radiobuff
Member
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2007
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
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- Points
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- Age
- 79
- My Satellite Setup
- Technomate TM6900 HD Receiver, 85cm Gilbertini dish with Technomate TM2200 motor, Diablo Light and T Rex 4.6 cams.
- My Location
- Northern Ireland
I bought a new Lacuna (Wolsey) Mk4 satellite meter on eBay about a year ago and have had problems finding updates for the firmware and also problems with the batteries. I thought my experience with it may be of help to others.
The firmware can be updated using a USB cable, but the updates are hard to find. After much searching, I found the website carrying the updates. It is at _http://www.metersupport.co.uk/sat3loader.htm . I have tried updating the firmware using the loader and instructions on this site, and it works fine.
As for battery problems, the Mk 4 uses a battery pack comprising six Ni/MH cells. When I first received the meter, I found it would only charge for about 5 minutes before charging stopped. After eight repeat charge/ discharge cycles, this increased to several hours which allowed the meter to operate for about an hour before it needed re-charging. The meter was then stored for a few months (fully charged) and the batteries were found to be completely flat when I went to use it again 3 months later. When I tried to re-charge them, it was a repeat of the senario I found when I first purchased the meter, again requiring several charge/discharge cycles to get it going again. Has anyone else had a problem with the batteries in these meters?
I understand that a replacement battery pack for these meters costs £50 or more, so I decided to replace it with six standard AA size re-chargeable Ni/MH batteries which can be purchased for less than £10 from an internet supplier. I used ones with 2500mAH capacity fitted into a holder for 6 AA cells, which can be purchased for around £1. The old battery pack is easily removed from the meter and the new holder can be fitted by soldering the small plug off the old one on to the new one.
Having done this, I find the meter is now operating as it should and the new batteries now hold their charge much better and do not require this constant charging/discharging to activate them again.
The firmware can be updated using a USB cable, but the updates are hard to find. After much searching, I found the website carrying the updates. It is at _http://www.metersupport.co.uk/sat3loader.htm . I have tried updating the firmware using the loader and instructions on this site, and it works fine.
As for battery problems, the Mk 4 uses a battery pack comprising six Ni/MH cells. When I first received the meter, I found it would only charge for about 5 minutes before charging stopped. After eight repeat charge/ discharge cycles, this increased to several hours which allowed the meter to operate for about an hour before it needed re-charging. The meter was then stored for a few months (fully charged) and the batteries were found to be completely flat when I went to use it again 3 months later. When I tried to re-charge them, it was a repeat of the senario I found when I first purchased the meter, again requiring several charge/discharge cycles to get it going again. Has anyone else had a problem with the batteries in these meters?
I understand that a replacement battery pack for these meters costs £50 or more, so I decided to replace it with six standard AA size re-chargeable Ni/MH batteries which can be purchased for less than £10 from an internet supplier. I used ones with 2500mAH capacity fitted into a holder for 6 AA cells, which can be purchased for around £1. The old battery pack is easily removed from the meter and the new holder can be fitted by soldering the small plug off the old one on to the new one.
Having done this, I find the meter is now operating as it should and the new batteries now hold their charge much better and do not require this constant charging/discharging to activate them again.