EQStar

[HeadwindH]

Hey guys.   I would love to get the EQStarProEQ3 kit for my old CG-4 but it is a little out of my budget for now.  I have a Celestron 2 Axis EQ drive kit for my CG-4 but the controller fails with a yellow/orange LED after 3 minutes.  It will reset and work O.K. again if turning off then on but fails again after 3 minutes.  All stop and only have the yellow/orange LED.  I can repeat the process over and over and it still works for 3 minutes and then stops.

I really don't want to spend $180 U.S. to replace the controller by buying the complete kit.  Do any of you guys who have converted from the Celestron 2 axis kit to the EQStar have a used handset or used complete kit for sale or know where I can get one for a lot less than the $180 required for new?

Any body have any ideas about the problem with the faulty controller.  I have done a lot of trouble-shooting.  It is not a power issue.  The controller handset fails to the yellow/orange LED after normal green LED after 3 minutes even when not plugged into the motors.  Really strange.  All works fine in the 3 minutes before the LED turns yellow/green then all stops.

Anyway.  Sorry if I am off topic but I thought some of you EQStarPro guys might have a Celestron kit laying around unused.

Thanx for reading and for any suggestions.

Headwind H

 

[Trippelforge]

1 hour ago, HeadwindH said:

Hey guys.   I would love to get the EQStarProEQ3 kit for my old CG-4 but it is a little out of my budget for now.  I have a Celestron 2 Axis EQ drive kit for my CG-4 but the controller fails with a yellow/orange LED after 3 minutes.  It will reset and work O.K. again if turning off then on but fails again after 3 minutes.  All stop and only have the yellow/orange LED.  I can repeat the process over and over and it still works for 3 minutes and then stops.

I really don't want to spend $180 U.S. to replace the controller by buying the complete kit.  Do any of you guys who have converted from the Celestron 2 axis kit to the EQStar have a used handset or used complete kit for sale or know where I can get one for a lot less than the $180 required for new?

Any body have any ideas about the problem with the faulty controller.  I have done a lot of trouble-shooting.  It is not a power issue.  The controller handset fails to the yellow/orange LED after normal green LED after 3 minutes even when not plugged into the motors.  Really strange.  All works fine in the 3 minutes before the LED turns yellow/green then all stops.

Anyway.  Sorry if I am off topic but I thought some of you EQStarPro guys might have a Celestron kit laying around unused.

Thanx for reading and for any suggestions.

Headwind H

 

It's not shocking that something randomly failed with that kit. Over the years I always shook my head when using it due to how cheap it was made. I don't think I have ever paid that much for something so shoddy looking. Anyways have you checked how tight your gears are meshed? I know that's something that can trip the system. The only thing I have ran into with the light is that it will alternate between orange / green when the batteries were getting low. Then it would turn solid orange when there wasn't enough power to turn the motors. Hence why I mentioned the tightness of the gears, it could be straining some and eventually noping out. 

BUT I am sure you checked all of that, just sharing my experiences. I still don't get how Celestron came up with the design for the battery pack and thought it was on par with the price.  

[HeadwindH]

Thanx for the reply.  (I see you are in Missouri.  I am in Wichita, KS)  Yeah, I even took the gearboxes apart and back together.  They are fine.  (At least they used to be.       The failure happens every 3 minutes even when the controller is unplugged from the motors.  It can't be binding.  Also it resets with a quick off then back on and works for another 3 minutes, almost like a watch whether or not the box is driving none, one, or two motors.  I used this for autoguiding quite a bit 15 years ago after doing the ST4 mod for the Shoestring GPUSB.  I kind of got away from astronomy and everything has been in storage until last Spring and I started using it again.  It was fine and I used it in both axis for several hours over several weeks until it just failed a couple weeks ago.  I removed the wiring from the ST-4 mod and put it back together and NO Change.  Works good with or without motor connected  for 3 minutes then stops with the yellow light.  Before it stops the light is green unless a slew button it held during which time the light is red.  The motors speed up and all is well until the sudden stop.  (It's not the fall kills you, it's the stop  )  Very perplexing.

Thanx for responding.

Headwind H

 

[HeadwindH]

During WWII the British figured out what causes electricity.

Smoke!

Have you ever noticed that when the smoke gets out of the wire, electricity stops?

 

 

[Cosmic Geoff]

Have you tried re-soldering the joints on the controller board and renewing any electrolytic capacitors, especially if they have bulged? If there are any ICs in sockets, pull them up and re-seat them.

[HeadwindH]

Geoff,

Thanx for the reply.  I will give it a try.  It's no good the way it is.   

Headwind

 

[Celerondon]

On 04/01/2023 at 10:52, HeadwindH said:

Hey guys.   I would love to get the EQStarProEQ3 kit for my old CG-4 but it is a little out of my budget for now.  I have a Celestron 2 Axis EQ drive kit for my CG-4 but the controller fails with a yellow/orange LED after 3 minutes.  It will reset and work O.K. again if turning off then on but fails again after 3 minutes.  All stop and only have the yellow/orange LED.  I can repeat the process over and over and it still works for 3 minutes and then stops.

I really don't want to spend $180 U.S. to replace the controller by buying the complete kit.  Do any of you guys who have converted from the Celestron 2 axis kit to the EQStar have a used handset or used complete kit for sale or know where I can get one for a lot less than the $180 required for new?

Any body have any ideas about the problem with the faulty controller.  I have done a lot of trouble-shooting.  It is not a power issue.  The controller handset fails to the yellow/orange LED after normal green LED after 3 minutes even when not plugged into the motors.  Really strange.  All works fine in the 3 minutes before the LED turns yellow/green then all stops.

Anyway.  Sorry if I am off topic but I thought some of you EQStarPro guys might have a Celestron kit laying around unused.

Thanx for reading and for any suggestions.

Headwind H

 

This is a good idea Headwind H.  Keep at it!  

If you search this forum and others like Cloudy Nights for EQStar threads containing comments by users of CG-4 and compatible mounts, you may find the parts that you need.  Just the other day, I had an online discussion about disposing of my old Vixen hardware with a guy who was considering selling his controller and motors for a different mount.  Don't pay too much, though!  If you can get the bits for free or shipping costs it could be worth it but otherwise, the top-of-the-line EQStarPro costs about $129 more than that $180 that you would have to pay for a new drive kit.  

Plus it has Goto...

...and WiFi...

...and GPS (automatically from your mobile device)...

...and belt drive (no gears!)...

...and ST-4 autoguiding...

...and Windows connectivity!

My Vixen controller/motor setup was doing something similar before I threw in the towel.  

Good luck,

Don

[HeadwindH]

Yep, I agree.  Thanx for the comments.  I was hoping to find someone who has upgraded and wants to get rid of the 2 axis kit, at least the controller.  I am in no hurry now but would like to use this mount this summer.  I'll wait on deciding on the EQStar until I see if I can replace my broken controller with one that someone doesn't need anymore.  There has got to be some out there.

Cheers,

Headwind H