AutoStar #497 HANDBOX
AutoStar II Operation
36
Important Note: If your download fails in the middle of
the download attempt (e.g., your PC crashes), turn off the
telescope. Turn the telescope back on and as soon the
AutoStar II display lights up, press “999”. Then attempt the
download again.
Statistics:
Provides basic statistical data about Autostar II,
including:
•
Characters Free:
Displays how much room is
available in user-defi ned object memory.
•
Version:
Displays the current version of the
Autostar II software.
•
Serial Number:
Displays the unit’s serial
number.
Reset:
Completely resets Autostar II. Most values entered into the
menus revert to factory defaults. Autostar II requires initialization
again after a Reset before proceeding with observations.
“Hot Button” Menus
Two menus, six object libraries and two functions can be
accessed directly using the Number keys (commonly referred to
as “hot buttons”). The two functions, the Speed mode and the
Utility light are described earlier in the manual.
Focus Control Menus:
If you have installed the Meade Zero
Image Shift Micro Focuser, Press Number key “4/Focus” to
select these menus directly from Autostar II’s keypad. Each time
you press Focus, the key toggles between focus/focus speed
menus. When “Focuser: Fast” displays, press the Up or Down
Scroll keys to select a focus speed (fast, medium, slow or fi ne).
When “Focuser: Position” displays, use the Up or Down Arrow
keys to achieve fi ne focus of the object.
Focus Speeds:
Key #
Speed
1 or 2
Fine
3, 4, or 5
Slow
6 or 7
Medium
8 or 9
Fast
StarLock Control Menu:
Press the number key “7” to access this menu.
•
StarLock On/Off:
Selecting this entry allows
you to turn StarLock on or off. You may wish to
disable StarLock if you're imaging a planet, or
using an alternative autoguiding system.
•
StarLock Status:
When you select this option,
the handbox will display the real-time guide
corrections being made by the StarLock. The
corrections are expressed in arcseconds.
Pressing MODE will return you to the regular
menus.
•
Guide Rate:
This option allows you to control
how aggressively the StarLock attempts to
remove tracking errors. This value is typically
about 66 to 75%. When seeing is good higher
values produce best results. In poor seeing this
number should be reduced so that you scope
does not “chase seeing” resulting in poor
tracking.
•
StarLock HPP:
This option allows you to turn
StarLock high precision pointing on and off.
StarLock Permanent Periodic
Error Correction
StarLock will automatically perform the PEC feature on your
mount. To use this feature, simply press ENTER. It takes about 7
minutes to train one cycle.
It is advised that you perform one training and then immediately
follow-up with two updates for maximum Periodic Error Correction.
The level of training is necessary for critical applications such as long
exposure photography.
Periodic Error Correction is retained within AutoStar's memory
until you overwrite it by performing additional training cycles.
