Paramount User Guide
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Figure 89: The Hand Controller settings on the Utilities tab.
Rate 1-4
Enter the desired slew rate for the corresponding rate position, based on the sidereal rate. For example,
to configure switch Position 3 to slew the mount at 2 x sidereal rate, enter the number
2
in the
Rate 3
text
box, then click the
Save Current Rates
button.
Get Current Rates
Click this button to retrieve the current slew rates from the control system.
Save Rates
Click this button to permanently save the current slew rates to the control system’s firmware.
Calibrate Joystick
The MKS 4000 and MKS 5000 control systems both employ a mechanical joystick that can be used to slew
the mount after homing, however, the purpose of joystick calibration differs significantly between these
two control systems.
MKS 5000 Joystick Calibration
The MKS 5000 control system has an internal sensor that detects input from the joystick on the hand
paddle. Clicking the
Calibrate Joystick
button initializes this sensor and saves the results to the mount’s
permanent internal memory.
MKS 5000 joystick calibration is performed at the factory, and normally need not be calibrated
again.
The hand paddle does
not
need to be plugged in to the Electronics Box for successful joystick
calibration.
If the joystick sensor is not properly calibrated, the Find Home command may fail unexpectedly
and the telescope status text on the Telescope window will show
Not Homed
.
MKS 4000 Joystick Calibration
The
Calibrate Joystick
button determines the center position of the hand controller’s joystick. If you plug
in a new hand paddle, or the homing process fails unexpectedly, joystick calibration may be necessary.
Note that the MKS 4000 control system stops the homing process whenever the joystick is moved from
the center position. When the joystick is not calibrated properly, homing will also fail because the control
system “thinks” the joystick is not centrally located.
To calibrate the MKS 4000 joystick:
1.
Plug the hand paddle cable into the
Joystick
port on the Adaptor Panel.
2.
Launch TheSkyX.
3.
Click the
Connect
command from the
Telescope
menu to connect to the Paramount.
4.
Choose the
Bisque TCS
command from the
Tools
pop-up menu on the
Telescope
window.
5.
Highlight
Hand Controller
in the list on the left side of the
Utilities
tab on the
Bisque TCS
window.
