iOptron SmartStar MiniTower Pro manual

SmartStar ® MiniTower Pro TM Instruction Manual[...]

2 Table of Content Table of Content .............................................................................................................. ............... 2 1. MiniTower TM Overview.............................................................................................................. 4 1.1. MiniTower TM Features .....................[...]

3 5.5.7. Set Anti-backlash ...................................................................................................... .. 19 5.5.8. Set Key Beep............................................................................................................ ... 19 5.5.9. Set Mount Type .........................................................[...]

1. MiniTower Pro TM Overview 1.1. MiniTower Pro TM Features MiniTower Pro TM is the perfect combination of capacity and portability. 33 lbs of Payload Born out of the popular iOptron Cube TM , The MiniTower Pro TM is the ultimate observing solution for people who are searching for a capable and portable GOTO telescope mount to counter light polluti[...]

5 Figure 2. MiniTower Pro in an aluminum case Accurate GOTO and Tracking Equipped with our SmartStar ® GOTO technology, the MiniTower Pro TM is one of the most powerful and accurate GOTO mounts available on the market. The standard 8401 hand controller offers a superb navigation experience with an 8-line LCD backlit display, a 130,000-object datab[...]

6 Additional Unique Features Equipped with additional features such as automatic over-current protection, automatic clutch protection for both axes, easy 3-point level adjustment, dual scope setup with two dovetails and more-- The MiniTower Pro TM is one of the most user-friendly GOTO mounts available today. Figure 3. MiniTower Pro with dual scope [...]

7 1.2. MiniTower Pro TM Components 1 Figure 4. MiniTower Pro Components Shown in the picture: 1. Tripod Lock 2. Tripod Support 3. Tripod Knob 4. Tripod Rod 5. Level Adjustment Lock (not included with MiniTowe r Pro) 6. Level Adjustment Screw 7. Tripod 8. Mount Base 9. Primary Dovetail Lock 10. Primary Dovetail Holder 11. Azimuth Clutch Lock 12. Sou[...]

8 2. MiniTower Pro TM Assembly There are two shipping boxes. One box contains the hard case and mount components. The other box contains the tripod and counterweight. 2.1. MiniTower Pro Assembly Figure 5 1 . Setup tripod. Extend tripod legs to full extension. Then lock legs using the lock kno bs on sides. Next expand the legs out to their maximum p[...]

9 Figure 8 4 . Secure the mount to the tripod by using the long tripod rod (#4). Hand tighten the rod into the bottom of the mount by turning the tripod knob (#3). Next, slide tripod support (#2) onto bottom of rod (#4). Position the three edges to fit against the three tripod legs. Then han d tighten tripod lock knob (#1) to secure the tripod supp[...]

10 Figure 12 If you are attaching a second scope, do not add t he counterweight. Instead, skip to Step 10 to add a second scope. 8. Slide the counterweight onto the counterbalance shaft (#18). Next, insert the brass pin into the hole on the counterweight. Figure 13 9. Secure the counterweight by tightening the lock knob. Counter weight is heavy. Pl[...]

11 and accurate GOTO and tracking. The heavier the OTA, the more necessary it is to use a CW. For lightweight OTAs, i.e. 5-6 lbs, however, the CW may not be necessary. If you have a secondary OTA on the secondary dovetail holder, make sure you align it with the primary OTA. This alignment is done easier during the daytime. Point the primary telesco[...]

12 3. 4. GOTONOVA TM 8401 Hand Controller Figure 17. GOTONOVA 8401 Hand Controller GOTONOVA TM 8401 hand controller (HC) is the standard controller for a MiniTower Pro, as shown in Figure 17. 4.1. Key Description • MENU: Press “MENU” to enter the Main Menu. • BACK: Move back to the previous screen, or end/cancel current operation, such as s[...]

13 2X; 3: 8X; 4: 16X; 5: 64X ; 6: 128X; 7: 256X; 8: 512X; 9: MAX) • Light Key( ☼ ): Turns on/off the red LED reading light on the back of the controller. • ? Key: For help or extra information. • STOP/0 Key: Stop/Start tracking. • HBX (Handbox) port: connect the HC to MiniTower Pro mount using a 6-wire RJ11 cable. • USB port: connect th[...]

14 5. Getting Started In order to experience the full GOTO capability of GOTONOVA technology it is very important to set up the mount correctly before observation. 5.1. Level and Align the Mount 5.1.1. Level the Mount. Leveling is critical for a good GOTO and tracking accuracy. First, loosen tripod rod (#4) and tripod lock (#1) a little. Then loose[...]

15 longitude and latitude information from satellites after the link is est ablished. However, manual input is still needed for time zone and Daylight Saving setting. A clear sky outside is needed for GPS to communicate well with the satellites. 5.2.1. Set Up Time Zone Press MENU button, from the main menu, scroll down and select “ Set up control[...]

16 To adjust minutes, move the cursor to each digit and use the number keys to input number directly. To change the “behind” or “ahead of” UT, move the cursor to “ahead” and using ▲ or ▼ key to toggle between “behind” and “ahead”. When the number is correct, press ENTER and go back to the previous screen. For other parts of [...]

17 Press ENTER. A R.A. anti-backlash will display: To adjust steps move the cursor to each digit and use the number keys to input number directly. Press ENTER – “DEC anti- backlash” will display: Move the cursor to each digit and use the number keys to set the anti-backlash to 0. Press ENTER to go back the previous screen. Press BACK button t[...]

18 the number keys to change the slewing speed. Simply press a number while slewing to change the slew speed. 6.2. Slew to an Object Press the MENU button. From the main menu, select “Select and Slew.” Select an object that you would like to observe and press the ENTER key. The GOTONOVA TM 8401 hand controller has a database of about 130,000 ob[...]

19 6.2.8. Enter R.A. DEC Here you can go to a target by entering its R.A. and DEC numbers. 6.3. Sync to Target This operation will match the telescope's current coordinates to Target Right Ascension and Declination. After slew to an object, press MENU—then scroll to “Sync to Target” and press ENTER. Follow the screen to do the sync. Usin[...]

20 6.5.11. Update Firmware Firmware updating using iOptron Downloader through USB port on hand controller. (Refer to Appendix E.) 6.5.12. Set gear ratio Reserved for future products. 6.5.13. Set Language Select hand controller language. 6.6. Align This function is used for aligning the telescope. In addition to “Easy One Star Align,” the system[...]

21 6.8. Set Up Tracking A user can set up tracking in the main menu by selecting “Set up tracking”. Then the user can select “Sidereal speed”, “Solar speed”, “Lunar speed”, and “User defined speed”. For “User defined speed” this can be adjusted from 91% to 109% of sidereal speed by pressing the ▲ or ▼ buttons. 6.9. User [...]

22 (4) Check the hand controller cord. Unplug it and re-plug into the other HBX port. 2. Error Message “Warning! Can not communicate with DEC motor controller.” (1) Check the hand controller cord. Unplug it and re-plug into another HBX port. (2) Check the power supply, which include: • Using the battery? Is the battery fresh? How long it has [...]

23 Appendix A. Technical Specifications Mount AltAzimuth Mount Body Materials Die-cast Aluminum Motor Dual-Axis DC Servomotor, DC12V Gear Aluminum worm wheel/brass worm gear Bearing 4 high precision bearings Speed Dual-Axis, 9-Gear, Electronic (1×,2×,8×,16×,64×,128×,256×,512×,MAX ） GPS 32-channel GPS GOTO System GOTONOVA TM 130,000 object[...]

24 Appendix B. GOTONOVA TM 8401 HC MENU STRUCTURE MENU Select and Sl ew Select and Sl ew Plane ts, Sun, Mo on Plane ts, Sun, Mo on Comets Comets Asteroids Asteroids Stars Stars Mercury Venus Mars Jupite r Saturn Uranu s Neptune Pluto Sun Moon Mercury Venus Mars Jupite r Saturn Uranu s Neptune Pluto Sun Moon Deep Sk y Obje cts Deep Sk y Obje cts Nam[...]

25 Set Up Controller Set Up Controller Set Up Local Time Set Up Site Set N/S Hemisphere Set Displa y Contrast Set Eyepiece Light Set Backlight Set Anti-backs lash Set Key Beep Set Mount Type Reset All Upgrad e Fir mw are Set Gear Ratio Set Language Set Up Local Time Set Up Site Set N/S Hemisphere Set Displa y Contrast Set Eyepiece Light Set Backlig[...]

26 Appendix C. GOTONOVA TM Star List GOTONOVA Deep Sky Object List for 8401, 8402 and 8403 ID No. OBJECT NGC # Messier # IC# A(Abell) U(UGC) 1 Andromeda Galaxy 224 31 2 Barnards Galaxy 6822 3 Beehive Cluster 2632 44 4 Blackeye Galaxy 4926 64 5 Blinking Planetary Nebula 6826 6 Blue Flash Nebula 6905 7 Blue Planetary 3918 8 Blue Snowball Nebula 7662 [...]

27 35 Keyhole Ne bula 3372 36 Lagoon Nebula 6523 8 37 Little Gem 6445 38 Little Gem Nebula 6818 39 Little Ghost Nebula 6369 40 North American Nebula 7000 41 Omega Nebula 6618 17 42 Orion Nebula 1976 42 43 Owl Nebula 3587 97 44 Pelican Nebula 5070 45 Phantom Streak Nebula 6741 46 Pinwheel Galaxy 598 33 47 Pleiades 45 48 Ring Nebula 6720 57 49 Ring T[...]

28 Modern Constellations No. Constellation Abbreviation No. Constellation Abbreviation 1 A ndromeda A nd 45 Lacerta Lac 2 A ntlia A nt 46 Leo Leo 3 A pus A ps 47 Leo Minor LMi 4 A quarius A qr 48 Lepus Lep 5 A quila A ql 49 Libra Lib 6 A ra A ra 50 Lupus Lup 7 A ries A ri 51 Lynx Lyn 8 A uriga A ur 52 Lyra Lyr 9 Boötes Boo 53 Mensa Men 10 Caelum C[...]

29 GOTONOVA Named Star List for 8401 001 Acamar 049 Ascella 097 Kaus Australis 145 Rassalas 002 Achernar 050 Ase llus Australis 098 Kaus Borealis 146 Rasagethi 003 Acrux 051 Asellus Borealis 099 Kaus Media 147 Rasalhague 004 Acubens 05 2 Aspidiske 100 Keid 148 Rastaba 005 Adhafera 053 Atik 101 Kitalpha 149 Regulus 006 Adhara 054 Atlas 102 Kochab 15[...]

30 GOTONOVA Double Star List for 8401 No. Object Const SAO Name 1 Eta Cas 21732 Achird 2 Alpha Psc 110291 Alrisha 3 Theta Per 38288 4 Alpha For 168373 Fornacis 5 Alpha Aur 40186 Capella 6 Sigma Ori 132406 7 Mu Ori 113389 8 Alpha CMa 151881 Sirius 9 Delta Gem 79294 Wasat 10 Alpha Gem 60198 Castor 11 Alpha CMi 115756 12 Epsilon Hya 117112 13 HR 3579 [...]

31 Appendix D. Set Up USB-PC Connection 1. Download USB2COM driver (cp2102.zip file for 8401) from iOptron Website 2. Install cp2101(usb2com) driver Choose the appropriate driver for your OS. In this case is a Windows XP operation system. Double click on it, and you will see: Click “Next”.[...]

32 Select “I accept the terms of license agreement”, and click “Next” Using the default installation path, c:SiLabsMCUCP210x, or specify your own path by click “Change”. Click “Next”. Then click “Install”.[...]

33 When finished installation, click “Finish” 3. Plug the USB cable to the USB port on your PC, plug the other end of the USB cable to hand controller. Turn on the power on the mount. 4. Install the Hardware The computer will find a new hardware and show the following screen Select “No, not this time” and click “Next”.[...]

34 Select “Install from a list or specific location” and click “Next”. Select “Search for the best driver in these locations,” and che ck “Include this location in the search.” Click on “Browse” and select the cp210x driver from directory c:SiLabsMCUCP210xWin2K_XP, click OK.[...]

35 Click “Next”. The computer will start to install the driver for the USB2COM. When the installa tion is done, click “Finish”. If the computer shows “find a new hardware” screen again, just repeat the steps in this section again.[...]

36 Now your computer should be ready for Firmware Upgrading; computer communication with the mount via ASCOM platform; and planetarium software applications. However, you need to find assigned COM port number for the USB connection. To do so, right click “My Computer”, and click “Properties” Click “Hardware”, click “Device Manager”[...]

37 Double click on “Ports (COM & LPT)”. Find the COM number and write it down (in the following figure, it is COM4)[...]

38 Appendix E. Firmware Upgrade 1. Download and install Firmware Downloader from iOptron Website 2. Double click and open “iOptron Downloader” On the interface, select appropriate port using pull-down menu (in this case, COM4):[...]

39 Click “Open Data File” and select the appropriate “.bin” file that matches your hand controller. Then click “Open”. Select “Main Program” in Update Type. Click “Start Download” It shows “Please reset GOTONOVA[GOT OSTAR], waiting for connection…” On the hand controller, press “MENU”, and using ▼▲ scroll to select[...]

40 The upgrade is complete. Turn your mount power off then on again. Typical Errors: 1. Invalid Port Number: in Device Manager: make sure you have the correct COM port number for CP210x. 2. Screen is now blank: Wrong “.bin” file: make sure you have the correct “.bin” file for firmware upgrade. 3. Wrong downloader: you should use iOptron Dow[...]

41 Appendix F. Use a PC to Control an iOptron Mount In general you need the followings to use a PC to control the mount, 1. Download USB2COM driver (cp2102, zip file for 8401 and 8402A) http://www.ioptron.com/manuals/USB_2COM_Driver.zip; 2. Install USB2COM and establish the connection between the mount and the PC (see instruction); 3. ASCOM platfor[...]

42 Appendix G. RS-232 Command Set Abbreviations used: DD or DDD degrees or day of t he month depending on the context HH hours MM minutes or month depending on the context MM.M minutes and tenths of minutes s + or – sign, assumed to be + if omitted SS seconds SS.S seconds and tenths of seconds YY last two digits of the year General Telescope Info[...]

43 Command: :Gt# Response: sDD*MM:SS# Get the current latitude. Command: :GL# Response: HH:MM:SS.S# Get the current local time in 24 hour format. Overflows from 23:59:59 to 00:00:00. Command: :GS# Response: HH:MM:SS.S# Get the current local sidereal time in 24 hr. format. Command: :GR# Response: HH:MM:SS.S# Get the current Right Ascension of mount.[...]

44 Command: :Qn# :Qs# :Qe# :Qw# Response: (none) Stop motion in the specified axis. Note that :Qn# is identical to :Qs#, and :Qe# is identical to :Qw#. Motion is terminated only if it was not started by a slew (:MS#) command. Command: :Q# Response: (none) Motion in both axes is stopped, regardl ess of how the motion was invoked. Command: :RG# Respo[...]

45 Calibrate mount. Current Rig ht Ascension and Dec lination become the comma nded Right Ascension and Declin ation. This command sy nchronizes HC coordin ate to commanded coordinate. No GOTO needs to be don e first. Command: :Sr HH:MM:SS.S# Response: “1” Define the commanded Right Ascension, RA. Command: :Sd sDD*MM:SS# Response: “1” Defin[...]

46 0 - sidereal 1 – solar 2 - lunar Command: :SGS0#,:SGS1#,:SGS2#,:SGS3#, Response: (none) This command sets the guide rate. 0 – 1.0X of sidereal 1 – 0.8X of sidereal 2 – 0.6X of sidereal 3 – 0.4X of sidereal Command: :GGS# Response: ‘0’,’1’,2,’3’ This command gets the current guide rate. 0 – 1.0X of sidereal 1 – 0.8X of s[...]

47 IOPTRON TWO YEAR TELESCOPE, MO UNT, AND CONTROLLER WARRANTY A. iOptron warrants your telescope, mount, or cont roller to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for two years. iO ptron will repair or replace such product or part which, upon inspection by iOptron, is found to be defective in materials or workman ship. As a condition to [...]