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Paramount GT-1100 Robotic Telescope Mount

1. Azimuth adjustment knobs and tensioning screws Azimuth adjustment on the ME is performed by rotating the two azimuth adjustment knobs near the front side of the ME near the counterweights The azimuth adjustment knobs work in tandem one must be loosened before the other can be tightened resulting in rotation of the wedge assembly Each full turn of an azimuth knob translates into 30 arcminutes of movement Therefore each knob tic is equal to two arcminutes Azimuth Tensioning Screws Access the two azimuth tensioning screws are by inserting a hex wrench into the front of the Paramount ME base plate see the two straight arrows in Figure 19 Azimuth adjustment page 32 Paramount User s Guide knobs and tensioning screws These tensioning screws push the internal rotating wedge plate tight against the dovetail profile Note that there is a segment of compressible material between the end of the screw and the rotating base plate This means that as you continue to tighten the screw without ever feeling a hard stop so be cautious not to over tighten it Adjustment to the azimuth can be performed without loosening the tensioning screws but turning the knobs may be difficult Typically these screws are loosened by about one turn before the knobs are used to make azimuth adjustments Once you ate satisfied with the polar alignment in azimuth you can tighten them Note that each tic on the azimuth adjustment knobs represent
2. TheSky TCS Homing Limits Dialog TheSky TCS c x Setup Periodic Error Correction Status Advanced Homing Limits Homing Right ascension Declination Velocity high 660000000 IV Homing required before slew Veloci A elocity med 110000000 IV Allowed from joystick 3900000 NEUE Velocity low Dir S1 S2 index fi 100 Set index offset Offset 0 0 m Limits Press Start to Home Stop tracking and Clear current limits Declination inimum 3280000 2500000 Koma Set RA Limit Maximum 415000 630000 Current Set Dec Limit DK Cancel Apply Help Figure 35 Homing Limits tab of TheSky TCS dialog box TheSky The Homing Limits Tab allows you to change some of the default options of the Paramount ME s control system It is recommended that you do not make changes to any of the values unless you have a clear understanding of how the change will effect the mount s operation For example if you set the Minimum Limit to 4 000 000 instead of 3 250 000 the mount may collide with the right ascension stop if the mount is under joystick control or PC control Minimum Limit Maximum Limit You can set the software limits for each axis to insure the telescope does not attempt to slew through a hard stop The right ascension limits are visible by looking at the South side of the mount The declination hard stops are set at 90 declination or 90 declinatio
3. Update Select Update to download OUT file to the control system Do not interrupt once the transfer has started Click Update to begin updating the firmware The entire process takes about 25 seconds to complete The message Programming Complete appears if the FLASH is successfully updated page 72 Paramount User s Guide When you close the Update Flash dialog box you will see the following CT e No response from the device Error code 215 0xd7 Don t be alarmed this error simply indicates that TheSky could not connect to the control system normally because the DIP switches are set to the Program mode Next turn off Paramount and return both of the DIP switches to the Run position Replace the side panel on the Paramount 71 110005 or the access panel on the Paramount ME and the mount is ready to operate using the new control software Appendix D Setting Up and Using the Paramount in the Southern Hemisphere The following directions show how to configure TheSky Astronomy Software so the Paramount ME or GT 1100S performs properly in the Southern Hemisphere See the Paramount ME Initialization on page 38 for details about connecting your telescope to the computer and establishing communications with the mount 1 Click Telescope Link Establish to establish communication with the mount 2 Click Telescope Options More Options to display TheSky TCS dialog box Several parameters
4. distribution on the telescope before pulling the worm block assemblies away from the gears Always gtab hold of the OTA or counterweight arm before disengaging the worm and gear so that you maintain control of the telescope The telescope could be damaged or you could be seriously injured whenever the worm gear is disengaged from the main gear on an unbalanced system The Paramount ME comes with two 9 kg 20 lb counterweights to balance the optical tube assembly To balance the right ascension axis slide the counterweights up or down the counterweight bar until the system has no tendency to fall in either direction If you use multiple devices such as a video camera to map and a CCD to image after mapping the difference in weight might be enough to cause slewing problems when the instruments are interchanged By marking various positions of counterweights on the shaft for different configurations you can quickly rebalance a system without disengaging the worm and gear It is very important not to change the system after mapping has been completed and a model is created for the mount OTA The worm blocks on the ME provide a mechanism for disengaging the worm from the gear and holding this configuration while balancing Though it is always a good idea to have a second person available for aid in holding the OTA during balancing this mechanism allows for single person balancing Paramount User s Guide page 29 5 e LAN rA 11
5. in altitude azimuth coordinates is stored to a file named paramnt cfg For example if your observatory has a roll off roof and the roof can only close when the telescope is in a particular orientation the Set Park Position command is used to define that orientation The mount will automatically slew to this park position each time the Park command is issued Setting the Park Position With a telescope link established first slew the telescope to the desired position Next from TheSky click Telescope Options Set Park Position We recommended that the telescope be patked as close to the home position as practical Since the Paramount ME must be homed at power up the time required to find the home position is reduced when the park position 1s near the home position Parking the Paramount ME From TheSky click Telescope Options Park Figure 24 Paramount ME Adaptor Panel Connecting the Electronics and Power 1 Connect the joystick to the RJ11 jack on the south side of the Paramount ME Make sure you do not accidentally plug it into the Guider jack that uses the same connector 2 Plug the serial cable into the appropriate connector on the Adapter Panel labeled Serial to PO This connection permits communication between the Paramount ME and the computet Paramount User s Guide page 41 Important Note Inexpensive brands of USB to serial converters may not reliably communicate with the Paramount ME If you en
6. Licensee s authorized employees and solely for Licensee s personal non commercial use Licensee may copy the Software only for backup purposes provided that Licensee reproduces all copyright and other proprietary notices that are on the original copy of the Software b Restrictions Except as expressly provided in this Agreement Licensee may not i use copy display perform modify or create derivative works of the Product in whole or in part or merge the Product with any third party products ii translate reverse engineer decompile disassemble or otherwise attempt to derive the source code of or the internal communications protocols used by the Product iii rent lease loan sublicense distribute transfer use as a service bureau or otherwise allow third parties to access the Product iv use the Product to provide third party access to telescopes on a time shared basis v remove any proprietary or intellectual property notices labels or marks on the Product or vi otherwise use the Product or copy the Software except as expressly permitted under Section 1 a Licensee shall be responsible for obtaining all hardware and software products necessary for the operation of the Product If applicable Licensee shall be solely responsible for obtaining Internet access necessary for the operation of the Internet enabled functionality of the Product 2 PAYMENT Licensee is responsible for all license fees associated with the Product paya
7. Paramount ME Adaptor Panel See The Joystick on page 25 for details 1 Counterweight shaft Screw the counterweight shaft into the base of the counterweight attachment block See Attaching the Counterweight Shaft on page 18 for Paramount User s Guide page 15 details 1 Versa Plate to attach the OTA Attach the Versa Plate to the top of the Declination axis See Attaching the Versa Plate on page 19 for details 1 3 m 10 foot RS232 serial cable The Paramount ME uses serial communication for software based mount control This cable runs from the computer s RS232 port to the port labeled RS232 on the Paramount ME Adaptor Panel 1 Counterweight Safety Knob Screw this knob into the end of the Counterweight Shaft after mounting the counterweights to prevent the counterweight from accidentally falling off the shaft See Attaching the Counterweight Shaft on page 18 for details Item Description Box 3 Dimensions 30 5 x 30 5 x 30 5 cm 12x 12 x 12 in Weight 18 or 27 ke 40 or 60 lbs 2 or 3 Counterweights 2 or 3 9 kg 20 Ib counterweights Note that 2 counterweights are supplied with the Paramount ME Addition counterweights are 150 00 each Mount the counterweights to the counterweight shaft See Adding the Counterweights on page 26 for details page 16 Paramount User s Guide Mount Nom
8. click the Sync button in the Telescope Tab Once this sync occurs the telescope s control system is aligned approximately with the celestial sphere Even though this initial synchronization is never perfect due to imperfections in the system it establishes the angles in the Paramount ME control system that all subsequent mapped stars will use Paramount User s Guide page 57 Important Note During a mapping session do not re synchronize the telescope s control system by clicking Sync If the Paramount ME is synchronized on a star after the mapping session has begun the session must be started over The star that is synced on can also be your model s first mapped point Click the Map to record this point and to begin gathering your pointing data TheSky communicates continuously with TPoint as subsequent points are mapped From this point on you should just have to slew center and map stars to continue building the model It is usually easiest to choose stars that are not far away from the sync star until the first six points are mapped Once you have mapped the initial six stars TPoint automatically begins compensating for systematic errors and you should notice an improvement in pointing accuracy Finding the stars in the video or other feedback system becomes easier The most efficient means of mapping points is to use a low light video camera coupled to the telescope With a video camera stars to eighth magnitude are
9. initializing Paramount ME TheSky uses the computer time to compute accurate Local Sidereal Time LST When a link is established between TheSky and the Paramount ME that has been homed the LST is used to re establish the synchronization between the Paramount ME electronic setting circles and the celestial sphere to within a few arcseconds Being able to simply power up and start imaging makes each evening more productive Setting the Computer Clock From TheSky click Data Site Information and select the Date and Time tab to access the Time Service function of TheSky This 1s the best method for setting the computer s clock accurately If you cannot use the dial up Time Service feature of TheSky you can set the time manually Remember each second of time translates to 15 arcseconds of motion near the celestial equator If the night to night time base is not set accurately pointing will be compromised The time error will be cause objects to fall a consistent amount in right ascension ahead or behind the target There are also many web based programs that accurately set the computer s clock Windows XP has an Internet time setver as part of the operating system If you re using a different OS we recommend Dimension 4 from Thinking Man Software www thinkman com page 40 Paramount User s Guide Parking the Paramount ME Before parking the Paramount ME you need to set the preferred park position for your telescope This position
10. many of the more novel approaches assume the telescope mount system is more or less perfect Since numerous errors creep into every telescope system any method that relies on perfect perpendicularity is flawed As described in the prior section the optical path is typically non perpendicular to the declination axis so any method that assumes perpendicularity will be in error The old reliable drift method does not make these assumptions but can take hours to complete Paramount User s Guide page 35 An accurate polar alignment is required before the Paramount ME can accurately track objects The question may be asked how accurate Subjectively if the altitude and azimuth are each within 2 arcminutes of the pole images of a few minutes can be taken maintaining round stars at focal lengths of 2000mm or so At greater image scales and longer exposures guiding will become necessary where adjustments in both altitude and azimuth are made Once an axis is within one arcminute of the pole it becomes increasingly more difficult to improve Polar Alignment Using TPoint Once you have successfully performed a mapping session and developed a TPoint model you can use TPoint to determine the mount s polar alignment Use the values computed by TPoint for the Polar Axis Elevation and Polar Axis azimuth EW to make the necessary adjustments to the Paramount ME s Altitude and Azimuth Adjustments Usually one or two iterations can get each axi
11. rate to 50 65 percent See the The TheSky TCS Control System Dialog Box section on page 43 for details about setting the Paramount ME s maximum slew rate For extremely cold temperature operation the Paramount ME s acceleration rate may also need to be reduced See Troubleshooting Mount Operation for additional cold temperature operation issues Troubleshooting Mount Operation Problem cannot communicate with the Paramount ME Communication between a personal computer and hardware device requires that the software and hardware be properly configured If you cannot establish a link to the telescope we recommend trying the following 1 Check the cables to the serial communications port COM They must be securely plugged in at both ends 2 Check the communications port with a different device For example connect a different serial device to the port and insure it is working 3 Make sure the software settings are correct for the communications device TheSky s Telescope Setup Settings Telescope Setup dialog box Problem The Paramount ME emits a non stop high pitch beep shortly after startup and will not slew Check the mount balance in both axes If the Paramount ME stalls or sounds very labored during slews check to make sure both axes are balanced Balance becomes more critical with heavier loads Even though the control system has sufficient torque for lifting heavy loads tracking and slewing may
12. taken to center the mass of the OTA near the center of the declination axis Depending on the type of hardware used to attach the OTA to the declination axis this adjustment can be made duting attachment or by moving mounting rings prior to lifting the OTA to the declination plate Figure 15 The above figure depicts a mount that is terribly out of balance Caution Never position the Paramount ME in the above orientation when the worm gear is engaged page 28 Paramount User s Guide Note The Paramount ME as pictured in Figure 15 is in an unstable configuration and places extreme forces on the right ascension gear teeth The counterweight shaft should remain in the vertical position while the Paramount ME is loaded with counterweights and the OTA has not yet been attached This minimizes the force on the right ascension gear teeth and insures the mount is in a stable position at all times Balance the system Attach your CCD camera and all other equipment focuser dew heater etc to the optical tube assembly while balancing the mount The telescope will track and slew best when properly balanced An unbalanced system can cause numerous problems such as stalling or gear chattering during slews There is no clutching mechanism on the Paramount ME This means that balance is achieved by disengaging the worm from the gear in each axis Caution Use extreme cate when balancing the telescope Make note of the weight
13. usually detectable and provide a large number of potential mapping targets Also the process of centering and mapping takes seconds allowing you to perform a complete mapping session in under an hour To Prepare For a Mapping Session 1 Use the TheSky s Time Service or similar application to accurately set your computer s clock 2 Power up the Paramount ME 3 Make settings to TheSky to aid mapping For example Display only stars to sixth magnitude limiting screen clutter Turn on the constellation lines for easy identification and turn on the Meridian line to stay on one side of the sky while mapping this is most useful for German equatotial mounts that must flip when going from the east to west and vice versa To Map an Object 1 Identify a bright stellar object in TheSky 2 Instruct the telescope to slew to the above object by clicking the Slew button on the Object Identification dialog box Make sure the correct object 1s highlighted in the Object Identification dialog box 3 Using the telescope s joystick center the object in your field of view 4 Click the Map button in the Object Identification dialog box Repeat the above procedure for each mapped point For the best pointing results map at least thirty to fifty objects distributed evenly across the entire night sky If you are still working on the polar alignment 20 30 stars with wide distribution should be sufficient page 58 Paramount User s Guide
14. 00 will rotate the mount at the sidereal rate Object Information General Multimedia Utiity Telescope Object 2 2 Hephaistos 1 Type Minor Planet Magnitude 18 42 Right Ascension 06h 31m 46s Declination 30 23 25 Azimuth 64 45 34 Altitude 62 29 54 Start up Shutdown Sune Align Ur Get Park Park Track Satelite SIEw Friar Set tracking rates GO 2 amp 2 oe Figure 28 Click the Set Tracking Rates button to track on minor planets planets and comets Home after Link When selected this option automatically homes the mount if it is not yet been homed Focus Pulse These inputs are used to alter the duration of the DC pulses send to the focuser for the Slow focus mode and the Fast focus mode Home Sensor Hour Angle and Sensor Declination When the Sync command is performed the hour angle and declination of the Home Position are computed and stored in the flash memory of the control system For the Paramount ME these values are approximately hour angle 2 hours and declination 0 0 degrees for a mount that is leveled and polar aligned If for example you choose the Sync command from the Telescope tab when the telescope is actually pointed to a star other than the one shown in the Object Information dialog then these values will be incorrect for the geometry of the Paramount ME Save to Flash When changes are made to the values on the Set
15. 111 1 11 1 Figure 16 RA Balance Knob Figure 17 Declination Balance Knob Balance Knobs The Balance Knobs setve a dual purpose When turned clockwise they pull the worm block away from the gear allowing free rotation of the axis so that the mount s payload can be balanced When turned counterclockwise they push the worm block and therefore the worm into mesh with the gear preventing unwanted disengagement of the worm from the gear The adjustment of this knob discussed below is straightforward but very important Caution Always use extreme caution when disengaging the worm from the gear If the telescope is out of balance with the counterweights you your equipment or your mount can be damaged when the axis rotates freely and the heavy end comes to rest at lowest point CW Disengage CCW Engage Pulling the Worm Away from the Gear To move the worm away from the gear for balancing turn the Balance Knob clockwise about 1 1 2 turns The worm will be disengaged from the gear wheel and the axis will rotate freely The worm block will remain in this position until you re engage it by rotating the knob in the counter clockwise direction Test to insure you have rotated the knob sufficiently by carefully moving the axis insuring there is no contact between the worm and the gear page 30 Paramount User s Guide Engaging the Worm and Gear To engage RA axis worm with the gear first make su
16. Attaching Rings The four separate mounting configurations provided on the Versa Plate accommodate several popular telescope ring systems The holes are drilled and counter bored for 4 20 SHCS socket head cap screws Paramount User s Guide page 31 Cable Channel On the lower side of the Versa Plate there is a channel that carries two cables used for through the mount cabling Only a portion of the channel area is used for the built in cables and additional cables such as video USB etc can be run through the mount More information on the internal cabling is present in the Through the Mount Cabling section Initial Polar Alignment There ate numerous methods for estimating the approximate altitude and azimuth for starting the polar alignment procedure Ultimately you will want to get each axis to within 1 2 arcminutes and better than an arcminute in each axis if you have a permanent installation Altitude Adjustment The altitude positioning device is used to adjust the altitude of the mount In its fully compressed state the mount is at altitude 15 degrees and in the fully extended state the mount is at altitude 58 degrees One full turn of the altitude positioning device moves the mount very near one degree Each of the tics on the altitude positioning handle is equal to two arcminutes of movement Azimuth Adjustment Q oor D 92 8 0 22 e ap SD em RUE eee Figure 19
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18. IX C UPDATING THE CONTROL SOFTWARE ON THE PARAMOUNT ME AND PARAMOUNT GT 1100S 71 APPENDIX 1 SETTING UP AND USING THE PARAMOUNT IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE 73 SENSOR HOUR ANGLE HA AND SENSOR DECLINATION DECLINATION 74 SETTING THE TELESCOPE LIMITS 74 page 10 Paramount User s Guide The Paramount ME Robotic Telescope System Thank you for purchasing the Paramount ME Robotic Telescope System The Paramount ME is a high precision instrument designed to deliver unmatched telescope performance to the amateur or professional astronomer The Paramount ME represents an evolution of the popular go to telescopes of the 1990 s Though these telescopes provided increased ease of use over their manual predecessors they lacked numerous design features that are required for efficient image acquisition and unattended operation Most of the earlier go to telescopes and mounts were designed as primarily visual instruments that faired only marginally well for CCD imaging Efficient CCD imaging demands numerous additional capabilities not present in systems that are good enough for visual use What Makes Paramount ME Different The Paramount ME is designed from the ground up to be a sturdy reliable mount for instruments up to 57 kg 125 Ibs The following features insure increased productivity for astronomer using the ME Research grade right ascension gears with less 5 arcseconds or less peak to peak periodic err
19. ME Adapter Plate Specifications The Paramount ME Adapter Plate is mounted between an existing pier or tripod and the Paramount ME robotic telescope mount k f ia Figure 41 Heavy duty base plate unanodized Heavy duty Base Plate The heavy duty base plate see Figure 41 Heavy duty base plate unanodized is made of solid aluminum and weighs approximately 6 5 ke 14 Ibs The heavy duty version is recommended for permanent installations The Paramount ME attaches using the four black knobs near the corners 9 4 inch spacing Figure 42 Bottom view of the unanodized lightweight Base Plate Lightweight Base Plate The lightweight Base Plate see Figure 42 Bottom view of the unanodized lightweight Base Plate is made of aluminum and has been lightened to approximately 2 7 kg 6 155 page 64 Paramount User s Guide All dimensions of the lightweight version are identical to the heavy duty version The lightweight version is recommended for portable use on a field tripod Primary Mounting Holes There ate two sets of three mounting holes The Primary mounting holes can be used for adapting to piers that have a large flat top There are built in washers on the bottom of these holes in case the mounting surface is not perfectly flat Old Pattern Paramount S Compatible A second set of three holes see Figure 43 Description of Base Plate hole patterns matches the mounting pattern of the Param
20. PARAMOUNT Paramount ME User s Guide Revision 1 10 SOFTWARE BISQUE Copyright 2002 2003 Software Bisque Inc All rights reserved Information in this document is subject to chanee without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Software Bisque The software products described in this document are furnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement They may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the agreement It is against the law to copy the software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license or nondisclosure agreement The purchaser may make one copy of the software for backup purposes No part of this manual and or databases may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including but not limited to photocopying recording or information storage and retrieval systems for any purpose other than the purchaser s personal use without the express written permission of Software Bisque 1997 2003 TPoint Software and Software Bisque All rights reserved CCDSoft CCD Astronomy Software and TheSky Astronomy Software are trademarks of Software Bisque TPoint TPOINT and TPOINT PC are trademarks of TPoint Software Software Bisque sells TPoint software under a licensing agreement with Patrick Wallace Abingdon Oxfordshire United Kingdom All other product names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used sol
21. S 29 PULLING THE WORM AWAY FROM THE GEAR 29 ENGAGING THE WORM AND GEAR 30 ATTACHING THE OPTICAL TUBE ASSEMBLY TO THE VERSA PLATE 30 DOVETAIL USE 30 ATTACHING RINGS 30 CABLE CHANNEL 31 INITIAL POLAR ALIGNMENT 31 ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT 31 Paramount User s Guide page 7 AZIMUTH ADJUSTMENT 31 AZIMUTH TENSIONING SCREWS 31 ADDITIONAL AZIMUTH ADJUSTMENT 32 PARAMOUNT ME QUICK POLAR ALIGNMENT METHOD 33 PRECISE POLAR ALIGNMENT 34 POLAR ALIGNMENT USING TPOINT 35 GETTING STARTED USING TPOINT 35 TELESCOPE MAPPING AND POLAR ALIGNMENT PROCEDURE 35 POLAR ALIGNMENT THE DRIFT METHOD 37 PARAMOUNT ME INITIALIZATION 38 HOMING 38 WHY IS ACCURATE TIME IMPORTANT 39 SETTING THE COMPUTER CLOCK 39 PARKING THE PARAMOUNT ME 40 SETTING THE PARK POSITION 40 PARKING THE PARAMOUNT ME 40 CONNECTING THE ELECTRONICS AND POWER 40 THROUGH THE MOUNT CABLING 41 CABLING SUPPLIED WITH THE PARAMOUNT ME 41 CABLE CONDUIT 43 INTERFACE TO THESKY ASTRONOMY SOFTWARE 43 THE THESKY TCS CONTROL SYSTEM DIALOG BOX 43 MOUNT TYPE 44 MOUNT ID 44 MAXIMUM SPEED 44 ACCELERATION 44 NON SIDEREAL RATE 44 GUIDER SPEED 45 TRACK RATE 45 HOME AFTER LINK 45 FOCUS PULSE 45 HOME SENSOR HOUR ANGLE AND SENSOR DECLINATION 45 page 8 Paramount User s Guide SAVE TO FLASH 45 TEXT TO CLIPBOARD 46 TRAINING PERIODIC ERROR CORRECTION PEC 47 RECORDING THE PERIODIC ERROR 47 RECORDING CORRECTIONS 48 CURVE FIT SMOOTHING THE PEC TABLE 49 UPLOADING THE SMOO
22. THED CURVE TO THE THESKY TCS 50 APPLY PEC 50 COPY 50 PASTE 50 THESKY TCS STATUS DIALOG BOX 51 THESKY TCS ADVANCED DIALOG BOX 51 THESKY TCSTM HoMING LIMITS DIALOG 52 MINIMUM LIMIT MAXIMUM LIMIT 52 THE FIRST NIGHT 53 SELECTING THE CONTROL SYSTEM IN THESKY 53 CONNECTING THE PARAMOUNT ME TO YOUR COMPUTER 53 SYNCHRONIZING ON A STAR 54 SYNCHRONIZING THE PARAMOUNT ME 55 STEPS FOR PERFORMING A TELESCOPE SYNCHRONIZATION 55 WHAT DOES THE SYNC COMMAND Do 55 TELESCOPE MAPPING OVERVIEW 56 USING PROTRACK 58 MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR PROTRACK 58 GETTING STARTED WITH PROTRACK 58 ENABLING PROTRACK 60 COLD TEMPERATURE OPERATION 61 TROUBLESHOOTING MOUNT OPERATION 61 PROBLEM I CANNOT COMMUNICATE WITH THE PARAMOUNT ME 61 PROBLEM THE PARAMOUNT ME EMITS A NON STOP HIGH PITCH BEEP SHORTLY AFTER STARTUP AND WILL NOT SLEW 61 PROBLEM I CANNOT HOME USING THE JOYSTICK 61 PROBLEM DURING COLD TEMPERATURE OPERATION THE MOUNT EMITS AN AUDIBLE VIBRATION SOUND WHILE SLEWING 62 APPENDIX A PREPARING THE PARAMOUNT ME PIER 63 PARAMOUNT ME ADAPTER PLATE SPECIFICATIONS 63 HEAVY DUTY BASE PLATE 63 LIGHTWEIGHT BASE PLATE 63 PRIMARY MOUNTING HOLES 64 OLD PATTERN PARAMOUNT S COMPATIBLE 64 Paramount User s Guide page 9 PARAMOUNT ME PIER SPECIFICATIONS 66 PARAMOUNT ME PIER FROM SOFTWARE BISQUE 66 PIER BASE PLATE 67 PIER TOP PLATE 68 APPENDIX B PARAMOUNT ME DIMENSIONS 69 GUIDER 70 RADIO SHACK CROSS REFERENCE 70 APPEND
23. Using ProTrack The Paramount ME incorporates the world renowned TPoint pointing kernel This technology which is also used on the 8 meter Gemini telescopes brings professional quality tracking capabilities to amateur astronomers TPoint uses the telescope modeling data that makes the telescope point better to also make the mount track better Minimum Requirements for ProTrack ProTrack requires the following minimum hardware and software to improve tracking 1 A Paramount ME Paramount GT 1100S or other telescope that employs TheSky s Telescope Control System using firmware version 1145 or later the firmware update is supplied with the TheSky update 2 TheSky Level IV for Windows version 5 00 043 or later TPoint for Windows version 1 00 505 or later www bisque com download 4 A fixed telescope mirror Mirror flop makes high accuracy tracking nearly impossible 5 A good set of TPoint modeling data 200 stars or more recommended d Getting Started with ProTrack Superb modeled telescope pointing 15 required for superb modeled telescope tracking That is you must first generate a TPoint model with a sufficient number of modeling data points prior to engaging ProTrack Here are the keys to getting good ProTrack results Use a high density TPoint model Obtain an accurate and precise mapping data set Make sure to cleanup and discard bad points in the TPoint model Verify the selection of TPoint modeling terms corr
24. a TPoint model 15 present subsequent sessions only require accurate time to achieve excellent pointing Paramount User s Guide page 39 In the table below each of the operations that are required for performing an initialization are listed along with the time needed to accomplish the operation Please note that the time estimates listed for mapping are for an experienced user The very first time you perform a mapping run might take considerably longer As you can see the mapping operation is the most time consuming The short mapping run is identical to a normal mapping run except that only 6 12 stars are must be mapped Operation Time required for an experienced user Setting the computer clock 2 minutes Performing a mapping run 20 to 120 minutes using video Performing a short mapping 5 to 15 minutes Homing 0 2 minutes Why is Accurate Time Important You can achieve very accurate pointing during a single session without having an accurate time base that is if the computer s clock is within of one or two minutes actual time However TheSky makes decisions on how to slew to various positions in the sky based on the local time Objects that are to the East of the Meridian require the telescope to be on the West and vice versa except in the below the pole case Always do a quick reality check of the computer s time by comparing the simulated sky to the night sky A very accurate time base is required when
25. all rights not expressly granted to Licensee 5 TERM AND TERMINATION The Agreement becomes effective when Licensee agrees to the terms and conditions of this Agreement by opening installing using accessing or manipulating the Product and will terminate immediately if Licensee materially breaches any term or condition of this Agreement Licensee agrees upon termination to promptly return to Bisque all Products and any copies thereof The provisions of Sections 4 Ownership 6 Warranty Disclaimer 7 Limitation of Liability and 10 General shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement Paramount User s Guide page 5 10 WARRANTY DISCLAIMER THE PRODUCT IS PROVIDED AS IS AND BISQUE AND ITS LICENSORS DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND WHETHER EXPRESS IMPLIED STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY TITLE FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT FOR ANY PRODUCT PROVIDED UNDER THIS AGREEMENT FURTHER BISQUE DOES NOT WARRANT GUARANTEE OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION REGARDING THE USE OR THE RESULTS OF THE USE OF THE PRODUCT IN TERMS OF CORRECTNESS ACCURACY RELIABILITY OR OTHERWISE NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY BISQUE ITS EMPLOYEES DISTRIBUTORS DEALERS OR AGENTS SHALL INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THE ABOVE WARRANTIES OR CREATE ANY NEW WARRANTIES LIMITATION OF LIABILITY IN NO EVENT WILL BISQUE ITS LICENSORS EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS
26. ar documents submitted by Licensee to Bisque or Bisque s distributors shall in any way modify or add to the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement THE SOFTWARE IS PROTECTED BY UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT LAW AND INTERNATIONAL TREATY UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUTION IS SUBJECT TO CIVIL AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES Copyright 2002 2003 Software Bisque Inc All Rights Reserved Protected by copyright and licenses restricting use copying distribution and decompilation TheSky CCDSoft Browser Astronomy IAClient IAServer Orchestrate Paramount ME and Software Bisque are trademarks of Software Bisque Inc in the United States and other countries page 6 Paramount User s Guide Table of Contents FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT 3 WARNING 3 NOTE 3 SOFTWARE BISQUE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT 4 THE PARAMOUNT ME ROBOTIC TELESCOPE SYSTEM 10 WHAT MAKES PARAMOUNT ME DIFFERENT 10 OPTIONS 11 UNPACKING THE PARAMOUNT ME 11 PACKING LIST 12 MOUNT NOMENCLATURE 16 PARAMOUNT ME ASSEMBLY AND SETUP 17 ROUGH ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT 17 ALTITUDE DIVISIONS 17 ATTACHING THE COUNTERWEIGHT SHAFT 18 ATTACHING THE VERSA PLATE 19 PLUGGING IN VERSA PLATE INSTRUMENT PANEL 22 ATTACHING THE MOUNT TO THE PIER 23 MICRO LEVELERS 23 FIRST SLEWS 24 WHAT IS THAT SOUND 24 WHAT IS HOMING 24 HOMING THE MOUNT USING THE JOYSTICK 25 THE JOYSTICK 25 HOMING THE MOUNT USING THESKY 26 ADDING THE COUNTERWEIGHTS 26 BALANCE THE SYSTEM 28 BALANCE KNOB
27. are not it may indicate that the polar alignment is poor causing a significant drift during the recording phase The graphic above shows how the graphic will look after the Curve Fit function has been selected Both the original recorded data the bumpy line and the computed fitted curve are shown If it appears that higher frequency information is not modeled with the cutve you can change the Order of the curve and experiment for a better fit The equation for the fitted line is also displayed at the bottom of the dialog once the Curve Fit button is clicked page 50 Paramount User s Guide Uploading the Smoothed Curve to the TheSky TCS Once you have an acceptable fit to the recorded data the new curve must be transferred to the flash memory in TheSky TCS When you click Upload you will be asked to verify replacement of the PEC table in the Paramount ME s memory ms so00 Replace table in Flash with polynomial Fit Figure 32 PEC overwrite verification window TheSky Click Yes to write the smoothed PEC curve to control system s memory Next the curve will be read in to verify the data was written properly The control system now holds the PEC table and can use it to reduce the effects of cyclical errors on your images Don t forget to cycle the power on the mount first Apply PEC The Apply PEC checkbox must be checked to activate the corrections Even with a PEC table present in flash memory no correction
28. at the telescope Figure 14 Slewing the Paramount ME with the joystick page 26 Paramount User s Guide Left and right motion moves the telescope in right ascension up and down motion moves the telescope in declination The speed of the slew increases the further the joystick is moved from the center position A total of 15 different speeds are traversed as you move the joystick from center all the way to the edge The first two are slower than sidereal rate and they increase up to the maximum speed as entered in the TheSky TCS Setup Dialog Homing the Mount Using TheSky Upon establishing a link with the Paramount ME TheSky will prompt as to whether or not the mount should be homed if it detects that the mount has not already been homed Adding the Counterweights While the right ascension gear and worm are NOT in contact the counterweights should be placed on the counterweight bar Note Add the estimated amount of counterweight before attaching the optical tube assembly The amount of counterweight depends on the weight of the optical tube assembly Try to make a close estimate to how much counterweight is required and add this to the declination counterweight bar It is best if the counterweights are too far down the bar i e too heavy for the optical tube assembly at the start This way when fine tuning the balance gravity will not be working to flop the optical tube downward Once added the right ascension axis
29. ated for each mapping run from TheSky click Data Add User Data Remove All In practice using at least 20 stars distributed over half of the sky will provide enough information for the first iteration Note that TPoint generates a statistical model and the values it generates for each of the terms is not an exact value and the correctness of each term is dependent on the entire model If for example there 1s a large non perpendicularity of the declination axis and the telescope axis and the CH term is not turned on the entire model will suffer The polar misalignment errors are reported on the Polar Alignment Information Dialog in TPoint Click Model Polar Alignment Information to display the dialog box The polar alignment error values can also be extracted from the Fit dialog box as explained below The Polar axis elevation value ME and the Polar axis EW value MA provide an estimation of the polar misalignment in arcseconds Note that the MA value 15 the distance in atcseconds at the pole The actual azimuth angle will be greater as determined by dividing Paramount User s Guide page 37 by the cosine of the latitude This computation is automatically done on the Polar Alignment Information dialog box TPoint Fit Dialog ME positive Axis is below celestial pole ME negative Axis is above celestial pole West and loosen East MA negative Axis is West of celestial pole For most U S latitudes the actual po
30. bings and external buttresses make the ME extremely rigid even with heavy payloads Paramount User s Guide page 11 Options TheSky Pocket Edition TheSky Pocket Edition with Pocket TPoint Integrated precision level bubble Extended counterweight shaft for ultra heavy payloads Declination hub extender future Electronic panel covers Balance knob covers future Star sighter future Unpacking the Paramount ME We recommend that you become familiar with all the components of the Paramount ME before attempting to assemble and use the instrument Although we have taken many steps to ensure ease of use you will learn that there are many critical steps you must follow to obtain optimal telescope performance Please familiarize yourself with the parts and components diagrams before unpacking your new mount Software Bisque has made every effort to ensure that your new mount arrives just the way it left our facilities ready to run We want your first experience with our product to be as enjoyable as the many hours you will spend with it under the night sky Upon receiving the shipping packages please inspect all boxes for damage of any kind If you notice anything peculiar make detailed notes before opening the packages we recommend photographing or video taping the unopened packages if there 15 any apparent damage Remove all components from the packing boxes and check to make sure they are in good order Also compare the pieces with the fo
31. ble to Bisque or Bisque s distributors All payments must be made in U S dollars The license fees exclude all applicable sales use and other taxes and all applicable export and import fees customs duties and similar charges and Licensee will be responsible for payment of all such taxes other than taxes based on Bisque s income fees duties and charges and any related penalties and interest arising from the payment of the license fees or the delivery or license of the Product to Licensee Any portion of the license fees that is not paid when due will accrue interest at eighteen percent 18 per annum or the maximum rate permitted by applicable law whichever is less from the due date until paid 3 OTHER SERVICES Licensee acknowledges that nothing under this Agreement obligates Bisque to perform provide or render any services of any kind including but not limited to support training or consulting services This Agreement does not entitle Licensee to any subsequent versions upgrades or enhancements of the software 4 OWNERSHIP Bisque and its respective licensors shall retain all right title and interest to or residing in all Products subject to this Agreement including without limitation all existing and future worldwide patents patent applications trademarks trade names services marks inventions copyrights know how trade secrets and other proptietary rights The Product is licensed not sold to Licensee and Bisque reserves
32. ck To enable ProTrack launch TheSky and then press CONTROL K to display the ProTrack Status dialog box Next mark both the Activate ProTrack and Enable Tracking Adjustments options ProTrack Status IV Activate ProTrack v Enable tracking adjustments Target 00h 00m 00 00s 00 00 00 00 Base position 00h 00m 00 00s 00 00 00 00 Posn demand H amp Dec O4h 29m 18 415 00 00 50 26 Avg rate arcsec min 902 467 0 000 Drift arc secs 68462674596 692 50 256 Drift encoder tics 1328248506 230 Base time 0 00000 Elapsed mins 75861666 76848 Modeled eq Raw eq Model drift TP vs Kernal Cancel Figure 40 ProTrack Status dialog box Activate ProTrack Mark this option to display tracking corrections that will be applied to the mount using the current TPoint modeling data The result of these corrections is displayed in the report below Enable Tracking Adjustments Mark this option to apply the tracking corrections Paramount User s Guide page 61 Cold Temperature Operation The amount of torque required to turn the Paramount ME s worm gear interface increases as the temperature decreases Therefore the maximum slew rate for the right ascension axis should be reduced when the Paramount ME is operated in cold temperatures less than 32 F or 0 C Reducing the maximum slew rate will increase the servomotors torque so that the mount can operate normally We recommend setting the right ascension slew
33. counter unexpected error messages when establishing a link between TheSky and the Paramount or frequent communication errors during normal operations try using a standard serial port on your computer 3 Plug the 48 volt power supply into the jack labeled Mount on the Base Panel This supplies power to the Paramount ME Note The Paramount ME power supply is designed for indoor use only 4 Turn on the Paramount ME using the rocker switch labeled Mount Power on the adapter panel On power up you will hear the motors seeking for the nearest index on the encoders for several seconds The telescope may slew up to six arcminutes while searching for this index We recommended that you wait to add any additional devices that use the built in through the mount cabling system until you are comfortable that the mount is operating as expected under joystick and computer control Through the Mount Cabling The through the mount cabling in the Paramount ME provides a means of passing various cables from the south end of the mount up to through the axis of the mount and out near the telescope eyepiece This type of cable routing is necessary if you plan on using a robotic telescope system remotely The current day state of the art CCD imaging system typically has numerous cables draped from the telescope focal plane to the observatory floor These cables tend to snag as the telescope moves from one part of the sky to another often causing
34. degrees declination The Versa Plate can also be rotated 90 degrees offering a wide plate to accommodate multiple optical assemblies Note the arrow on the declination gear still points in the direction of the incoming light but not towards the instrument panel as in the typical configuration A third possible configuration not pictured permits having the Instrument Panel near the open aperture of the telescope so that cabling to the CCD camera follows the shortest route page 22 Paramount User s Guide In this configuration the Versa Plate is rotated 180 degrees from the typical configuration pictured above Once the Versa Plate configuration is determined the plate can be attached to the top of the Paramount ME There are two cables protruding from the top of the ME declination gear that must be directed through the Versa Plate cable channel There is one tricky part of this operation Make sure that you have just enough cable protruding out of the top of the declination gear to reach the instrument panel Extra cable makes instrument panel box assembly difficult Too little cable and the cables cannot be plugged into the instrument panel The Versa Plate is attached using eight 4 20 socket head cap screws included Figure 10 Channel Covers unanodized for illustration purposes The channel covers are shown in Figure 10 There are three channel separate covers to accommodate the three Versa Plate mounting configuration
35. e PEC adjustments MKS 3000 Xl Setup Periodic Error Correction Status Stepl Record Index 27 Value 0 eon add N ERE m Mecsas Coleg El Step 2 4 t Polynomial order 5 Recorded 5 Step 3 Upload 3 1 arc sec Apply PEC correction Recorded table Offset 0 0 arc sec Zero fiash Copy Paste y 08 1 20e 001x 1 1 03e 003 2 2 45e 006x 3 2 22e 009 4 6 80e 013 5 OK Cancel Figure 31 The Periodic Error Correction tab s graph of raw periodic error data with smoothed polynomial fit TheSky Curve Fit Smoothing the PEC Table Unless the seeing is very good and the autoguiding settings are optimal the recorded PEC values will contain a considerable amount of noise and must be smoothed before the Upload command is used to transfer the recorded table into the PEC memory on the TheSky TCS Because there are typically several pulleys in addition to the worm on the mount the smoothed curve resulting from the noisy recorded PEC data will have higher order terms than a simple sine wave The Curve Fit function will compute a least squares polynomial fit of the order entered in the Polynomial order edit control The default order is fifth which will typically result in a very nice curve representing the recorded data It is important that the beginning and end values of the recorded table i e the left most and right most values on the graph are of similar magnitude If they
36. e of 100 on this input For large telescopes these slew speeds are quite fast and values of 50 80 are suggested to minimize wear on components especially in case of collisions with various observatory items Acceleration This prompt allows changing the acceleration deceleration speeds of the control system This acceleration eliminates any jolts associated with starting and stopping the large mass of the instrument and counterweights Values between 250 slow and 750 fast can be entered here If you have a very large instrument or just wish to insure the settling time is minimized set this parameter to a lower value If you are trying to catch a gamma ray burst with a lighter optic you can increase the value Non sidereal rate If you wish for the mount to slew at a rate that is separate from the sidereal rate but cumulative to it you can enter a value here in arcseconds per second If you choose a minor planet and select Set Tracking Rate from the Telescope tab the non sidereal rate will be set Paramount User s Guide page 45 in both right ascension and declination To set the tracking rates back to normal sidereal simply click on a star and click Set Tracking Rates Guider Speed This option adjusts the speed at which guider corrections move the motors The units are fraction of sidereal rate so 0 50 is half of the sidereal rate Track rate This input allows you to alter the tracking speed from the sidereal speed A value of 1
37. e preferred method for mapping video reticle eyepiece or CCD to center the object 3 From TheSky click Edit Find or click on the object to display the Object Information dialog for the bright star 4 Click Sync on the Telescope tab of the Object Information dialog box When the confirmation dialog appears click OK Note If Confirm Syncs on the Telescope Setup dialog is unchecked you will not be prompted to confirm synchronizations We strongly recommended that the Confirm Syncs option remains checked since accidentally clicking Sync instead of Map during a mapping run is easy especially at 3 00 a m What Does the Sync Command Do Once you have synced the telescope TheSky knows the orientation of the telescope and can ascertain how to correctly slew the telescope to reach any position in the sky without page 56 Paramount User s Guide wrapping up cables or running the telescope into the mount Provided that the settings in TheSky s Data Site Information command are correct When a Sync command is issued from TheSky the relevant information needed by TheSky to automatically startup on subsequent sessions is stored in the flash memory of the Paramount ME In theory the Paramount ME is synced once and never again In practice you will be syncing the system from time to time Following are a few examples of changes that will require a Sync and subsequent mapping or short mapping run Changes to polar alig
38. e the position of the telescope if it were aligned properly with the pole is known to within 10 arcminutes page 34 Paramount User s Guide Step 3 Slew to a bright star or planet near the Meridian Pick a bright object in the sky that is visible preferably close to celestial equator and instruct the Paramount ME to slew to that object Often times this can be done even during daylight hours if planets or very bright stars are used Step 4 Center the object in the telescope using the altitude azimuth adjusters on the Paramount ME Using the precision altitude azimuth adjustments on the Paramount ME move the mount and telescope so that the selected object is centered in the field of view Do not use the hand paddle to slew the mount Remember that the mount and control system are pointing to the correct position for where the object should be Most of the error that caused the telescope to miss the object is due to the incorrect polar alignment of the mount Figure 22 Try to minimize OTA non perpendicularity errors Note that the non perpendicularity of the telescope and the declination axis also plays a factor in this alignment procedure If the magnitude of this error is large the accuracy of the initial polar alignment will be affected This angle often may exceed 20 arcminutes Precise Polar Alignment There ate many different methods for achieving a precise polar alignment of a telescope system Unfortunately
39. ect terms terms that add real improvements study the TPoint documentation and meaning of each term Evaluate the TPoint terms based on your actual pointing results Here are some general guidelines for getting the most out of TPoint the ME and ProTrack Once you have your desired accuracy in polar alignment make a high density TPoint model Experience suggests that about 250 points is the baseline for high accuracy with ProTrack The weight lever arm off center components mirror movement and other factors in your system will dictate what you can actually achieve The points for the model need to be set with the highest accuracy you can muster Use your regular camera not a video camera for high density high precision modeling Next step is to add terms to your model TPoint automatically adds the first six terms for you unless you have a demonstrated reason to remove them keep them Here is a list of the automatic terms JH Index error in RA Paramount User s Guide page 59 ID Index error in Dec NP Non perpendicularity in RA Dec CH Non perpendicularity of the OTA in Dec ME Error in polar axis elevation MA Error in polar axis azimuth Do not just go to Suggest Terms command that allows TPoint add terms these are merely suggested terms and must be analyzed and evaluated before you can trust them That s very challenging to do There s a better way Add then evaluate for effect on the model the
40. either direction from center The positions of the three possible mounting locations are shown on the top of the Versa plate as 8 inch circles that correspond to the location of the declination hub gear page 20 Paramount User s Guide in each of the positions Attaching the plate to the central circle will make the plate central to the declination axis The plate can also be moved about one inch towards the stars for Schmidt Cassegrain or similar or one inch further from the stars for Newtonians or longer scopes There ate 12 tapped holes in the top of the Paramount ME declination gear The four inner holes accept 1 inch 4 20 thread flat socket cap screws The eight outer holes accept 1 inch 14 20 socket head cap screws Normally using just the eight outer holes is sufficient for mounting the Versa Plate The four inner holes permit attaching smaller custom top plates to the declination gear if required Hole pattern present on the top of the declination gear This is present in 3 different positions on the DTA plate allowing movement of plate approx 1 inch in either direction Plate can be rotated in 90 degree increments J Duter holes every 45 degrees starting 22 5 degrees from telescope direction Inner holes are every 90 degrees starting 45 degrees from telescope direction Telescope direction Accepts Celestron Losmandy dovetails Mounting holes 160 places are 0 25 y through holes with cou
41. ely for identification A FCC Compliance Statement Warning Changes ot modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for the compliance could void the user s authority to operate this equipment Note This device complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 this device may not cause harmful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency enetgy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual may cause harmful interference to radio communications Operation of this device in a residential area 15 likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his her own expense The user is advised that any equipment changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance would void page 4 Paramount User s Guide the compliance to FCC regulations and therefore the user s authority to operate the equipment oS Software Bisque End Us
42. enclature Sah 8 gt gt eoo O Telescope plate Declination motor cover Declination assembly ax Wedge assembly A Counterweights Pier Altitude retaining knobs 2 each side X Baseplate attachment knobs 4 with Micro levelers underneath 4 Altitude positioning device Azimuth adjustment knobs 2 Figure 1 Paramount ME components page 17 Paramount User s Guide RA housing Jj Cable Conduit through RA shaft Adapter Panel Figure 2 Paramount ME components rear view Paramount ME Assembly and Setup Rough Altitude Adjustment When the boxed Paramount ME arrives the altitude which corresponds to your latitude is set to the lowest possible position of 15 degrees Before adding any additional weight to the top of the mount adjust the altitude positioning device to your approximate latitude Figure 3 Altitude divisions Altitude Divisions The altitude divisions machined into the side of each wedge plate allow estimating the latitude to within a fraction of a degree These divisions are very accurate if the mount is level and limited accuracy if not The larger tics are machined every 10 degrees the medium tics every 5 degrees and the small every degree The starting value is 15 degrees so that first large tic is 20 degrees One full turn
43. er License Agreement SOFTWARE BISQUE BISQUE IS WILLING TO LICENSE THESKY ASTRONOMY SOFTWARE CCDSOFT CCD ASTRONOMY SOFTWARE TPOINT TELESCOPE POINTING ANALYSIS SOFTWARE ORCHESTRATE SCRIPTING SOFTWARE AUTOMADOME DOME CONTROL SOFTWARE IACLIENT IASERVER SOFTWARE AND OTHER SOFTWARE COMPONENTS LICENSEE ELECTS TO PURCHASE FROM BISQUE AND THE APPLICABLE USER DOCUMENTATION THE SOFTWARE ONLY ON THE CONDITION THAT THE USER OF THE PRODUCT THE LICENSEE ACCEPTS ALL OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT THE AGREEMENT BY OPENING INSTALLING USING ACCESSING OR MANIPULATING THE PRODUCT LICENSEE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT LICENSEE HAS READ THIS AGREEMENT UNDERSTANDS IT AND AGREES TO BE BOUND BY IT IF LICENSEE DOES NOT AGREE TO ANY OF THE TERMS BELOW BISQUE IS UNWILLING TO LICENSE THE PRODUCT TO LICENSEE AND LICENSEE SHOULD RETURN THIS AGREEMENT AND THIS PRODUCT PROMPTLY TO BISQUE 1 LICENSE AND RESTRICTIONS a License Licensee is permitted to install and use the Software in machine readable form on one 1 computer solely for Licensee s personal noncommercial use In addition if Licensee purchases the Browser Astronomy software component which provides Internet enabled functionality of the Product Licensee may access and use the Product remotely via the Internet or other external network subject to the limitations in Section 1 b below and provided that remote access is confined to Licensee or
44. erformed Click Data Site Information to change these patameters Object Information Object Information General Multimedia Utiity Telescope Object atai z General Multimedia Utiity Telescope m 1 Type Star Magnitude 0 76 Type Star Magnitude 0 76 Right Ascension 19h 50m 46 589s Declination 08 51 58 331 Right Ascension 19h 50m 46 5895 Declination 08 8158 331 Azimuth 22175803 Altitude 52 09 06 Azimuth 221 58 03 Altitude 52 09 06 Altair Meade 226 SAO 125122 GSC 1058 3399 HIP 37643 PPM 158773 HD 187642 Flamsteed B ayer 53 Alpha Aquilae Start up 3 Shutdown Set Pak Park Sew Por Align Wh Set Tracking Rates Update Rates Spectral Data from Hipparcos Catalog Proper motion mas yr RA 535 82 Dec 385 54 Magnitudes Bt 1 248 Vt 0 355 El lt 9 Bs Sp x Figure 38 Sample Object Information dialog box showing the Telescope tab left and the General tab right TheSky Steps for performing a telescope synchronization 1 Choose a bright star in the sky that you definitely can identify partial clouds or twilight can make this more difficult than it seems Make sure the star is on the correct side of the Meridian i e the counterweights should never be higher than the telescope when a Sync is performed 2 Use th
45. etermine the pointing direction of the mount Homing the Paramount ME provides the following benefits Once a mount is aligned with the celestial pole and homed extremely accurate pointing can be achieved using the Paramount ME under control of TheSky After homing the mount knows its slewing limits and the mount cannot be slewed into itself The right ascension limits are just approximately 5 degrees past the Meridian in each direction east and west and in declination the limit is at approximately 90 degrees declination The PEC function uses this information to calibrate the internal PEC table with the orientation of the worm gear You can quickly recover from power loss to the mount or other personal computer malfunctions using the homing feature Homing the Mount Using the Joystick To home the mount using the joystick tap the button on top of the joystick twice deliberately with perhaps a small hesitation in between If you move the joystick after the homing procedure has started the homing process will be aborted This behavior is provided as a safety feature allowing you to stop the telescope in one or both axis by moving the joystick away from center Left right motion causes the RA axis to stop up down motion causes the declination axis to stop see the diagram below The Joystick In addition to homing the mount the joystick is used to manually move the Paramount ME It also has a built in red LED flashlight for use
46. f possible statistical significance you need to verify that by seeing how they affect real pointing not just the RMS and PSD Having a low RMS is not the same as having great pointing Note Adding and evaluating terms 1s a non trivial exercise The more you know about mathematics and statistics in particular the more effective you can be at selecting analyzing and evaluating terms Read up on TPoint the mathematics and the concepts behind telescope modeling it will make you more effective at selecting terms Also be patient It takes time and effort to learn TPoint and the vast logic behind it The good news 15 that the more time you invest in TPoint the more you will get out of it If you experience problems with ProTrack the first place to look is at the terms you added to your model Terms must be evaluated by how they improve or hurt your pointing and or page 60 Paramount User s Guide tracking accuracy The next step is to verify that you cleaned out bad data from the list of points Look for outliers and mistakes and mark them so they are ignored Next be aware that when you are closer to the edges of the model modeling is less accurate If you want to image at 45 degrees of elevation with ProTrack for example go well below that when mapping points How low you can go depends on the point where atmospheric refraction begins to elongate stationary stars for your focal length pixel size combination Enabling ProTra
47. following terms TX Tangent tube flexure This is generally better to use than TF it combines for greater accuracy with the other terms HCES and HCEC Centering errors in the RA gear DCES and DCEC Centering errors in the Dec gear The above terms are almost always beneficial Next step is to evaluate the other named terms except those with AAT in the name those are for the Anglo Australian telescope not the Paramount ME Look for terms that when used will significantly reduce the Sky RMS and PSD values RMS root mean square error PSD population standard deviation Never use a term that increases the PSD no matter if it also reduces the RMS Terms that provide only minimal improvement less than 10 better RMS should not be used Terms that do not provide at least 2 3 units improvement in RMS should not be used I have found that the following terms are commonly useful for me your results may vary check every term s impact on your model Other useful terms include HDSD4 HHCH4 HHSH4 At this point you can now try Suggest terms Use the same rules for suggested terms as for named terms make sure they show enough of an improvement in your point to be included However when suggesting terms you should always take an additional step test the term in practice Suggested terms can be very useful they can be completely bogus The name says it all these are suggested terms They have been found to be o
48. gned to provide ample space for passing additional cabling The length of cabling required is approximately 40 50 inches to make it through the mount and allow a small loop of cabling inside the declination box This extra cable is required so that the declination shaft can rotate freely while the various cables move in tandem with the shaft Figure 26 Route of through the mount cabling Additional cables enter the Paramount ME through the specially designed RA shaft nut on the south end of the mount From there they exit the RA shaft inside the declination box where some extra slack in the cable is required before passing the cable up through the declination axis and out through the cable channel on the Versa Plate lt Interface to TheSky Astronomy Software The TheSky TCS Control System Dialog Box The default settings for the Paramount ME s control system allow operation right out of the box typically there is no need to make changes to these settings However the control system is very powerful and offers many options so the default setting of many functions can be altered page 44 Paramount User s Guide TheSky TCS c gt x Setup Periodic Error Correction Status Advanced Homing Limits TheSky TCS c x Setup Periodic Error Correction Status Advanced Homing Limits C Right ascension Mount type German Equatorial Mount ID Paramount ME Right ascensi
49. he current PEC table read from flash OR a graphical display of the recorded telescope movements A polynomial curve fitting function for producing a smooth PEC table A real time display of the current PEC Index as the worm goes through a revolution Guide speed telescope adjustments for RA and Dec for manual PEC training page 8 Paramount User s Guide The ability to Copy the recorded table to the clipboard for pasting in Excel for example and to Paste a Text table from the clipboard MKS 3000 x Setup Periodic Error Correction Status Step 1 _Becord cba Step2 Curve Fit E Fit Polynomial order 5 Recorded wire E Step3 Upload Apply PEC correction 0 58 0 0 arc sec Figure 30 The Periodic Error Correction tab s graph of raw periodic error data TheSky Recording Corrections During the recording phase the angle of the worm relative to where it would be during normal sidereal tracking is measured and stored at a rate of about 5 times per second The recording then provides a history of the angle adjustment for a complete rotation of the worm Note that this function is for correcting periodic error only and if the mount is not well polar aligned it will not also introduce any drift into the system The following steps are necessary to successfully train PEC 1 Start Autoguiding Start auto guidine using a suitable guide star near the Celestial Equator Periodic erro
50. ight Shaft The counterweight shaft should be threaded into the bottom of the declination housing The safety knob screws into the opposite end of the shaft This knob should always be in place when counter weights are present on the counterweight shaft to stop them from accidentally sliding off of the shaft if the knobs are not tightened properly At the bottom end of the shaft there is a small hole drilled in the side of the shaft that can be used as an aid for tightening the shaft into the declination assembly This is done by inserting large hex wrench or other suitable cylindrical object into the hole and using it as a lever to turn the shaft Paramount User s Guide page 19 Figure 5 Attaching the counterweight shaft Attaching the Versa Plate A small amount of assembly is required before using the Paramount ME One procedure requires attaching the Versa Plate on the declination axis in the configuration that matches yout optical equipment The Versa Plate that comes with the Paramount ME 1s 7 93 inches by 20 0 inches by 0 90 inches thick The Versa Plate was designed to accommodate a large number of optical tube assemblies based on various ring designs hence the numerous holes as well as the popular Losmandy dovetail system Figure 6 Versa Plate The hole pattern that is present on the top of the declination gear is repeated in three places on the Versa Plate This allows moving the plate approximately one inch in
51. lar elevation target is not the North Celestial Pole but rather a point about one arcminute above it to minimize the effects of refraction on longer exposutes Polar Alignment The Drift Method The drift method is an alternative method to achieve polar alignment Using this procedure you can achieve very good polar alignment in each axis though it will probably require considerably more time than using TPoint Drift Method Azimuth Adjustment Locate a star near the meridian star should be greater than 15 degrees altitude and less than 85 degrees altitude Determine if the star drifts north or south If the star drifts north the polar axis is too far west If the star drifts south the polar axis is too far east Make the appropriate adjustment and repeat the above procedure until the star does not drift for several minutes Drift Method Elevation Adjustment Locate a star near the eastern or western horizon about 15 degrees altitude at an hour angle of about 6H If the star is in the east drift to the north means that the polar axis elevation is too high while drift to the south means that polar axis elevation is too low If the star is in the west reverse these Continue making adjustments until the star does not drift for 10 20 minutes Once you are familiar with TPoint it provides the best analytical method for determining polar alignment However until a TPoint model is established with all of the terms necessar
52. lar in shape TheSky TCS Status Dialog Box xl Setup Periodic Error Correction Advanced Homing Limits Current Position 0 Current Encoder 165 207 Tracking Rate non sidereal 0 0 Status 200 200 Motor Status 4000 4000 Control state 4 4 Servo state 18 18 0 050355003 13 8590 Figure 33 The Advanced Tab of TheSky TCS dialog box TheSky This dialog is provided simply for diagnostic purposes The encoders position in encoder tics is shown for each axis Other status values are shown that indicate the state of the motors and control system The graph near the bottom of the dialog is a very small sampling of the encoder positioning vs desired encoder position TheSky TCS Advanced Dialog Box xl Setup Periodic Error Correction Status i Homing Limits Right ascension C Declination Tics rev J 7200000 EMF constant z PEC ratio 10 Maximum voltage El Max pos error 1000 Max gain E Unit ID Tracking speed 26917040 Focus with 5 gt C R amp axis0 Dec axis 1 Index angle fescue 299 Control version 1 1 45 For southern Paramount users set Tics rev to a negative value Cancel Apply Help Figure 34 The Advanced Tab of TheSky TCS dialog box TheSky page 52 Paramount User s Guide For the Paramount ME the only two input prompts that are necessary on this dialog are the Tics rev and Focus axis prompts
53. late 11 850 Pier Top Plate The ME Pier Top Plate is slightly larger than the Base Plate It is constructed out of 0 50 inch thick steel plate and is drilled in the corners to accept the Paramount ME North is indicated in the above drawing However since the 9 40 inch hole pattern is symmetric about the center of the pier and multiple of 90 degrees will also work Figure 50 Photograph of pier top plate Appendix B Paramount ME Dimensions This section provides dimensions of the Paramount ME in the many possible positions used for pointing a telescope German Equatorial telescope mountings are very stable by design yet the requirement of counterweights increases the clearance space required surrounding the telescope and mount Figure 51 shows the approximate dimensions in inches of the Paramount ME For various latitudes the height in inches and can be computed from the following formula Figure 51 Approximate Paramount ME Dimensions inches OTA Center height at Meridian see table below Metric units height 8 2 cm sin latitude 29 deg x 38 3 cm Imperial units height 3 25 in sin latitude 29 deg x 15 1 in This dimension is important if there are walls around the observatory building An unobstructed view at the horizon requires the pier top be high enough so that OTA does not point into the wall when pointing North or South Latitude degrees Approximate OTA Cen
54. llowing Packing List page 12 Paramount User s Guide Packing List Item Photograph Description Box 1 Paramount ME Mount and the software and documentation box Dimensions 63 5 x 63 5 x 45 7 cm 25 x 25 x 18 in Weight 34 kg 80 lbs 8 Versa Plate mounting screws 1 inch 14 20 socket head cap screws See Attaching the Versa Plate on page 19 for details 4 Versa Plate mounting screws 1 inch 1 4 20 flat socket cap screws See Attaching the Versa Plate on page 19 for details Note that the Versa Plate mounting screws 12 total are packed inside the opening at the top of the declination axis See Attaching the Versa Plate on page 19 for details Software and Documentation box This box is packed inside Box 1 and includes TheSky for Windows Level IV CCDSoft version 5 CD ROM CCDSoft version 5 printed Users Manual TPoint User s Manual The Paramount ME System CD Paramount User s Guide page 13 ROM that includes installation software for TheSky update CCDSoft version 5 TPoint Orchestrate IAClient and IAServer software Note The CCDSoft and TPoint serial numbers are affixed to the title page of the manual TheSky serial number is located inside TheSky box Item Photograph Description Box 2 Dimensions 61 x 25 4 15 2 cm 24 x 10 x 6 in Weight 11 3 ke 26 155 Accessorie
55. must be modified on the TheSky TCS dialog box so that the Paramount works correctly in the Southern Hemisphere The differences between Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere parameters are shown on the tables below TheSky TCS c Setup Periodic Error Correction Status Advanced Homing Limits Right ascension Tics rev PEC ratio Max pos error Unit ID j C axis 1 Control version 1 1 11520000 C Declination EMF constant Maximum voltage Max gain Tracking speed 43067265 Index angle 45 For southern Paramount users set Tics rev to a negative value Figure 52 TheSky TCS dialog box Mount Model Tics Revolution Integer Sensor HA and Dec in the for Southern tracking rate Southern Hemisphere Hemisphere Paramount ME 11520000 43 067 265 Approximately 10 180 Paramount GT 1100S 7200000 26 917 040 Approximately 10 8 150 Paramount 31 11005 7200000 20 187 780 Approximately 10 8 150 with control software 1 1 16 or earlier his value is automatically computed by clicking OK from the TheSky TCS dialog box and is displayed on Telescope Options More Options Advanced tab These values are shown on the Telescope Options More Options Setup tab page 74 Paramount User s Guide Note TheSky version 5 00 014 and later allows access to the Advanced tab on TheSky TCSO dialog box Do
56. n in the Southern hemisphere When the software limits are set properly the mount cannot run into a hard stop as the motor will decelerate to the internal limit Paramount User s Guide page 53 The First Night You should already be very familiar with the operation of TheSky Astronomy Software and the TPoint Modeling software before attempting to use these two applications under the stars If you are not familiar with these applications please refer to their documentation for further information Selecting the Control System in TheSky From TheSky click Telescope Setup On the Telescope Setup dialog box select the Paramount ME with TheSky TCS as the Control System Telescope Setup 7 Settings 7 Control System Close COM Port COM1 E OK Paramount 11005 by Software Bisque m Software Options Confirm slews V Confirm syncs Confirm mapping V Impose slew limits destination coordinates only Attempt to stop slews in progress through slew limits Switch to Night Vision Mode upon link Show the number of packets retries and failures Close Object Information dialog box upon slew Enable telescope modeling V Always keep telescope cross hairs on screen Cross hair update period ms 500 Figure 36 Telescope Setup and Settings dialog boxes Connecting the Paramount ME to your Computer The Paramount ME communicates through a serial port on your compu
57. nally the worm and gear should be smooth a necessary requirement for any periodic error compensation function to work effectively Though PEC training and playing algorithms exist on many telescopes few have the ability to show the training data and then the ability to fit a smooth curve to the data By exploiting the computing power of the personal computer the PEC algorithm of TheSky TCS can provide better and more consistent results than those running in a small microprocessor Recording the Periodic Error Recording the periodic error involves guiding on a star using a CCD camera or manually making adjustments for one worm revolution The best results come from a CCD camera because it is not subject to fatigue during the multi minute recording period and centroids of the guide star can be computed more accurately with a CCD than a human eye x Setup Periodic Error Correction Status Step1 Record Index 27 Value 0 Tabie to display w Hi E Step2 Curve Fit Polynomial order 5 ep2 Curve olynomial order C Recorded 5 Step3 Upload 9 arc sec 9 arc sec Apply PEC correction Recorded table Olfset 0 0 arc sec Zero flash Copy Paste y 0 8 1 20e 001x 1 1 036003 2 2 46e 006x 3 2 22e 009x 4 6 80e 013 5 Figure 29 Periodic Error Correction Tab on TheSky TCS Dialog Box TheSky The PEC Dialog Box The PEC dialog for TheSky TCS provides the following A graphical display of t
58. nch Paramount ME Pier Paramount ME Pier from Software Bisque The Software Bisque Paramount ME pier is available in heights ranging from 30 5 cm to 122 cm 12 inches to 48 inches Software Bisque stocks 30 5 cm 12 in 61 cm 24 in 91 cm 36 in and 122 cm 48 in piers Custom height piers require up to 10 weeks delivery Pier Height cm in Pier Weight kg lbs Typical Availability 31 12 19 42 Immediate 46 18 22 48 Immediate 61 24 25 54 Immediate 76 30 26 58 Immediate 91 36 29 64 Immediate 107 42 32 70 Immediate 122 48 35 76 Immediate Custom 26 58 2 7 6 per 2 5 cm 1 8 10 weeks in over 76 cm 30 in The ME Pier is constructed of two steel plates welded to a 10 inch diameter steel tube The piers are powder coated on both the outside and inside to protect the steel from the elements Paramount User s Guide page 67 Figure 49 Dimensions of pier base plate Pier Base Plate Figure 49 shows the footprint of the Paramount ME pier The pier can be mount using four 0 50 inch J bolts placed in concrete Software Bisque recommends that the base plate remain in contact with the cement surface to reduce damping times page 68 Paramount User s Guide Paramount ME Pier Top Plate 9 4000 8 4p y Holes ic a i U X 1 North S lt 118 200 215900 j N N Ree L C N p 0 50 steel p
59. nment requires a full TPoint mapping run Changing the optical tube assembly Changing the pier Telescope Setup 2 xi Control System MKS 3000 Settings Software Options Confirm syncs Confirm mapping Impose slew limits destination coordinates only Attempt to stop slews in progress through slew limits Switch to Night Vision Mode upon link V Show the number of packets retries and failures Close Object Information dialog box upon slew V Enable telescope modeling V Always keep telescope cross hairs on screen Cross hair update period ms 500 Figure 39 Telescope Setup dialog box TheSky Telescope Mapping Overview Telescope mapping is the process of slewing to a known object manually centering that object in the eyepiece then recording the angular differences between the slewed to coordinates and the manually centered coordinates Mapping a number of known targets allows the TPoint Telescope Modeling Software to analyze systematic errors in your telescope system and create a model to compensate for these errors To begin a mapping session accurately set your computer s clock and establish a link to the telescope Once connected slew the telescope to a known star and center it in the eyepiece Using Find or Identify in TheSky display the Object Identification dialog for the star When the star information is presented on the Object Identification dialog box
60. nterbore to occept 1 4 80 SHCS Plote is 0 90 thick Bs repeats until 0 7900 fo OO 0 250606 6 O 0 05 1 900000000 OOooooooo O40 049 069 0 0 0 TUR o Ao 49 0 0 OcO 9 0 7 450 3 5000 3 200 930 ovo oVo oVo oVo A bo OO O96 9 6 39 to 00000000 5 5 25 55 85 6 Figure 7 Versa Plate mounting specifications In all mounting orientations note that the declination hub gear cannot rotate 360 degrees therefore the Versa Plate must be attached properly An arrow machined into the declination geat hub indicates the direction of incoming light Use this to arrow to determine how to mount the Versa Plate for your optical system Paramount User s Guide page 21 Arrow machined on the declination hub indicates the direction of incoming light Figure 8 Unanodized declination gear note machined arrow Once you decide on the desired position for the Versa Plate mount the plate with the hardware provided Figure 9 Versa Plate configurations typical and wide The typical orientation for the Versa Plate is shown above in the first drawing Note the arrow on the declination gear is pointing in the direction of incoming light to the telescope and towards the instrument panel attached to the Versa Plate This is the proper orientation to insure full motion without hitting the hard stop at 90
61. of the precision positioning device on the altitude is one degree in the middle of the latitude range approximately 36 degrees and slightly different at each of the extremes Each tic on the knobs of the azimuth adjustment is two atcminutes page 18 Paramount User s Guide The altitude adjustment range is from 15 degrees to 58 degrees Outside of this range you will need to tilt the pier mounting plate to accommodate the difference Figure 4 The arrow above shows the rotation direction for lowering altitude Loosen the four altitude adjustment retaining knobs two on each side of the mount so that they are free to turn This allows the mount to be adjusted within the wedge assembly using the altitude positioning device the cylindrical mechanism with the large knob underneath the mount You can see the motion of the mount relative to the wedge by watching the altitude divisions on the wedge side plates as the altitude positioning device is rotated If you are placing a very heavy instrument on the ME it is beneficial to purposely adjust the altitude slightly higher than your latitude This insures that the altitude adjustment will be in the direction downward and gravity will be aiding in the movement of the instrument and counterweights as the altitude positioning device is rotated Otherwise you may need to help the positioning device by lifting upward on the counterweight shaft while turning it Attaching the Counterwe
62. off speed Max Voltage 15 Max Gain 150 11520000 66 0 Xkckckck ck ck k kk kk k k Axis Mount Type 0 Base rate Max speed 1080000000 Acceleration 400 Non sidereal rate 0 Minimum Position Limit Maximum Position Limit Sensor Dec from sync Guide 438102 Tics per rev PEC ratio 10 Maximum position error Unit ID 100 EMF Constant 72 Index angle 1523 Home velocity high Home velocity med Home velocity low Home dir sense 1100 Home mode Home Index Offset PEC cutoff speed Max Voltage 15 Max Gain 150 0 7500000 66 110 3 0 required Joystick required Joystick 4960000 1120000 2 0000 1000 Mount dependent 0000000 000000 900000 2111 Mount dependent In out in 398 KOkckckckckckckckckck kO koko ko k ck 1 Dec Control version 1 1 45 5460000 1700000 0 0000 1000 Mount dependent 0000000 000000 900000 In out in 2111 0 Mount dependent AM Paramount User s Guide page 47 Training Periodic Error Correction PEC TheSky TCS has advanced Periodic Error Correction capability The majority of periodic error comes from the worm gear and the associated pulley system driving the worm gear On the Paramount ME the periodic error is low in magnitude that is 5 arcseconds peak to peak or less and is very smooth Great pains must be taken in manufacturing and assembly to reduce the magnitude of the periodic error in any system Additio
63. on Declination Mount type German Equatorial Mount ID Paramount ME 8 m Focus pulse milisecsl Focus pulse millisecs 3 Max speed Z fastest E Max speed fastest jao Short Short fi Acceleration 250 750 450 tence 200 Acceleration 250 750 450 les Non sidereal rate asecs sec o E Non sidereal rate asecs sec Guider speed sidereal o5 8 2 postion Guider speed Z sidereal os Home sensor position HA 1 98352 a H 1 98352 Track rate sidereal 100 00000 Dec 008955 Track rate sidereal Dec 0 09955 Home after link Home after link Test to clipboard H Defauts Load Save Text to clipboard Save to FLASH Defaults Load Save OK Cancel Control System Parameters Control System Parameters Cancel Figure 27 Setup tab for RA and Declination options on the TheSky TCS dialog box Apply Note that the two dialog boxes pictured above show the Right Ascension and Declination default settings Mount Type The Paramount ME is a German Equatorial telescope so this option should be set to German Equatorial Mount ID This information is for reference purposes only Maximum Speed The motors are capable of moving the Paramount ME at approximately six degrees per second in declination and five degrees per second in right ascension To move at the fastest rate enter a valu
64. or TheSky Astronomy Software integration to remotely control the mount CCDSoft CCD Astronomy Software for controlling CCD cameras Orchestrate scripting program for running unattended data acquisition sessions TPoint Telescope Pointing Analysis Software with ProTrack to provide unmatched pointing and tracking capabilities Software Bisque s TheSky TCS Telescope Drive System for precise tracking periodic error correction and slewing Accurate homing for quick startup and exact repeatability night to night Super stable design dampens rapidly Built in soft limits prevent damage to the mount and telescope by decelerating softly into limits Clutch free design insures consistent pointing and tracking from night to night 56 bit internal precision in the control system for a wide speed range Virtually any speed is available between stopped and several degrees per second Advanced periodic error correction with polynomial fitting function 50 conductors of through the mount cabling minimize the cabling nightmare that usually results from CCD power CCD signal focus video and other cables routed to the telescope Cable Conduit allows for passing additional cables wires or tubes through the mount Wedge design accommodates latitudes from 15 to 58 degrees Altitude divisions provide an accurate altitude starting point for polar alignment 8 inch RA bearing and 6 inch declination provide maximum stability Numerous internal web
65. ount GT 1100 and GT 1100S models They can be used to adapt the older style piers to the Paramount ME Primary mounting holes N L Center through hole l 2 2 a J p SN NN N Four 4 Paramount ME mounting holes N N Stabilizing studs optional Old pattern 1100S compatible Figure 43 Description of Base Plate hole patterns Paramount User s Guide page 65 11 8500 eee 24 tpi 4 places 0 060 T 0 2188 R0 7500 3 plo 6 5000 siera RY 3750 I 9 4000 118500 R1 0000 F 2 1530 2 1530 x 810000 3 plcs OQO 1 0 3125 3 ples Celestial Pol i Z elestial Fole 9 4000 H 0 800 Figure 44 Base Plate dimensions plan and side view In Figure 4 the Celestial Pole is towards the bottom of the page The three primary mounting holes make an arrow that points towards the North Ny Tue Figure 45 Top view of the Paramount N ME adapter plate Figure 46 Bottom view of the heavy duty adapter plate page 66 Paramount User s Guide Paramount ME Pier Specifications Figure 47 Sample 46 cm 18 i
66. position is very near hour angle 2 0 and declination 0 0 This is a point two hours west of the Meridian on the celestial equator Though the mount does home to the exact same position each time it is not precisely at hour angle 2 0000 and declination 0 0000 This is in part due to consistency of the position of the emitter detector pair in the sensors used Additionally if the main optic of the system is used for star sighting it will have inherent non perpendicularity errors Therefore the following procedure can be deemed very good as far as estimating polar alignment but the full procedure using TPoint will refine the alignment to the desired level of accuracy Howevet if you are consistent in attaching your OTA to the ME you will find that this procedure will be very accurate each time the ME is set up When the star sync is performed it represents a calibration of many of the errors Step 1 Level the mount and set the altitude and azimuth as close as possible A level mount is not required for extremely precise operation but it is necessary for the purposes of the following alignment procedure Using the gradations on the side of the wedge assembly estimate the altitude based on the latitude of the observing site Step 2 Home mount with the proper date time information in TheSky By homing the mount from TheSky software with the proper time and date information the Local Sidereal Time LST will be computed and therefor
67. problems that require user intervention Running the cables through the mount all but eliminates these cable snagging problems Cabling Supplied with the Paramount ME The Paramount ME has two built in cables that pass from the Adapter Panel at the south end of the mount up through the axis and into the Instrument Panel on the Versa Plate page 42 Paramount User s Guide Signal and power lines Adapter Panel Figure 25 Relationship between Adaptor Panel and Instrument panel ports The outlined areas on this diagram show the connectors that have pass through wires in the Paramount ME A 50 conductor round to flat ribbon cable 28 gauge carries signals from the Aux 1 Serial 9 line Aux 2 3 line Serial and Parallel 25 line to the corresponding jacks on the Instrument Panel An eight conductor 22 gauge cable carries the Aux 1 Aux 2 and Camera Power lines from the Adapter Panel to the Instrument Panel The 25 line parallel cable is commonly used to carry the CCD camera signals and the CCD camera power is routed using the Camera Power plug Note The additional lines in the 50 conductor cable are used to carry focus and autoguider signals The 3 line and 9 line serial ports can be used to carry focuser serial camera signals and even video if the proper adapters are made Paramount User s Guide page 43 Cable Conduit In addition to the built in signal and power lines passed through the Paramount ME the ME is desi
68. r shows its greatest effects within the range of 15 degrees declination and 15 degrees declination Choose a star high in the sky near the meridian to reduce atmospheric effects Shooting on the West side will insure you do not run into the East limit of German Equatorial mounts Start Recording With the telescope initialized and running display the PEC dialog in TheSky by choosing Telescope Options More settings then selecting the Periodic Error Correction tab With the auto guider happily guiding click Record from the PEC dialog box Autoguide for a few of minutes to insure the system is settled down and to remove the effects of backlash in the worm Finish Recording Wait until the red status line has cross the entire graph about four minutes and the Abort text reverts to Record When this is completed the recorded table will be displayed Smooth Recorded Table Click Curve Fit to smooth the curve You can select different orders for the polynomial fit Orders of 5 7 seem to provide the best fit Upload the Table to the TCS Click Upload to copy the smoothed table from the dialog into TheSky TCS Paramount User s Guide page 49 6 Turn the Paramount ME Off then On The power on the Paramount ME must be cycled before the new periodic error corrections take effect Note that the recording phase of the PEC training only records the error values It does not automatically transfer the recorded table to the flash or activat
69. ramount User s Guide 5 After 15 20 data points are collected add more terms to the TPoint model so that the RMS value is as small as possible From TPoint click Suggest Terms to quickly determine one to four new terms that improve the pointing most significantly 6 From TPoint determine the current polar alignment of the telescope by clicking Model Polar Alignment Information 7 Adjust the mount according to the TPoint polar alignment information Polar Alignment Information x XXXXXXXXXXXXX AZIMLITH XXXXXXXXXXXX The polar axis is West of the celestial pole move towards E ast 34 seconds 0 6 minutes For latitude 53 41 azimuth adjustment is 0 9 minutes Paramount ME Loosen the west knob and tighten the east knob 0 5 knob tics Sigma 35 880 KXXXXXXXXXXXX ALTI T u D E XXXXXXXXXXXX The polar axis is above the celestial pole it should be lowered Paramount ME Lower the polar axis 4 0 knob tics 478 seconds 8 0 minutes Sigma 43 836 Figure 23 Polar Alignment Information dialog box TPoint Note the Paramount ME instructions on the dialog box These calibrated instructions for the Paramount ME appear only if the Telescope prompt on the Data Observing Parameters dialog box in TPoint is set to Paramount ME TPoint version 5 00 504 or later After you have carefully made the polar alignment adjustments delete the TPoint model and start over from Step 2 To remove the red Reference Lines that are cre
70. re that the axis is balanced properly Then grab the counterweight shaft with one hand and turn the RA balance Knob counter clockwise until you feel that the worm and gear have made contact Gently wiggle the RA axis using the counterweight bar to be sure the worm is actually seated into the gear Again turn the knob counterclockwise to a full stop Once the knob has been rotated counterclockwise to a full stop rotate it clockwise about one knob click that is 1 10 of a turn This will hold the worm very close to the gear not allowing it to pull away in an out of balance situation while not actually forcing the worm into the gear Spring plungers on the worm gears accomplish the actual force that holds the worm into the gear Figure 18 RA Balance Knob e Attaching the Optical Tube Assembly to the Versa Plate Dovetail Use The Versa Plate has four custom knobs that are attached to brass plungers for applying pressure on the telescope dovetail Smaller optical tube assemblies will only utilize two ot three of these It is best to place the Versa Plate in the east west direction with the counterweight shaft vertical With the plate in this orientation you can muscle the telescope into position without the risk of it sliding off We recommend placing the dovetail knobs uphill that is with the telescope pointing to the west so that when they are tightened you are not trying to lift the telescope while loading the brass plungers
71. s The typical configuration uses the large cover and only one of the two rectangular covers The Schmidt Cassegrain configuration uses only the large cover The Newtonian configuration is shown above and all three channel covers are used Plugging In Versa Plate Instrument Panel After the cables are passed through the Versa Plate cable channel they must be plugged into the Instrument Panel Inspect the two cables to identify the alignment notches see Figure 11 Do not plug these cable in backwards Paramount User s Guide page 23 Figure 11 Make sure the notches are aligned properly to avoid plugging the cables in backwards Once the through the mount cables are properly plugged in to the Instrument Panel control board use a 3 32 hex wrench to attach the front of the Instrument Panel box to the back of the Instrument Panel box Next use a 5 32 hex wrench to attach the entire Instrument Panel assembly to the bottom of the Versa Plate see Figure 10 Attaching the Mount to the Pier The first step is to attach the ME to the pier or tripod that will be used for operation or testing The Paramount ME attaches to the pier using four attachment knobs near the corners of the wedge base plate The Micro Levelers can be used to level the mount prior to tightening the four attachment knobs WA t N E Xo L N o QN QN Figure 12 Location of base plate attachment knobs Micro Le
72. s Box Contains the Paramount ME accessories listed below 1 1 2 m 4 foot SBIG Camera Power Cable This cable runs from the Camera Power port on the Paramount ME Instrument Panel to the SBIG camera power input 4 3 8 inch 24 thread per inch base plate attachment knobs These knobs secure the mount to the pier 1 3 m 10 foot parallel cable This cable runs from the computer s parallel port to the Parallel 25 line port on the Adaptor Panel for parallel port cameras 1 Allen wrench set This set of wrenches can be used to mount the Versa Plate covers or deni tha uni aida nanala GE page 14 Paramount User s Guide remove the mount side panels if necessary 1 0 9 m 3 foot parallel cable This cable runs from the Parallel 25 line port on the Interface Panel to the camera s parallel port 1 Power Supply cable This cable is plugged into the power supply unit and a 120V or 220V outlet 1 Instrument Panel Housing This component is mounted to the Versa Plate See Attaching the Versa Plate on page 19 for details Extta fuses 1 1 6 amp fuse for Paramount ME Adaptor Panel 2 5 amp fuses power supply 1 Power supply unit Plug the small round tip into the port labeled Power on the Adaptor Panel Plug the power supply cable into the power supply s cable jack 1 Joystick Insert the RJ11 plug into the Joystick port on the
73. s are made unless this option is selected The control system contains a parameter called the PEC cutoff speed that allows for setting the speed at which the PEC table will be ignored Turning off the PEC effectively sets this speed zero Le the PEC table is ignored at all speeds When the PEC table is activated it is ignored at all speeds more than double that of sidereal tracking Interestingly even small corrections of 3 5 arcseconds cause an audible and somewhat annoying variation to the otherwise smooth sounding motors at higher speeds Copy The Copy command simply copies the PEC values to the clipboard These units of these values are in encoder tics The number of entries depends on the PEC ratio computed by the following formulae 125 PEC Ratio So if the PEC ratio is 10 that is a 10 1 gear reduction before the worm then the number of entries is 1 250 The format of the data can be viewed in Notepad or any other ASCII text editor by clicking Edit Paste It is a simple format each of the entries are separated by a carriage return line feed Paste This command will take a string of numbers from the clipboard and copy them into the Recorded Table area You can work to provide a better smoothing in another application or Paramount User s Guide page 57 perhaps use multiple tables to come up with a good weighted average We have found the smoothed tables generated from different parts of the worm to be very simi
74. s two arcminutes of movement of the base plate When making the adjustments as recommended by TPoint fine increments can be estimated quite accurately using these tics Additional Azimuth Adjustment Figure 20 The azimuth nosepiece can be repositioned for additional azimuth adjustment If you need additional azimuth adjustment there are two sets of mounting holes for the azimuth adjustment nosepiece that allow for about two degrees additional azimuth adjustment in either direction The nosepiece is the black anodized part that protrudes into the azimuth adjustment block see Figure 20 by which the mount is rotated Loosen the two azimuth adjustment knobs and remove the four hex screws from the adjustment knob mounting bracket These screws are accessed from the bottom of the mount Paramount User s Guide page 33 Figure 21 Remove these four screws to access the azimuth nosepiece View of bottom of the mount Next remove the four hex screws that hold the nosepiece in place You ll see the additional sets of mounting holes beneath this piece Remount the nosepiece in the holes that give you the desired azimuth adjustment e Paramount ME Quick Polar Alignment Method The Paramount ME contains homing sensors that can be used aid in the first step in polar alignment Each time the Paramount ME is homed it returns to the exact same position Le to an encoder tic or a fraction of an arcsecond This
75. s within two arcminutes Getting Started Using TPoint Once you are familiar with the technique of telescope mapping as described in the TPoint User s Manual you ate ready to begin a telescope mapping run If the Paramount ME s polar alignment is way off even short star hopping slews may require the destination star to be re centered in the eyepiece Observing Parameters Telescope Paramount ME Cancel Equinox Latitude jsa 5 Pressure mB 900 1 1 il Year Height meters ss Month fT Humidity 01 02 Day 6 Observing Wavelength ps Temperature bo Tropospheric Lapse Rate 805 V Pole checking V Diumalaberration correction Notes Telescope mapping and polar alignment procedure 1 Set the local time as accurately as possible each night before observing 2 Insert a New TPoint model into TheSky Edit Insert TPoint Model 3 After accurately synchronizing the telescope slew to a nearby star by identifying the star in TheSky and click Slew To on the Object Information dialog box center the actual star in the eyepiece and then click Map 8 on the Object Information dialog box This constitutes one data point 4 When you have mapped six data points that are close together in the sky TPoint can begin correcting for errors in the mount and the pointing will improve Now you te ready to begin mapping stars over a larger portion of the actual night sky page 36 Pa
76. se rights set forth therein 10 GENERAL This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Colorado excluding its conflict of laws principles and the parties hereby consent to jurisdiction and venue in the state and federal courts sitting in Jefferson County Colorado In any such dispute the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover its reasonable attorneys fees and expenses from the other party Licensee may not assign or transfer its rights or obligations arising under this Agreement to any third party and any such attempted assignment or transfer shall be void and without effect This Agreement may not be modified except upon mutual written agreement of both parties The waiver by either party of a breach of any provision of this Agreement will not operate or be interpreted as a waiver of any other or subsequent breach If any provision of this Agreement is deemed unenforceable such provision will be changed and interpreted to accomplish the objectives of such provision to the greatest extent possible under applicable law and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect This Agreement sets forth the entire understanding of the parties and supersedes any and all prior oral and written agreements or understandings between the parties regarding the subject matter of this Agreement Nothing contained in any purchase order order acknowledgement form order confirmation form task order invoice delivery order or simil
77. suffer if the system is slewed greatly out of balance If the mount is in balance and this problem persists check the spring plungers under the worm covers The worm covers are the smiley face shaped covers that are attached to the gear covers Once removed you will see the worm drive for the axis There are one or two small spring plungers that can be adjusted to decrease the pressure between the worm and gear Problem cannot home using the joystick Homing from the joystick takes a bit of practice The control system is looking for two button presses separated by at least a 1 10 of a second One of the most common causes of homing failure is when the user unintentionally moves the joystick during the homing page 62 Paramount User s Guide procedure Motion of the joystick in either axis during the homing procedure will cause that axis to abort the homing procedure Problem During cold temperature operation the mount emits an audible vibration sound while slewing A resonance between the worm and gear may occur at colder operating temperatures which is the cause of the sound To eliminate this behavior remove the right ascension worm block cover and carefully place two to three drops no more of 3 in 1 household oil on the worm gear interface Also see the section Cold Temperature Operation on page 61 for additional cold temperature operation advice Appendix Preparing the Paramount ME Pier Paramount
78. ter Make sure the TheSky TCS is configured for the correct computer port From TheSky click Settings on the Telescope Setup dialog box page 54 Paramount User s Guide Synchronizing on a Star Object Information General Multimedia Utiily Telescope Object Sirius hd Type Star Magnitude 1 44 Right Ascension 06h 45m 08 121s Declination 16 43 00 742 Azimuth 206 2714 Altitude 48 01 10 Start up Shutdown Alan ir Set Park Park E Set tracking rates Track Satellite EW Prior EG O W o a Figure 37 The Telescope Tab on the Object Information dialog box TheSky Once the mount is up and running and you have estimated the polar alignment you can Sync on a star to initialize the mount The Sync button can be found in the Object Information dialog on the Telescope tab Note If you ate doing the preliminary polar alignment as described in the Initial Polar Alignment section page 32 you will be centering the star using the polar adjustments rather than synchronizing While you are aligning the mount to the pole you will be syncing the mount several times Once the mount is aligned with the pole you will not have to sync again unless you change optical tube assemblies or somehow alter your setup otherwise in a significant manner Following is a short overview of what transpires when Sync is clicked The mount was homed before the sync so
79. ter Height at Meridian 2 9 371m 46 in 30 412m 162 in 442 cm 17 4 in 46 0 cm 18 1 in page 70 Paramount User s Guide Guider The Gider jack accepts an RJ12 modular plug and provides external access to the directional switching RJ12 pin Color Desctiption SBIG DB15 pint 1 BLU X R A East 10 2 YEL Y Dec North 13 3 GRN Y Dec South T 4 RED X R A West 4 5 BLK GND common 5 8 11 14 6 WHT N C no connection Note The actual wire colors may differ depending upon their 123456 placement within the RJ12 plug TThis information may be used with ST 4 ST 5 and ST 6 cameras Radio Shack Cross Reference Description Part Qty Pkg Number 1 6A 5x20mm slow blow fuse 5A 5x20mm slow blow fuse 5A 5x20mm slow blow fuse 5 5mm O D 2 1mm 1 13 DC power 274 1569 2 plug 3 5mm phono plug mono 274 286 2 RJ12 modular phone plug 279 421 10 DB9P male 2776 1537 1 DB9S female 2776 1538 1 13859 hood used with DB9P and 276 1539 1 DB9S DB9 female to female cable 6 ft 26 152 1 DB25 male to male cable 6 ft 26 249 1 DB9P DB25S adaptor 26 287 1 Main 1 6A 250V fuse on the main F1 and a 5A 250V fuse on Aux 1 and 2 F1and F2 Appendix C Updating the Control Software on the Paramount ME and Paramount GT 1100S This appendix describes the procedure to update the Paramount ME and Paramo
80. the angles are computed between the home position and the current position of the mount when the sync occurs Using these angles the hour angle and the declination of the home position is computed and stored inside the Paramount ME s flash memory By accessing the stored hour angle and declination of the mount and using the computed Local Sidereal Time TheSky can compute the current pointing location of the telescope In fact it should point identically on subsequent sessions as it does on this session As a quick test turn of the mount then turn it back on and home it This will cause the link between TheSky and the mount to be lost When you re establish the link with the mount you will see the cross hairs appear on the sky display at the current location of the home position Now slew the mount to the star you synced on and it should fall in nearly the same place in the eyepiece video or CCD that you are using In practice there are small movements due to mirror flop or slight time differences so the star may not be in exactly the same position but it should be vety close Paramount User s Guide page 55 Synchronizing the Paramount ME Synchronizing or syncing the telescope involves pointing the telescope system at a known object usually a star then pressing Syne from the Telescope Tab on the Object Information dialog box TheSky s date time your location must be entered correctly before telescope synchronization is p
81. unt GT 1100s internal control softwate 1 Download the most recent version of TheSky from Software Bisque at www bisque com download 2 The latest Paramount firmware is version 1145 The file named MKS1145 0ut contains the latest updated control software that will be transferred into Paramount s control system This file is located in TheSky s folder lt Drive gt Program Files Software Bisque TheSky MKS1145 0OUT where Drive is the letter of the hard drive where TheSky was installed Programming the flash in the Paramount GT 1100 requires removing the side panel where the power switch and joystick plug in On the Paramount ME remove the access panel on the control panel mounted on the back of the RA box Once removed you will see the adapter board with numerous wires and ribbon cables attached There are two DIP switches on this board labeled Program on one side and Run on the other Make sure the mount is turned off and then switch both from Run to Program This will allow TheSky to update the control software in the flash memory of the Paramount via the serial port After the DIP switches are set to Program turn on the Paramount Note that the motors will ot turn as they do when the DIP switches are set to Run Next launch TheSky and click Telescope Link Establish Instead of the normal homing question you will see the following dialog box Update Flash E x Filename CASKY32 MKS OUT Browse
82. unt ME s pointing accuracy will still exceed most commercially available go to telescopes Southern Hemisphere Operation See Appendix D Setting Up and Using the Paramount in the Southern Hemisphere on page 73 for detailed instructions about configuring TheSky when operating in the Southern Hemisphere For the Paramount ME to point accurately from nieht to nieht there are a number of requirements that must be met The amount of time saved when target objects consistently fall into the field of view warrants the additional steps needed to accomplish this Once you have been through the entire process a couple of times Paramount ME initialization will not seem as confusing as it might the first time Homing The mount is homed at startup so that the mount is initialized in exactly the same position each time it is used The homing function of the Paramount ME provides many benefits to the CCD imager Homing permits soft limits so the mount never crashes into itself even if an improper stat synchronization occuts Once a mapping run has been completed it will continue to provide excellent pointing without having to perform a star synchronization Even if power is lost to the Paramount ME the homing function can return the telescope to its previous state When the star synchronization is performed it is easy to do a quick reality check to be sure the time entered in TheSky is reasonable Once the mount is homed and
83. up screen they will remain active until the mount is powered down unless Save in Flash is chosen It is important to note that while the values are saved into flash memory the motors are stopped This does not mean that page 6 Paramount User s Guide position information is lost just that the telescope will stop tracking at the sidereal rate momentarily approximately 0 50 seconds Text to Clipboard Click this button to copy all of the settings for the control system to the Windows Clipboard You can then paste them into a word processor or the Windows Notepad application for viewing You may be asked to email this information to Software Bisque if there is an issue with the control system Following is a sample of the information that is copied to the clipboard when this command is used The comments after the on the right were added TheSky TCS Copyright c Mount ID Paramount ME KKEKEKKKKKKEKKKKKKKK Axis Mount Type 0 Base rate 43067265 Max speed 1080000000 Acceleration 400 Non sidereal rate 0 2002 Software Bisque Running at 3333 333 0 RA Control version 1 1 45 RRRRRR RRR RRR RR Minimum Position Limit Maximum Position Limit Sensor HA from sync Guide 672926 Tics per rev PEC ratio 10 Maximum position error Unit ID 100 EMF Constant 72 Index angle 1299 Home velocity high Home velocity med 110 Home velocity low 3 Home dir sense 110602 Home mode Home Index Offset PEC cut
84. urning on the mount Itis important to note that the Paramount ME will not respond to joystick commands and will not start tracking until it is homed What is that Sound When the Paramount ME is turned on and initialized the servomotots emit an audible vatiable pitched sound This is the sound caused by the control system checking and adjusting the position of the DC servo motors over 3 000 times per second and is normal This sound serves as the heartbeat of the mount and provides an audible indicator that the electronics are powered and functioning What Is Homing Homing is the automated process of slewing each axis until the homing indexes are located The right ascension and declination axes have sensors that are used to detect the home position The home position is at approximately hour angle 2 and declination 0 degrees This position is fixed and cannot be changed as it depends on the physical position of the gears and the internal sensots Note The Paramount ME will not slew or track until the mount is successfully homed Paramount User s Guide page 25 Each time the mount is homed it returns to the same home position and sets the position registers to zero When star synchronization is performed the hour angle and declination of the home indexes are stored in the internal flash of the Paramount ME Subsequent sessions simply use the Local Sidereal Time as computed from the inputs in TheSky software to accurately d
85. velers The Paramount ME s Micro Levelers are used to make small adjustments approximately 3 mm ot 1 8 inch to the level of the mount They are not intended for doing large leveling page 24 Paramount User s Guide adjustments but rather to provide a small amount of fine tune leveling Additionally they can be used insure the base plate of the ME is not distorted by a non flat mounting surface slightly concave mounting surface would tend to bend the bottom plate of the ME but when the Micro Levelers protrude slightly below the surface of the base plate they act as 1685 to stabilize the mount base The best approach for leveling the mount is to simultaneously adjust two Micro Levelers so that the mount is tilted either East West or North South The accuracy of the leveling depends on the long term use of the mount If the mount is attached to a permanent pier without the intent of portable use leveling is actually less important When used in a portable sense insuring that the mount is level helps to quickly polar align the mount Figure 13 Micro Leveler see arrow The Micro Levelers have a relatively small and base plate attachment knob sutface atea of contact and are not intended to lift the mount Take care not to unnecessarily over tighten them First Slews Once you have assembled the mount and connected all the electronic wiring verify that all the electronic and mechanical components function by t
86. will be bottom heavy yet will be in a safe state since the axis is free to hang downward due to gravity Adding the optical tube assembly will now result in a system that is close to balance After the counterweights are added firmly tighten each of the counterweight knobs to insure the weights do not slip Also make sure you add the counterweight safety stop on the bottom of the counterweight bar Safety Tip Paramount User s Guide page 27 Each counterweight weighs approximately 9 kg 20 Ibs Use extreme caution so that you do not accidentally drop them and injure yourself or others Depending on the size and weight of your optical tube assembly OTA you might want to solicit a friend or two to help lift and attach this component The Losmandy dovetail mounting brackets provide a stable mounting interface for most off the shelf OTAs Be sure to sufficiently tighten all mounting screws To limit the amount of stress placed on the right ascension gear teeth while attaching the OTA to the declination plate the right ascension axis should be rotated so that the counterweight bar is vertical as shown on the diagram Then estimate the amount of counterweight that is required and place it on the counterweight bar In this manner the out of balance system is in a static state and the gear teeth are not supporting the entire load of the counterweights Once the counterweights are in place the OTA can be attached Care should be
87. wnload this version from www bisque com download Once the encoder tics per revolution Tics Rev has been set click Save to Flash on the Setup tab to store the changes permanently in the Paramount s permanent flash memory Sensor Hour Angle HA and Sensor Declination Declination Note that declination values greater than 90 degrees indicate that the mount is on the opposite side This behavior is by design ALWAYS SYNCHRONIZE SYNC IN THE EAST THAT IS ON THE SAME SIDE THAT THE MOUNT HOMES Setting the Telescope Limits Reference Lines L Horizon Editor DECLIMIT HRZ Declination 4 UNS Coy General lines Telescope limit lines oS Savea 1 v i i Visible Constellation boundaries Cancel Ecliptic Edit Dec Limit Milky way Galactic equator Edit Alt Limit Description Ul Paste Equatorial lines Horizon based lines M Grid NE indicator Grid Local horizon fill C Spacing uto Wide gt Meridian Transparent Opaque M Local qp Lr Refracted Edit Local t P r 2n07 27240 280 320 359 Altitude Azimuth Figure 53 Setting Telescope Limits The Declination Limit Lines must be set to 90 degrees for the Paramount to function normally in the Southern Hemisphere Otherwise an exceeded slew limit warning is issued each time the mount is slewed Click View Reference Lines Edit Dec Limit to access this dialog box
88. y to achieve good pointing the polar misalignment terms provided by TPoint can be misleading Again using 20 or more stars distributed over at least half of the sky should provide good estimates of the actual polar alignment Using a Calibrated Video Screen Although the adjustments on the Paramount ME wedge provide a very accurate means of making adjustments to the polar axis there are advantages to watching a calibrated video monitor while making small adjustments less than 5 arcminutes page 38 Paramount User s Guide Adjusted properly you can actually make polar alignment adjustments to the ME without significantly loosening the locking knobs altitude or screws azimuth When using video feedback for making polar alignment adjustments pick a star near the celestial equator within an hour of the Meridian Paramount ME Initialization This section describes the steps necessary to initialize the Paramount ME on the first night of operation and on subsequent nights Tip Discussions related to TPoint modeling mount initialization parking etc might seem daunting at first However these steps are necessary to achieve consistent accurate pointing from night to night In turn accurate pointing allows enhanced functionality such as scripted operation and imaging without the burden of centering objects Remember if you wish to simply dead reckon for an evening without mapping simply start the telescope and go The Paramo

Paramount GT-1100 Robotic Telescope Mount

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