SERVO MOTOR DRIVE
The Servo Motor Drive system on the
Mach1GTO
uses the same motors, the same GTOCP3 control box and the same keypad
as its bigger siblings, the 900GTO and 1200GTO. The gear train is just as heavy-duty, and the worm gears are massive and
incredibly precise. This is an extremely robust system for a mount of this size, but since the focus of the
Mach1GTO
’s design
was on the serious observer and imager, we felt that it was well worth it.
Another innovative feature of the Mach1GTO is that the declination and right ascension servo motor gearboxes are
interchangeable. In the extremely rare chance that your RA drive would fail in the field (at a star party in the middle of nowhere
under perfect skies according to Murphy’s Law), you can simply swap the two drive boxes and still have the mount’s tracking
ability. Please note that while the declination servo drive box is on the RA axis, you may have a little more periodic error than
you are used to, since the fine tuning was done on the RA’s original servo drive. Also, since you will be using a different worm
gear, your PEM will be different. For imaging, you may need to retrain your PEM. For visual observing, simply turn PEM off
while using the declination servo drive box on the RA axis.
To remove a servo drive box, first separate the two axes, and then remove the four small screws on the servo drive box that hold
the cover with the servo cable connector, and pull the cover off to the side. Its wires will remain attached to the motor. Next,
carefully unscrew the two shoulder bolts that hold the servo drive box to the axis. Note that there is a spring exerting pressure
against these two shoulder bolts, and take note of the spring’s position against the shoulder bolts. When they come loose, the
spring will push them over. That is fine; don’t try to completely remove the bolts. The servo drive box will now separate from the
axis. To re-install a servo drive box, carefully set the box into position making sure that the worm gear settles into the teeth of
the worm wheel. Put the two shoulder bolts in place, but only snug down at this point. Make sure that the spring is properly
positioned below the ridge in each shoulder bolt. Gently rock the servo drive box back and forth, and then center the box in its
range of motion. Now fully tighten the shoulder bolts. Finally, replace the cover with the four screws and you’re ready to go.
As more detailed information from real life experience becomes available, it will be posted in the Technical Support Section of
our website.
GTO Control Box – GTOCP3
The GTO control box contains all of the circuitry to drive the two servo motors and the logic required to navigate the sky. It
will be operational and track at the sidereal rate when connected to both motors of the mount and a power source. In order
to control the movement of the mount, you will need to connect at least one of these:
•
GTO
Keypad.
•
Computer with PulseGuide by
Sirius Imaging. The CD for this
program is included with the
mount. For the most updated
version of the software, check out
the website
www.pulseguide.com
.
•
Computer with astronomical
software such as
DigitalSky Voice
or planetarium programs such as
Software Bisque’s
TheSky™,
Imaginova’s
Starry Night™,
Nova Astronomics
’ The Earth-
Centered Universe (ECU
) version
3.1 or later, and Chris Marriot’s
Sky Map Pro 6
or any ASCOM
compatible telescope software (all
purchased separately).
The
Mach1GTO
’s GTO Servo Control
Box comes with a Control Box Adapter
for direct mounting on your pier or
tripod as well as handy pouch for
hanging from a knob on the base of
your
Mach1GTO
mount. Please
remember that this box contains
advanced electronics and must be
treated with the same care given to
other fine equipment. You can see that
the unit is built to be rugged, however
it is not indestructible.
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Summary of Contents for Mach1GTO
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