11 replies to this topic

[donald]

Now that the etx 125 is no more does anyone know where to get one repaired or to buy body parts.Thanks Don

[MistrBadgr]

Meade still repairs many of their very old models.

You might try calling the customer support folks to make sure about the ETX 125.

I am sure that the will be for quite some time, but I have been wrong more than once in my life.

Bill Steen

[gberger]

Meade does still repair the ETX-125, I just got mine back a few weeks ago.
They charge 165.00 to do a complete overhaul including repairs.

[donald]

What about purchasing parts? I contacted meade looking for an optical body,not the mirrors but just the body and got nowhere.anyone know where and how to get parts? Don

[Mark Sibole]

Very few parts are available for purchase especially just the tube.
Your best bet would be to try to find a used on on ebay for parts.

[russ5000]

I have a Meade ETX 125 that I need both fork mounts, they are broken, I called Meade and the person that answered told me that they do not have any parts since the EXT 125 is no longer made. I did not know what to say. Does anyone know where I might be able to get these parts? Please let me know.
Thank you,
Russ

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[MistrBadgr]

Hi Russ,

The only place that I know of is to watch eBay.

Another option might be to adapt your optical tube to a DS mount. The issue would probably be getting the right fit with a DS-2130 mount ring. The 2130 is a five inch scope and the ID of mount ring may be close enough. The same handset will work on either mount. The generation II DS mounts seems to be pretty dependable. The DS will not be quite as stable as your original ETX mount since it has only one arm, but for visual astronomy, you would see pretty much no difference.

Hope this helps at least a little!

Bill Steen

[d33d0gg]

I just saw a fork mount for the 125 popup today on CN.http://www.cloudynig...=&cat=21&page=1

[donald]

HI; I recently bought an etx125, the small controller reads motor fault and the scope moves about 1 1/2 inches either way then it jams and won't move any further.I took the bottom out and discovered grease all over the plastic gears but after cleaning all the grease(blue color) it still moves then jams and the gear skips.It's like something is not allowing it to slew.If I use my 497 controller it reads motor fault and won't move,if I use the small controller it came with it will move but will jam.Any ideas on this would surely help.Thanks  Don

[MistrBadgr]

Hi Donald,

 

I am not sure about an ETX.  I have not had one of those apart, but I have worked extensively with DS generation I mounts.  In those mounts, there was a plastic bushing at the top of the azimuth axis, with a stamped washer on top, then a nut on the threaded part of the shaft.  The stamped washer would have little jagged teeth on the bottom edge, which would cut into  the top of the bushing.  If the different little teeth were offset from each other, they could cut a little sliver of plastic that would eventually break loose on one end and jam into those little teeth, stopping the drive.   I would clean off the slivers, file the edge of the washer smooth, grease the bushing with a little medium grease, and put it back together.  It would then work just fine.

 

I don't know if this is anything like what you have, but you might look things like that over for any grooves that do not look like they should be there.

 

There might also be that a small piece of something has gotten in between the teeth of a gear in a drive train.  If you get much movement at all, it will not be a gear very close to the motor.

 

I have an ETX 80, but have not had it apart.  If all else fails, let me know and I will pull mine apart and look for likely places for something like that to happen.  Unfortunately, I do not know enough about electronics to understand how the electrical system works or what the computer goes by to determine when there is a motor fault.  There is a place in the programing where you can calibrate the motors.  It is probably somewhere in the setup menu or a submenu.  You might want to do that anyway.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Bill Steen

[donald]

HI; The plastic gears seem to be fine and I don't see any cracks on the plastic mount.When you slew the scope is the motor gear supposed to move as well as the worm gear cause this motor gear doesn't look like it moves at all.I'm thinking the motor might not be working or it's jammed.  Thanks

[MistrBadgr]

I probably need to take my ETX apart to make sure, but my insticts are that it should work about like the DS mount does for the azimuth drive.  The only gear that should not move is the big one that is attached to the base.  All the others should move.

 

Bill Steen