Go-To Fault on LXD75

Hi all,

I have a Meade LXD 75 8" Reflector, I had it out at the EAAS Meteor Watch and Observing Session on Fri night. When I attempted to set the go-to up and align the scope, it didn't work and 'Motor Unit Fault' was displayed on the hand controller. Does anyone have a similar scope and if so recognise this problem. How do you fix it?

Neill

Hi Neill,
I see the same thing a lot on my ETX70. With mine it is usually that the batteries are going, either because I've used them too much or because it is cold.
Have a look on Mike Weasners ETX site. You might find out something there:
www.weasner.com/etx/menu.html

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I have emailed Mike Weasner. For me its not a power issue, I was using a fully charged power pack and obviously it was the start of the session as I was aligning the scope.

Hi all,I have a Meade LXD 75 8" Reflector, I had it out at the EAAS Meteor Watch and Observing Session on Fri night. When I attempted to set the go-to up and align the scope, it didn't work and 'Motor Unit Fault' was displayed on the hand controller. Does anyone have a similar scope and if so recognise this problem. How do you fix it?
Neill

From a hints & tips sheet for the LXD 55 - would assume the same applies to the LXD 75:

MOTOR UNIT FAULT MESSAGE: Motor Unit Fault can be caused by many things: low batteries, dragging axes, and: failure to Calibrate the drive. One of the steps which is a "good thing" to do once in a while is: Setup > Telescope > Calibrate Drives [enter].

The two motors will run for about 2 seconds each, and it's done. What it's doing is tuning the encoder pickup circuits for optimal operation. If you have -never- done it, then that could well have been the cause.

Neil,
you haven't said whether you get the same fault with a fresh set of batteries. Even a power pack, with anomalous power peaks and dips, will make the LXD or ETX give such an error messsage. Worth a shot with the batteries for a process of elimination, so to speak...

Seanie.

Is there a cable with rj45 plugs connecting the drives with the main section (there is for the lx scopes), if so you might want to try re-crimping that cable (remake both ends).
I had a dec drive problem a fews years ago that was solved by re-crimping the cable. Its an easy thing to do if you have a crimper, if not, maybe you know someone who has one.