Lost power on Mach 1
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ron.korngiebel
Ladies and Gentlemen, On more than one occasion I have had to leave the comfort of my rec room and go outside to investigate some unknown issue with my Mach 1. I then discover that the hand controller is asking me to enter my location number. The physical position of the scope is sometimes not anywhere close to where it should be and in all cases will not properly slew to the next target.. I use an AC to DC power converter. I suspect that the end of the power cable that plugs into the CP3 controller momentarily loses contact, power drops and then comes back giving me the "enter location" screen. Is my assumption close to correct and if so what can I do to make the DC connector more secure and less likely to cause this issue. (I have already replaced the cable with an AP replacement). Is there a non-AP cable that is more robust? regards, Ron K |
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Ron, you'll probably get this response from lots of folks. The power connector has a split pin in it that sometimes needs to be gently spread with a screwdriver to ensure solid connection. If the mount loses power from this connector becoming loose, you can get a dramatic slew and the mount can get lost. Stuart On Wed, Feb 24, 2016 at 12:31 PM, ronk@... [ap-gto] <ap-gto@...> wrote:
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Stuart Heggie |
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Suresh Mohan
Ron pls check ur 12 volt socket , it might be the culprit Suresh On Feb 24, 2016, at 11:01 PM, ronk@... [ap-gto] <ap-gto@...> wrote:
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topboxman
Look closely at 12V connector on CP3 and you will notice the pin is split into two halves. Very carefully insert a small blade screwdriver in between the two halves of the pin and slowly twist the pin to spread out so that it will make tighter connection to AC/DC power connector. Do it very CAREFULLY.
If you still experience power loss, then the culprit may be coming from your power supply. Peter ---In ap-gto@..., <ronk@...> wrote : Ladies and Gentlemen, On more than one occasion I have had to leave the comfort of my rec room and go outside to investigate some unknown issue with my Mach 1. I then discover that the hand controller is asking me to enter my location number. The physical position of the scope is sometimes not anywhere close to where it should be and in all cases will not properly slew to the next target.. I use an AC to DC power converter. I suspect that the end of the power cable that plugs into the CP3 controller momentarily loses contact, power drops and then comes back giving me the "enter location" screen. Is my assumption close to correct and if so what can I do to make the DC connector more secure and less likely to cause this issue. (I have already replaced the cable with an AP replacement). Is there a non-AP cable that is more robust? regards, Ron K |
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Woody Schlom <woody@...>
Ron,
I
don't think cables get any more "robust" than A-P cables. You are screwing
it down after inserting it -- correct?
But
yes, it's a standard threaded DC connector. I believe it's 5.5mm outside
and 2.1mm inside and I did make a couple of my own.
The
new CP4 will have a super-duper DC connector. If it's like other Hirose
connectors you'll be able to drive over it.
Woody
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Roland Christen
Some AC-DC wall converters do not have enough filtering on the 12 volt DC side. As a result, the power can become erratic during slewing, which then can reset the servo controller and the keypad. What you need is a good 5 amp regulated power supply of between 13.5 to 18 volts. We sell them, or you can buy them over the Internet.
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Rolando Sent from AOL Mobile Mail -----Original Message-----
From: ronk@... [ap-gto] To: ap-gto Sent: Wed, Feb 24, 2016 07:35 AM Subject: [ap-gto] Lost power on Mach 1 Ladies and Gentlemen, On more than one occasion I have had to leave the comfort of my rec room and go outside to investigate some unknown issue with my Mach 1. I then discover that the hand controller is asking me to enter my location number. The physical position of the scope is sometimes not anywhere close to where it should be and in all cases will not properly slew to the next target.. I use an AC to DC power converter. I suspect that the end of the power cable that plugs into the CP3 controller momentarily loses contact, power drops and then comes back giving me the "enter location" screen. Is my assumption close to correct and if so what can I do to make the DC connector more secure and less likely to cause this issue. (I have already replaced the cable with an AP replacement). Is there a non-AP ca ble that is more robust? regards, Ron K |
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Roland Christen
The mount will not get lost if you have a simple power interruption. In fact the easiest way to recover from a power interruption is to set your keypads to Autostart YES. That way you will ride thru any power loss, and the keypad will go right back to the Main Menu. The issue below is not a simple power loss, rather it is almost certainly an unstable power source with not enough filtering, which can cause problems during slewing and scramble information in the CP3 servo drive. That is a completely different issue, and yes, that can indeed cause the CP3 to lose position information.
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Rolando Sent from AOL Mobile Mail -----Original Message-----
From: Stuart Heggie stuart.j.heggie@... [ap-gto] To: ap-gto Sent: Wed, Feb 24, 2016 08:07 AM Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Lost power on Mach 1 Ron, you'll probably get this response from lots of folks. The power connector has a split pin in it that sometimes needs to be gently spread with a screwdriver to ensure solid connection. If the mount loses power from this connector becoming loose, you can get a dramatic slew and the mount can get lost. Stuart On Wed, Feb 24, 2016 at 12:31 PM, ronk@... [ap-gto] <ap-gto@...> wrote:
Stuart Heggie |
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Robert Chozick <rchozick@...>
This happens to me also. The problem is the split pin connector inside the box. I have to periodically spread the pins apart to fix this and have lost power at inconvenient times because of it also. The split pin connectors infuriate me. I have one on my SBIG camera and I have made a pigtail that ends in a solid pin connector. I may do the same thing for my AP. I really don't understand why split pins are used when a solid pin works so much better. I think the reason some people have more problems than others is that if you rarely disconnect the power cable (i.e. an observatory) there are few problems. But when you connect and disconnect the power cable for occasional set up the pin gets squeezed. It is the box itself and not your cable. I would definitely pay to have this connection retrofitted to the new version. Robert On Feb 24, 2016, at 12:33 PM, 'Woody Schlom' woody@... [ap-gto] <ap-gto@...> wrote:
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ron.korngiebel
Gentlemen, Thanks to all that have provided advice and suggestions on my power issue. Based on your input I will: 1. Change to "autostart=yes" 2. Carefully spread the pin on my CP3 controller and 3. Use the AP power supply that I have but has not been in use since a non-AP substitute has provision for two 12v outputs (mount and camera). An adaptor with two female cigarette receptacles should work. thanks again to the AP community! Ron K |
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Good luck on solving your power issue. One idea that just occurred to me to prevent the split center pin loosing contact on the CP-3 controllers, is to cut a small piece of elastic band and carefully work it between the pin segments just below the end of the pin. That should act as a spring to keep the pins in good contact with the plug. Haven't tried it yet but will when I get back from Cancun. Just finished an awesome wreck dive!😃 Don A On Feb 25, 2016, at 10:06 AM, ronk@... [ap-gto] <ap-gto@...> wrote:
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Joe Zeglinski
Don,
I too thought about inserting “something springy” into
the power socket split. However, elastic bands have a life of about a year
before they decay, and make a mess. Neoprene rubber might last much longer,
perhaps a slice from some cooking material, like cupcake baking molds or gloves,
etc.
Even so, I suspect that the split pin will still
collapse, after a period, and any rubber insert will then just stay crushed
against the stronger force of the steel pin sides. Extraction for cleanup, may
be more trouble than it is worth. Then whatever crumbles inside the CP3 will
remain inside.
In hindsight, maybe a twist lock might have been a
better idea, but every connector has some kind of an unexpected problem.
I wonder if this one is more prevalent in portable setups, with continual
power plug extraction, compared to fixed installations.
Joe
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Yes, when the natural rubber decays, it could be difficult to extract. Maybe a stick pin with the end bent into a hook would work. I suspect your estimate of a year life for the elastic could be generous even. I will try it and see. On Feb 25, 2016, at 4:11 PM, 'Joseph Zeglinski' J.Zeglinski@... [ap-gto] <ap-gto@...> wrote:
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John A. Sillasen
What are you running on the split power connector? AP has always recommended you power the mount on its own supply source. Sharing the power especially with dew heaters can effect slewing. Something to keep in mind. John A. Sillasen |
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