AstroHub User Guide
Contents
1. The 12V power input voltage is delivered to any focuser filter wheel or other device that uses 12V external power Be certain that if you power your AstroHub from mount power with this jumper that all of your peripherals can operate on that voltage Some mounts operate at 18V or more and therefore could damage a device designed to operate at 12V No internal regulation of this voltage is done except for internal use 5V so be sure your mount voltage is safe for your other devices Most of the AstroHub baseboard and some of the plug in circuitry operate from the USB VBUS power line While the current draw is very low some USB ports or hubs require an external power supply if any load is connected to them This jumper allows you to select the VBUS line or the internal 5V power supply generated from the 12V power input to power much of the internal circuitry If you find your USB port or hub will not adequately power the AstroHub you can either use an external supply to the upstream port hub or switch this jumper and use the internal 5V supply The later necessitates connection of the 12V external power input on the AstroHub Most mounts operate with communication parameters of 9600 Baud 8 data bits no parity and 1 stop bit 9600 8N1 There are some exceptions to this so provision is made for various sets of parameters Set these jumpers to match your mounts RS 232 Go To requirements Jumper positions are 9600 8N1 19200 GEI 9600 8E1 96002. plug ins to your preferences as well as allows for basic functional testing of the complete setup A full section is provided below outlining the operation of set up program Astro Hub OCxX As has been already described a COM class is provided which includes multiple interfaces to control and operate the AstroHub This is not required at all if you wish to operate your system with commercially available software Its use can significantly enhance the features available to you with your AstroHub but is optional The automation interfaces included in the COM object are Control Port Mount TelescopeStatus Guider Show Devices Utility Since the AstroHub has multiple embedded USB to serial adapters these can be installed at various COM ports as determined by the operating system See Appendix B for more information on how to exert more control over this process This ShowDevices utility is a quick way to see what AstroHub devices are installed and on what COM Port AstroHub exe A full function ASCOM hub based on the Plain Old Telescope Handset POTH by Jon Brewster is provided which utilizes the AstroHub mount interface to control power to the mount automatically or manually The power control is integrated with the Park Unpark facilities and can optionally power down the mount when it parks Software Installation Warning The hardware should NOT be connected prior to the software installation The software for the AstroHub is desig
3. Note astrohub exe exposes an additional property called Telescope PowerState that is the same as the Mount PowerState property and can be used with only the telescope hub and not the provided AstroHub automation mount interface and example script to toggle the mount power via the telescope hub is Dim x set t CreateObject AstroHub Telescope x t PowerState WSCript echo PowerState is currently CStr x if x then t PowerState FALSE else t PowerState TRUE set t Nothing Note that there is no underscore in AstroHub above This is because the astrohub exe ASCOM hub includes a telescope interface The astro _hub ocx software automation interface is named astro hub with the underscore to distinguish it from the hub interface Appendix A describes the multiple automation interfaces available that can be used in conjunction with ASCOM software or scripts Page 26 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Appendix A Automation Interfaces The automation interfaces for the AstroHub are included in the file astro _hub ocx which was installed and registered when the AstroHub software was installed The specification document for this is AstroHub Automation Interface pdf Click the link to open the document if viewing from a PDF file The above file is located in your AstroHub installation folder and on the installation CD Page 27 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Appendix B COM Port Reconfiguration When the As
4. can be used to write simple to very complex scripts to control you system operation and or included in application software of any type Linux users can utilize the detailed command protocol to do much of the same function at the serial command level An ASCOM telescope hub is provided which along with the freely available ASCOM platform can further extend the features available to you For example mount power control of the telescope can be automatically provided as part of Park and Unpark functions of all ASCOM telescope drivers Please read this user s manual and those provided for the plug ins available or shipped with your AstroHub There are many many features that you will want to acquaint yourself with and put into action as your system warrants Also a collection of Tips Techniques and other miscellaneous useful information will be maintained at the following link Please feel free to email Aquest Tech Support if you have any additional items you wish to contribute or for any help you may require in installing or using your AstroHub http www aquest inc com AstroHub astrohub_tips htm Updates or additional software as it becomes available may be freely downloaded from http www aquest inc com AstroHub downloads htm If you would like to be alerted to any AstroHub news the availability of new or updated software or the addition of information in the Tips and Techniques section please email us to be added to the email dis
5. general purpose RS 232 ports but have optionally useable special functions as well The Focuser port has an onboard PCFocus system capable of driving any motorized encoder based focuser e g JMI focusers Meade Microfocuser etc The PCFocus system can be utilized with any ASCOM supported software e g Maxim DL CCD or with the included FocusAide software package Since a PCFocus ASCOM driver is available this function is fully scriptable as are most functions of the AstroHub and can be driven with any commercially available or custom software supporting ASCOM The Mount port is also a fully functional RS 232 port and is designed to be a pass through to the mount from software such as TheSky SkyMap or any other software that can command telescope mount GoTo operations The AstroHub mount channel has a microprocessor which listens to serial communication between the PC and the mount and can process special commands assigned to it such as power control of the mount Despite most mounts operating at 9600 8 N 1 serial port parameters some mounts depart and operate at other speeds e g Takahashi Temma mounts operate at 19200 8 E 1 Provision for 4 different Baud rates and parity settings is included through the use of jumpers on the base board Also included in the base AstroHub is a full Guider interface capable of being driven by any application software with either classic guiding or timed pulse guiding The guider system can
6. registration except for FocusAide which is a full function version of the commercially available product and must be registered to use it past 15 days of the first use Registration codes are provided at no cost to AstroHub owners FocusAide will operate fully for 15 days to allow you time to contact your dealer to obtain a registration code We will require the information presented on the registration screen Registered To Name Product Code Use Choose Other and the serial number from the bottom of your AstroHub unit Simply start FocusAide click the Register button on any of the Settings Status tabs and enter the information A Product code will be generated for you You may copy and paste the information into the form at the Aquest web site by using the Copy to Clipboard button Be sure to provide a valid email address as the registration code will be emailed to you When you receive the registration code simply enter it in to the registration screen and press Enter or click OK Your software is now fully functional and the registration screen will no longer appear when the program starts up If you need to refer to the registered name or product code click the Register button on the Settings Status tabs AstroHub Hardware Setup All of the drivers and software required for operation of your AstroHub have been installed in the required place on your hard disk This includes all of the USB Plug and Play files Simply connecting the har
7. sel n c29 KR R39 SCH E A T SE ne E 1 Pei us dl J28 Kei R43 Zeg d tee le aa A Ke R 9 4 E Hi U2 cal Ril R13 IN D J5 at c3 ci 25 16 04 eee Ai ee Jos en s gt n D a el SE cL sk al e US R26 dE ms Xi ka Se a S 1 H R51 Se TT Je R27 H R48 el ag Pei L Ka u23 39 THE maian C38 c37 c46 Uae Je e Pn E E Copyright c 2004 Aquest In D2 Ba i i i i e e i J31 J13 J14 J15 Mount Comm Parameters Focuser Button Type Figure 1 J23 PCFocus Enable Page 9 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide AstroHub Base Board Jumpers Funcom Becton Selections Mount power relay contact configuration as either Normally Open NO or Normally Closed NC In the NO position the mount power is off if the AstroHub is off and NC allows to power to the mount to be on with the AstroHub off There is also a software setting to specify whether the AstroHub firmware starts with the relay energized or not With these two settings any power up situation can be configured to suit your needs AstroHub Power Source is a way to use the mount power input voltage as the source for the rest of the AstroHub instead of connecting two power cables to the AstroHub Normally 12V input power is used for the AstroHub but any voltage from 10V to 28VDC can be used This jumper simply connects the mount input power connector to the 12V input connector internal to your AstroHub Warning
8. to that every device found will cause a New Hardware Found box to appear and then another box will pop up requiring you to click Finish A fully loaded AstroHub potentially contains 10 USB devices so as many as 30 pop up boxes could appear You can eliminate 1 3 of the pop up warnings by stopping Windows 2000 or XP from warning you every time of an unsigned driver You can do this as follows Click Start Control Panel System Hardware Driver Signing and the following dialog should appear Disable driver signing by clicking Ignore and then clicking OK Page 12 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Driver Signing Options During hardware installation Windows might detect software that has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify its compatibility with Windows ell me why this testing is important What action do you wank Windows to take Ignore Install the software anyway and don t ask For my approval CH Warn Prompt me each time to choose an action Block Never install unsigned driver software Administrator option Make this action the system default You can return the setting to Warn or Block after the AstroHub installation is complete One last point before we proceed Windows will arbitrarily assign available COM ports to each device These may not be to your liking or at too high a number to be used in your current application software You can reassign COM ports using the Device Manager and th
9. various settings on the mount processor Setting the mount communication jumpers to match your mount s requirements is important and the results of the jumper setting are shown here Check this box to have the relay energize when the mount processor starts when the USB cable is plugged in or the PC is booted Operation is such that energized means power is connected to the mount if the contact jumper is set to Normally Open NO Jumpers on the AstroHub base board can be set so the mount power relay switches mount power on when the AstroHub is off NC or on only when the AstroHub is on NO This line tells you how the jumpers are set AstroHub Set Up and Control El AstroHub A gt Port COM Mount Power Relay Activated on Startup Je i Properties ak cude Processi Relay Contact Jumper Set For Normally Open NO z Port COMS o EE EE S V wv Power off mount in 18 minutes A Mount Power The automation interface for the Mount Processor Firmware Version 1 0 09 Sutomation Driver Version MI 30 86 mount has provision Properties f tti ei ilt i El Stepper Controller 1 Most telescope mounts operate at 9600 Baud 6 N 1 To accomodate Manually controls OF seting a puit in Bork COM23 those mounts that do not such as the Takahashi Temmat jumpers are mount power via the timer to power off Properties provided on the AstraHub base board For changing these settings power
10. 801 0 D Io o I o o o o o P H o 1 TI There is a special connector available for connecting an external button box to manually move the focuser when using the onboard PCFocus If you have a JMI focuser you may use the simple box provided with your focuser which supplies 9V to the focuser If these jumpers are set the opposite way you can use a simple button box with two buttons which close to ground A 3 5mm stereo audio connector is required in the latter case and a mono audio connector is supplied with the JMI button box Note provision for an external manually control for stepper motor based focusers is also provided See the Common Stepper Plug in manual for details PCFocus Enable Windows does strange things during the boot process which causes transient signals on the serial port lines during USB enumeration If this jumper were not provided a PCFocus connected focuser would move off the current focus position This jumper has three states one of which is the dynamic setting Here the PCFocus circuit is automatically enabled whenever PCFocus exe FocusAide exe or the PCFocus ASCOM driver is running The PCFocus circuit is disabled otherwise Note The onboard PCFocus circuit only requires the Focuser RS 232 port it is attached to when it is operating i e with any of the three programs listed above At other times the serial port can be used for any other purpose The dynamic setting makes the switch over automatic Jumper Sett
11. CCD is required The Aux Port card must be configured as a serial port card for these functions to work The serial port can be used for other things when a filter wheel is not being used as separate connectors are provided for the filter wheel s and the RS 232 port The only limitation is one imposed by Windows where only one program can open a specific serial port at one time Control Port The Control Port is a general purpose control card which includes the following 4 optically isolated inputs 4 optically isolated outputs SPDT relay contacts Persistent user accessible memory Digital voltage measurement of main and mount power inputs The 4 digital inputs are software readable either by external polling of scripts and software or internal polling by using the supplied COM class and associated control port automation interface This class is available in the supplied Astro Hub OCX which is fully described in Appendix A to this manual In addition the automation interface provides for an event which fires when any of the four input lines changes state Two of the inputs are additionally connected to the associated serial port CTS and DSR lines This allows application software to use operating system services to immediately be notified if one of these lines changing state A software automation level event is also provided This feature provides for notification of two of the four input lines changing state much more quickly than
12. Installation and User s Guide November 25 2004 Version 1 11 Copyright 2004 Aquest Inc All Rights Reserved Aquest Inc Boca Raton FL AstroHub User s Guide AstroHub is a Trademark of Aquest Inc FocusAide PCFocus and Plug and Guide are Trademarks of Aquest Inc AstroHub User s Guide TABLE OF CONTENTS Jh dee te WOU E 3 Feature Deet ae 4 Overall Architecture and Hackagmg 4 Base Unit EE 4 PPC Dn GE 9 KEREN ee 5 AUX P O EE 6 CONTOUR ON EE 6 DOMWAl OC ale ee GE 6 SoftWw re TVS CaN ANON EE 7 Be te de EE 8 ASTOR UD Hardware Set Aessen Nee 8 Setting Up he Bas e AstroHUD EE 9 JUMPER setings Ke e EE 10 HSAN PUGIN EE 11 USB Device Enumeration by VW mdowe 12 Connecting External e TEE 13 FRUAMING TAS Set Up Frog aMn a a Ooeeeh ate eee aad 14 Set Up Program SCreSN EE 14 SV SLOT C ONNE CON EE 19 Basic Operation of Your AstroHub cccccccceeeceeeseeesenecenecenecnesenssenssenesenesenesenesens 22 Software Automation and Scripting ccccceseceeeseeeeeeeeeeeseeecaneseneeseeeeeneseenesanessaes 25 USE WIC ASC OOM E 26 Appendix A Automation Interfaces ccccecceeeeeeeseeeceneceneceneeeneceeeceeseeesoeessneeees 27 Appendix B COM Port Reconfiguration ccccceceeeceneceneceeeceneceeeeeeeeeeeceeeenenens 28 Appendix C Connector PiIn Outs ccccccceceeeeeeeceneseneceneceneceneeeesenesenesenesoneseneaens 30 EE EE deed ee Ee 30 MISC FOr PIUG IN CORMECIO
13. M port devices Page 29 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Appendix C Connector Pin outs Port1 Port2 Plug in Connectors ie om RO Bn ce E Be Pin FW Devices Focuser Port Pin CD COIL1 _ GND___ COIL1 GND__ OUT 1 B ci co ee ea ee ce 3 TX out COW2 COIL1 COIL2 TEMP OUT3 3 DIR CO colt col2 5 ouT4a 4 D IoND LO oO 5M CONT UNI L 6 DSR DONE _ HOME Leo IN2 6 p7 RTS LLEDON GND CON2 IN3 7 8 CTS__ TEMP____ COIL2 COIL2 IN4 8 9 IR GND CoL2 GND 9 Misc Port Plug in Connector DB9 Stepper Control Port Note SW1 1 is switch 1 on plug in 1 Pin SW2 1 is switch 2 on plug in 1 NC 1 is the relay normally closed contact on plug in 1 SW1 1 etc 4 5 7 Filter Wheel Connector from Aux Port Plug in AstroHub Connector Telephone 1234 Handset Connector Page 30 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Guider Connector hoes 6 eet ve AstroHub Connector a Pin 123456 a AstroHub Common is auto switched GND ST 4 LX 200 compatible 5V Older Gemini compatible PCFocus Connector AstroHub RJ 11 PCFocus a Pin 123456 Encoder DSR 5V Encoder CTS Encoder CTS Power Connectors all TIP plus RING minus SIZE 2 1mm I D 5 5mm O D Page 31 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Appendix D Plug in Configurations Stepper Aux Port Plug in Configuration Plug in Configura
14. N EE ee 30 Filter Wheel Connector from Aux Port Hlug m 30 G ld r ele 6 e 31 PCR OCUS CONMGClO EE 31 POWER COMMECIOIS GIN eet sccecetabraca a econ E 31 Appendix D Plug in Configurations ccccccceseeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeseeseeeeseeneeenesseseenenes 32 AstroHub User s Guide Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the revolutionary AstroHub The AstroHub will significantly improve the reliability of your astronomy system while greatly reducing system cabling eliminating multiple adapters and control units and generally simplifying the overall system With the AstroHub and available plug ins your current suite of software will function as it always did since the overriding AstroHub design requirement was compatibility with all existing software and popular astronomy and imaging hardware products A single USB cable from your computer to the AstroHub and direct short cables from it to all of the elements of your astronomy system is all you need Your current cables will generally work but shorter ones will be better Most products with some form of hand box or control unit can be operated without the provided control unit as all of these functions are part of the AstroHub system While any software currently available can be used with the AstroHub additional function and features are available through additional software provided with your AstroHub A Windows COM Component Object Model object is provided which
15. PWR IN 2 1mm I D Ca O D by the AstroHub will internally connect this connector to the MAIN tir ai PWR connector to save a power cable Note the p caution about AstroHub powered devices MOUNT RS 232 DB9M Full RS 232 serial port with a Useable for any serial port function but typically microprocessor connected for connected to the telescope mount s RS 232 input for additional mount control function control such as Go To MOUNT PWR OUT Switched version of the MOUNT The internal mount power relay is rated at 23mm 12 PWR IN ine Pawer Max Switching Voltage 250VAC 220VDC Max Switching Current 5A tip Max Carrying Current 2A 30VDC 3A 20VDC Expected Mechanical Life Approx 100 million operations Page 20 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide PORTI en GUIDER AUX USB FILT WHL MISC PORT PORT 2 em d 7 N S E W eem em NTE gt P e Tee ee Ea a ess ETS Bes SC CTT Connector Indicator Type Type Function Comments PORT 1 DB9F E socket 1 output including See Appendix C and Kecer e plug in RS 232 if Aux Port plug in is used documentation and configured as a RS 232 port TT NSEW Colored indicators denoting when a LEDs will be illuminated during pulsing of the mount auto guider move has been specific auto guide direction commanded RJ 11 6 Ra OUT Plug and Guide connector where Pin out is the same as an SBIG camera auto guiding no relay box or opto isolator box is outp
16. ability to become these devices control units RoboFocus Focuser including temperature compensation True Technology Filter Wheel Finger Lakes Instruments Focusers and Filter Wheels Optec Focuser The device type is determined by jumpers on the plug in and direct the resident firmware to execute so as to accomplish the required function New devices can easily be added by additional firmware module development The new firmware can be flashed into the microprocessor by using the USB cable connected to the AstroHub The compatibility of the emulation is designed to be 100 so the device s native control program can be used as well as any commercially available or personally developed software Existing scripts using standard drivers e g ASCOM will also work unmodified For example The RoboFocus Control Program RFCP will work unmodified Page 5 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Aux Port The Aux Port plug in can be used to provide either an additional USB 2 0 downstream port or an additional RS 232 port Jumpers on the card select between USB or RS 232 outputs Connectors on the base board provide the output means for either port Note that if the AstroHub is connected to a USB 1 1 upstream host the USB outputs from the AstroHub will be USB 1 1 In addition a special output connector is provided for driving SBIG and Homeyer filter wheels used without a camera Software capable of driving this output e g Maxim DL
17. automatically sense an active low e g ST 4 interface or an active high e g older Gemini mounts connected to it and simply guide with no relay or opto isolator boxes through our Plug and Guide technology The AstroHub includes four colored guide direction LEDs which illuminate while any guiding action is in process Connectors on the base board as well as connected to plug ins are of the same type and gender as the devices they are replacing or emulating For example the Focuser port consists of 3 connectors A DB9M for the standard RS 232 output a RJ 11 6 for direct connection to a JMI Page 4 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide DRO Encoder or Aquest PCFocus LX for user with the Meade Microfocuser and a 3 5mm stereo audio connector for attaching a 9V or ground closure button box for manually moving the focuser are included To accomplish the goal of a single cable from the PC to the AstroHub and a series of short direct run cables from the AstroHub outputs to the scope cameras and astronomy system components a set of plug in cards have been developed To eliminate the need for the multitude of control boxes for devices such as focuser filter wheels etc these functions are performed by microprocessors on the plug in cards and replace the control boxes completely For example if the Common Stepper plug in is configured through its jumpers to be a RoboFocus controller it totally performs this function including the te
18. ay box or other guide unit such as the STAR2000 These units interpret the bits differently as show in the table Your AstroHub can be set to emulate any of these protocols and the setting is saved in the guide processor s persistent memory Warning The Direction Test and Pulse Test controls will move your mount if it is connected The Direction Test controls are used to learn which direction the mount will move for a specific input from the guide software into the AstroHub The pin outs and polarities of the AstroHub Guider were carefully designed to allow you to simply unplug your current guider and plug the AstroHub in its place and not have to make any settings changes in your guide software There is great confusion in the terminology polarity and even connector pin outs in the industry so you should verify that the settings in your guide software are still valid in terms of directions and even swapping the X and Y axis The Pulse Test is similar in terms of moving the mount You can Arm a direction by checking the Arm box and clicking a direction Then change the pulse duration uncheck the Arm box and click another direction Both directions will start pulsing at the exact same time when the second direction button is clicked and end at different times The guider LEDs on the AstroHub unit will flash accordingly Some application software takes advantage of a feature such as this to make a diagonal move Of course if you click opposing d
19. c oeoo a a Function Comments FOCUSER CTL 3 5mm Attach a button box oo manually The button box can be either as supplied with JMI audio moving the focuser using the focusers supplies 9V using a mono audio PCFocus Controller connector or a box with two buttons that connect to ground using a stereo audio connector Set base board jumpers accordingly is not connected to the serial port GU software PCFocus E the FocusAide installation folder USB PWR Indicates the hub controller has Shows either VBUS or VCC downstream power applied power to downstream USB status Te e ke enumerated and is active monitor USB IN USB B Connection to a host PC USB 2 0 If connected to a low or full speed USB 1 1 upstream high speed USB port port the hub controller with down speed to match the speed as will all downstream ports USB OUT USB A Two full function USB 2 0 high 12V or mount power must be connected DUAL speed ports MAIN PWR Nominal 12V input power for Allowable voltage range 10V to 28V running all functions in the Note this voltage is directly fed to non USB devices AstroHub not powered from USB powered by the AstroHub such as focusers filter power from the host wheels etc f other than 12V is used consult with the device manufacturer on allowable voltage for powering the attached device Input power to be switch controlled An internal jumper is provided in the AstroHub which 2 1mm I D 5 5mm O D Power tip MOUNT
20. circuit board on both sides Right above them and at the edge of the card are 2x5 header connectors where the ribbon cables go Here is a drawing to see where things are Rigid Connectors R32 R26 R ar c3s seg E E k A3 Ji D Es E GND E R40 r2 ul Pe U23 39 2 ea EE C37 C39 c46 SE R38 Lar Fe 5 rs LJ Hi N F5 L Copymight c 2004 Aquest Inc O Eer E Se E A A PORT 2 u15 TDL N JEA ea AEN l Ribbon Cable Connectors Page 11 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide The Port 1 external connector and part of the Misc Port connector are associated with Plug in 1 and Port 2 and the rest of the Misc Port connector are for Plug in 2 To begin the installation plug the ribbon cable into the base board connector so the cable is pointing toward the center of the board and the unplugged ribbon cable connector is pointing up Determine which ribbon connector on the plug in that you need to use from the information provided with the plug in Some plug ins only have one ribbon cable connector and others have multiple ones Position the plug in card over the rigid connectors to see how they will align and with the card in this orientation plug the free end of the ribbon cable into the plug in card in the appropriate connector A nylon spacer and 1 long screw were provided with your plug in These can be used to mechanically secure the plug in card to the base if des
21. dware will begin the driver installation process which should proceed automatically except for acceptance of certain steps by you as the installation proceeds Please complete reading this section of the manual before connecting your hardware to ensure a smooth trouble free installation Your AstroHub is a complex device and much work has gone into assuring that installation and setup will run cleanly It is important to follow the installation procedure exactly There are five steps to installing and setting up the hardware Setting up the AstroHub base board jumpers to your preferences Installing Plug ins Initial USB device enumeration by Windows Connecting external power Running the Set Up program to complete setup and perform tests to assure full function he Ne Page 8 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Setting up the Base AstroHub Jumpers are provided in six locations on the base board to allow the AstroHub to be configured exactly as you desire Each location is imprinted on the printed circuit board with a Jxx label and text describing the function and in most cases what each position means Some locations do not have the full nomenclature due to space limitations All of this is summarized in Table 1 below Figure 1 shows the locations of the jumpers J30 J3 J25 Relay Contacts Input Power Source Downstream 5V Jii D R30 R31 GI nz U19 U21 P D I C22 C24 S R29 u20 C26 due SES E bel Cc a Be u16 x5 d R23
22. e custom software or custom scripts Scripting with the AstroHub can bring significant function to your system operation using the AstroHub automation module provided Some example scripts were installed in the AstroHub installation folder Here is an example of how to toggle the relay on the control port Set co CreateOb7ece ASERO EE ee cp OpenPort the port number goes here if cp Relay then cp Relay FALSE else cp Relay TRUE cp ClosePort set cp Nothing You can find this and the following scripts as samples in the AstroHub folder or you can copy and paste the above text into Notepad and save the file as relay vbs on your desktop Use the ShowDevices utility to determine what COM port your control port is on and insert that number in the co OpenPort command above Double click the relay vbs file icon to run the script If you have a control port card and the USB cable is connected to you AstroHub you should hear the relay click each time the script is run You can do a similar thing with the mount power control relay using a property of the mount interface called PowerState PowerState takes into consideration the jumper settings you made for the mount power relay contacts and physically connects or disconnects power to the mount Here it would be handy to have two scripts one to apply power to the mount and one to turn it off Note that the Mount and Guider interfaces have auto open functions which will determine the correct COM p
23. e AstroHub as the rest would be part of the mount OTA assembly Use 3M Dual Lock Velcro or other method to make the attachment When the AstroHub is connected to a PC and 12V or mount power is applied it appears to all of your existing software as it did without the AstroHub For the most part this means a set of COM ports or USB ports The result is that using your AstroHub is transparent to what you did when you operated your system in the past You do need to tell your application software what ports the various devices are on A utility called ShowDevices will summarize this information for you and even let you copy the information and print it Just connect the AstroHub and run the program Here is a sample output AstroHub Devices Refresh Copy Almost all of the special control boxes you are currently using can be eliminated Examples of what can be eliminated are the RoboFocus control unit the True Tech Filter wheel controller any FLI in line box etc If you are using a parallel port CCD camera you will have to connect this directly bypassing the AstroHub as parallel port devices are not supported Use of a Starlight Xpress camera with external USB box is accomplished by connecting the USB box to one of the downstream USB ports on the AstroHub and the other cable from the USB box to the camera Page 22 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Here is a typical system without an AstroHub SXV H9 Imaging PC Se Came
24. e drivers supplied with your AstroHub and reinstall all the software and hardware drivers or you can clean up the COM port assignments before you start and have Windows assign your AstroHub ports to low number COM ports See the Appendix B dealing with this subject for details So NOW we are finally ready There is no need to connect any astronomy devices to the AstroHub with plug ins installed nor is external 12V power required The full hardware installation can be done by simply plugging the upstream USB cable into your AstroHub Once you do this one by one Windows will discover each new device and pop up a New Hardware Found dialog Whenever a New Hardware Found dialog appears click the option to find the installation files automatically At this point if you did not disable signed driver checking you will be warned that the software is not certified by Microsoft despite it already being installed or in the case of the main internal USB hub a Microsoft supplied driver Click OK and continue After a short time another dialog will appear telling you the device has been installed click Finish Do this for each device until Windows has completed the installation Note In Windows 98 the installation will proceed with no intervention as Windows 98 isn t a secure operating system and all of these checks are not included by Microsoft Note that many of the AstroHub embedded devices will install twice once as a USB Controlle
25. ge for that device Each of these pages is shown below including information about the plug in pages The AstroHub base board contains the Mount Guider and Focuser controllers The following screen shots show the Properties pages for these controllers The set up program main screen is shown below Each port is listed and communications with that port automatically established Both plug in sockets are queried to determine which plug in is installed If all the LEDs are green you may proceed to each subsequent port or plug in to set it up and test it Page 14 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Device Tree Device list with COM Port shown fully connection status expanded AstroHub Set Up and Control E AstroHub e Mount R5 252 AstroHub Port COMLE Properties Devices E Guide Processor Serial Port Pork COM Mount RS 232 coma B M Guide P omiz mi H Focuser RS 232 uide Processor Port COML FocuserfRs 232 comi7 if Properties Control Port 1 COMIS gy Control Port 1 KR H T Stepper Controller 2 comz M Port COMLS PI e ith d i El Stepper Controller 2 configuration o gt Port COMZ2 Plug ins 1 Control Port 1 Control Pork z Stepper Controller 2 RoboFocus Controller Refresh Close About Page 15 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Click the Mount Properties entry in the Device Tree to proceed The Mount Control panel can be used to manually control the mount power as well as set up
26. in a polling environment Outputs can be statically set via software or script or accurately pulsed from 10ms to 9999ms Pulsing can arm certain outputs to be fired on another event or fired immediately All pulsed outputs fire an event when the pulse time as elapsed A fifth virtual output is provided for general use for accurate delays in software or any other use desired The Control Port also provides for user accessible persistent memory useable from scripts and application software There are 32 Words 2 bytes and 32 Longs 4 bytes available for any use and will retain values indefinitely when the power to the AstroHub is off The main 12V input voltage as well as the mount power if connected are continuously measured and the results provided to scripts and application software requesting this information Software Support The AstroHub is provided with a complete installation program that installs all required software and optionally installs several other software packages as described below The installer installs documentation such as this manual a setup and control program the AstroHub software automation interface registry settings and all hardware drivers required for Page 6 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide USB enumeration and operation The software should be fully installed before the AstroHub is connected to the PC set Up Program A full function set up program is provided which configures the AstroHub and
27. ings Table 1 Page 10 of 33 12V Input Mount Input USB VBUS Internal 5V 9600 ON 19200 8E1 9600 8E1 9600 801 3 jumpers set 9V Ground Closure Off Dynamic Always On Factory Default NO NO NC 12V Input USB VBUS 9600 ON AstroHub User s Guide Installing Plug ins AstroHub plug ins are very easy to configure and install Some plug ins have jumpers that need to be set and all require that the supplied ribbon cable be properly connected Consult Appendix D of this manual or the back of the card that came with your plug in s to see the connector and jumper configuration options You should set the jumpers on your plug ins to the configuration you wish and determine which ribbon cable connector you will use before proceeding with the plug in installation All plug ins are installed the same way in terms of connection to the base board There are two rigid connectors and a ribbon cable used to make these connections It makes no difference which base board socket you insert a plug in into as the plug ins report their position and type to the internal firmware and setup program when it runs For reference if you view the base board with the USB IN connector up or away from you the left side of the AstroHub unit is where Plug in 1 is and Plug in 2 is on the right Also viewing the base board as above you will note there are DB9F connectors at the bottom of the board near the side of the printed
28. irections the action will be nullified Page 17 of 33 Guider Panel AstroHub User s Guide AstroHub Set Up and Control El 4stroHub Mount RS5 232 Port COM18 Properties Guide Processor Port COM12 Properties E Focuser R5 232 Bork COM17 Properties E Control Port 1 Port COM19 Properties E Stepper Controller 2 Port COM22 Properties Collapse Focuser Panel AstroHub Set Up and Control El 4stroHub Mount RS 232 Bork COMIS Properties Guide Processor Dot COM12 Properties Er Focuser R5 232 be Port COMI fee Properties E Stepper Controller 1 Dot COM21 Properties Control Port 2 Port COM20 Properties Collapse Refresh Refresh Guide Processor Guide Processor Firmware version w1 0 07 ASCOM Driver version Y1 1 0 21 guider Type Gemini uider Protocol Ce Starlight press Cookbook Direct rection Test ulse Test N Stop rm ony WW Stop All E S Stop 5 1000 Ki E Stop Cycle gt 50 Ki w Stop Pulse Time ms ms Del Focuser There are no computer readable settings For the Focuser port which is essentially an RS 232 output a focuser or other device can be attached to 4 Pl Focusttmn controller is part of the base AstroHub and can be used with this port The R5 232 port can be used For any purpose and shared with the onboard PCFocus but two applications cannot open the same serial port in Windows a
29. ired There is plenty of retention in the rigid connectors so this isn t mandatory but you can assemble it this way if you choose To do it remove one of the screws that are holding the printed circuit board into the base unit enclosure Position the nylon spacer over the hole and plug the plug in card into the base board trapping the spacer between them Insert the 1 long screw through the plug in and spacer and tighten it gently so as to not strip the plastic bosses in the enclosure Whether or not the screw and spacer are used assure that the two main connectors on the plug in card properly mate with the connectors on the base board Also assure the ribbon cable is neatly folded over as required and not pinched against any component or connector USB Device Enumeration by Windows Windows has a system called Plug and Play that detects any device attached to the computer and automatically installs and runs any software required for the device Some people refer to this as Plug and Pray as it is prone to problems We have gone to great lengths to provide accurate install files and drivers so this process will be trouble free When you plug the USB cable into your AstroHub Plug and Play will install multiple devices The drivers for these are not Microsoft Certified but are nonetheless perfectly safe and reliable Unfortunately Microsoft has programmed the operating systems to pop up a message box on every device that installs In addition
30. many cases the COM port you wish to use is already in use and may be used by a device that was previously installed and no longer used or could be used at a high COM port number Note that in use does not mean that the COM port is open it means the number was allocated to another device that may or may not be installed at the time A good example is a USB to serial adapter that is not connected now but when it is connected will assume the COM port allocated to it Page 28 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Com Port number assignments are stored in this registry key for other than Windows 98 HKEY_ LOCAL _MACHINE SYSTEM CurrentControlSet Control COM Name Arbiter in a binary value called ComDB Deleting the ComDB entry will reset all allocated COM PORT numbers Prior to deleting the ComDB value you should connect your AstroHub and go to Device Manager and uninstall every Aquest entry in the Ports section Do this by right clicking and selecting Uninstall Disconnect the AstroHub Then plug your USB to serial adapters in and uninstall them in the Device manager as well If there are any other USB or other pluggable devices that install as COM ports you should attach them and uninstall them as well Now delete the ComDB value Reconnect the AstroHub and it will go through enumeration and installation process using the lowest COM port numbers available You can adjust port assignments as described above but do it before you reinstall and other CO
31. mperature reporting function and completely emulates the RoboFocus supplied control unit so it is no longer needed Plug ins There are currently three plug in cards available for the AstroHub More will be developed as new functions or devices are introduced into the market Two plug in sockets are provided on the AstroHub base board allowing any combination of up to two plug ins to be installed This includes two plug ins of the same type Each plug in is the same size and plugs into the base board on two rigid connectors and one ribbon cable The ribbon cable is used to change the pin out on the base board output connector such that the device being emulated can use the same cable as was used with the provided but now unused device control box For example if the Common Stepper plug in is configured as a True Technology filter wheel controller the ribbon cable would be installed so the associated AstroHub output connector appeared the same as the connector on the True Technology control unit As is the case of the Mount and Guider microprocessors on the base board all microprocessor based plug in cards have firmware that may be re flashed by users or dealers to allow for rapid updates or increased function This is done through the single USB cable from the host PC using a utility program and flash memory data file The available plug in cards and a brief description of each follow Common Stepper This microprocessor based card has the
32. ned to run under Windows 98SE 2000 and XP The computer to be connected to the AstroHub requires at least one USB port The USB port can be either USB 2 0 or USB 1 1 and the AstroHub will operate at whatever speed the upstream port runs at During the software installation ASCOM software may be installed with your permission which will enhance the use of your AstroHub It is recommended that install at least the runtime portion of the ASCOM Platform if it is not already installed on your system If you already have ASCOM installed you will not be asked to re install it and only the PCFocus ASCOM driver will be updated and the AstroHub telescope hub installed In addition FocusAide and PCFocus are provided at no charge to AstroHub users If the installation program finds an existing installation of FocusAide it will update required portions without changing any of your settings If FocusAide is not installed it will be and you will need to register the software with your dealer to use it beyond the 15 day trial period Details of this are explained below Page 7 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide To install software Insert the AstroHub CD in the CD ROM or DVD ROM drive Click Start Click Run Type lt drive letter gt Setup and press Enter where lt drive letter gt is the letter of your CD ROM or DVD ROM drive Follow on screen directions SWANS on Registration None of the software provided with your AstroHub requires
33. ort 1 o oltages Inputs a Ge Se Raw Vin 11 64 ab ab a a gt b Properties i Mount vm 11 64 4 a 3 1 Stepper Controller 2 Port COMZ2 RE Location b EJ Get Set Zero An a Rela Word 12345 Y Location he 4 Get set Zero all Relay ON Long p87654321 emoary Collapse Refresh The Stepper plug in panel not shown will request additional information if the plug in in configured to drive a Finger Lakes Instrumentation device and that is whether the connected device is a focuser or filter wheel and if the latter how many filter positions Some basic test function is also provided for this case At this point your AstroHub is fully set up and can be connected to you astronomy set up The next section describes how to do that System Connection As you can see the sides of the AstroHub are full of connectors and indicators The function of each connector on the AstroHub is printed on the end panel You can connect the existing cables you are using or obtain short cables with the same pin outs and connector types Most cables are standard cables that are readily available unless the manufacturer of the device you are connecting the AstroHub to used a special proprietary cable Page 19 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide The end panels of your AstroHub are shown below with a short description what the connector is cabled to in your system See Appendix C on connector pin outs for details on specific connectors Fo
34. ort and open it Create a file called MountON vbs like this set Mount Cr eateob lect Astro Rub Mount mount AutoOpenBlind mount PowerState TRUE mount ClosePort set mount Nothing The corresponding file MountOFF vbs for turning the power off is Set mount CreateOb ect Astro fub Mount mount AutoOpenBlind mount PowerState FALSE mount ClosePort set mount Nothing Consult Appendix A for a detailed listing of all interfaces and their associated properties methods and events Page 25 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Use with ASCOM While the AstroHub works with any commercial software including any that does not support ASCOM some of the advanced features are only available in an ASCOM environment For example ASCOM Telescope drivers have methods to Park and Unpark the telescope mount With the AstroHub hardware and the supplied ASCOM telescope hub astrohub exe you can optionally have the mount power turned on or off automatically when the scope is Unparked or Parked respectively You must use astrohub exe as the telescope hub for this function to work As commercial software that implement an ASCOM telescope hub such as Astronomer s Control Panel or Maxim DL MaxPoint incorporate the features that are in astrohub exe the need to use astrohub exe as the main telescope hub will be eliminated Until then your setup will effectively have two telescope hubs since astrohub exe is required
35. r and then again as a COM Port They can all be viewed in the Windows Device Manager or by using the supplied utility ShowDevices exe This utility can be used to set up all your astronomy application software that requires a COM port for the specific device being attached to You can print a copy of all the ports or simply use the on screen display of them See the Using the Software section of this manual for details Connecting External Power It is now time to connect external power to the AstroHub and finish the setup Some of the functions of your AstroHub run entirely on USB power in which case external power is not required The following list of functions require external 10V to 28V input power If you are not using any of these functions external 12V power is not required Note the warning above about using an external 12V power input that is greater than 12V if AstroHub powered devices such as focuser or filter wheels are being used Consult the device manufacturer for allowable voltages Page 13 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Functions requiring external power Downstream USB ports base board or Aux Port USB ports PCFocus Mount Power switching Common Stepper Plug in Aux Port Plug in if using the filter wheel pulsed output All other functions operate from USB bus power and no external input power is required Running the Set Up Program You must run the supplied setup program AHSetUp exe to complete the set up and pe
36. ra USB PORT MX5 Starlight Guider Camera e USB USB HUB Unit TELESCOPE MOUNT RS 232 Go To Relay Box or STAR2000 Auto Guide Input U2S PCFocus JMI Focuser U2S RoboFocus Controller RoboFocus Mechanism SCT Focus knob U2S True Tech FW EE True Tech FW Mechanism U2S USB to Serial Adapter Page 23 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Here is the same system with an AstroHub PC SXV H9 Imaging Camera Ma Starlight Guider Camera USB AstroHub Unit TELESCOPE MOUNT RS 232 Go To Auto Guide Input JMI Focuser RoboFocus Mechanism SCT Focus knob True Tech FW Mechanism Page 24 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Software Automation and Scripting Your AstroHub comes with a powerful software module which is a COM Microsoft Component Object Model object with multiple interfaces There is an interface for the Mount Guider Control Port s and Telescope Status The details of all of the properties and methods are shown in the Appendix A Use of the interfaces is called automation and can be a part of application software or scripts Application software developers are including native AstroHub support into their commercially available software to further take advantage of the enhanced features in the AstroHub Without the use of the automation interface your AstroHub is still fully compatible with all software available whether it is commercially available softwar
37. relay that you the mount in any E Au Pork 2 Consult the User s Manual For instructions on how to set these jumpers can hear clicking as j H Port CORZ4 and enter the data below by placing a a dot by clicking in the positions 8 i msb lsb employed here or in a simple script yt 10 2 19200 8 1 fe BAUD RATE Collapse Refresh Close About Mount communication parameters jumper settings found by the set up program Assure the jumpers are set to match your mount Change them here if you change them on the base board Page 16 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide The Guider settings are made using the panel below The Guider Type will be correctly shown only if a ground connection exists between the mount and the AstroHub This will always be the case if mount power is switched through the AstroHub or an RS 232 connection is made from the AstroHub to the mount The guiding outputs will be automatically switched to whichever type of mount is connected and this panel shows what type it is for information only All guiding software sends bytes of information to the guider to pulse the auto guider input on the mount The bit configuration is 0 0 0 0 b3 b2 bt bo where different software assigns different guide directions to the bits as follows Cookbook Starlight Xpress Noth bB P Eat 0 West MI bO O Default b3 b2 bi This is not related to the CCD camera in use but the rel
38. rform tests to assure everything is functioning This program will automatically determine which COM Port each device is on and open each port to assure communication can be established For every device found an entry in the left window will be created showing the device COM port and allow selections of the Properties for each device Clicking the top level AstroHub entry and any of the Properties selections will bring up a separate panel with settings and tests for that device An example of each panel and explanation of each control on the panel follows The setup program will make entries in your system registry to record information other software needs This as well as most functions of the setup program is automatically performed for you To run the setup program 1 Click Start 2 Select Programs 3 Select AstroHub 4 Click AstroHub Set Up set Up Program Screens When the setup program starts it determines which devices are present in the AstroHub and connects to each one to assure communication can be established Errors or attempts to correct the situation will be displayed if any problems are encountered The green LEDs indicate successful communication The program opens to the main screen shown here You can cause the program to start with the device tree fully expanded by adding the word expand after the program name in the Windows shortcut Clicking the Properties entry on any device will display the set up and test pa
39. t the same time One jumper setting is available on the AstroHub base circuit board It has three positions to control how PCFocus is enabled These positions are 1 Always Disabled 2 Always Enabled 21 Dynamically Enabled Factory position The PCFocus circuitry is dynamically enabled whenever the DC Focus utility program Focus4ideftrn or the ASCOM PCFocus driver are running and is the recommended position if the serial port is to be used For other purposes Close Page 18 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide The Control Port has no settings to make The Control Port panel below contains controls to test the entire Control Port plug in If two Control Ports are available in a single AstroHub two of these panels will be displayed Note that the Raw Vin 12V input as well as the Mount Vin voltages are continually measured and made available These values can be read by scripts or application software by use of the AstroHub automation software or via serial commands AstroHub Set Up and Control Seles flee AstroHub E MauntiRS 232 2 Fort COMI There are no persistent settings For the Control Port ee Properties This panel is For testing the LO and memory H Guide Processor Functions of the Control Port H Port COMLZ Information Properties E Driver vi 1 0 21 utputs a Focuser R5 232 Processor Control Processor E TI IC 2 1 Control Port 7 Part COM17 Firmware VIE Froperties Socket 1 El Control P
40. tion Ribbon Connectors Ribbon Connectors J11 Enable for SBIG or Homeyer Wheels O H O Disable Enable RoboFocus 12 RS 232 B FW Focuser Focuser EE 0 0 oo Ribbon Connectors RS 232 J2 RoboFocus J4 True Tech Filter Wheel Ribb n Connectors J6 Optec Focuser i J7 FLI Focuser of Filter Wheels J1 Aux Serial USB Connector Page 32 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Control Port Plug in Configuration Ribbon Connector s C Ribbon Connector J9 Control Port Connector Page 33 of 33
41. tribution list Of course we will only use your address for this purpose and you can request to be removed from the list at any time Thank you purchasing our products Enjoy them Note Please install the AstroHub software prior to connecting the AstroHub to your computer Page 3 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Feature Description It is useful to understand the basic features and operation of the AstroHub prior to software and hardware installation Here is a brief description Detailed setup and usage information will be given later in this manual Overall Architecture and Packaging The AstroHub consists of a compact unit housing a base board and up to two plug in cards Most of the system is powered from the upstream USB host An external power input can be supplied for providing power to downstream USB ports or other peripheral devices such as focusers or filter wheels Manual or automatic on Park or Unpark mount power switching is provided and the mount power can optionally be used as the external power supply thus saving another cable See the Power section below for more information The base board houses a 7 port USB 2 0 USB 1 1 compatible hub This is connected via a standard USB cable to the host PC Base Unit Features Two downstream USB 2 0 ports are available for use with CCD cameras or any other USB device including a USB Hub The base unit provides a Focuser RS 232 port and a Mount RS 232 port These ports are
42. troHub hardware was installed and appeared in the Windows Device Manager COM Port numbers were assigned by Windows that may be too high for existing software to deal with For example many Visual Basic programs can only support 16 COM ports The USB to serial adapters that are used in many places in the AstroHub have software drivers that can be used to change the COM Port number To do this you can Open the Device Manager expand the Ports section and make changes there Connect the AstroHub via USB to the PC All of the virtual COM ports will be displayed in the Device Manager with the COM port number shown For any port you wish to change right click on the port listing and select Properties Select the Port Settings tab and click the Advanced button A dialog will appear with a drop down box showing which COM ports you may use and which are already in use for another device Note that COM16 below is in use Advanced Settings for COM15 OF Cancel Select lower setting UM hance probleme at low baud rates Select higher settings for faster performance Defaults Receive Bytes 4096 Transmit Bytes 4096 EM Options Select lower settings to corect response problems Latency Timer Imsec E Miscellaneous Options Serial Enumerator Minimum Head Timeout msec fo Seral Printer Cancel lf Power OFf Mmmum Write Timeout msec fo Event On Surprise Removal Set ATS On Close TUTSI In
43. ut such that a straight thru modular cable to an required Functionally compatible LX 200 auto guider input would be used See with the Starlight Xpress Appendix C Will automatically switch polarity if STAR2000 connected to an ST 4 compatible input e g LX 200 or a active high interface e g older Gemini mounts AUX ess USB A Active if one or two Aux Port plug Coresvonding plug in socket numbers are shown DUAL ins are used and configured as full function USB 2 0 high speed ports ee WHL RJ 11 4 For direct connection i e no Telephone handset modular plug camera to an SBIG Optec or Homeyer filter wheel oe PORT DB9F Connector for buttons inputs for the See Appendix C and specific plug in Common Stepper plug in and relay documentation contacts of the Control Port plug in In addition 100ma of regulated Relay contacts are rated the same as the mount internal 5V and raw input 12V can power relay shown above be taken from this connector PORT 2 DB9F Plug in socket 2 output including See Appendix C and specific plug in RS 232 if Aux Port plug in is used documentation and configured as a RS 232 port Page 21 of 33 AstroHub User s Guide Basic Operation of Your AstroHub If you are using your AstroHub for imaging we recommend that you attach it to your OTA or mount such that it moves along with all of the relevant cables with the OTA and cable drag is greatly reduced All you would have is the USB cable to th
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