Old EQ6 handcontroller

[asimov]

I have the old black non-goto version mount & the controller went belly-up only last night (I knew it was coming) & so I'm looking for a replacement.

If anyone has one surplus to their needs, by all means drop me a message. I'd rather it in working order as I've done my time trying to repair these kinds of items.

Cheers.

[Robert9]

Hi Asi,
Came across the following which might be of interest to you.
http://www.freewebs.com/eq6mod/eqdirect.htm
Robert (W.D.)

[asimov]

Thanks Robert, but 1 - This kind of thing is way above my head & 2 - I thought that mod could only by applied to the GOTO model..?

[Astroman]

Yep EQMOD wont work with that HC and Controller.

[Robert9]

Back to square one
Robert

[MrB]

What is wrong with it? Do you think it may be repairable?

[asimov]

Appreciate you trying to help in any case Robert!:thumbsup:

MrB: The story: The first 12 months was fine but then one RA (west/left) slew button started to become intermittent so Vin (friend) sent me an old non working one & I de-soldered one button out of it & installed it into my controller. Same symptoms about a month ago, but this time right/east button so 2 nights ago decided to go ahead & replace it. Reactivated the mount & all of a sudden it gave me what we call a 'runaway slew' - symptom of a runaway slew is an invisible finger on one of the slew buttons & it just so happens that it was slewing on the axis that the new re-soldered button coincides with. Naturally I assumed a dud button out of the old controller so I did the whole procedure once again with another button. The result was the same problem..

I then decided to de-solder the button once again, & test it with no button at all - I never got that far because everytime I moved the component board to solder; which is attached to yet another board by an 8 extremely thin wire harness; I ended up breaking some wires.

I've just spent 4 hours making/soldering a new harness in - Same result - runaway slew remembering it is minus the right/east button now as well. I can sit there with the mount running & the runaway slew will cut in & out randomly, bearing in mind I'm just sitting there not moving & not touching anything..

Obviously the dud button & this problem is not related & it's just good old coincidence..

Could be the handcontroller, could be the main board in the mount, could be the RJ32 jack on the end of the handcontroller cable, or the female end in the main board where it clips in, could be one of the motors..

Nearly 1K to upgrade the mount to the new motors/controller making it a GOTO but considering I bought the mount for 1.6K new 2 years ago & one can NOW purchase a new EQ6 GOTO for slightly less than 1.6K..

Found a controller on EBAY which I'm bidding on, however if it eventuates that it's not the controller....:shrug:

[MrB]

Ah ok, I was going to offer to take a look at it for you, but you obviously know what you are doing ;)
Long shot.... but is it possible the pushbuttons are NC (normally closed)?

[peter_4059]

The parts you are looking for were the subject of this post a couple of years ago. Looks like AdrianF might have picked them up - wonder if he ended up using them?

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=34000&highlight=eq6