10
Looking at or near the
Sun
will cause
irreversable
damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the
Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
The AutoStar Computer Controller provides control of virtually every telescope function within
a compact handbox. AutoStar has soft-touch keys designed to have a positive feel. The LCD
(Liquid Crystal Display) is backlit with a red LED (Light Emitting Diode) for easy viewing in the
dark. The backlit display, key arrangement, and sequential database make AutoStar extremely
user friendly.
2-Line LCD Display:
Provides an interface between AutoStar and the telescope.
•
Top line:
Lists the primary category or menu item.
•
Bottom line:
Contains a menu option or information about an object or subject,
depending on which function is being performed.
ENTER Key
: Accesses, in a sequential manner, the next menu or data level in the AutoStar
database. See
MOVING THROUGH AUTOSTAR'S MENUS,
page 18 and
MENU AND MENU
OPTION DESCRIPTIONS,
page 24.
NOTE:
If ENTER is pressed for two seconds or more and then released, AutoStar
emits a beep and “ENTER to Sync” is displayed. "ENTER to Sync" is relevant only
after the telescope has been aligned and is pointing at an object. If the "ENTER to
Sync" feature is accessed by mistake, press MODE to return to the previous
screen.
See
HIGH PRECISION,
page 29, for more details about this feature.
MODE Key
: Returns to the previous menu or data level in the AutoStar database until the
top level, “Select Item," is reached. The MODE key is similar to the ESCAPE key on a
computer.
NOTE:
Pressing MODE while in the “Select Item” level moves AutoStar to the
topmost screen: “Select Item: Object.”
If MODE is pressed and held for two seconds or more, information about the
telescope's status displays. When the status displays, press one of the Scroll keys
(
7, Fig. 2
) to display the following information:
• Right Ascension and Declination (astronomical) coordinates
• Altitude (vertical) and Azimuth (horizontal) coordinates
• Local Time and Local Sidereal Time (LST)
• Timer and Alarm Status
• Accessory Port Module (APM) status (see the instructions supplied with the APM)
• Date
• Site coordinates
• Battery status
• SmartFinder Finder Set menu (see below)
Press MODE again to return to the previous menu.
Finder Set menu:
Select the Finder Set menu to access options that will allow you to set the
intensity
and
blink rate
of the SmartFinder red dot.
To set the blink rate of SmartFinder’s red dot
(circled numbers refer to
Fig. 2
)
:
1.
Press and hold MODE
c
for two seconds. R.A and Dec. coordinates display.
2.
Keep pressing the Scroll Down key
h
until “Finder Set: Set” displays.
3.
Press ENTER
b
. “Finder Set: Intensity” displays.
4.
Press the Scroll Down key
h
. “Finder: Blink On” displays.
5.
Press ENTER
b
. A time value, in seconds, displays. For example, “00.5” may
display. “00.5” (one-half second) is the amount of time, in seconds, that the red dot will blink
“on.”
6.
Use the Number keys
g
and the Arrow keys
f
to change the time value. For example,
you may wish to change the amount of time the red dot stays on to 10.2 seconds: Press
“1,” press the Right Arrow key
f
, press “0,” press the Right Arrow key
f
, press “2.” An
alternate method is to use the Scroll keys
h
to scroll through the time values. Once the
time value is entered, press ENTER
b
.
7.
Press the Scroll Down key
h
. “Finder: Blink Off” displays. Press ENTER
b
. A time value,
“00.1” (one-tenth second), may display. For example, you may wish to change the amount
of time the red dot stays off to 00.7 seconds: Press the Right Arrow key
f
twice (as the
first two values are already zero), then press “7.” Or you may use the Scroll keys
h
to
scroll through the time values.
NOTE:
Throughout this
manual, you will notice
the term "Alt/Az." Alt/Az
is frequently used to
refer to Altitude
(vertical) and Azimuth
(horizontal). Alt/Az is
just one of many
methods used by
amateur astronomers to
help locate stars in the
night sky.
NOTE:
AutoStar does not
require batteries; the
telescope’s batteries
supply power to
AutoStar.
TIP:
To manually enter the
R.A. and Dec
coordinates of an
object:
Press and hold MODE
for two seconds or more.
The R.A. and Dec coor-
dinates display. Press
GO TO. "Object Position"
and a set of coordinates
displays. Then enter the
R.A. and Dec
coordinates of any
celestial object using
Number keys. As soon
as the coordinates are
entered, AutoStar slews
the telescope to the
coordinates. Note that
the telescope must be
initialized for this
procedure to operate
properly.
