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AUTOSTAR FEEDBACK
Last updated: 29 June 2012
Welcome to the AutoStar feedback page. This page is intended to provide user comments on using the Meade Autostar #494, #495, #497, #497EP, AudioStar, cables, and AutoStar updater software. See the AutoStar Info page for information from Meade and other users on the AutoStar, cables, and software. Send your comments and tips to etx@me.com for posting. Please use an appropriate Subject Line on your message per the Site Email Etiquette. Thanks. Remember, tips described on this site may invalidate the warranty on your telescope or accessories. Neither the submitter nor myself are responsible for any damage caused by using any contributed tips.
Subject: Meade Audiostar 497 Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2012 21:11:08 From: josh wilson (squin63@gmail.com) After my old hand control broke, Meade sent a replacement one. The replacement was a Meade Audiostar 497. I have an ETX-90 scope and I prefer to use the Polar Alignment mode because it more accurate and I occasionally do imaging. When I went to set the Mount to Polar mode, I realized that there was no Mount setting available. I reset the control, changed the telescope model, and other things, but the Mount setting I just gone...where did it go?Mike here: I don't have an AudioStar, so I downloaded the "AudioStar Addendum" from Meade's web site. According to the manual, it is in Setup: Telescope: Mount.
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I looked at the addendum too, just in case Audiostar had a different location for it than the Autostar I owned before. It's completely gone. I forgot to mention that it was there the first time I turned on the control but I noticed it was gone the second time it was on, when I tried to change it.
Subject: Autostar upgrade problem Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 19:29:23 From: Jerry Chab (jdchab@msn.com) I have been unable to get my computer and ETX-90EC hand box to communicate. Meade wasn't much help and thought it was an anti-virus issue with Windows 7. I've tried it with a Vista computer with the same non-result. I have downloaded the current version of ASU and serial-usb driver but they just won't communicate. Any ideas?Mike here: Not all USB-serial adapters work reliably with the AutoStar #497. I only recommend Keyspan adapters. Also, assuming you have the older #497, be certain you are trying to install 4.3Eg. You might try using StarPatch (http://www.stargps.ca). It sometimes works better with USB adapters.
Subject: request for help. Sent: Monday, June 18, 2012 13:16:26 From: Bela.Banhidi@emerson.com (Bela.Banhidi@emerson.com) I have an LX90 one years old. My story has two major parts. Part 1. Weeks ago I used wrong cable between LX and AUDIOSTAR handbox that resulted Azimuth motor failure. I replaced the Audiostar by an old Autostar using right cable for HBX ports. After resetting the old Autostar to LX everything went well without any motor failure or so as was detected be AUDIOSTAR up to yesterday. (see the pin table of the wrong cable connection below)Mike here: First, my apologies for the delayed response. Your message was DELETED UNREAD as SPAM due to the Subject Line. Please read the Email Etiquette and Submittal Guidelines on the ETX Site home page. Thanks for understanding.Part 2 - yesterday I have gathered dark frames for 8 hours and scope was powered. Autostar was fit to the scope and wired to notebook. I applied a 1.8m long RS232 that is 1:1 wired - means no crosswired just extends the PC's 9 pins connector. I do not know when and how but the display of the Autostar became unreadable. The characters were displayed no full intensity and some segment was so dim. We have extremely hot day and I thought the heat accumulated in the dome caused it. I have made a quick action and replaced the display of AUTOSTAR by the display of AUDIOSTAR failed days earlier. The action brought good result. I could set the scope on proper way however a couple of minutes later this display showed similar phenomenon. Then I realised no connection between PC and Autostar. All arrows key were active and I could control the scope. It was also possible to align the scope to 3 stars (Polaris, Arcturus, Vega) using blank display and pushing the bottoms by hart. After alignment finished the star tracing started and scope was in operation but I have no PC connection and no display on Autostar. I could move the scope by arrow keys. - craziness I think more issues are there. Could you help me? 1. Do you think that LX has been failed when I applied wrong cable for HBX? (see the pin table of the wrong cable connection below) 2. Why displays failed so? I have read somewhere if menu tree is not displayed but drive arrows are working I have to upgrade the Autostar. I do not understand. Here you are : If the Remote Handbox doesn't show the menu tree but the arrow keys work: You need to update Autostar with the latest firmware. Use the updater and upgrade the firmware to the version included in the disk. It will be in the local section when you press "Upgrade Autostar Software Now" button. The versions are 30Eb for the 497 and 1.7h for the Autostar II 3. Could it be a consequence failure of the wrong HBX cable or extended RS232 cable that no communication between Autostar and PC? Or it is another story and IT might be the guilty - days ago Microsoft made an automatic SW upgrade on the PC that was connected to internet. I would be appreciated if you could reflect to the above and guide me to fix my problem. Kind regards, Bela Banhidi Hungary
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Thanks for your reply and sorry for generating SPAM. You were not late at all but prompt. Back to the point. I feel so that LX electronics should be tested before link a another new AUTOSTAR. Am I right? If it so is there any testing procedure available for HBX port of LX? Serial port to PC. I have an 9 pin connector of RS232 on my 4 years old notebook. I have tested the port that is working fine. (anyway I will find a Keyspan adapters on the market) I do not understand why display of AUTOSTAR become blank or dim if new SW revision is necessary. It is strange. I think it should be related to a kind of power supply error rather that SW version. Another question: Could be LX failed on a certain way killing AUDIOSTAR and operating with a new AUTOSTAR for a while than kill the AUTOSTAR too? Sorry if I am seem to be a question makers but I really suffering and want to fix the issue on the shortest way. Best regards, BelaMike here: See the articles "Testing AutoStar Communications" and "AutoStar Test " on the Helpful Information: AutoStar Info page. Yes, the display going blank can be due to a power drain, but the problem will be to determine where that is occurring. And it is possible that a problem will keep damaging handcontrollers.
Subject: autostar 497 help Sent: Friday, June 15, 2012 14:45:24 From: Mark (astronomy@qteaser.com) I have a question im hoping you may know the answer to Today while using the LXD 75 mount at the beginning it worked right. I turned it off for an hour then turned it back on and when it powers up i get the welcome to autostar then version number then it goes to speed= 0.5 sec and press mode for menu. It no longer says press enter to align then mode for menu. Its stuck on speed= and mode for menu. I can slew the scope with the hand paddle NSE and W but thats all it will do. I tried updating the firmware but it didnt help. Any suggestions??? Regards Mark Sibole -- M.T.S.O. http://Astronomy.Qteaser.comMike here: Odd. Since you reloaded the ROM, I doubt that doing a RESET would help. It sounds like corrupted memory. One thing to try is disconnect the AutoStar and let it set unpowered for 24 hours. Some people have reported that cures some problems. Also, be certain you have fresh batteries installed, or try using batteries if you have been using an external power source.
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Thanks for the quick reply. I have it in the house now and will disconnect the power source and unplug the hand paddle(if thats what you mean my disconnect the autostar). I use a 12 volt 5 amp regulated supply so power shouldnt be an issue. Ill give it about 24 hours and hope it fixes it. Ill keep you informed.Mike here: Yep, unplug the hand controller. And don't assume your external power source is still ok. Swap to batteries.
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Wit tips from a few others I have it resolved. The number 6 key shifted and was stuck in the depressed position. I took apart the paddle freed it up and all fixed not. Thanks again for the suggestions.We can add another doo doo happens to the list. Regards Mark
Subject: Re: How to fix delay in Azimuth on DS2000 Sent: Friday, June 15, 2012 04:54:02 From: Arif Shaikh (arifmshaikh@yahoo.com) Thanks for the info. The information was really helpful. One more I want to ask is, when I opened the mount I removed grease from encoder,cleaned and happy good quality grease. I also apply grease on all the plastics gear. Am I doing the right by lubricating gears? Will it make better or worse? Thanks again ArifMike here: If you used white lithium grease in small amounts AND didn't get any on the optical encoders, you should be ok.
Subject: Re: Update for 497 Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 20:36:33 From: Gallaway, Terrel A (TerrelGallaway@MissouriState.edu) Thank you very much for your response. I appreciate you confirming what I suspected regarding the need to keep AutoStar in the loop. Also, you raise a great pointI may already have the latest update, given that it's not very recent. I had hoped to check before getting back to you, but I have yet to find the time. I did get my keyspan in the mail today, and I'm looking forward to dragging my scope and computer out this weekend. In any case, thanks again for your help. -Terrel
Subject: Autostar question Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2012 12:53:51 From: Peter Cranwell (pete@pcranwell.com) I am new to autostar 497 with an ETX125. Last night, while running through a Tour, I skipped an object because it was not within view. When I accepted the next object, the centering adjustments were no longer enabled. This was true for the rest of the session, even when I selected a specific object for viewing. I had to restart the Autostar, re-align the scope to continue. Is this normal? I can find no documentation on how to properly skip a our step, only how to skip alignment stars. Thanks Pete CranwellMike here: I've never experienced that nor recall anyone else mentioning it. To skip a tour object, I use the SCROLLDOWN ARROW key.
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Thanks. I'll run through it again and see if I can duplicate it. Hopefully it was just a temporary glitch but I ended up having to re-align in the dark. Pete
Subject: Re: Panel Orientation Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2012 07:52:04 From: Doug Rennie (rainguy@comcast.net) One final question, Mike. When switching handboxes from one mount to another (in this case from a DS series to an ETX 80), once you complete the reset, which of these do you do first: CALIBRATE MOTORS or TRAIN DRIVES? I assume you need to do both. Thanks once again. DougMike here: You don't need to RESET. But since the power source has changed (just like if you changed batteries in a single telescope), you need to CALIBRATE MOTOR. And since the drive training is different for each telescope, you need to then TRAIN DRIVES.
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Got it.Thanks, Mike!
Subject: How to fix delay in Azimuth on DS2000 Sent: Saturday, June 9, 2012 22:30:58 From: Arif Shaikh (arifmshaikh@yahoo.com) I have DS2000 series mount and found that when I try to slew in azimuth, the scope only moves after few seconds delay. Is this thing called backlash or something else. There is not issue in Dec gear, it responds immediately as I press key. I also dismantled the mount and did re grease to see if that fixes the issue, but nothing change. Can you please tell me how can I fix this? Thanks for your help. ArifMike here: See the article "Calibration, Training, Percentages" on the Helpful Information: AutoStar Info page.
Subject: Panel Orientation Sent: Friday, June 8, 2012 09:33:02 From: Doug Rennie (rainguy@comcast.net) I just got a new ETX-80AT-TC and had some initial alignment problems. Reading around on your site, I found a post that said you have to have the control panel facing WESTWARD in order to get proper alignment. But you can't do this with the 80 because the arms and mount are permanently attached to the base portion that contains the control panel; you cannot rotate just the scope. If you do rotate it, the entire panel moves with it. So if you want to have the panel facing west, the scope is pointed south. So what is the deal here? If I can't get the control panel to face west and the scope north, which I cannot do for the above reason, will I never be able to align it properly? Thanks. DougMike here: Different models have different HOME positions for starting the alignment process. Some have the telescope pointed to True North and some to the Southwest. Some have the control panel on the West side of the mount and with some, it doesn't matter. If you read your manual you will learn the proper HOME position. In fact, I always recommend reading the manual three times and playing with the telescope indoors to learn how to operate the telescope and to see what it does.
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Thanks, Mike. I did read the manual. Several times. And there is no mention anywhere about having to have the control panel pointed west. This information was contained in a post on your site, and the poster said that westward orientation for ETX scopes was essential for proper alignment although Meade neglected to include this information in the manual. But as I said in my initial post, this cannot be done with the 80 as the scope is locked in place between the 2 mount arms which in turn are part of the base, so if the scope is pointed north, as the manual says to do as part of the home position, the control panel faces east.Mike here: As I said, different HOME positions for different telescope models. The "control panel west" applies to ETX models with hard stops. The ETX refractor models do not have hard stops.
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One thing I forgot to ask: I have a Meade 497 that came with my DS-2090 which I rarely use. Would I be better off using the 497 with the ETX rather than the 494 that came with it?Mike here: The #497 is easier to use since you can enter numbers via the number keypad. Also, should the software in the AutoStar become corrupted, YOU can upload a fresh copy with the #497. There is no user-installable update for the #494.
Subject: Autostar screen goes dark Sent: Thursday, June 7, 2012 19:43:15 From: Steve Ritter (avbizzguy@gmail.com) I think my handbox is a 497. I can turn it on and the initializing, turn on screens are normal. I then press mode. Eventually, easy align shows dimly on the screen for a second and then it goes dark. It doesn't turn off and it still works to move the scope etc, just can't see anything on the screen. Seems like I just need to adjust the brightness and contrast but can't do that without the display. Any ideas? Thanks! SteveMike here: Hello from my observatory.
Subject: Update for 497 Sent: Thursday, June 7, 2012 19:31:53 From: Gallaway, Terrel A (TerrelGallaway@MissouriState.edu) I've had my LX-90 for about 10 years. Sadly, circumstances (work, kids, etc) have kept me from using it much for the past 3 years. Circumstances have changed, and I'm eager to start up again. My question concerns what I should do to update my Autostar 497. For me, the controller has always been a bit squirrely and a bother to update. My preference would be to replace it entirely with something wireless, perhaps an iphone. However, while there do seem to be a couple cool apps out there, as far as I can tell, they still need to be routed through the handset. Is that correct? Also, it wasn't clear to me if they made setup easier by using the phone's time/date/GPS infothat would be great. Another option is to simply keep the old 497 and buy a USB/RS232 converter while running windows/bootcamp on my mac. Naturally, the Meade one is a bit pricey so I appreciate learning about Keyspan on this site. Amazon also has one by plugable that is tempting me. Finally, I might be tempted to update to Audiostar if it were a major improvement or somehow solved my USB problem. In short, before I buy a cable and update the old 497, I'm wondering if my money might be better spent moving in an entirely different direction. I like your site and appreciate your help, -TerrelMike here: Hello from my observatory.
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