NEQ6 not behaving

[Carole]

Hi Mac Julian and Chris.

I am just using the handset, I have software set up to control the mount but don't normally bother with it.

So we're just talking about handset and mount here.  As far as I can see nothing appears to be lose, and the handset appears to be working OK, it just misses the alignment star, sometimes I can't even see it in the finderscope, but sometimes I can. 

If you can't check the cable out, I will bring a spare to Kelling Heath as I use EQ mod.

that would be great Julian, what pitch are you on, I'm on 379. 

If there is sufficient clear sky I'll try the re-flashed firmware on the handset out tonight, as that will eliminate one option.  If that doesn;t work I'll try the "push it to the right place" suggestion made above and see how that works.

Allan screws or motors could be loose on the cogs.

would it make an unusual noise if anything like that was loose?

E&W or N&S reversed in the setup?

I assume we're talking laptop control software here, which I am not currently using.

Thanks for all your suggestions guys.

Carole

[The Thing]

I would check the power supply voltage. That's usually the problem when I have a misbehaving mount whether I am using EQMOD or the handset.

With my old Meade forks (may they rest in peace) the mount/handset would get a mind of it's own if the voltage was low and it would slew all over the place unbidden.

[Carole]

Hi Duncan,

I have a power supply cable which I bought from Bern which is designed for the purpose and is a regulated supply.  Also some-one came and had a look at the Mount when I was at SGL7 and he checked that nothing was loose etc. 

I am pretty stumped as as far as I can see I have not done anything different to what I have been doing for the last year but suddenly it goes off the rails. 

Couldn't check the re-flashed handset last night as it was too cloudy (still at 12.30am).

I have put a similar thread on SGL and several other people seem to have had the same problem.  Likewise several people have overcome it by the "loosen the clutches and push it to the first alignment star" method, so its surprising how many mounts seem to do the same thing.

Well will just have to keep my fingers crossed the re-flash has worked otherwise I will be on to FLO since it is still under guarantee (just).

Carole

[Carole]

Well I think I've sorted it.

After a lot of headscratching, I remembered that the day after the first poor alignment (several weeks ago) I noticed my counterweight bar was not in the home position even though I had put the mount back to Park.  (I also realised this was due to the setting circle slipping and I had relied on that and not noticed in the dark the scopes were  crooked).  So what I did was straighten the scopes up.  But of course the mount remembered the adjusted alignment so when I started from Park position I was already "out".  Since I always start from Park and Park at the end of the session, this was never getting rectified.  

I have now re-set the Park position after an adjusted alignment doing a 1 star (re-set Park), then a 2 star (re-set Park), and it now seems to be aligning fairly accurately again.  

Hope this makes sense.

I won't make that mistake or trust the setting circles again.
Phew!

Apologies to NEQ6, a case of a bad workman blaming his tools!!!!

Carole

[The Thing]

You should always set a proper polar home position. It's easy with a spirit level. Then the mount starts in the same position every time. On a pier, once this is set Parking will always return to this home position and it's reproducible by following the procedure.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/archive/index.php/t-61374.html

[Carole]

Hi Duncan yes I do normally have a balanced Home position, the problem was caused by me putting different scopes on the mount and then loosening the clutches to balance the load which I then thought I had returned to the Home position but I was looking at the setting circles to return to the Home position from the south side and had not noticed in the dark it had slipped slightly.  If you remember you were in my observatory when we both noticed the counterweight bar was crooked on entering the POD from the North side.  What I didn't realise was that when you return to Park that it remembered the latest alignment, I thought it remembered the original alignment when Park position was last saved. 

Anyway, hopefully I have sorted this out now and another lesson learnt, I am not relying on the settings circles any more, I am going to mark the mount independently.

Carole

[Carole]

Right well ignore what I said in post number 18 where I was blaming myself for setting the Home position wrong due to the settings circles.  

On Saturday night I went out to do some imaging.  I started from Home position (which was absolutely correct, I checked it and double checked it), did an alignment which worked well, GOTO was pretty accurate, did an imaging session and sent the scope back to Park.

Next morning I went into the Observatory and this is what I saw (which I didn't notice at 4.45 in the morning):


It's sent it back to Park in the wrong position AGAIN.  So here was I trying to find some logic and blaming myself previously.  I know for certain that it was set in the correct position before I started, and also said I was starting from Park (my usual routine) and not moved it since the previous session when I had it all working correctly.

Have been on to the Retailer.

Carole

[RobertM]

Are you sure that is where it parked - did you see where it parked itself the night before ?  Mine parks and sets tracking off at the same time then I power everything off.  When power everything back on then unpark, the mount correctly slews to the right position (I only do single star alignment so it's only close but close enough).  After the imaging session (or whatever) it parks to exactly the same position and I watch it (call me ye of little faith !) till it stops.

You are more than welcome to see my EQ6 in operation if you think that would help.

Robert

[Carole]

I Must confess I did not actually notice it had gone to the wrong position the previous night, but this must be the position it went to as I never moved it or switched it on again, unless there is a spook going into my observatory and messing with things.

My mount only goes to Home position it has never done what I think you refer to as "tracking off".   It doesn't move when I switch on and tell it I want to start from Park until I actually tell it to move to the first alignment star, I think I know what you're getting at Robert, but it doesn't fit that description. 

Since I have been using this for a year, I have had plenty of practice using it with no problems and it's only recently started to behave strangely.

Gonna have one last session at alignment and parking just to fathom out what is going on.  but now it's gone back to the wrong place, goodness knows what is going to happen when I try to align again, I think I am going to be back to square one which means re-setting the Park position again. 

Just to clarify.  On my CG5 GT I had a choice of send to Home position, or set Home position.
ON the NEQ6, I seem to only have a choice of Park scope, or set position.  I am assuming that set position means set parking position.

Carole

[Mac]

Have you tried starting the scope but not from the home / park position. Reset park position if it has one and then dO a 3 star alignment and then re-park the scope to see where it parks, if you set the park position, it will remember it's current position and use that as it's park position.

I always park the scope, but when I turn it on I always select not to start from a parked position.

Mac

[Carole]

I must confess I do always start from Park, but I'll give your suggestion a try Mac.  I was thinking of doing that next time as it's totally confused at the moment.

Carole