Mesu e200 - trouble shooting help needed in Oxford UK area

[AKB]

Help!

Still struggling with the non-working Mesu mount that failed in January!

After much testing, and discussions with all and sundry, including Lucas Mesu,  I've come to the conclusion that my SciTech I servo-controller has a failed RA channel.  I can swap all the cabling and the issue swaps axis, so I'm pretty sure that the servos / encoders / cables are all OK

It turns out (AFAIK) that getting a new one is (a) expensive, and (b) quite difficult (have to go via the States.)

As a final check before I bite this particular bullet, I was wondering if there's anyone in or around the Oxford area who might have a Mesu e200 mount who would be willing to provide a definitive check: either or both plugging my controller to their mount, and their controller to my mount.  This would only take a minute or so of time each way.

Of course, any other solutions welcome, but this looks like the simplest approach if anyone nearby is available to help in this way.

It seems such a waste to have an otherwise fine piece of kit sitting around unable to work.

Thanks in advance.

Tony

[whipdry]

I'm in Dorset if you get desperate, only problem on my version of the Mesu e200 Lucas decided to glue the Sitech1 to the underside of the RA!

Just looking at the Groups IO Sitech site, seems an across the board price rise of 25% is coming at the end of this year! also from other post seems Dan Gray does offer a repair service... can PM you his email if you don't have it?

Peter

[AKB]

Two great offers there – thanks so much!

Would appreciate Dan’s email as a first step, and thanks for the heads-up on forthcoming price rises… no surprise there, I suppose.

Much appreciated.

Tony

Edited September 30, 2023 by AKB

[AKB]

Appreciate the help so far.  Apparently my post here was forwarded to Lucas Mesu by someone asking if he could help further.

I'd like to say that Lucas has been very responsive, both now and back in January when the problem arose.  I know that he tries his level best to help everyone with a Mesu-Mount no matter how old or if second hand or not.

The issue in this case is, alas, the barriers which now exist between GB and Europe: shipment between UK and the EU more complicated at the moment with customs and import duties.

Once convinced that the issue is indeed the controller, I'll be getting it fixed, or buying a new one, direct from Siderial Technologies in the US.

Tony.

[PhotoGav]

Hi Tony, I have a Mesu 200 mount (not e series - don’t know if that matters?) with sitech controller and I’m in Wiltshire, not too far from Oxford. I’m very happy to help if I can. Here’s a pic of my controller system, is it the same as yours?! Ah, reading your post again, looks like you have version 1 and mine is version 2, so possibly no use? Let me know.

[AKB]

2 hours ago, PhotoGav said:

Hi Tony, I have a Mesu 200 mount (not e series - don’t know if that matters?) with sitech controller and I’m in Wiltshire, not too far from Oxford. I’m very happy to help if I can. Here’s a pic of my controller system, is it the same as yours?! Ah, reading your post again, looks like you have version 1 and mine is version 2, so possibly no use? Let me know.

Gav

Thanks so much for the offer.  No indeed, yours is a SciTech II and mine is a I. (The e200 Mesu doesn’t have the extra encoders, just the motor ones.)

Otherwise, Wiltshire would have been handy… my best offer yet is Dorset!

Thanks anyway.

Tony

Edited October 1, 2023 by AKB

[PhotoGav]

Damn! Good luck sorting out the issue.

[whipdry]

Tony, 

If you really want to test the Sitech1 but don't fancy the journey... can test it on my mount if you're ok with posting it, just send a PM for my details if you'd like to proceed.

Peter

[mrpizza]

Hi Tony,

 

You can post your question  at  https://groups.io/g/Sitechservo and someone will try and help. If not they can direct you who to contact for repair.  I had a problem with the same unit you have and sent it in for repair.  They are very responsive.  Sending your unit for repair would cost MUCH less that purchasing a new one.  Good luck.

 

Chris

[AKB]

On 03/10/2023 at 14:45, mrpizza said:

You can post your question  at  https://groups.io/g/Sitechservo and someone will try and help. If not they can direct you who to contact for repair.  I had a problem with the same unit you have and sent it in for repair.  They are very responsive.  Sending your unit for repair would cost MUCH less that purchasing a new one.  Good luck.

Chris

Thanks for that.  I did post on that forum back in January and got some helpful advice.  In particular, to check the cables, but these turned out to be OK.

Most recently I have been in direct contact with Sidereal Technologies who actually logged in remotely to my machine to help diagnose the problem.   It now seems certain that it’s the controller itself and we’re trying to narrow it down to a single component.   I’m in the UK so will have shipping costs and delays to deal with, but even so, I expect you’re right about the cost, although a new controller pales into relative insignificance, since when the mount is fixed I hope to get a bigger and better scope to put on it!

I’ll certainly post the resolution of this saga, when it happens.

Thanks again

Tony

[AKB]

A final update on this, for any who may be interested and/or have helped on the way.  The long delay in fixing my mount (since January of this year) has been down to my laziness and the fact that I have a very serviceable alternative mount (Avalon M-Uno, albeit with a lower load capacity).

I've had very attentive responses all the while from Lucas Mesu, and, since I contacted them, SciTech.  The remote diagnosis from SciTech confirmed the servo controller itself as the issue and they sent me detailed board layouts and some instructions to try and identify a failed component.  I checked all I could: resistor values, track continuity, connectors, re-soldered some joints, but in the end was unable to resolve this.  Despairing of the paperwork to send the controller for repair to the States, and to get it back again, I finally bit the bullet and bought a new one.

The unit currently  costs $400, and I'd been warned of a hefty price rise coming in the new year. In reality, the costs in round numbers worked out at:

• item cost £350
• shipping £50
• VAT, import duty, handling charge £100

...for a grand total of ~£500.

Ouch.

But to put it in perspective, having the 100kg load carrying capabilty of the Mesu back online does allow me to consider buying a bigger scope, so the cost of this repair will no doubt pale into insignificance...

Tony

PS: I'm told that these units very, very rarely fail – one more reason why the diagnosis took a little longer.  So my wish for all those Mesu owners out there is that this never happens to you.

PPS: Just to be clear, the wish is that your servo controller never fails, NOT that you never get a bigger telescope.

[uhb1966]

100kg? Wow, what kind of artillery are you going to get😲?!

[AKB]

Well, you need to be a bit conservative when it comes to design parameters when imaging…

I used to have a dual-mounted C9.25 Hyperstar and Esprit 120, which was pretty heavy, but I’m initially going for an 11” RASA, which is a bit of a beast itself.  I used to say that I’d never have a scope that I couldn’t lift, but I think I’m getting weaker in two ways:

1. physically, so that limit will be ever decreasing,
2. mentally, in terms of not being able to stick to my own guidelines.

…so who knows what will happen?

[mrpizza]

I have a Meade 14" LX850 ota on top and my Mesu 200 MKII  doesn't seem to notice the load. 

 

Chris