MEADEN ETX70 connection

After having set up the MEADEN ETX70 telescope, first difficulties came up quickly. The motor and the control via the MEADEN remote called Autostar works just fine, however, when trying to connect the telescope to a computer, one has to realize that consumer telescope technology is not really using latest standards and is far behind in terms of connection plugs. A special adapter has to be purchased for the ETX70, to be able to connect it via a serial port.

This adapter alone makes sure to come out of the telescopes remote plug with a serial plug. Additionally then, a second adapter is necessary from serial to USB, as no machine has serial ports anymore. Without those adapters, there is no way to control the telescope through the computer. Also, the motor of the telescope is fairly loud and can be quite annoying over time. The use of this device for demonstration on the final year exhibition starts to become questionable.