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7. troubleshooting Your
sky Wizard
readouts do not change when you move the
scope.
1. The cables are probably plugged in upside down. Unplug
the cable from the encoder, turn it +180° and plug it back
in. The correct orientation is that the wires coming out of
the plug go away from (opposite of) the encoder shaft.
2. Check to see if the encoder setscrews are tight. On altaz
scopes, especially dobsonians, make sure the bottom azi-
muth bolt does not rotate.
“Encoder error” readout on sky Wizard.
1. Check the battery, is it a
NEW ALKALINE battery? This is
a big problem during colder winter weather. If you are
observing in sub-zero weather, you might have to use two
batteries, keeping one warm inside your coat. Never use
regular, “Heavy Duty,” or rechargeable batteries.
2. Are the cables properly attached? Loose or broken wires
will show this error message.
3. Are you moving too fast? The Sky Wizard should not move
more than about 100° per second. Turning the encoders
with your fingers when they are not on the scope can eas-
ily exceed this rate.
4. Switch the cables, does the “encoder error” change sides?
If the error changes from RA to Dec. (or Alt. to Az.), then it
is possible that the cable is bad. Contact Technical Support
at 1-800-676-1343.
the sky Wizard cannot find anything.
The Wizard is way off. The scope points at the ground or is
more than 20° off of known targets. Warp values are 20.0 or
greater.
1. DO THE ENCODER DIRECTION TEST!!! The encoder
direction test is the only way to sort out this problem. The
problem is almost always encoder polarity or encoder
ratios. Go into
INSTALL mode and check to see that the
encoder ratios are entered correctly. The encoder direction
test also tells you if the encoders are hooked up backwards.
It is very common for the encoder polarity (+/-) to be back-
wards. If the encoder test goes the wrong way, simply go
to
INSTALL mode and change the polarity of the axis
question. Be sure to turn off the unit, then back on before
doing the encoder test again.
2. If you have a German equatorial mount, is your first star in
SETUP mode in the Eastern part of the sky?
3. Are you sure you are on the correct sighting stars? Consult
a star chart if there is ANY doubt.
The Wizard is close, but objects are not quite in the field.
Warp values are less than 5.0.
1. This almost always means there is a problem with the
startup index mark. You must take care to get this index
mark exact. If you are one degree off, this could lead to
pointing errors of up to two degrees. Go to the section on
“Startup Index Mark”.
