Powering Down a Scope

If a computerized scope is about to clunk into something, it seems appropriate to turn off the
power; however, that seems like it could be a little harsh on the scope. I suppose it somehow
depends on the mount, Paramount ME, Meade LXD, LX200, Celestron Nexstar, etc. Comments?

--
Wayne T. Watson (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N, 2,701 feet, Nevada City, CA)
-- GMT-8 hr std. time, RJ Rcvr

"...those of us alive today have about 625 times more lead in our
blood than people did a century ago." ... "many or our large
corporations are still making it (CFCs) in their plants overseas."
From Bill Bryson's A Brief History of Nearly Everything

Web Page: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews
Imaginarium Museum: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews/imaginarium.html

On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 12:25:41 GMT, Wayne Watson wrote:

If a computerized scope is about to clunk into something, it seems appropriate to turn off the
power; however, that seems like it could be a little harsh on the scope. I suppose it somehow
depends on the mount, Paramount ME, Meade LXD, LX200, Celestron Nexstar, etc. Comments?

I don't think the lack of deceleration is going to hurt any of these scopes if
you have to perform an emergency shutdown. I've done it a few times with LX200s
and LXD mounts, and have seen no ill effects. At least with LX series, it is a
good idea to lower the maximum slew rate in any case, as the mount will be
quieter and use lower peak currents.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

I believe you are right. I've done the same with my LX200 without any noticeable effect. Here's
another question in the same vein. I also happen to have a fairly hefty GEM, and, once in awhile
while working around it, I bang my head on the weight bar while it's in operation. That doesn't do
my head any good, but I would think most GEMs are able to take a little shock once in awhile.

Chris L Peterson wrote:

On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 12:25:41 GMT, Wayne Watson wrote:

If a computerized scope is about to clunk into something, it seems appropriate to turn off the
power; however, that seems like it could be a little harsh on the scope. I suppose it somehow
depends on the mount, Paramount ME, Meade LXD, LX200, Celestron Nexstar, etc. Comments?

I don't think the lack of deceleration is going to hurt any of these scopes if
you have to perform an emergency shutdown. I've done it a few times with LX200s
and LXD mounts, and have seen no ill effects. At least with LX series, it is a
good idea to lower the maximum slew rate in any case, as the mount will be
quieter and use lower peak currents.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

--
Wayne T. Watson (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N, 2,701 feet, Nevada City, CA)
-- GMT-8 hr std. time, RJ Rcvr

"...those of us alive today have about 625 times more lead in our
blood than people did a century ago." ... "many or our large
corporations are still making it (CFCs) in their plants overseas."
From Bill Bryson's A Brief History of Nearly Everything

Web Page: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews
Imaginarium Museum: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews/imaginarium.html

On Sat, 09 Aug 2003 16:34:53 GMT, Wayne Watson wrote:

I believe you are right. I've done the same with my LX200 without any noticeable effect. Here's
another question in the same vein. I also happen to have a fairly hefty GEM, and, once in awhile
while working around it, I bang my head on the weight bar while it's in operation. That doesn't do
my head any good, but I would think most GEMs are able to take a little shock once in awhile.

There are two ways of implementing a worm drive. One method uses a compliant
worm, spring loaded against the worm gear. The other uses a rigid connection.
With a scope using the latter, I'd be very concerned about what happens when you
bump it, particularly way out on the end of a lever arm. You should have
clutches that will slip before any mechanical damage occurs. Otherwise, it is
entirely possible you could end up with a change in periodic error, either at
the period of the worm or of the worm gear.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com