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HI!
I own a Meade ETX-90 telescope. The right ascension drive does not engage. Do you have any troubleshooting suggestions on how I might go about fixing it?
Best,
Mara
Hi there! thankss so much for following up! yes - you are exactly right about the sounds it makes - I think this is precisely the problem -- I am however looking for ways to avoid sending the telescope back to Meade, if at all possible. Is there any easier fix for this? I took it to Company Seven in Maryland -- a highly reputable shop. They won't touch it. Any suggestions are welcome.
MaraHi there! thankss so much for following up! yes - you are exactly right about the sounds it makes - I think this is precisely the problem -- I am however looking for ways to avoid sending the telescope back to Meade, if at all possible. Is there any easier fix for this? I took it to Company Seven in Maryland -- a highly reputable shop. They won't touch it. Any suggestions are welcome.
Mara
The RA drive is the axis that rotates the base of the mount, is that right? It is not the axis that rotates the OTA in the fork? There are often issues with the low-end Meade mounts, both Alt-Az and RA-Dec. They use cheap nylon plastic gears and jackscrews that can get brittle and crack. It is also common for the jack screw to become disconnected from the motor spindle, preventing it from turning the axis gear. I have a DS series mount that has the same kind of problem where the computer tried to rotate the OTA beyond the limit stop in the Altitude axis, and it actually backed the jack screw into the motor, crushing the jack screw. Does your mount make any popping or cracking sounds when you try to slew the RA axis?The RA drive is the axis that rotates the base of the mount, is that right? It is not the axis that rotates the OTA in the fork? There are often issues with the low-end Meade mounts, both Alt-Az and RA-Dec. They use cheap nylon plastic gears and jackscrews that can get brittle and crack. It is also common for the jack screw to become disconnected from the motor spindle, preventing it from turning the axis gear. I have a DS series mount that has the same kind of problem where the computer tried to rotate the OTA beyond the limit stop in the Altitude axis, and it actually backed the jack screw into the motor, crushing the jack screw. Does your mount make any popping or cracking sounds when you try to slew the RA axis?
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The bolt is stripped away from the plastic knob-- TAKE THE vertical lock knob off and inspect the bolt head-- you can use a STRONG glue to fix it -- epoxy or something similar.
Only Meade has parts. Usually they want you to send the scope back to them for repairs. However you can contact their customer service department and ask if they will sell you just the part:
The AZ worm gear is not engaging the gears. There is a spring next to the gear which applies pressure -- open up the base and see if the spring is loose or broken.
Hi there! thankss so much for following up! yes - you are exactly right about the sounds it makes - I think this is precisely the problem -- I am however looking for ways to avoid sending the telescope back to Meade, if at all possible. Is there any easier fix for this? I took it to Company Seven in Maryland -- a highly reputable shop. They won't touch it. Any suggestions are welcome.
Mara
The RA drive is the axis that rotates the base of the mount, is that right? It is not the axis that rotates the OTA in the fork? There are often issues with the low-end Meade mounts, both Alt-Az and RA-Dec. They use cheap nylon plastic gears and jackscrews that can get brittle and crack. It is also common for the jack screw to become disconnected from the motor spindle, preventing it from turning the axis gear. I have a DS series mount that has the same kind of problem where the computer tried to rotate the OTA beyond the limit stop in the Altitude axis, and it actually backed the jack screw into the motor, crushing the jack screw. Does your mount make any popping or cracking sounds when you try to slew the RA axis?
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