Meade lx200

[Dave scutt]

Hi everyone.

There's a Meade lx200 10in for sale near me.

He says the electronics are broken and for spares or repair.

My question is can I manually use it, is it possible to fix or should I stay clear of it.

Thanks Dave 

[Cleetus]

Depends. Is it a Classic or GPS? If the electronics are fried but the optics are good then it could be deforked and used on a different mount. Depends on how much it costs. A lot of known unknowns here.

Edited May 19 by Cleetus

[Dave scutt]

10 minutes ago, Cleetus said:

Depends. Is it a Classic or GPS? If the electronics are fried but the optics are good then it could be deforked and used on a different mount. Depends on how much it costs. A lot of known unknowns here.

Sorry I haven't much information about it , he said optics are clean and good, and can be used manually ( but I thought I'd ask first ).

[Cleetus]

Looks like a Classic. Anyway,  yes you could use it manually as there are slo motion controls on it. I think you need to see it. Is it far from you?

 

EDIT: Definitely a Classic.

Edited May 19 by Cleetus

[Cosmic Geoff]

AWR Technology can supply a new drive system for the LX200.  Not cheap though.

Bear in mind that the scope has a very long focal length and so using it manually may not be much fun, as well as restricting its usefulness.

[Dave scutt]

9 minutes ago, Cleetus said:

Looks like a Classic. Anyway,  yes you could use it manually as there are slo motion controls on it. I think you need to see it. Is it far from you?

 

EDIT: Definitely a Classic.

Thanks, it's only 15 minutes away from me.

Would £ 650 be to much 

[Cleetus]

I think that's a little on the high side to be honest. Ask for a photo of the corrector plate.

[Cosmic Geoff]

Just now, Dave scutt said:

Would £ 650 be to much 

How does £650 compare with 66% of  the price of a new 10" Meade SCT (without mount)? That's the benchmark I'd use.

[Cleetus]

The other thing is that you already have a 12 inch so what exactly are you going to use it for?

[Dave scutt]

3 minutes ago, Cleetus said:

The other thing is that you already have a 12 inch so what exactly are you going to use it for?

I no longer have the dob and need to get another scope .

Quite hard to find a good second hand one in Ireland close to me

Edited May 19 by Dave scutt

[Cleetus]

OK. There's a 10 inch Meade in the For Sale section. I know you are in Ireland but have a look and compare. 

[Dave scutt]

11 minutes ago, Cleetus said:

I think that's a little on the high side to be honest. Ask for a photo of the corrector plate.

He said it was clean.

Then he said the finger marks on it

 

[Cleetus]

Wonder why he said it was clean when it wasn't? Anyway, fingermarks on the corrector plate is not that serious in itself but I would need to see it if I was you and, if possible, have a look through it at a star. You'll know if something 's not right. You could also ask for another photo of the mirror.

[Dave scutt]

Are they hard to collimate for the first time 

[Cosmic Geoff]

48 minutes ago, Dave scutt said:

Are they hard to collimate for the first time 

No harder than a Newtonian IMHO.  Unless it has been messed with, the collimation should not need more than a touch.

BTW, I think the 10" Meade in the For Sale section is offered at £900.  Used SCTs often go for far less than the new price, even when they are in as-new condition.

Note that while Meade OTAs have a good reputation, the mounts don't.  

If you actually want a good-as-new 10" Meade SCT with GoTo, but don't want to buy a new one, consider buying the one near you and fitting the AWR drive kit. Then (assuming a positive outcome) you'll have a good OTA and a good new drive unit rather than the dodgy Meade one. 

You may have noticed that no manufacturer offers a SCT and mount combo that isn't GoTo. For good reason.

Edited May 19 by Cosmic Geoff

[michael8554]

"My question is can I manually use it, is it possible to fix or should I stay clear of it."

Manually will be cumbersome.

If it's the usual five capacitors that age and can blow, yes it can be fixed.

If you don't have the skills to fix it (google for "Meade Classic LX200 Capacitor replacement") then stay clear.

But then I'm the guy selling the £900 one on the mainland........... 😆

Michael

 

Edited May 20 by michael8554