TECHNICAL TIPS Last updated: 4 September 2002

ETX-105EC DEC Wiring

Sent:	Monday, September 2, 2002 07:45:03
From:	sherrodc@ipa.net (Clay Sherrod)
To:	Markus
I can locate the wire positions, but right now I do not have a current
model to make sure that the board has NOT been changed.  Here is my
description of how the wires must go to the DEC motor control board

DEC MOTOR BOARD (in arm)
[hold board so that MOTOR is in the lower left corner and the four wire
junctions are at top right]
from R to L:
BLACK
RED
YELLOW
BLUE

CONTROL PANEL (in base)
[hooks with blue wire connector clip....this order is from LEFT to R
with control panel at the BOTTOM of the drive base if you have the unit
laying on a table, bottom facing you]
BLACK
RED
YELLOW
BLUE

How did the wires get pulled out of the blue wire/panel four-pin
connector??

Hope this helps.

Clay
----------------------------------------
Dr. P. Clay Sherrod
sherrodc@ipa.net
Arkansas Sky Observatory
www.arksky.org

----- Original Message -----
> In the declination arm there is a small circuit board (ntt motor controller)
> with a rotation sensor and some circuitry to drive the motor.  There are
> four wires (black, red, yellow, and blue) that were attached to the board at
> a jumper location marked jp2.  Those wires go through the groove in the
> center of the right ascension tension bolt.  The wires were also severed
> where they emerge from the tension bolt and the clutch assembly.
>
> From there, the wires go to the circuit board where the Autostar and
> accessories are attached.  I was able to replace the wiring from the motor
> controller, through the tension bolt, to the circuit board on the base, and
> replace the clutch assembly.  I don't know the order of the wires on the
> controller for the declination motor and in my hasty attempt to repair the
> scope before nightfall yesterday I failed to make note of how the two
> connectors plug into the board in the base.
>
> I appreciate your willingness to help and your prompt reply.  I've been
> kicking myself all morning...I should have just taken the time to send it in
> for warranty repair...I just didn't want to be without it because of
> something as silly as a bolt coming off of the RA drive mechanism.  I'll
> call Meade on Tuesday and ship it off.  In the meantime, I guess I'll do my
> observations in a pre-Lippershey fashion, or maybe it's time to buy that
> upgrade that I've been wanting.
>
> Thanks,
> Markus
>
> -----Original Message-----
> Hey Markus....tell me which wires pulled away from which boards....the
> damage can go either way and there can be as many as four wires involved.
> Let me know and I can help you....
>
> Clay
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> > Dr. Sherrod,
> >
> > I'm one of those morons that severed the wires leading to the declination
> > motor controller on an ETX.  I have an ETX105EC.  I can fix the problem, but
> > unfortunately when the wires were severed they were also pulled away from
> > the controller, so I don't know the order.  I suspect that you're going to
> > suggest that I ship my scope to Meade, but I thought that I would at least
> > ask to see if you know the correct order of the wires on the board.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Markus

From:	Markus
Thanks Dr. Sherrod.  Your help is very appreciated.  According to your
notes I had the wiring correct.  I must have just plugged the blue
connectors into the circuit board in the base incorrectly and damaged
the handheld controller.

I don't want to take a chance on damaging my Autostar, so I'm set on
contacting Meade, giving them a run down on the damage, and taking the
cost as a lesson learned.  I have talked my wife into letting me order
an 8" LX200 to use while my ETX105 is out for repair.  That'll give us
two scopes to use and a good scope for our astrophotography projects.

Thanks again,

Markus

Return to the top of this page.

Go back to the Tech Tips page.

Go back to the ETX Home Page.