CG5 mount problem, help!

[Nickwatcher]

I set my scope out tonight. C8-sgt. Cg5 mount. Did a rough polar alignment. Both axis index marks lined up. Turned it on, went through the start up process then started 2 star alignment. It skewed like normal but didn't go anywhere near the alignment star. Then when the motors slowed down as if approaching the target they just kept going. Both motors wouldn't stop slewing. I turned off the mount and put it back to home positions and tried again. Same problem.

Any suggestions?

[rtlrp12]

Power...Check your power supply. Low voltage will cause problems like this.

Stan

[fogfire]

When the mounts get weird.. I check the power.. I know when I had the CG5-GT I pulled the power cord loose more than once.
I got very good at tying it off on the EP tray with just a bit of slack between the tray and the power connector. Assuming it is both, smells like power.
But check the clutches and the DEC head cable too.

[Nickwatcher]

Thanks guys. I bet it probably is power. I was using a celestron power tank but it recently crapped out and now I'm plugging the mount directly to a female cig lighter adapter connected to home power. I hope I didn't cause any damage

[slashman48]

I have a C6 SGT & CG-5 mount. I always use a small piece of duct tape to help secure the power plug. Had the power plug on mine get pulled out a couple of times before. Feels like the power plug is a little too small.

[Nickwatcher]

Oh man!!!!

After doing some more reading I sure hope I didnt fry my mount!! Since my power tank went south I was plugging the mount into a female cigarette lighter end that plugs into the wall!!! Would this cause my problem? Is my mount a gonner?

[rtlrp12]

Are you talking about a 110v to 12vDC converter? You can't mean just a Lighter socket wired directly into 110v. Or can you? If it is a 110v to 12vDC converter, you need to look at the power output. See what voltage and amperage rating is listed on the unit. You need one that is listed as 12 to 14 volts DC and 2000 mAh or more. You could also have a bad DC power cable too. I have 4 of the Celestron supplied cables and all 4 of them have failed for one reason or another. I have replace them with a higher quality cable that fits much better and has eliminated power connection problems completely. And I don't have to tape them to the mount.

Stan

[Bob327]

You will not fry the electronics if you are using any battery...( a battery can not have a voltage spike) and that is the one reason I refuse to power my scopes (even the one in my observatory) with an AC adapter... I use a battery 100 percent of the time no matter which scope I am using...

Bob G.

[Joe Lalumia]

If you plugged it directly into a 110 volt wall plug then it INSTANTLY fried the electronics. Do as Bob says above run it using a 12 volt battery -- like a car starter battery pack that you can buy at WalMart.

[Nickwatcher]

Oh man!!!!

After doing some more reading I sure hope I didnt fry my mount!! Since my power tank went south I was plugging the mount into a female cigarette lighter end that plugs into the wall!!! Would this cause my problem? Is my mount a gonner?

It's a cube shaped plug that plugs into the wall with about 5 foot of cord and a lighter type socket on the other end that.

On the plug it shows output as 12VDC 1500mA.