CGEM II EQ Mount Manual

20 | ENGLISH
tracking in the same direction past the Meridian without the
need to “flip” the telescope around to the opposite side of
the mount (see Meridian feature above). Using the first example
above, the user could slew the telescope in R.A. (azimuth)
until it reaches the point that the cables are extended to their
maximum. Then by displaying the telescope’s azimuth in this
position (by looking at Get Axis Position under the Utilities
menu) you can determine the telescope’s azimuth at its most
extended position. Enter this azimuth reading for either the
maximum or minimum azimuth slew limit to ensure that the
telescope will not slew beyond this point. The telescope slew
limits can be set to automatically stop anywhere between
40° above level to 20° below level. To set the R.A. slew limit
select the following:
• R.A. East Limit – Enter a number between +40° to -20°
to define the slew limit when the tube is on the east side of
the mount.
• R.A. West Limit – Enter a number between +40° to -20°
to define the slew limit when the tube is on the west side
of the mount.
• Disable Limits – This disables any pre-defined values
that have been entered and allows the mount to track the
maximum amount pass the Meridian (i.e., -20° on both
sides).
Warning: In order for the telescope to be able to slew to a
star from the direction that minimizes the amount of backlash
in the gears, it may be necessary for the telescope to slew
beyond the specified slew limit in order to approach the star
from the correct direction. This can limit your ability to slew to
an object by as much as 6° from the R.A. slew limit set in the
hand control. If this proves to be a problem, the direction that
the telescope takes to center an object can be changed. To
change the telescopes slewing direction, see GoTo Approach
under the Scope Setup menu.
Custom Rate 9 – This allows you to customize the speed at
which the mount slews to a target. You can set the R.A. and
Dec axes individually.
Utilities Menu
Scrolling through the MENU (6) options will also provide
access to several advanced utility functions within the
telescope such as; Calibrate Mount, Hibernate as well as
many others.
Calibrate Mount – In order to optimize the performance
and pointing accuracy of the telescope, the mount has built-in
calibration routines allowing it to compensate for mechanical
variation inherent in every German equatorial mount. Each
calibration is completely automatic and in most cases only
needs to be performed once. It is highly recommended that
you take a few minutes to go through the mount calibration
procedures.
• R.A. Switch – This procedure records the offset error
when the right ascension index mark is aligned at start-up.
Calibrating the R.A. Index will improve the accuracy of your
initial star alignments when aligning the telescope in the
future.
• GoTo Calibration – GoTo Calibration is a useful tool
when attaching heavy visual or photographic accessories
to the telescope. GoTo Calibration calculates the amount
of distance and time it takes for the mount to complete
its final slow GoTo when slewing to an object. Changing
the balance of the telescope can prolong the time it takes
to complete the final slew. GoTo Calibration takes into
account any slight imbalances and changes the final GoTo
distance to compensate.
Home Position – The telescope’s “home” position is a
user-definable position that is used to store the telescope
when not in use. The home position is useful when storing
the telescope in a permanent observatory facility. By default
the Home position is the same as the index position used
when aligning the mount.
To set the Home position for your mount, simply use the
arrow buttons on the hand control to move the telescope
mount to the desired position. Select the Set option and
press Enter.
Select the GoTo option to slew the telescope back to the
Home position at any time.
Factory Settings – Returns the hand control to its original
factory settings. Parameters such as backlash compensation
values, initial date and time, longitude/latitude, along with
slew and filter limits will be reset. However, stored parameters
such as user defined objects will remain saved even when
Factory Settings is selected. The hand control will ask you
to press the “0” key before returning to the factory default
setting.
Version – Selecting this option will allow you to see the
current version number of the hand control and motor
control. The first set of numbers indicate the hand control
software version. For the motor control, the hand control
will display two sets of numbers; the first numbers are for
azimuth and the second set are for altitude.
Get Axis Position – Displays the relative altitude and
azimuth for the current position of the telescope.
GoTo Axis Position – Allows you to enter a specific relative
altitude and azimuth position and slew to it.