iOptron SmartStar G-MC90 manual

SmartStar ® -G Series Mount and Telescopes (For 8800, 8802, 8803 and 8804) Instruction Manual[...]

2 Table of Content Table of Content .............................................................................................................. 2 1. SmarStar ® -G Series Ov erview .................................................................................... 4 1.1. SmartStar ® -G Series Features ..........................................[...]

3 5.8.2. Co mets ......................................................................................................... 20 5.8.3. Aste roids ...................................................................................................... 21 5.9. Watch List ....................................................................................[...]

4 1. SmarStar ® -G Series Overview 1.1. SmartStar ® -G Series Features Alt-Azimuth Mount– The Cube™ The SmartStar ® -G series come with our patented Alt-Azimuth (AltAzi) mount, a.k.a . The Cube™. This compact mount design is probably the most functional and flexible unit on the market. It was named “Hot Product 2008” by Sky and Telesco[...]

5 USB Port The 8402 hand controller comes with a USB port that tremendously expands the functionalities of the already powerful system. With the USB2COM driver installed, the USB port works as an RS232 serial port. It supports firmware upgrades and computer control. With ASCOM protocol, you can control your telescope with most ASCOM compatible soft[...]

6 1.2. Assembly Terms 1. Telescope tube 2. Dovetail lock 3. Hand controller 4. Altitude lock 5. Mount 6. Tripod 7. Tripod bolt 8. Tray 9. Tray lock[...]

7 2. Telescope Assembly Step 1. Preparing the Tripod Extend tripod legs to full extension. Step 2. Attaching the Mount Attach mount to tripod using the long bolt (#7). Slide tray on bottom of shaft. Then screw on round black knob (#9). Step 3a. Installing Batteries (not included) Note: you may use 8 AA batteries (Step 3) or the AC adaptor (Step 5) [...]

8 Step 5. Plug in hand controller and AC adaptor. Plug hand controller into either one of the two HBX ports on the mount. Next plug in AC adaptor. (Or use batteries—see step 3). Turn on power (the red light should go on). At this point you can begin observing manually. Use the 4 Arrow keys ( ▲▼ ◄► ) to rotate the scope Up, Down, Left, and[...]

9 Install the Finderscope by sliding the dovetail plate onto the sleeve (see arrow) and tightening the side screw. The eyep iece can be placed on the end of the scope or on t he side (see next step). Secure the eyepiece using the side screw. Use the focus knob to adjust the focus. This picture shows the ey epiece on the side . Remove the protective[...]

10 3. GOTONOVA TM 8402G Hand Controller Figure 1. GOTONOVA 8402 Hand Controller GOTONOVA TM 8402G hand controller (HC) is the standard controller for a SmartStar ® -G series mount and telescope, as shown in Figure 1. 3.1. Key Description • MENU: Press “MENU” to enter the Main Menu. • BACK: Move back to the previous screen, or end/cancel cu[...]

11 3.2. The LCD Screen The 8402 HC consists of a large 4-line LCD screen, which displays all the information as shown in Figure 2. The user interface is simple and easy to learn. Figure 2. 8402G HC LCD Information Screen 1. Target Name: display the name of the target that telescope is currently point to. • Park Position: A default position when t[...]

12 4. 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. 4.1. Level and Align the Mount 4.1.1. Level the Mount. Leveling is critical for a good GOTO and tracking accuracy. Level the mount by observing the bubble (shown) on the base of the mou[...]

13 Press ENTER. Select “Set Up Time and Site” Press ENTER. The “Set Local Time” screen will show: The local time will be updated when the GPS picks up satellite signals. If for any reason your GPS can’t pick up a signal you can manually enter the time. Press ◄ or ► key to move the cursor and using ▲ or ▼ key to change the number. [...]

14 If for any reason your GPS can’t pick up a signal you can manually enter the GPS coordinates. Press ◄ or ► key to move the cursor and using ▲ or ▼ key to toggle between “W” and “E”, “N” and “S”, or to change the numbers. It is always a good idea to do your home work to get the GPS coordinates before traveling to a new o[...]

15 tracking accuracy. To do so, press MENU button, scroll down to “Align”, select “Easy One Star Align” and press ENTER. A list of three bright objects, such as Moon, Venus, and other stars, will be displayed for you to select from. Select an object using ▲ or ▼ key. Then press ENTER. Use ◄ ► ▲ or ▼ key to center the object in y[...]

16 and use the number button to select the object. • UGC Catalog: consists of 12939 objects. 5.2.3. Comets It contains up to 64 comets, with 16 pre- loaded comets. This database is customer upgradeable. 5.2.4. Asteroids It contains up to 64 asteroids, with 16 pre- loaded asteroids. This database is customer upgradeable. 5.2.5. Stars • Named Sta[...]

17 Record New Landmark Use ▼ or ▲ button to move the cursor to “Record New Landmark” line, and press ENTER. A landmark screen will show: Use ◄ ► ▲ and ▼ keys to slew the telescope to the target you want to observe. Press SPEED button to change the slew speed if needed. Then press ENTER to save the target. Enter the Name using ▼ or[...]

18 the GOTO accuracy in nearby sky. Multiple syncs can be performed if needed. “Sync to Target” will only work after “Select and slew” was performed. You may need using SPEED key to change the slewing speed to make the centering procedure easier. A default slew speed is 2X. 5.5. Electric Focuser If you have an electric focuser in your syste[...]

19 5.7.2. One Star Align From the main menu, select “Align”. Select “One Star Align” and press ENTER. A list of align stars that are above the horizon is computed based on your local time and location. Use ▲ or ▼ button to select an alignment star and press ENTER. Center the object in your eyepiece using ◄ ► ▲ or ▼ key. Press SP[...]

20 Use ◄ or ► key to move the cursor and ▲ or ▼ key to change the numbers of your object. RA ranges from 0 hour to 24 hour and DEC from -90 degree to +90 degree. Press ENTER when it is done. A confirmation screen will show: Press ENTER to confirm. The user object will be stored in the hand controller in sequence. Up to 256 objects can be ad[...]

21 Press ENTER to confirm. The user object will be stored in next available or previous deleted comet position. It can be selected and slewed from Comets menu. Edit one data Use ▼ or ▲ button to move the cursor to “Edit one data” line, and press ENTER. A user object screen will show: The first line shows the number of this comet and if it i[...]

22 Select “Add a watch object” and press ENTER. Browse the celestial object list and select the one you want to watch by press ENTER. Follow the screen prompt to confirm the selection. After you are done, press BACK to back to Watch List menu. You also can delete one or all objects in your watching list. After the watch list is set, it can be o[...]

23 instrument to excessive heat or moisture. It is best to store the tele scope in its original box with the altitude lock knob unlocked. If shipping the telescope, use the original box and packing material to protect the telescope during shipment. When transporting the telescope, take care not to bump or drop the instrument; this type of abuse can[...]

24 1. Leveling (very important). 2. Site information (minutes ahead or behind UT, DST). 3. Check the power source. 6.4. iOptron Customer Service If you have a question concerning your telescope, contact the iOptron Customer Service Department. Customer Service hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Easter Time, Monday through Friday. In the unlikely event t[...]

25 Appendix A. Technical Specifications SmartStar ® GOTO Mount Mount AltAzimuth Mount Body Materials Die-cast Aluminum Motor Dual-Axis DC Servo motor with encoders Gear Acetal worm wheel/Nylon 6 worm gear Bearing 4 steel ball bearings Speed Dual-Axis, 5-Gear, Electronic (2×,8×,64×,256×,MAX) GOTO System GOTONOVA TM 8402G Processor 32bit ARM Obj[...]

26 Appendix B. GOTONOVA TM 8402G HC MENU STRUCTURE MENU Select and Sl ew Select and Sl ew Planets, Su n, Moon Planets, Su n, Moon Comets Comets Asteroids Asteroids Stars Stars Mercury Venus Mars Jupite r Saturn Uranu s Neptune Sun Moon Deep Sky Objects Deep Sky Objects Named Dee psky Object Messier Catalog Name d Star s Constellations Double St ars[...]

27 Align Align User Object List User Object List R.A. and DEC. R.A. and DEC. Comets Comets Asteroids Asteroids Watch List Watch List Add a Watch Object Add a Watch Object Dele te One Da ta Dele te One Da ta Del ete All Del ete All Browse the List Brow se the List Set Telescope Coord. Set Telescope Coord. Park Telescope Park Telescope Set Up Control[...]

28 Appendix C. GOTONOVA TM Star List GOTONOVA Deep Sky Object List for 8402G 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 9 Box Nebula 6[...]

29 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 Tail Galaxy 4038 50 Roset[...]

30 Messier This table is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License . It uses material from the Wikipedia article List of Messier objects[...]

31 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[...]

32 GOTONOVA Named Star List for 8402G 001 Acamar 049 Ascella 097 Kaus Australis 145 Rassalas 002 Achernar 050 Asellus Australis 098 Kaus Borealis 146 Rasagethi 003 Acrux 051 Asellus Borealis 099 Kaus Media 147 Rasalhague 004 Acubens 052 Aspidiske 100 Keid 148 Rastaba 005 Adhafera 053 Atik 101 Kitalpha 149 Regulus 006 Adhara 054 Atlas 102 Kochab 150[...]

33 GOTONOVA Double Star List for 8402G 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[...]

34 Appendix D. Set Up USB-PC Connection Before a computer being used to control the mount or update the firmware, a connection between PC and 8402G Hand Controller has to be established. There are two versions of 8402 HCs, namely 8402G and 8402A. The USB2COM chipsets used in these two HCs are different . To identify your HC’s version, please read[...]

35 Click “Next”. When finished installation, click “Finish” 2. Plug the USB cable into a USB port on your PC, plug the other end of the USB cable to hand controller. Turn the mount power on.[...]

36 3. Install the Hardware The computer will find a new hardware and install the driver automatically. Now you 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 cli[...]

37 Double click on “Ports (COM & LPT)”, find out 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 appropriate “.bin” file that matches your hand cont roller. and click “Open”. Select “Main Program” ONLY 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 sele[...]

40 Now the upgrade is finished. Typical Errors: 1. Invalid Port Number: in Device Manager, make sure you have the correct COM port number for “Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port.” 2. Wrong “.bin” file: make sure you have the correct “.bin” file for firmware upgrade. 3. Wrong downloader, you should use iOptron Downloader instead of the Fla[...]

41 Appendix F. Use a PC to Control an iOptron Mount In general you need the followings to use a PC to control a SmartStar-G mount, 1. Download USB2COM driver (PL-2303, zip file for 8402G) http://www.ioptron.com/support.aspx?catalog=28; 2. Install USB2COM and establish the connection between the mount and the PC (see instruction); 3. ASCOM platform [...]

42 IOPTRON ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY A. iOptron warrants your telescope, mount, or controller to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for one year. iOp tron 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 the obligation of iOptron to[...]