HEQ5 Pro probs..

[dbowie]

Hi Wondering if anyone has had similar problem with their HEQ5 Pro mount, Its performed flawlessly up till now. I went thru setup last night as usual then turned off for hour or so to cool down when I returned everything turned back on no probs handset initialised then came screen message 'No link to MC Standalone mode' press enter and select go to functions but only beep at handset no response from mount. I checked all connections and cables it was a dry night restarted but same, after google seems this happens quite a lot even with the new EQ8 and is likely motherboard failure. I purchased from AndrewsComms last July so I presume it's still under warranty and I'm sure they will honour it but I'd like to diagnose and prevent it happening again, any thoughts or advice, regards Brenton...

[Merlin66]

Hmmm
My HEQ5 is almost ten years old and I still use Synscan V3.27.
I've never seen that particular message come up - never......
What version of Synscan are you using?

[dbowie]

Version 3.27..

[Merlin66]

Strange....
How far does the hand controller go through the initialisation before the error message appears?
Can you get to the stage where it asks about the alignment choice "1 or 2" ??

[dbowie]

So starts up initialises then message appears if I press enter it will page thru setup to align no probs but when I press enter handset beeps once but mount doesn't respond to any commands inc align tour and slew etc, seems like handset is fine just not communicatiing with mount, chrz

[Merlin66]

Hmmmm
You could try "esc" at the alignment screen.. this on my system reverts to "manual" control.
I usually only then set the sidereal rate and use the direction arrows (for solar observing)
Don't know what else to suggest......
[Edit] re reading your message....
""So starts up initialises then message appears"
Does this mean the message comes up BEFORE anything else?

[dbowie]

Yes error message up after 'initialising' message then press esc I meant and it will scroll thru...

[Merlin66]

Ahhh
Then it definitely sounds like the hand controller is not "talking" to the mount.
Obviously recheck and clean the hand controller cable connectors - both ends and hope for the best.

[dbowie]

Yea no worries thnx I'm thinkin it's the motherboard based on all of that. Will see what Andrews has to say on Weds hopefully they will have one in stock under warranty I can just replace the motherboard without having to send mount to them and back, thnx again...

[RobF]

Hi Brenton

I had intermittent connection troubles with my original cable before getting it replaced eventually.

You can however substitute a standard cat 5 or 6 network cable if you have one for the HEQ5Pro. Probably worth a try before sending anything back.

I'd also suggest trying someone else's handset (after the cable), if that's an option.

[dbowie]

Jus tried nutha cable no dice no access to alternative handset, chrz tho

[RobF]

:(

[dbowie]

An update for those interested, I talked with Luke from AndrewsComms today and he suggested I return the mount head and Handset to him to forward on to Tasco who will test and replace the motherboard 'Mount Controller' or handset under warranty if either found faulty, my concern was the cost of freight as I live in regional SA and he assured me that AndrewsComms would pay return freight. So if repaired free of charge under warranty at Tasco I could be out of pocket around $60-80. He also agreed that although these mounts have a good reputation for reliability electronics issues do crop up from time to time as evidenced on other forums and a ready market supply for replacement motherboards, I still think they are a great mount despite this prob and if this warranty claim goes thru without a hiccup I will def buy the planned NEQ6 upgrade from them and have nothing but praise for AndrewsComms, Ill post on outcome, chrz..

[dbowie]

For those interested or curious, Just got off the phone with Luke from AndrewsComms and he verified they will test and replace Motherboard or Handset free of charge under warranty and pay return postage. I am very impressed with the way this has been handled and have no hesitation recommending AndrewsComms service, outstanding! For those with out of warranty problematic HEQ5 Pros Andrews can supply replacement motherboards from Tasco for around $200 inc, :thumbsup:chrz...

[Tasastro]

A lot of issue like yours are caused by overvoltage from the power supply. Checking the voltage with a known accurate meter is adviseable, however this may not be sufficient - some power supplies have wide voltage excursions on startup and shutdown. An oscilloscope or fast data logging multimeter is needed to find the problem in such cases.

[dbowie]

Thnx for your input Bill, sound advice and because of these kind of exacting power supply issues I have deliberately only ever powered my mount with a 5amp inline fused12 volt lithium motorcycle battery. I have achieved up to 5 hrs trouble free operation in a given sitting so far. I will also be reconfiguring my connections and eliminating the on/off cigarette lighter connector even tho they ship with one standard, I think this failure was just a 1 in a thousand freak as I've seen on other forums, Chrz...

[raymo]

The most common fault with the HEQ5 electronics [after poor crimping
of both ends of the hand controller cable] is condenser failure. If you remove the front cover of the mount you can see two large condensers at the bottom
front of the circuit board. If either or both of them are bulging you can get new ones from Jaycar for about 75 cents each. You will need a high temperature soldering iron. Worth a look before shipping the mount.
raymo

[dbowie]

Thnx raymo, yes I have a friend who is an electronics engineer and that was roughly his diagnoses and offered to find fault and fix. That was plan B. However Andrews has come to the party and while Ill be out of pocket $70 freight I'd rather not void my 5yr limited warranty at this stage by poking around, I will ask and hopefully I can keep the suspect board for future redundancy, chrz...

[dbowie]

So a quick update for those interested AndrewsComms replaced the logic board on my HEQ5Pro and return freighted to me in as new working order all under warranty under 10 days. The cost to me was only $40 one way freight , flawless polite after sales service, a good outcome and thanx to Luke the team and of course Lee....:thumbsup:

[jimmyh1555]

Hey Dbowie! I have just had same message. Brand new HEQ5. Assembled it today. Switched on and entered the location stuff, Then wanted to see it tracking (it is inside shed). Then up comes this message :No link to MC Standalone mode. " Nothing moved. The red "on" light was flashing, then went out. Funny buzzing noise came from inside. I checked the battery voltage and it was quite low. Oh dear, could it be the motherboard? I am charging up the battery tonight (lead acid) nand will try tomorrow.
Any ideas? JIMMY

[dbowie]

Hi James thats not good as I understand stand alone mode means the handset isnt talking to the mount via the motorboard. I recieved mine back from Andrewscomms after new motorboard was fitted by them, I wasnt given any details as to the probable fault and on return it worked fine in the shed but at first setup the handset wouldnt power up, I tried new RS cable, power cord wiggling and all that but still no go so back its gone to Andrews. I have a Star Discovery pro mount also and the Heq5 V3 handset works absolutely fine on that which rules the HS out at least. My suspicions are centered around bad soldering on rear of the the cable input fascia on the mount which has a small pcb board connecting wire loom to MBoard. Im waiting to hear back from Luke who has a new replacement mount on standby if prob cant be sorted so ill post outcome when I know more. Yours is obviously in warranty so I advise to take it back for replacement not repair, its near impossible to hook the mount up wrongly with supplied cabling so user fault can be ruled out. Appareantly the motorboard has capacitors which pop and are serviceable. Replacement of the MBoard seems pretty straight forward and they are available from Tasco thru Andrews for around $200. 99.9 percent people have used these mounts trouble free for many years maybe we just got bad batch of electronics, it happens, good luck, chrz...

[dbowie]

Talked with Luke today and he confirmed the handset wasnt powering up on HEQ5 pro, he loosened a few cover screws mebbe on Mboard as well and all worked fine so an indeterminate intermittent short. Suffice to say he is shipping off a brand new replacement HEQ5 pro mount tomorrow, apart from lost time and one freight cost Im happy with outcome, he also said its the 2nd second hand heq5 this week with similar prob so its all anyones guess...:question: