Motor focuser Pt.4.

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The flat, black, RJ10/RJ10, 5m cable also arrived and fitted the motor socket perfectly. I would imagine some losses over the 5m length of rather slender wiring. So will have to measure its resistance. Or just see if it makes the motor too weak. Getting the meter's pointed probes to reach the fine contacts of an RJ10 plug is very difficult.

The new 5m cable behaves no differently to the coiled example which came with the DC focus motor. I didn't really need 5m but it provides a lot of slack to be able to wander the observatory with the control paddle in hand. In practice I hope I shall be using the laptop for focusing. So the extra length will have to be hidden. I may order a 3m cable eventually if it needs a tidier arrangement. These 'telephone' cables cost only pocket change online.
 
Having discovered the 17.2V DC output of several "wall wart" power supplies, I measured [only] 14V DC from one of my old 12V H&M model train "transformers." I used to buy these up at flea markets as handy and reliable 12V power supplies. I have had two of them in continuous [but normally unloaded] use for years without any problems.

Tuesday 16th: I have now ordered a 20T and a 30 GT2/2mm toothed pulleys in anticipation of improved performance with the HiTecAstro control box and having increased power available.

A few moments of sunshine tricked me into going back into the observatory. To be treated to endless cloud. When the sun did shine the ripple mask was back again!

Wednesday:  Still waiting for PostNord to find my focuser control package which left England early on Sunday morning. No updates on the tracking for three days. Only updated this morning [Wednesday] while I was on the phone to customer services. Just a coincidence? It seems that now PostNord admits they have it they can now take up to five days to deliver it.

I have been struggling to get AWR/ASCOM/CDuC to find the Sun this morning. LST on the IH2 screen doesn't agree with the online LST calculators again by a couple of hours. The system keeps sending the telescope 2 hours west of the correct position. Grr? I changed LST in AWR last time but now I can't remember how I did it. I checked RTC [Real Time Clock and date in the menus] and all the details look correct.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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