Pictor 201XT help

Got a question for anyone who is using a Pictor 201XT. When you're trying to focus on a star, does the brightness indicator change easily or does it stick on 00?

I 'accidently' used a reverse-wired 12V adapter for my Pictor when I first powered it up. (I didn't know anyone ever made a reverse-wired wall transformer let alone what device this came with. It's also probably dead now.) Since then I have only been able to get a star brightness of 34 (non-changing) or 00. Everything else seems to work OK - but I can't get the star brightness to change.

Since I never used a Pictor prior to this accident, I'm not sure if this behavior is normal or indicates I fried something.

Thanks in advance!

Jake Glower
Fargo, ND

What scope are you using to guide with? When I set up with an 8" SCT I have to find a bright star like about 3 rd mag or brighter. Set to 3 - 5 sec snap shots. Use a 25 mm eyepiece and pull it slightly to get focus and center the star (the eyepiece varies how the focus works out). You need to get a value of 60 or more to work well because when you start the guiding the level seems to drop a little. Centering the bright star on the small chip is the hard part and focus is equally as difficult. With enough perseverance I have actually made the 201xt work and track all night. The 0,0 3,4 is there because your star is not focused or not bright enough.

Good luck.