you get any voltages on pins and if so what voltages are present.  Have you inspected the main board and daughter boards for any signs of electrical damage.  Have you removed the covers to confirm which revision of board you have....   A little more feedback wouldn't go amiss 

EDIT: - just seen your post which crossed with mine... Excellent, lets hope you can find a way to test

Edited July 23, 2022 by malc-c

[Anthonyexmouth]

6 minutes ago, malc-c said:

Is that based on testing it as suggested or are you just making that presumption because it worked last time and looks the same?  Not wanting to gripe, but it would be handy to have a little more detail on the results of various things I and other SGL members have suggested.  Does the cable echo text back when the pins are shorted as suggested.  Do you get any voltages on pins and if so what voltages are present.  Have you inspected the main board and daughter boards for any signs of electrical damage.  Have you removed the covers to confirm which revision of board you have....   A little more feedback wouldn't go amiss 

EDIT: - just seen your post which crossed with mine... Excellent, lets hope you can find a way to test

looks like the newer board. 

[malc-c]

Looks like an older board to me - it has through hole caps rather than surface mount and I see two crystals which is a distinct feature of older boards.  - That means if it is the board that is fried it can be repaired.

[malc-c]

Mind you, by the time you factor in two lots of special delivery and the cost of parts an labour it my be cheaper to buy the one in the link I provided

 

[Anthonyexmouth]

2 minutes ago, malc-c said:

Looks like an older board to me - it has through hole caps rather than surface mount and I see two crystals which is a distinct feature of older boards.  - That means if it is the board that is fried it can be repaired.

what does the newer board look like? 

[malc-c]

1 minute ago, Anthonyexmouth said:

what does the newer board look like? 

See the images I posted earlier - page 1 of this thread

[Anthonyexmouth]

2 minutes ago, malc-c said:

See the images I posted earlier - page 1 of this thread

found it after i asked. that £30 looks the same as mine. might be worth a punt.

is the newer board an improvement or just using more modern chips for supply reasons?

[malc-c]

From what I've read it's no different other than the high pitched PWM sound you get when the motors are powered is different, and the board has a USB functionality which is not implemented, presumably as there is no option to fit a socket to the daughter board without redesigning that too.  The processor is faster and serial communication uses 115200 baud, which really isn't any advantage as EQMOD and the handset send very little traffic between the mount and PC / handset.  Other than a few components everything else is surface mount on one side so production costs would be lower as 95% of the board can be done by an automated pick and place machine and flow soldering station.

That link I stumbled across may be worth a punt.  As I mentioned, the cost of the two PICs and two lots of special delivery postal services wouldn't be far off the cost of the board.  It may be worth making enquiries and see if it has any warranty. 

[malc-c]

They appear to be open until 5pm today, so might be worth giving them a call.  

All the other boards are listed at the same prices RVO / FLO offer, so no idea why the HEQ5 is listed for £30... - Might be worth taking a punt anyway.. seems to have the 14 day return policy which should be long enough to confirm it's working 🙂

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by malc-c
update

[Anthonyexmouth]

15 minutes ago, malc-c said:

They appear to be open until 5pm today, so might be worth giving them a call.  

All the other boards are listed at the same prices RVO / FLO offer, so no idea why the HEQ5 is listed for £30... - Might be worth taking a punt anyway.. seems to have the 14 day return policy which should be long enough to confirm it's working 🙂

 

Maybe because they are the older boards. Might be a good time to do the bearing change I've been promising myself if I have to take the mount apart. Guessing its unlikely to be a problem with the port board. 

[malc-c]

Replacing the board is straight forward enough.  You do need to remove the Steppers to gain access to the two screws holding the board in place, but once the two screws are removed the board can be drawn forward and removed.  Looking at the shops website I don't know if that is a mis-print as all the others are over the £100 mark  - Even so I would purchase one whilst its still listed - I'm sure distant selling laws would still mean the price would be honoured if that was a mistake.

[malc-c]

It might be worth removing the module where all the connectors plug in, and check the board for any signs of damage, and look at the pins in the RJ socket to ensure they are OK

[Anthonyexmouth]

2 minutes ago, malc-c said:

It might be worth removing the module where all the connectors plug in, and check the board for any signs of damage, and look at the pins in the RJ socket to ensure they are OK

I just took the little board out and had a look, seems ok, pins look fine, should be as last night was the first time in 3 yrs it's been taken out so little chance of it being damaged. 

[Starflyer]

Are you certain the EQMOD cable is getting a COM port assigned, can you post a screenshot of the port in device manager and also of the setup page in EQMOD?

I've had Windows update stop an EQMOD cable from working in the past. A download and reinstall of the FTDI driver fixes it.

[Adam J]

On 22/07/2022 at 22:24, Anthonyexmouth said:

Ok, just fired up for for a clear night and mount won't connect. Red light comes on when i plug the usb into the pc even with the power off. Never seen that before. When i connect it appears to connect then NINA spits out and error saying mount disconnected. 

Is the lead dead or my mount? 

most important thing is does it slew with the handset?

Adam

[Anthonyexmouth]

9 hours ago, Starflyer said:

Are you certain the EQMOD cable is getting a COM port assigned, can you post a screenshot of the port in device manager and also of the setup page in EQMOD?

I've had Windows update stop an EQMOD cable from working in the past. A download and reinstall of the FTDI driver fixes it.

All the settings are fine, com port assigns correctly on both pcs and both pcs were controlling the mount 12hs before it failed. 

[malc-c]

12 hours ago, Adam J said:

most important thing is does it slew with the handset?

Adam

Adam, the OP has stated earlier that he no longer has a handset to try

[malc-c]

4 hours ago, Anthonyexmouth said:

All the settings are fine, com port assigns correctly on both pcs and both pcs were controlling the mount 12hs before it failed. 

This is the baffling part.  As I have mentioned, most boards have been damaged through human error and plugging in either the wrong cable or the wrong type of convertor.  In this case that is less likely as the setup is semi-permanent and you seem to be someone who is not likely to make those mistakes, which as everything was working 12 hrs before backs that up.  The only time I'm aware of someone who used the correct EQDIR cable blowing a board was when they inadvertently  connected the wrong power lead and shoved 19v DC from a laptop supply into the mount, which it didn't like.  Now not saying that's the case here, but an over voltage is one possibility.  Maybe the PSU spiked or something happened to blow the board.

One thing I would try before purchasing a replacement board (at £30 I would still get the one listed above) is to replace the two electrolytic capacitors circled below

  

Ideally with ones of the same value but higher voltage rating.  I've fixed my original HEQ5 board by swapping them out.  This is a cheap fix, costing around 75p for the two and well worth trying.  Just note the polarity