Paramount MX User Guide
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P a g e
The Paramount MX
Thank you for purchasing the Paramount MX Robotic Telescope System. The Paramount MX is an ultra-
precision German equatorial mount that is designed to deliver unmatched performance to the amateur
or professional astronomer in portable or permanent installations.
This document covers the basic setup and use of the Paramount MX. It assumes that you are familiar
with many fundamental concepts in astronomy and are somewhat experienced using a telescope and or
CCD camera in conjunction with a personal computer. If a concept presented here is new to you,
consider using a search engine on the Internet to find out more information about the topic.
Unfortunately, there is simply no way that all the different facets of setting up and controlling a robotic
telescope mount can be covered in a single document.
The Paramount MX German equatorial mount includes a host of features that are designed to help
foster memorable and productive observing experiences.
•
Software Bisque’s fourth generation dual axis control system (MKS 5000) that provides
precision, reliable performance.
•
Integration with
TheSkyX Professional Edition
for Mac or Windows control.
•
Camera Add On software provides single software telescope, camera, focuser and rotator
control.
•
TPoint Add On
with Super Model and ProTrack provides the same telescope pointing correction
software that is used on most professional telescopes.
•
The Multi-OS and Six License Add On lets you install
TheSkyX Professional Edition
and the Add
Ons on up to six different Mac and Windows computers.
•
Research-grade right ascension gears with seven (7) arcseconds or less peak-to-peak periodic
error, before applying periodic error correction (PEC).
•
Optimal periodic error correction curve fitting for seeing agnostic periodic error curves.
•
Direct Guide for optimal guiding without the need of a guider cable.
•
Both the right ascension and declination axes use a unique “three way switch” to easily and
quickly swap between balancing, locking and tracking.
•
Clutch-free worm block design preserves the mount’s physical orientation for accurate and
repeatable TPoint modeled pointing and tracking.
•
The control system supports a wide dynamic range for slewing and tracking rates. Virtually any
slew speed is available between stopped and several degrees per second.
•
Configurable acceleration and deceleration rates during slews.
•
Accurate homing sensors for rapid initialization and precision repeatability from night to night.
•
Homing allows the mount to be quickly reinitialized under any circumstance, including power
loss.
•
Super-stable physical design that rapidly dampens external vibrations.
•
Configurable software slewing limits prevent damage to the mount and telescope by slowly
decelerating to limit regions.
•
Clutch-free design ensures consistent pointing and tracking from night to night.
