Hi all,
this is my first mod of my brand new Skywatcher AZ EQ6GT.
The power connector on the new Skywatcher is apparently a much improved design over the previous connector. However, the plug it uses isn't easy to come by. I searched the web, Jaycar and ebay for it, but to no avail.
It is a mini female 2 pin line mic plug. A normal size female 2 pin line mic plug is easy to come by ($2.95 at Jaycar
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=PS2014) but a mini one is impossible to find.
So, I thought about a mod.
I figured I had one mini plug, the original one that came with the mount, so I could use that as a sort of adapter to something else that was more easy to find. So I cut off about 15cm of cable, and soldered on a 3 pin male cannon type connector (
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=PP1012). I can then use easy to come by 3 pin female connon type connectors to both the cigarette lighter plug and other power supplies (
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=PS1015). These cannon connectors are heavy duty and have a positive lock, but are easy to unplug from each other.
Here's some pics:
1) A comparison of the EQ6GT's mini line mic connector with a normal line mic connector.
2) The new short cable, with 3 pin cannon type connector attached.
3) Both the new connector cable, plus the cigarette cable with its new connector.
4) The new short cable attached to the mount.