Weasner's Warnings Page

WARNINGS!

Last updated: 31 October 2007

Subject:	WARNING: 497 handbox destroyed by using a twisted CAT5 cable for prolongation
Sent:	Wednesday, October 31, 2007 06:35:40
From:	Wolfgang Weiss (wolfgangweiss@ttnet.net.tr)
For remote controlling of my ETX-125EC I often used an Ethernet CAT5
cable as a prolongation for the handbox spiral cable. It worked fine
over a distance of 10 meters. Last time I connected the handbox via a
CAT5 cable, the unit didn'd do anything, no display, no function. It
turned out, that I had used a TWISTED Ethernet cable instead of a
straight-through cable. This killed the handbox immediately.

A reason to complain about Meade, who's developers did not provide a
fool proof solution for those nuts like me?

Regards
Wolfgang (Turkey)

Mike here: Yep, you likely reversed the power lead, thus frying some component. As to Meade (or any manufacturer) providing a foolproof solution to ANY possible user-caused error, that is not likely to happen. Afterall, we don't have cars that will keep jerks from drinking and driving, we don't have guns that don't kill people, we don't have laptop computers that tolerate having coffee spilled into the keyboard, we don't have medicines that prevent overdosing, etc, etc, etc. Some enterprising people have developed add-ons that can prevent some of the mentioned situations; perhaps you will come up with an idea that you could turn into $$$ that will keep users from destroying their AutoStars anytime they try to do something bad to it.

And:

your answering speed is as phantastic as your complete site is! Thanks a
lot for the nice examples which demonstrate, that people are capable of
destroing everything which gets under their hands!

I had a tiny hope, that this desaster happened to sombody else before,
who in turn has found a method to repair the handbox. Now I'm ready to
order a new unit from Meade in Turkey.

Thanks for your mental help!
Wolfgang

Mike here: People have destroyed the AutoStar (and telescope) by misconnecting electrical power. There are a couple of "schematic" articles on the Helpful Information: AutoStar Info page if you want to try to find the fried component and replace it.

Go back to the Warnings Page.

Go back to my ETX Home Page.