LX-200 GPS Disassembly and Repair of the Right Ascension Gears
LX-200 GPS Disassembly and Repair of the Right Ascension Gears By K.C. Kile, Sr. Two years after the purchase of my LX-200 GPS I began to have slippage on the R.A. slow motion control at various points of rotation. As there was no information available from publication on the Internet and the telescope was out […]
Wireless Telescope to Computer Interface – A Bluetooth Based Solution
Wireless Telescope to Computer Interface – A Bluetooth Based Solution by Monroe Pattillo President, South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association (www.sfaaa.com) The goal was to replace the RS-232 computer to telescope interface cable with a wireless interface.The justification was to eliminate a cable trip hazard in the dark and to reduce, at least by one, the […]
Wireless Telescope to Computer Interface – A Wi-Fi Based Solution
Wireless Telescope to Computer Interface – A Wi-Fi Based Solution by Monroe PattilloPresident, South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association (www.sfaaa.com) This is the second of two articles on wireless telescope to computer interfaces.The previous article focused on Bluetooth.This article focuses on a Wi-Fi based solution. As in the previous article the goal was to replace the […]
Autostar Handset Repair
Autostar Keypad Contact Repair
By K.C. Kile, Sr.
At some point in the life of your Autostar handset, it’s response to your input will most likely become less than desired. This may happen at the beginning when the unit is new, or appear after several years of use. The first instinct is to open the handset and clean the pads and contacts with alcohol. This is a definite NO-NO. Although your cotton swab will become black with material that you attribute to the problem, performance of the handset will be further degraded, as you have just removed the substance apparently used to insure good contact. I have found the most effective repair to be obtained from the Chemtronics CW2605 Rubber Keypad Repair Kit shown in Figure 1. This kit can generally be purchased from major electronic parts supply stores for under $15 and is of sufficient quantity to do approximately 20 handsets. The down side is that it only has a 72 hour pot life after mixing. DO NOT attempt partial product mixing to conserve!
Figure 1