Handset Cable

If you own old gear it will be hard to source spare parts. The contacts of the cable connecting my mount with the hand control are full of rust. Since I couldn't find any commercially available cable I put it together myself without a solder iron. The unused pins can be cut and the protrusing cables isolated with tape. Cable and connector are about US$10.

Mount: Orion Atlas EQ-G
Hand Control: SynScan V3
Cable: RJ45 (8p) to RS-232C (male)
Pin assignment:


Note that the colors of the cables inside the RS-232C connector may differ by vendor.

 

Dec Motor Cable

If for whatever reason you will have to open the front panel of your Orion Atlas EQ-G mount please have a look at the Dec connector on the print board. It has 5 pins. The Dec motor cable plug has 4 pins. Be sure to switch power off and plug it back aligned to the left (photo below). If inserted aligned to the right, the Dec motor will make a scary noise and run wild although it is not damaged. Misalignment did not cause any damage to the electronics of the author's mount, but you never can tell.