Nelson Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 I have just come in from a very frustrating session trying to get the mount to track better. After Polar alignment I set about going through the rest of the set up using the controller BUT firstly it would not track so I tried to set the rate from 0-8 but no luck then the mount would not slew or move at all, I've got a power tank that I fully charged this afternoon, then it moved but intermittently so I set the controller to park the scope but it refused to move! Is it due to the cold damp air? The mount worked OK for about half an hour before the problems began. My mount is a Skywatcher EQ 3-2. Can the weather affect the controller or do you think there is a fault with it? The time was 7pm and I have not dropped the handset, please help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+RonC Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Don't think it's the temperature, Try doing a dummy run inside tomorrow and check your handset inputs, long,lat and time/date etc, they are vital to the mounts tracking! Cheers Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Thanks Ron I've just had a dummy run in doors and it seems fine but what I don't get is that it does not appear to track at all. I have double checked the settings but even if they were off surely the mount would track. What setting should I put in other than sidereal? I'm toying with purchasing another scope, a refractor specifically for ap, but until I can get the mount to perform as it should, maybe it is best to hold off any purchases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+RonC Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Sidereal is the tracking speed you need, does the mount slew OK? Then to test the tracking, set up in or outdoors find a target like a TV antenna set the mount/scope tracking and leave it 5 or 10 minutes then go and check what you can see in the ep. If its the same then there is a problem with the handset/mount otherwise OK. Might be worth doing a firmware reset from the SW website and checking again? Sorry I can't be more helpful! Cheers Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philjay Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 It may seem a basic thing but have you locked the ra axis? If the lock is not on the drive will just spin the worm wheel without moving the scope. Secondly is the motor actually turning, if not check all connections. Is it purely ra not working or dec as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 Thanks for your comments. This morning I set everything up indoors and checked everything such as the RA axis and DEC axis power Etc. but after about an hour the handset just died so I turned everything off then after some minutes, turned it all on again but the screen lasted about a second before dying agains. So I have contacted where I purchased it from as I'm now sure there is a fault. I'm looking to buy a triplet but not until this is sorted as I want to do some AP and will need the mount working properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+RonC Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Hope you get it sorted Melvin, what power supply are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catman161 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Just my 2p worth but if you're thinking of buying a triplet and are interested in Astrophotography, I would recommend getting a better/more sturdy mount anyway such as the HEQ5 minimum if not an NEQ6 or an AZEQ6 to allow for the extra load capacity of adding lots of things on like DSLR cameras and the like to a heavy triplet. Will save frustrations in the long term when it comes to imaging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 Hi the power supply is a Skywatcher power tank 7ah. Yes I intend to upgrade my mount once I have gotten more experience at AP but as I can only afford to get a scope at this time the next thing, once I've saved enough of my is a better mount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Are you sure its not the power pack? Sounds like a power issue to me, works then does not, SW mounts are very temperamental around voltage drops, do you have a mains cable or anything you could plug in then try? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 Hi yes I thought it could be the power pack so I ensured it was fully charged, tried both of the lights on it, they both worked fine and a small light also comes on on the connector plug that goes into the tank with the other end going into the controller, they seem fine but is there a way of checking the power tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Measure the voltage with a multimeter on DC volts. It should be around 13V fully charged, if it's less than 12V, that would be your problem, the mounts get very twitchy at 12V and below. The lamps aren't really an indication of the full charge voltage, they will work below this. Check the power connector, these are not always reliable either, if it breaks contact even for a fraction of a second, it will go off and you will be back to square one, aligning and all that messing about again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zidder Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 The power pack could have a duff cell, it will show as charged but will drop voltage very quickly, when you put it on charge does it seem to charge very quickly ? you could take it to a battery shop and they could test it ( but not the likes of Halfords etc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 Hi everyone and thanks for your time and replies. I'm going to get the power tank checked tomorrow. I'll get this fixed but only thanks to your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I think thats best, S/W mounts are notorious for packing up with voltage drops, they really do need a high constant power supply otherwise its game over, no fault of the mount per say but if it does turn out to be the battery, you have saved yourself a bit of faffing around and if it doesn't turn out to be the battery, well at least you know thats fine. Let us know how you get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now