Re: North Dec button not working
On Sat, Sep 14, 2024 at 06:35 PM, Bill Tschumy wrote:
Brendan,
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Thanks for the additional info. ?I will test this tomorrow.
?
Bill
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So, what happened??
?
?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astrospheric - South Pasadena?
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Re: North Dec button not working
Brendan,
Thanks for the additional info. ?I will test this tomorrow.
Bill On Sep 12, 2024, at 10:04?PM, Brendan <brenatlilydale@...> wrote:
Hi Bill, I'm home now so can attach more info on this:
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Just remember the "DEC+" out (Pin 9 HC)? becomes DEC "-ve" when "REV DEC" is selected.??? This is why the fault appears to change.?? In reality it doesn't as it uses same HC pins and by proxy Cable pins and wire.
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It comes in Pin 9 on main board to D3.? When you press "DEC +" this point "D3 Anode" will go high as long as button is pressed.?? See diagrams
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A cheap small Multimeter will suffice.
? ¡°¶Ù·¡°ä+¡±: DEC+ is out pin 9 J1 to Pin 9 J10 to diode D3 (& R2 to GND, main PCB). The cathode side D3 (between the D3 and R2) is fed to CPU pin 14. Depressing DEC+ you can measure at D3 or Pin 14 (CPU) for a ¡°high¡±.
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<HC key press input diodes D3 shown.jpg><CPU-pins-named.jpg>
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Any more assistance....fire away
?
cheers
--
Brendan
--? Bill Tschumy Otherwise -- Longmont, CO www.otherwise.com
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Re: North Dec button not working
Hi Bill, I'm home now so can attach more info on this:
?
Just remember the "DEC+" out (Pin 9 HC)? becomes DEC "-ve" when "REV DEC" is selected.??? This is why the fault appears to change.?? In reality it doesn't as it uses same HC pins and by proxy Cable pins and wire.
?
It comes in Pin 9 on main board to D3.? When you press "DEC +" this point "D3 Anode" will go high as long as button is pressed.?? See diagrams
?
A cheap small Multimeter will suffice.
?
¡°¶Ù·¡°ä+¡±:
DEC+ is out pin 9 J1 to Pin 9 J10 to diode D3 (& R2 to GND, main PCB). The cathode side D3 (between the D3 and R2) is fed to CPU pin 14. Depressing DEC+ you can measure at D3 or Pin 14 (CPU) for a ¡°high¡±.
?
?
Any more assistance....fire away
?
cheers
--
Brendan
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Re: North Dec button not working
Bill id suggest it¡¯s a cable issue or pin not contacting socket properly.?
The HC button is ok. ?Selecting ¡°Rev¡± proves this. ?But it also uses the same ¡°Dec+¡± wire out as ¡°Dec -¡° when in ¡°REV¡±
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This is pin9 of the connector. ? You can measure the button presses at ¡°D3 Anode¡± on the mainboard (or pin 14 CPU). ? Each press will be registered as a ¡°high¡± or close to 5V
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If you measure this at pin 14 CPU and it¡¯s missing¡.the cable or socket is bad. ? Yes they do go bad. ?Rare but yes. ?Socket pins can go bad. They have a little friction finger that contacts the pin. ?These wear out or break off over time.?
Get back on this. ?If you don¡¯t have a multimeter just replace the cable?
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get back?
?
cheers
?
?
--
Brendan
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Re: North Dec button not working
On Tue, Sep 10, 2024 at 02:37 PM, Bill Tschumy wrote:
Michael Hermann also thinks the logic chip is the likely culprit. ?Can you even get another of those now a days?
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I did try a CMOS reset but that didn't fix the problem.
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I don¡¯t have another HC cable to try. ?The cable is in good shape and hasn¡¯t been tugged on. ?I tried wiggling it at the connectors but that didn¡¯t help.
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The new HC and cable on EBay is a possibility.
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I am currently only using this mount for control via KStars/Ekos so the fact that the north button doesn¡¯t work is not a huge issue. ?Everything still works remotely.
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Bill
On Sep 10, 2024, at 10:44?AM, Will <wcollierllc@...> wrote:
Bill, It must be the I.C. (although I have not seen the schematic of the HandBox) as you have eliminated the actual switch with your testing method.? I need to take apart my Handbox to see just what is in there...
?
Will
--?
Bill Tschumy
Otherwise -- Longmont, CO
www.otherwise.com
?
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Back in the ancient days when digital stuff was more flakey and there were no real I/O chips we used to use ICs to buffer/hold data bits for downstream controllers to read the last data bits or sometimes used them to hold status bits. I think whatever holds these bits is stuck or faulty.? It used to happen on occasion and something like this could be what is happening here.? ? ?
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?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astrospheric - South Pasadena?
|
Re: North Dec button not working
Michael Hermann also thinks the logic chip is the likely culprit. ?Can you even get another of those now a days?
I did try a CMOS reset but that didn't fix the problem.
I don¡¯t have another HC cable to try. ?The cable is in good shape and hasn¡¯t been tugged on. ?I tried wiggling it at the connectors but that didn¡¯t help.
The new HC and cable on EBay is a possibility.
I am currently only using this mount for control via KStars/Ekos so the fact that the north button doesn¡¯t work is not a huge issue. ?Everything still works remotely.
Bill On Sep 10, 2024, at 10:44?AM, Will <wcollierllc@...> wrote:
Bill, It must be the I.C. (although I have not seen the schematic of the HandBox) as you have eliminated the actual switch with your testing method.? I need to take apart my Handbox to see just what is in there...
?
Will
--? Bill Tschumy Otherwise -- Longmont, CO www.otherwise.com
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Re: North Dec button not working
Just happens to be one for sale on May not be the best option.?
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Re: North Dec button not working
It could be a broken wire in the HC cable, too.
¸é±ð²Ô¨¦
Am 10.09.24 um 18:44 schrieb Will:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Bill, It must be the I.C. (although I have not seen the
schematic of the HandBox) as you have eliminated the actual
switch with your testing method.? I need to take apart my
Handbox to see just what is in there...
?
Will
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Re: North Dec button not working
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I don't know what is closest to a general reset to factor settings for Gemini 1 but maybe try a "Restore to Defaults" and manually reconfiguring the Gemini-1?? IDK the Gemini hardware but maybe the memory address bit for this value is stuck??
?
?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astrospheric - South Pasadena?
|
Re: North Dec button not working
Bill, It must be the I.C. (although I have not seen the schematic of the HandBox) as you have eliminated the actual switch with your testing method.? I need to take apart my Handbox to see just what is in there...
?
Will
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North Dec button not working
Group,
In the past couple of days, the north Dec button on my 14 year old GM8 hand controller has stopped working. The attachment shows the type of HC I have.
Pressing the north button alone does nothing in sidereal mode. It also seems not to do anything when in menu mode to scroll through the options in reverse.
The south button is working but I can¡¯t put it in fast slew mode by tapping the north button.
I would think there might be a failure of the physical button but if I hit DEV REV then the north button now works (moving it south) but the south button no longer works.
Anyone know what could be going on? Is there some obscure setting in the Gemini L4 command set that I¡¯ve accidentally enabled that says ¡°don¡¯t move north¡±? ?
--
Bill Tschumy
Otherwise -- Longmont, CO
www.otherwise.com
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Re: Info Mount Losmandy height adjustment
Greetings, , However unlikely, a second washer may have? been added because the bolt it too long or the washer was too thin. For what it's worth, washers are used to increase the surface area of the bolt's head and holding strength. Replacing the inside washer with a plastic washer will allow the axis to pivot without marring the anodized head. Some folks get worked up over visible wear. I would recommend Teflon or Delrin washers as nylon becomes brittle and will need to be replaced from time to time. Additionally, I'd suggest adding a Teflon washer to both bolts, both sides + add them to your Azimuth locking knobs. Size it the same as one of the existing washers: ? With a lightly snug bolts, you will easily adjust the altitude while minimizing the load on the brass gears. Win, win. Once aligned to Polaris, tighten them down. As mentioned, FWIW - Ernie
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Re: Info Mount Losmandy height adjustment
Thank you Paul and Chip Louie for the valuable advice, I hope it will be helpful for other users who have the same doubts/problems as me.
Regards, Thomas Bianchi
Il giorno mar 3 set 2024 alle ore 21:55 Chip Louie via <chiplouie= [email protected]> ha scritto: On Mon, Sep 2, 2024 at 12:40 PM, Thomas Bianchi wrote:
Thanks Paul, but if I put stainless washers the resistance is the same or it also depends on the material, i.e. in this case the original ones seem not to be stainless steel. If I wanted to replace them with stainless washers would the results change? So from what I cpaired anyway better to use two washers, do you confirm? Thank you.
Regards,
Thomas Bianchi
Il giorno dom 1 set 2024 alle ore 12:05 Thomas Bianchi via <thomas.bianchi81= [email protected]> ha scritto:
Hi, I wanted to ask a question but more of a curiosity....
I noticed that Losmandy mounts up to about 2005/2008 had one of the two screws with two washers, which in current mounts for example are no longer present i.e. there is only one for each screw. What was the purpose of the two washers, just to identify it from the top adjusting one or as a special shim and if so, what were they used for over the years?
?I enclose a photo of a not recent Losmandy G11 taken from the Internet for better understanding.
?
?
?
It seems to me that the mount mostly relies on the action of the screws to hold the mount in position and if you are like me you are mostly portable. So the mount only has to really hold position for a day or two reasonably close. I'd imagine adding some smooth sliding hard plastic washers would give you the smooth sliding helpful for easier polar alignments yet still have enough holding power to work okay.? I added some plastic washers under the AZ adjusters to help make PA easier and it worked great.?
?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astrospheric - South Pasadena?
|
Re: Info Mount Losmandy height adjustment
On Mon, Sep 2, 2024 at 12:40 PM, Thomas Bianchi wrote:
Thanks Paul, but if I put stainless washers the resistance is the same or it also depends on the material, i.e. in this case the original ones seem not to be stainless steel. If I wanted to replace them with stainless washers would the results change? So from what I cpaired anyway better to use two washers, do you confirm? Thank you.
Regards,
Thomas Bianchi
Il giorno dom 1 set 2024 alle ore 12:05 Thomas Bianchi via <thomas.bianchi81= [email protected]> ha scritto:
Hi, I wanted to ask a question but more of a curiosity....
I noticed that Losmandy mounts up to about 2005/2008 had one of the two screws with two washers, which in current mounts for example are no longer present i.e. there is only one for each screw. What was the purpose of the two washers, just to identify it from the top adjusting one or as a special shim and if so, what were they used for over the years?
?I enclose a photo of a not recent Losmandy G11 taken from the Internet for better understanding.
?
?
?
It seems to me that the mount mostly relies on the action of the screws to hold the mount in position and if you are like me you are mostly portable. So the mount only has to really hold position for a day or two reasonably close. I'd imagine adding some smooth sliding hard plastic washers would give you the smooth sliding helpful for easier polar alignments yet still have enough holding power to work okay.? I added some plastic washers under the AZ adjusters to help make PA easier and it worked great.?
?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astrospheric - South Pasadena?
|
Re: Info Mount Losmandy height adjustment
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Ah, glowing tape is a good idea for a late in the dark setup. I wear a headlight so even in a dark setup glowing pointers never occurred to me. If I had thought of it I would have used a glow in the dark paint to illuminate the bubble level vials too. Is it paper or some kind of a plastic sheet? I like to cut arrows so they can point at each other.?
?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astrospheric - South Pasadena?
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Re: Info Mount Losmandy height adjustment
"CWD Painter Tape Trick" - What a great little surprise to always end up so close to my alignment targets!? I one-upped your trick by using fluorescent tape so I can easily see the marks in the dark.
Paul
[Edited Message Follows]
[Reason: photo added back in]
On Mon, Sep 2, 2024 at 02:40 PM, Paul Buckley wrote:
Tom,
I've never tried 2 washers so I'm not sure what the effect would be.? Recognize that you're trying to obtain a balance between wanting two surfaces to hold tight (so that telescope motion is not perturbed by any mount instability) while also simultaneously having the freedom to freely adjust Az/El.? If anything, I would probably want to use washers with as much surface area as possible to do this.? Stainless might be a little smoother than steel washers so I would expect that to help in this regard.? Nylon is generally even smoother.? However, I think that slightly changing the torque on those bolts might have more impact than a second washer.??
?
It took me a while to get a feel for the right amount of adjustment on those bolts and in this regard, I replaced the Elevation hex bolts with some push-button adjustable handled bolts to make that step easier.
?
?
Paul
?
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Paul I see you are using the easy CWD painter tape trick I have been posting for people to use for the last decade or so.??
?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astrospheric - South Pasadena?
|
Re: Info Mount Losmandy height adjustment
On Mon, Sep 2, 2024 at 02:40 PM, Paul Buckley wrote:
Tom,
I've never tried 2 washers so I'm not sure what the effect would be.? Recognize that you're trying to obtain a balance between wanting two surfaces to hold tight (so that telescope motion is not perturbed by any mount instability) while also simultaneously having the freedom to freely adjust Az/El.? If anything, I would probably want to use washers with as much surface area as possible to do this.? Stainless might be a little smoother than steel washers so I would expect that to help in this regard.? Nylon is generally even smoother.? However, I think that slightly changing the torque on those bolts might have more impact than a second washer.??
?
It took me a while to get a feel for the right amount of adjustment on those bolts and in this regard, I replaced the Elevation hex bolts with some push-button adjustable handled bolts to make that step easier.
?
?
Paul
?
?
Paul I see you are using the easy CWD painter tape trick I have been posting for people to use for the last decade or so.??
?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astrospheric - South Pasadena?
|
Re: Info Mount Losmandy height adjustment
Tom,
I've never tried 2 washers so I'm not sure what the effect would be.? Recognize that you're trying to obtain a balance between wanting two surfaces to hold tight (so that telescope motion is not perturbed by any mount instability) while also simultaneously having the freedom to freely adjust Az/El.? If anything, I would probably want to use washers with as much surface area as possible to do this.? Stainless might be a little smoother than steel washers so I would expect that to help in this regard.? Nylon is generally even smoother.? However, I think that slightly changing the torque on those bolts might have more impact than a second washer.??
It took me a while to get a feel for the right amount of adjustment on those bolts and in this regard, I replaced the Elevation hex bolts with some push-button adjustable handled bolts to make that step easier.
? 
Paul
On Mon, Sep 2, 2024 at 3:41?PM Thomas Bianchi via <thomas.bianchi81= [email protected]> wrote: Thanks Paul, but if I put stainless washers the resistance is the same or it also depends on the material, i.e. in this case the original ones seem not to be stainless steel. If I wanted to replace them with stainless washers would the results change? So from what I cpaired anyway better to use two washers, do you confirm? Thank you. Regards, Thomas Bianchi
Il giorno dom 1 set 2024 alle ore 12:05 Thomas Bianchi via <thomas.bianchi81= [email protected]> ha scritto: Hi, I wanted to ask a question but more of a curiosity....
I noticed that Losmandy mounts up to about 2005/2008 had one of the two screws with two washers, which in current mounts for example are no longer present i.e. there is only one for each screw. What was the purpose of the two washers, just to identify it from the top adjusting one or as a special shim and if so, what were they used for over the years?
?I enclose a photo of a not recent Losmandy G11 taken from the Internet for better understanding.
|
Re: Info Mount Losmandy height adjustment
Thanks Paul, but if I put stainless washers the resistance is the same or it also depends on the material, i.e. in this case the original ones seem not to be stainless steel. If I wanted to replace them with stainless washers would the results change? So from what I cpaired anyway better to use two washers, do you confirm? Thank you. Regards, Thomas Bianchi Il giorno dom 1 set 2024 alle ore 12:05 Thomas Bianchi via <thomas.bianchi81= [email protected]> ha scritto:
Hi, I wanted to ask a question but more of a curiosity....
I noticed that Losmandy mounts up to about 2005/2008 had one of the two screws with two washers, which in current mounts for example are no longer present i.e. there is only one for each screw. What was the purpose of the two washers, just to identify it from the top adjusting one or as a special shim and if so, what were they used for over the years?
?I enclose a photo of a not recent Losmandy G11 taken from the Internet for better understanding.
|
Re: Info Mount Losmandy height adjustment
I believe that the goal of the washers was to be able to add tightness yet still allow the unit to slide, so that it was not necessary to loosen the bolts when doing a polar alignment.? I certainly?found this to be the case with Elevation, but not so much with Azimuth.? I replaced the metal Azimuth washers with nylon ones, and that seems to work much better for Azimuth adjustments.
Paul
On Sun, Sep 1, 2024 at 6:05?AM Thomas Bianchi via <thomas.bianchi81= [email protected]> wrote: Hi, I wanted to ask a question but more of a curiosity....
I noticed that Losmandy mounts up to about 2005/2008 had one of the two screws with two washers, which in current mounts for example are no longer present i.e. there is only one for each screw. What was the purpose of the two washers, just to identify it from the top adjusting one or as a special shim and if so, what were they used for over the years?
?I enclose a photo of a not recent Losmandy G11 taken from the Internet for better understanding.
|
Chip Louie
Bill Tschumy
Drifting
