18
6.8 iterative Polar alignment without Polar Scope
Polar alignment of your mount by means of the polar-axis find-
er scope is covered in the instruction manual for the mount.
However, there is another, more accurate way to polar align.
This software-based polar alignment routine can be performed
without use of the polar-axis scope. You will need to use a ret-
icle eyepiece for this procedure to ensure precise centering of
the stars in the eyepiece field of view.
1. Complete a 2-star alignment or 3-star alignment. At
the end of the alignment, the Syn Scan hand controller
will display the polar alignment error (refer to Section
5.16). Based on the error given, you can decide
whether it is necessary to adjust the polar alignment.
2. Press the “SETUP” shortcut key, and then access
to sub-menu “Alignment\Polar Align. >”. Press the
ENTER key to proceed to the next step.
3. The screen will display “Select a Star”.
• Use the scroll keys to browse through a list of star
names and press the ENTER key to pick one as the
reference star for polar alignment.
• The mount will start slewing to point the telescope
to the reference star.
4. Use the direction keys to center the reference star in
the eyepiece of the telescope after the mount stops
slewing. Remember to end the centering operation
with Up and Right direction keys. Press the ENTER
key to proceed to the next step.
5. The screen will now display the polar alignment error
in altitude (Mel=dd’mm’ss”). You can then use the data
to determine whether or not to adjust the altitude of
the R.A. axis. Press the ENTER key again to proceed
to the next step.
6. The mount will slew to a new position. When it
stops, the screen will display “Adjust Altitude:”. By
using ONLY the altitude adjustment mechanism of
the mount (DO NOT touch the azimuth adjustment
mechanism, DO NOT use the direction keys on
the hand controller), bring the reference star back
to the closest point to the center of the FOV of the
telescope’s eyepiece. Remember the reference star’s
position in the eyepiece for later adjustment. Press the
ENTER key to confirm the centering operation.
7. The screen will now display the polar alignment error
in azimuth (Maz=dd’mm’ss”). You can then use the
data to determine whether or not to adjust the azimuth
of the mount. Press the ENTER key again to proceed
to the next step.
8. The mount will slew to a new position. When it
stops, the screen will display “Adjust Azimuth:” By
using ONLY the azimuth adjustment mechanism of
the mount (DO NOT touch the altitude adjustment
mechanism, DO NOT use the direction keys on
the hand controller), bring the reference star back
to the closest point to the previous position (at the
end of Step 6). Press the ENTER key to confirm the
centering operation.
9. The screen will display the polar alignment error
again, press the ENTER button to end the polar
alignment process. It should be an improvement over
what was given in Step 1.
10. Go back to the “Alignment” menu on the SynScan
hand controller and execute another 2-Star or 3-Star
alignment, and then check the polar alignment error
data reported at the end of the 2-star alignment or
3-star alignment. Repeat Step 2 to Step 8 until the
error is small enough to be acceptable. Generally, you
can expect to get up to 1 arc-minute polar align ment
accuracy after repeating this polar alignment process
2 or 3 times.
7. Connecting SynScan to
a Computer
7.1 Working with astronomical Software
Programs
The SynScan hand controller can communicate with a com-
puter via the RS-232 port at the bottom of the controller
(
Figure 1b). In this way you can use many commercially avail-
able planetarium software programs to control your GoTo tele-
scope or mount, essentially bypassing the hand controller’s
interface. The computer must have a RS-232C serial port; oth-
erwise, an optional USB-to-Serial adapter is required. Connect
the SynScan hand controller to the computer with the RJ-12 to
DB-9 serial cable supplied with your telescope or mount.
7.2 PC Direct Mode
PC Direct Mode is a special mode for the SynScan hand con-
troller to work with a PC. Under this mode, the hand controller
becomes a repeater between the PC and the motor control-
ler in the telescope mount. The application running on the PC
controls the motor controller directly.
Currently, the PC direct mode is mainly used to update the
motor controller’s firmware.
• Access the menu “Utility Func. \ PC Direct Mode” and press
the ENTER key. The screen will display “PC Direct Mode \
Press ESC to exit.”
Figure 4.
Application window for SynScan firmware loader.
Содержание SynScan GoTo
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