TELESCOPE CONTROL SOFTWARE INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Connecting your Computer to your Mount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CPWI Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction Welcome to Celestron PWI (CPWI)! This program allows you to align your Celestron computerized mount, slew to celestial objects, and access many other features directly from your computer. CPWI is equipped with a planetarium SkyViewer, which makes it easy to search for objects and navigate the night sky. You can also use the software to align the mount using the optional StarSense AutoAlign accessory, and even perform an All-Star Polar Alignment directly within CPWI.
Optional Accessories • SkyPortal WiFi Module • StarSense AutoAlign • SkySync GPS • Celestron Focus Motor • Autoguider for PEC training NOTE: Some Celestron mounts may not have enough AUX ports to accommodate these optional accessories. If you need additional AUX ports, please see item #93919 Aux Port Splitter on the Celestron.com website. Do not connect multiple AUX Splitters to each other, as resistance and power loss may result, which will impact the performance of the mount and the connected accessories.
Telescope Setup with an Alt/Az Mount on a Wedge ow oS sk Po st rn in t in t st Po the N e ou to pol sS ou y th po Po s in t h or t ard ard sN ow or t he st rn in t sk Po y If you are using an Alt/Az mount with an equatorial wedge, the optical tube must be at the altitude index mark pointing south if you are in the Northern Hemisphere. If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, your optical tube should be at the index mark pointing north.
Connecting your Computer to your Mount There are three ways you can connect your computer to your mount. 1. Connecting via USB (CGX / CGX-L mounts only) Auto Guide port USB 2.0 Type B port You will need a USB 2.0 Male Type A to Male Type B cable. Plug the Male Type A connector into the computer and plug in the Male Type B connector into the USB port on the mount. NOTE: USB 3.0 Type B cables are NOT compatible with CGX mounts; the 3.0 Type B connector is bigger and will not physically plug into the mount.
Next, set the WiFi module switch to the Access Point position. Power the module off, then on again. Go to the wireless network settings on your computer and connect to your home network. You are now ready to open CPWI and connect to the WiFi module through your home network. NOTE: Please refer to your Celestron telescope or WiFi module manual for more information on Direct Connect and Access Point switch position.
CPWI Overview When you open CPWI, there are two main sections you can control, the SkyViewer Section and the Menu Section. Menu Section SkyViewer Section 1. SkyViewer Section In the SkyViewer section, shown in the screenshot above, you can use your cursor to click and drag the model of the night sky to move it and see what stars are currently visible. This is also where you can manually search for stars, deep sky objects, or constellations.
Aligning the Mount First, connect to the telescope mount using any one of the connection methods previously outlined. If you have other Celestron accessories you want to use with the mount that work with CPWI, they must be connected to an AUX port prior to powering on the mount. (More on using these optional accessories appears later in the manual.) Select a connection option—USB (CGX and CGX-L mounts only), hand control, or WiFi—and the Select an Alignment Method window will appear.
Select a star on the screen by clicking it. CPWI will highlight bright alignment stars that are well-positioned in the sky as suggestions, but you can choose any star that you can easily identify in the sky. Next, click GoTo on the Select Target screen. The mount will automatically slew toward the selected object. If you polar aligned your EQ mount (or AZ mount with EQ wedge) or started in the “level-North” position for your AZ mount, then the telescope should point close to the selected object.
All-Star Polar Alignment (ASPA) for EQ Setups CPWI and the mount are now aligned to the night sky, but the EQ mount may not be accurately polar aligned. Celestron’s proprietary All-Star Polar Alignment procedure (ASPA) can help correct equatorial mount’s polar alignment quickly and easily. To perform an ASPA in CPWI, you must have at least 3 alignment points in your alignment model.(In the Data bar at the top of the screen, “Pointing Model” should indicate at least 3 points.
Finding Targets You can also search for objects using the Find Targets selection from the Menu. Selecting “Local Database” will bring up the Find Target window. You can use the Visibility and Object Type fi lters on the left side of the window to narrow down the list of objects to choose from. You can select an object by choosing it from the list. Alternatively, you can search for objects in the list by name by using the Search bar at the top of the screen.
Aligning with the StarSense AutoAlign Accessory Before you begin, attach the StarSense camera to the telescope tube. See the StarSense AutoAlign manual for more information on how to do this. Attach the AUX cable from the StarSense camera to an AUX port on your Celestron mount. Make sure you have everything connected to the appropriate AUX ports before powering on the mount. - If you are connecting via USB (CGX and CGX-L mounts only), simply plug in the USB Type B 2.
If you have not yet calibrated the StarSense camera, you can click “Calibrate” in the StarSense Automatic window. Otherwise, click “Ready”, and the following options will appear: Select “Use Default 4 Points,” and the StarSense Auto Alignment process will begin. The mount will then automatically slew around the sky. The StarSense camera will capture 4 images in different areas of the sky to complete the alignment. This takes two to three minutes.
Other Alignment Methods After initially connecting the mount to CPWI, the Select an Alignment Method window appears. The Manual Alignment selection has been discussed previously in this manual. Here, we will review the other alignment methods that can be selected from this window. Quick Align (EQ mounts only) This is a “zero star” alignment – this alignment method relies on the accurate initial positioning of the mount. The EQ mount must be in the “home” position (i.e.
the primary mirror toward the Schmidt corrector at the fastest rate. You can monitor the focuser index position just above the “Move In” and “Move Out” commands to determine where you currently are in the focuser’s travel range. For most precise focusing, select “Control Panel” from the Focuser section in the Menu. The Focuser pop-up window will appear. Use the Rate slider to select the Focus Motor speed rate.
When Add References is selected, the Pointing Model Information window will appear. Each alignment reference currently in the mount model will be displayed. Besides adding additional alignment references to the mount model to increase accuracy, you can also try disabling any alignment points currently in the model that appear to be creating signifi cant error. Do this by unchecking the checkbox to the left of each alignment reference.
• Backlash - This selection allows you to set the backlash compensation for each of the mount’s axes of motion. Mechanical gears have a certain amount of backlash or play between the gears. This play is evident in the amount of time it takes for a star to move in the eyepiece when reversing slew directions. The amount of gear backlash is constant, so with the slower slewing rates, it will take longer for the star to move in the eyepiece when reversing directions.
approaches from east to west, while RA negative means the mount approaches west to east. DEC positive means the mount approaches from south to north, while DEC negative means the mount approaches from north to south. For AZ mounts, azimuth positive means the mount approaches from clockwise, while azimuth negative means the mount approaches from counter-clockwise. Altitude positive means the mount approaches down to up, while altitude negative means the mount approaches up to down.
SkyViewer The functionality for this selection was discussed previously in this manual. Please see page 6. Utilities Connect StarSense – Prompts CPWI to fi nd and connect to the StarSense AutoAlign accessory. If the StarSense camera is already connected to the mount upon initial connection to CPWI, this command is not necessary since CPWI will automatically fi nd and connect to StarSense AutoAlign. Connect Focuser– Prompts CPWI to fi nd and connect to the Celestron Focus Motor.
Most consumer-grade joysticks do not return to exactly zero when they are released. It is therefore common for control software to ignore inputs less than a certain value. This region is the “dead zone” and is defi ned in CPWI as a percentage defl ection of the joystick. Below this setting, inputs will be ignored and treated as zero defl ection.
