How can I find out how old my LX200 GPS is?

[BlackWidow]

I purchased my LX200 10 GPS about 1 1/2 years ago online.. I have been trying to find out a way of knowing it's age but have had no luck.

Is thier any way of telling from the serial number convention? All I know is that the GPS version of the LX200 GPS was released somewhere around May 2004

Any help would be great as I also have a friend trying to find out the same thing also.


Mardy

[AndrewJ]

Gday Mardy

There is no easy way to tell the manufacture date,
unless someone annotated a QC sticker or the like.
If you run patched firmware, you can read out all the current history of startups ( and hence dates used ).
However, that data only goes to the last garbage collect,
and you wont know how far back that was done, if at all.

Andrew

[MikeyB]

The LX200GPS manual is dated October 2003, so presumably the model was introduced shortly thereafter. The manual for the LX200R (which superseded it), is dated January 2006.

[PeterM]

Hi Martin,
Meade serial numbers give a rough sort of sequence/clue but without any seeming convention. I have read that looking for dates of manufacture on electronics inside give a reasonable date.
You can join the group below (great for LX200 owners) then go to Database/Serial Numbers and you will find a listing of a few hundred LX200s where owners have listed serial numbers, model, purchased dates, delivery condition etc, its a reasonable guide I guess.

I found the following that maybe useful to you, bearing in mind purchased dates don't necessarily account for items in stock at a dealer for periods of time and perhaps overseas delivery.

SN03476 April 2002 UK delivery = EMC (pre GPS model)
SN05509 April 2002 10inch GPS (earliest GPS I can find) USA delivery
SN07822 October 2002 10inch GPS USA delivery
SN08376 December 2002 8inch GPS USA delivery
SN090982 April 2003 USA delivery
SN093611 June 2003 USA
SN093700 January 2004 Scotland
SN094655 March 2003 USA
SN095123 May 2003 USA
SN095560 August 2004 USA
SN095593 January 2005 Europe
SN096171 June 2004 Canada
SN096532 February 2004 Netherlands
SN097084 September 2004 USA
SN100427 December 2005 USA
SN100723 September 2006 USA
SN103097 (My 12inch R 'scope) June 2007


http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/LX200GPS/

PeterM.

[BlackWidow]

Thanks for that Pete, that's a great help.. It does seem that the numbers are pretty random. It's a shame really, it would be good to be able to age them.

I will have a look at the link you sent me.


Regards
Mardy