Steve:

I think I have exactly the same problem. Try something for me. Set the scope
up and do a sync on Acturus when it is east of the meridian and see if the
co-ordinates displayed on the keypad are correct. If they are not do a sync
on an object west of the meridian and see if the displayed co-ordinates are
then correct. In my case the sync in the west is perfect and the sync in the
east screws up. The software version (I think it is a bug) is 6.34M which
Meade tells me is the latest. My mount just came back from a dismal repair
experience (runaway dec), Meade lost it and it took several months to find
it. It then came back to me unrepaired so I returned it again and Fed Ex
lost it. I purchased the mount last June and it still does not work right.
Meade, to their credit, is trying to make things right by sending me a
complete board set for me to replace. I will let you know if it solves the
problem. Since the problem occurs with no motion of the scope I do not think
it has anything to do with the encoders or motor drive, I think it is a
simple software bug. I write embedded software and do digital design for a
living and this looks very suspiciously like a software problem.

Please let me know how the testing turn out, it might be interesting to let
Meade know if you have the same problem as I do.

Blair Mac Donald
-----Original Message-----
Date: Thursday, May 20, 1999 4:58 PM
Subject: [M]: LXD650 woes


>After 2 months at Meade, my brand new LXD650 came back in February. It
>worked well, although without the pointing accuracy of my LX200. Monday
>night at TSP, everything was fine. Tuesday night, it couldn't point close
>enough to see the target in the finder. I noticed that every time I went
>through the recalibrate sequence, the Dec had moved off of 90 degrees by
>two degrees. It was cumulative, off 2 deg., 4 deg., 6 deg., etc.
>
>Tracking was fine, so I used it manually with a Starbeam to find things.
>
>Back home I set up in the living romm, removed the electronics, blew out
>the dust, replugged all the connectors, and checked the Dec pulley set
>screws. Everything was OK. Many trials finally showed a pattern: if the
>computer chose the second alignment star east of the meridian, the Dec
>would be off the 2 degrees when resyncing to Polaris. If the mount chose
>a star west of the meridian, the Dec returned to 90 degrees for Polaris
>every time.
>
>The call to Meade produced the expected result: "send the whole mount in,
>and we'll fix it under warranty." That's fine, except that it costs me
>$50 every time I have to send it in.
>
>Has anyone seen this failure mode, or have a clue as to what I might
>check? TIA.
>
> - Steve -
>
>******************************************************************
>* Steve Linscott Divisional Consultant Natural Sciences *
>******************************************************************
>
>
>
>
>

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