Meade LS-8 ACF
Firmware corruption resolved
Been quite a while since I last posted. Essentially been very busy at work for a few months. However when I took the telescope out on a clear night I found it was completely frozen - the screen lit up but no progress after that or text.
Initially I thought the battery was the problem but eventually worked out it was the firmware. I have always gotten an error message saying 'error reading firmware' but figured it was not worth dealing with if the scope was still working.
However this was another issue altogether. I had nightmares thinking I might have to ship it back for repair as some US/Canadians have.
Fortunately the telephone support is suberb (thank goodness for Skype) and the website manuals and downloads are clear. There was a slight delay as the drive runs off a USB port and I had not downloaded the relevant driver to the telescope but I was able to reinstall the firmware with a miniSD card and using the SD slot provided.
Of course that meant cloudy skies so I cannot test the telescope properly but the GPS works fine and it was attempting to acquire stars for orientation before I shut it down. I am quite relieved and looking forward to the next free moment to set up. Of course if that doesn't work I can always get the barbecue out - another open air activity and one that clouds can't foil (as long as it does not rain.
Initially I thought the battery was the problem but eventually worked out it was the firmware. I have always gotten an error message saying 'error reading firmware' but figured it was not worth dealing with if the scope was still working.
However this was another issue altogether. I had nightmares thinking I might have to ship it back for repair as some US/Canadians have.
Fortunately the telephone support is suberb (thank goodness for Skype) and the website manuals and downloads are clear. There was a slight delay as the drive runs off a USB port and I had not downloaded the relevant driver to the telescope but I was able to reinstall the firmware with a miniSD card and using the SD slot provided.
Of course that meant cloudy skies so I cannot test the telescope properly but the GPS works fine and it was attempting to acquire stars for orientation before I shut it down. I am quite relieved and looking forward to the next free moment to set up. Of course if that doesn't work I can always get the barbecue out - another open air activity and one that clouds can't foil (as long as it does not rain.