JMI Telescopes MAX Computer manual

MAX Computer Operator's Guide Copyright 2005 JMI Telescopes Jim's Mobile, Incorporated 8550 West 14th Avenue Lakewood, CO 80215 U.S.A. Phone (303) 233-5353 Fax (303) 233-5359 Order Line (800) 247-0304 Web Site jmitelescopes.com Email sales@jmitelescopes.com[...]

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Table of Contents INTRODUC TION ............................................................................................................. 4 What is Does ................................................................................................... 4 What it Doesn't Do ...................................................................[...]

Page 4 INTRODUCTION This manual covers the NGC-M AX , NGC-miniMAX and NGC-microMAX computer units. Sections which cover material not common to a ll of these units are labeled with the models they apply to. The MAX family of computers are revol utionary, computerized digital setting ci rcle units with an internal database of hundreds to thousands of[...]

Page 5 you will want to be abl e to reliably return to this sa me position in a future step. Begin rotating your telescope in its Right Asce nsion or Azimuth axis (left-to-right) in a clockwise direction as seen from a vantage point directly above the telescope. (Southern Hemisphere users sho uld rotate in the opposite direction.) The first set of [...]

Page 6 Alternatively, the encoder can sometimes be re-mounted so that it turns the opposite direction. Bad encoder/cable. While the probability of an encoder or cable being bad is extremely small, it is a possibility. If the problem is isolated to either the cable or encoder, there are a few simple tests whi ch can quickly determine the exact culpr[...]

Page 7 USING YOUR COMPUTER If you wish to start using your MAX computer immediately without reading through the ma nual, or you just want a quick refresher course, please refer to the Quick-Start Guide found in Appendix E. The MAX computer has several mode s, or applications to enhance your observing time. Below is a list of the mode s available: N[...]

Page 8 the star you are pointing at is indeed the one selected in the MAX computer. For indoor familiarization, t he alignm ent process may be simulated to allow access to additio nal modes (attempting to select some modes b efore the alignment process ha s been completed will result in a STAR SIGHTINGS ARE REQUIRED message). RA DEC This mode displ[...]

Page 9 To add an object to the NEW catalog, enter the CATALOG mode and use the UP/DOWN button s until NEW01 is displayed. After pressing ENTER, sele ct the object number you wish to modify (01-28). Once you have ENTERed the number, the current coordinates are di splayed (if defining for the first time, 2400-000 will appear). Press ENTER once more a[...]

Page 10 of eight, then only objects of magnitude 8.0 or brighter will be found. The limiting magnitude rang e is from one (bright) to 17 (faint). Those objects which do not have a magnitude defined are only found with a limit of 17. When both search parameters have b een defined, press ENTER and the computer will displ ay the name of the nearest ob[...]

Page 11 The timer is started by pres sing the ENTER b u tton, which will temporarily cause the disp lay to show the following: START The elapsed time from the moment you pressed the ENTER button will then be displayed unt il you press ENTER to stop the timer or MODE to exit the timer mode. ENCODER This mode is primarily u sed for verifying proper o[...]

Page 12 microMAX does not have the EP or G P settings). These represe nt the followi ng: AV A lt/az V ertical. For use with altitude/ azimuth mounts initialized to a vertical * position. AZ A lt/az Z ero. Fo r use with altitude/azimuth mounts initialized to a level* (or 0°) position. EQ EQ uatorial. For equatorial mount s using a two-star alignmen[...]

Page 13 Appendix A — Specifications NGC-MAX NGC-miniMAX* NGC-microMAX Size: 14.6cm x 9.1cm x 3.7cm (5.75" x 3.60" x 1.44") 7.0cm x 11.7cm x 3.0cm (2.75" x 4.60" x 1.18") 6.1cm x 9.9cm x 3.0cm (2.40" x 3.88" x 1.18") Weight: 233g (8.2 oz.) 155g (5.4 oz.) 122g (4.3 oz.) Temperature: -10°C to +50°C (14?[...]

Page 14 Appendix B — NS/DS Catalog Abbreviations AB Abell AN Antalova B Barnard BA Basel BD Baade BI Biur BK Berkley BL Blanco BO Bochum CE Cederblad CR Colinder CZ Czernik DD Dolidze-Dzimselejsvili DO Dolidze FR Frolov GU Gum H Harvard HA Haffner HB Hubble HU Humason KI King LY Lynza MA Markarian ME Melotte MF Maffei MK Minkowski MR Merrill NE N[...]

Page 15 Appendix D — Sample BASIC Program Listing The following program listing has been tested on numerous MS-DOS compatibl e comput ers using both GW-BASIC and Q- BASIC. While all efforts have been made to ensure error-free code, the us er is solely responsible for the accurate entry and operation of this progra m. 100 '*******************[...]

JMI Telescopes Jim's Mobile, Inc. y 8550 W 14th Ave y Lakewood, CO 80215 y USA y 303-233-5353 y Fax 303-23 3-5359 y jmitelescopes.co m Appendix E — MAX Quick-Start Guide NOTE: For best result s, the following steps should b e followed while using the telescope under actu al observing conditions. Simulated star alignments may be used for the [...]