I got my Meade DS-90EC in August, 2001. Out of the box, this scope did not perform as advertised, at least in respect to the goto's. After doing some tightening, tweaking, and toying, this scope is a great performer! Now my goto's are always accurate, and the scope can track an object for several hours successfully.

Here are a few tricks and tips to help you get the most out of this great little scope.....you may also want to check the Autostar tips page for more help!

1. Random Slewing

One of the most common problems associated with the Meade DS line of telescopes is the curse of the "random slewing" bug. This is characterized by the telescope having almost a mind of it's own - slewing randomly several degrees in either the altitude or azimuth axis. This should not be confused with the "creep after beep" problem.

The random slewing bug is usually the result of either improper power to the motors, or faulty motors themselves. The first step is to determine what is the cause of the problem. The best way to do this is to stick to using the battery pack supplied with the telescope (you know, the one that uses up all of those "AA" batteries...). If you are using the battery pack with -fresh- batteries, and still are experiencing random slews, then you probably have bad motors. (Don't worry, this can be remedied......read on....)

To correct power supply problems, try using a 12v 1500mA AC adapter (one that has proven very successful is Radio Shack CAT.# 273-1779 with a type "N" adaptaplug.) Another suggestion would be sticking to the battery pack that comes with the telescope.

If you have bad motors, don't despair. If it has been less that one year since you purchased your telescope, it is still under warranty. This means that you can call Meade (they are aware of this particular problem) and they will send you a new set of motors - as a side note I will state that Meade has -GREAT- customer service, and they really stand behind their products, so don't be afraid to call them.

If your telescope is no longer under warranty, there is hope! You may wish to contact Meade customer service - I have heard that they may replace motors even if they are not under warranty - it never hurts to call. If they will not replace them, you can fix them yourself. It does require that you open them up and solder a few connections, but it is really easy to do, and hey - if they don't work anyway, what do you have to lose. You can see how easy this is by going to Chris Erickson's site, where he has documented this process wonderfully! Here is the link:

2. Altitude Slippage / Vibration From Motors

This problem primarily plagues the DS-114 and DS-127 due to the weight of the OTA of these telescopes - but the DS-90 is not immune to it. This problem is characterized by slippage in the alt. axis which -may- be coupled with vibration from the motors; this vibration transfers to the OTA causing a blurry image, especially at high powers. The best way to alleve this problem is with the well documented "leather washer" fix. (Thanks to Rich Swanson of the DS users group for the image and description.)

To do the "leather washer" fix, first remove the lock nut and washers. The fix is very simple. First, trace the tab washer (#11 in the diagram) onto a piece of old belt leather and cut it out, making the center hole slightly larger to accomodate the shaft. Next, place the leather washer on the shaft between the gear (#12) and the tab washer. Replace the spring washer and the lock knob and you are done! (Now that wasn't so bad, was it?)

3. Broken leg-lock on tripod

If the leg lock does not work on one of your tripod legs, don't despair, it is easy to fix. The leg lock is basically a internal clamp which puts pressure on the inner telescoping part of the leg by means of a rubber "skid." Meade didn't use the best glue on these, and they can come loose. Fortunately for you, the small rubber skid remains captive inside the leg so that you can recover it and re-glue it.

To fix the lock, first pull the pin that holds the thumb lever in place. Set the lever and pin aside. You will now see a small rectangular piece of metal resting in a hole. If you tip the leg so that the hole is facing the ground, this metal piece will fall out of the hole. If you look closely at this metal plate, you will see that the side that faces the inner (telescoping) part of the leg has a recession in it. This is where the rubber skid is -supposed- to be.

Now slide the inner part of the leg slowly in and out of the outer part. As you do this, watch the hole (where the metal plate was), and you will see the rubber skid come into view. When it does, simply take it out - a paperclip works well for this. All that is left to do now is to glue the skid back to the metal plate with either "super glue" or a strong epoxy. Once it is dry, place the skid assembly back in the hole, rubber side down, and replace the thumb lock and pin. Your tripod leg should now be better than new!