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Orion ATLAS EQ-G User's Manual

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1. Caldwell Complete list of all 109 Caldwell objects Double Stars Includes 55 of the best double stars to view Variable Stars Includes 20 of the most well known variable stars User Defined Up to 25 objects can be saved in the User Defined database see Using the User Defined Database Selecting an Object Once the telescope has been aligned you can access and view the variety of different objects in the GoTo hand control ler s database There are three methods of selecting a celes tial object to view 1 Shortcut Buttons TOUR Pressing this button takes you on a preset tour across the night sky The brightest and most beautiful deep sky objects will automatically be chosen by the hand controller for your viewing pleasure Use the scroll buttons to view the dif ferent deep sky objects that are available for viewing through the tour function Choose the desired object by pressing ENTER The LCD screen will display the coordinates of the chosen object Press ENTER again and the hand controller will ask View Object Press ENTER once more to have the telescope slew to the object M NGC IC These shortcut buttons give you direct access to the most popular celestial catalogs Use the numeric buttons to select an object by entering its catalog number Pressing ENTER will display its coordinate Primary information such as size magnitude and constellation are obtained by press ing the scroll buttons Press EN
2. The pin outs on the 6 pin modular jack are SBIG compatible and can be used with most autoguiders available Refer to Figure 15 when connecting the autoguider cable to the mount and calibrating the autoguider Autoguiding speed can be adjusted using the Auto Guide Speed function in the Setup Menu 1 NC 2 Ground 3 RA left 4 DEC up 5 DEC down RA right O ll 654321 Figure 15 Pin diagram for the Atlas EQ G autoguider jack Updating the GoTo Hand Controller s Firmware From version 3 0 and up the GoTo hand controller s firmware can be updated over the internet Users can download firm ware updates from Orion s website www OrionTelescopes com System Requirements GoTo hand controller version 3 0 or greater Windows95 or later 17 An available RS 232 COM port on the PC Computer interface cable supplied DC power supply 7 5V to 15V 100mA or greater output with 2 1mm tip positive plug Preparing the Computer for the Update 1 Create a folder where you will store the files necessary for the update 2 Go to the website www OrionTelescopes com and access the support page for the Atlas EQ G mount 3 Download and save the Firmware Loader program to the folder you have created on your computer You will need to download this program only once after it is saved on your computer only the firmware data file is needed for future updates 4 Download and save the firmware u
3. 2 Manually point or electronically slew the telescope mount ed on the Atlas EQ G to a star with a small value Dec coordinate Dec between 10 and 10 This object will be used as the guide star 3 Activate Sidereal Tracking from the Setup menu see Setup Functions Once tracking has initiated press ESC to return to the Setup menu 4 Rotate the reticle eyepiece in the focuser or diagonal until the R A movement of the star becomes parallel to one of the illuminated crosshairs 5 Move the guide star designated in step 2 to the center of the eyepiece field of view using the direction buttons 6 On the hand controller select PEC Training in the Utility Functions and press ENTER Note Utility Functions can be accessed by pressing the UTILITY quick rererence button on the hand controller 7 Select the R A guide speed for the PEC Training You have two guide speed choices 1 0 25X and 2 0 5X Press the numeric button 1 to choose a guide speed of 1 25X or press 2 to choose a guide speed of 1 5X 8 The Atlas EQ G hand controller will display the current time once the guide speed has been selected indicating the recording has begun 9 Using the left or right direction button only move the tele scope so the guide star remains centered in the eyepiece field of view Figure 21 Repeat as necessary The Atlas EQ G hand controller will record the manual guid ing actions for 8 minutes in order to
4. axes To point the scope overhead first loosen the R A lock lever and rotate the tele scope on the right ascension axis until the counterweight shaft is horizontal parallel to the ground Then loosen the Dec lock lever and rotate the telescope until it is pointing straight over head The counterweight shaft is still horizontal Then retighten both lock levers i Figure 9a d These illustrations show the telescope pointed in the four cardinal directions a north b south c east d west Note that the tripod and mount have not been moved only the telescope has been moved on the its R A and Dec axes What if you need to aim the telescope directly north but at an object that is nearer to the horizon than Polaris You can t do it with the counterweights down as pictured in Figure 1 Again you have to rotate the scope in right ascension so that the counterweight shaft is positioned horizontally Then rotate the scope in declination so it points to where you want it near the horizon To point the telescope directly south the counterweight shaft should again be horizontal Then you simply rotate the scope on the declination axis until it points in the south direction To point the telescope to the east or west or in other directions you rotate the telescope on its right ascension and declina tion axes Depending on the altitude of the object you want to observe the counterweight shaft will be oriented somewhere betwe
5. backlash between the gears The default value for the backlash compensation is 0 10 0 0 degrees 10 arcminutes O arc seconds Use the numeric pushbuttons to enter the desired backlash compensation value First set the value for R A back lash compensation then press ENTER to set the value for DEC Press ENTER again to return to the Setup Menu Note Backlash compensation is only active for computerized slewing not for manual slewing with the directional buttons Sidereal Rate Activates tracking at sidereal rate This is the default tracking rate Lunar Rate Activates tracking at lunar rate Solar Rate Activates tracking at solar rate PEC Sidereal Activates sidereal rate tracking with Periodic Error Correction Stop Tracking Stops tracking Warning Never look directly at the Sun through your tele scope or its finder scope even for an instant without a professionally made solar filter that completely covers the front aperture of the instrument or permanent eye dam age could result Young children should use this telescope only with adult supervision Auto Guide Speed When using an autoguider this sets the guiding speed to 1 125x 1 25X 1 5X 1 75X or 2X sidereal rate Using the User Defined Database The GoTo hand controller allows you to save up to 25 objects in the User Defined database You can save unidentifiable objects current comet and or asteroid positions or make a custom list of yo
6. ment is achieved by pointing the mount s right ascension axis at the North Star or Polaris It lies within 1 of the north celes tial pole NCP which is an extension of the Earth s rotational axis out into space Stars in the Northern Hemisphere appear to revolve around the NCP To find Polaris in the sky look north and locate the pattern of the Big Dipper Figure 6 The two stars at the end of the bowl of the Big Dipper point right to Polaris Observers in the Southern Hemisphere aren t so fortunate to have a bright star so near the south celestial pole SCP The star Sigma Octantis lies about 1 from the SCP but it is barely visible with the naked eye magnitude 5 5 For general visual observation an approximate polar align ment is sufficient 1 Level the equatorial mount by adjusting the length of the three tripod legs 2 There are two latitude adjustment L bolts see Figure 5 loosen one while tightening the other By doing this you will adjust the latitude of the mount Continue adjusting the mount until the pointer on the latitude scale is set at the latitude of your observing site If you don t know your lati tude consult a geographical atlas to find it For example if your latitude is 35 North set the pointer to 35 The lati tude setting should not have to be adjusted again unless you move to a different viewing location some distance away 3 Loosen the Dec lock lever and rotate the telesco
7. You can also access the Objects Catalog through the Main Menu In the Main Menu scroll down to Object Catalog and press ENTER Like the OBJECT button this gives you complete access to the 13 400 celestial objects in the hand controllers database Other Functions The GoTo hand controller is equipped with a variety of addi tional functions that allow you to optimize performance and access other features of the system Utility Functions Utility Functions are useful tools that provide simple yet handy processes to enhance your observing experience Show Position Displays the coordinates right ascension and declination of the location where the telescope is currently pointing Display Time Displays the local time and local sidereal time Park Scope Moves the telescope to the home position This allows you to power off the Atlas EQ G mount while saving alignment and PEC training data When subsequently pow ered on the initial setup information must again be entered be sure to enter the current time accurately but the align ment procedure can be skipped Inquire Version Displays the hardware firmware and data base version of the GoTo hand controller If the hand controller is connected to the mount this will also display the firmware version of the motor control board Use the scroll buttons to view the version numbers PEC Training See Appendix B for information LCD LED Tuning Allows adjustments of
8. move to the next digit Use the scroll buttons to choose W or E for longitude and N or S for latitude If you do not know the longitude and latitude coordinates of your viewing location consult an atlas or geographical map of your area Press ENTER to confirm your coordinates Note Longitude and latitude coordinates must be entered in degrees and arcminutes If your map or atlas gives coor dinates in decimal values i e latitude 36 95 N you must convert into degrees and arcminutes i e latitude 36 95 N latitude 36 57 N Note If a mistake is entered into the hand controller during the initial setup procedure press the ESC button to go back to the previous screen 7 Enter the time zone in which you are observing in hours see Appendix D using the scroll buttons for east of Prime Meridian for west of Prime Meridian and numeric keypad Use the left and right directional buttons to move to the next digit Press ENTER to confirm your choice 8 Enter the date in mm dd yyyy format using the numeric keypad Use the left and right directional buttons to move to the next digit Press ENTER to confirm your choice 9 Enter your current local time using the 24 hour clock for mat example 2 00PM 14 00 Press ENTER to view the time you entered If the time is incorrect press ESC to go back to the previous screen If the time is correct press ENTER again 10 If the date entered in step 8 falls between March and No
9. normally focused by simple rota tion of the eyepiece focus ring However if after adjusting the focus ring you find that the image of the reticle is sharp but the stars are out of focus then you must adjust the focus of the polar axis finder s objective lens To do this first remove the polar axis finder from the mount by unthreading it Look through the polar axis finder at a star at night or distant object at least 1 4 mile away during daylight Use the eyepiece focus ring to bring the reticle into sharp focus Now loosen the focus lock ring Figure 7 and thread the entire objective end of the finder inward or outward until images appear sharp Re tighten the focus lock ring Once the polar axis finder s objective lens is focused it should not need to be adjusted again Confused About Pointing the Telescope Beginners occasionally experience some confusion about how to point the telescope overhead or in other directions In Figure 1 the telescope is pointed north as it would be during polar alignment The counterweight shaft is oriented downward But it will not look like that when the telescope is pointed in other directions Let s say you want to view an object that is directly overhead at the zenith How do you do it DO NOT make any adjustment to the latitude adjustment L bolts That will spoil the mount s polar alignment Remember once the mount is polar aligned the telescope should be moved only on the R A and Dec
10. observing These instructions will help you set up and properly use your equatorial mount Please read them over thoroughly before getting sessions started Table of Contents o or iodi Messe eeeke teeta 3 2 PONG List rra 3 3 Assembly excusas cures ete nde dete es 3 4 Attaching aTelescope 4 5 Balancing a Telescope 4 6 Setting Up and Using the Equatorial Mount 5 7 The Atlas EQ G Dual Axis Hand Controller 8 8 The Atlas EQ G GoTo Hand Controller 10 9 Specifications vs he eee a eels ra 19 10 Appendices 20005 21 1 Unpacking The entire mount will arrive in three boxes one containing the tripod one containing the equatorial mount and one con taining the hand controller Be careful unpacking the boxes We recommend keeping the boxes and original packaging In the event that the mount needs to be shipped to another location or returned to Orion for warranty repair having the proper packaging will ensure that your mount will survive the journey intact Make sure all the parts in the Parts List are present Be sure to check the box carefully as some parts are small If anything appears to be missing or broken immediate ly call Orion Customer Support 800 676 1343 or email support telescope com for assistance 2 Parts List Box 1 Tripod Qty Item 1 Tripod 2 Counterweights 1 1lbs each 1 Tripod center support tray Box 2 Equatorial Mou
11. of the strip on the mount will not cause the dual axis hand controller to interfere with the motions of the mount or tele scope being used You can reduce the chances of getting your hand controller power supply or other cables tangled during use of the Atlas EQ G by using the included wire clip The clip also prevents mechanical strain on the cord when being used The wireclip is adhesive backed for easy attachment to any convenient loca tion on the mount Powering the Atlas EQ G Mount The Atlas EQ G should be powered by a 12V DC power sup ply tip positive capable of producing continuous current with a minimum of 2 amps We recommend using a portable rechargeable battery like the Dynamo or Dynamo Pro avail able from Orion If you are using a portable battery like the Orion Dynamo use the supplied 12V DC power cable male cigarette lighter plug on one end standard 12V DC power plug on the other end to connect the battery to the 12V DC power jack on the faceplate of the mount Figure 9 1 Make sure the Dynamo s power switch is in the on position after connecting Functions of the Dual Axis Hand Controller There are three main categories of control buttons on the dual axis controller Figure 9 2 1 Speed buttons 2 Directional buttons 3 Set button The dual axis hand controller is equipped with a red LED light in each button to indicate operation An individual button s LED will illuminate when the button is
12. pressed If a button combina tion is entered all LEDs will illuminate to indicate a successful operation Speed Buttons The three buttons located near the top of the dual axis hand controller Guide Slow and Fast are used to set the slewing and guiding speed of the mount Directional Buttons The directional buttons allow complete control of the mounted telescope s position during slewing or tracking The Left and Right directional buttons control movements about the right ascension R A axis The Up and Down directional buttons control movements about the declination Dec axis Set Button The Set button is used to set the dual axis hand controller to operate in either Northern or Southern hemisphere locations Note The Go button is not used in normal operation of the dual axis controller Tracking Objects with the Dual Axis Hand Controller In order for your Atlas EQ G mount to accurately track celestial objects as they appear to migrate across the night sky your mount must be properly polar aligned For more details on polar alignment please consult section 6 of this manual Once the power switch is turned on the dual axis controller begins to track by rotating the R A axis motor at the default sidereal rate The Dec axis motor will not rotate As long as the mount has been properly polar aligned it should not be necessary to adjust the Dec axis for accurate tracking If you notice a lack of tracking precis
13. rate tracking is activat ed by pressing and holding the Slow button then the Down directional button Note Solar and Lunar tracking rates can only be used when the Atlas EQ G has tracking activated If tracking is deacti vated you must first activate tracking by holding the Guide button then pressing the Slow button Setting the Slewing Speed In order to conveniently center an object in your telescope s finderscope or eyepiece you can set the speed rate at which the motors slew move the telescope when the directional buttons are pressed The three speed buttons located near the top of the hand controller are used to set the slewing rates of the mount The slewing speed buttons each have two different speeds assigned to them The slewing speed employed is dependent on whether or not the dual axis controller has tracking activat ed or deactivated by holding the Guide button then pressing the Slow button With tracking activated the Guide button will slew the Atlas EQ G mount at a very slow speed equal to 1 5x sidereal rate This speed rate will generally be used to guide a telescope while imaging with a camera You can also change the Guide button speed rate to be slightly faster or slower see Setting the Guiding Speed If tracking is deactivated pressing the Guide button will set the Atlas EQ G to slew at 32x sidereal rate this speed is too fast for guiding during imaging By pressing the Slow button with tracking
14. sure the chosen star is still centered in the eyepiece and press the ENTER button If you don t want to record the star position press the ESC button to exit the PAE function After the PAE function is performed the hand controller will recalculate its model of the sky The pointing accuracy in the area of sky around the chosen bright star should now be improved To improve pointing accuracy in another region of the sky perform the PAE function again this time choosing a bright star in the new region of interest Note If the mount is parked before it is powered off see Utility Functions the star alignments and PAE corrections will remain stored in the hand controller As long as the mount is not moved between usage the alignment will not need to be performed again when the mount is subsequently powered on Object Catalog The GoTo hand controller boasts a vast database of over 13 400 object coordinates and information The database contains the following catalogs Named Star A list of 212 well known bright stars Solar System The other 8 planets of our solar system and the Moon NGC 7 840 of the brightest deep sky objects from the NGC 2000 0 database edited by Roger W Sinnott copyright by Sky Publishing Corp used with permission IC 5 386 objects from the Index Catalog Messier Complete list of all 110 Messier objects These are some of the most spectacular objects to view in the night sky
15. the LCD charac ter contrast the LCD backlighting and the LED backlighting of the pushbuttons Use the scroll buttons to select which of these you wish to adjust Use the left and right directional but tons to increase or decrease the value Setup Functions The Setup functions allow you to change any system variable or information regarding location time date and alignment To access the Setup functions either press the SETUP button on the hand controller or scroll to Setup Mode from the Main Menu using the scroll buttons and press ENTER The different types of functions available to you are listed below along with their respective purposes Date Allows you to change the date entered during the initial setup 16 Time Allows you to change the current time Observing site Allows you to change the current location longitude and latitude setting Daylight Savings Allows you to change the Daylight Savings option Alignment Allows you to re perform the star alignment see Alignment Set Backlash This function allows you to insert a value for each axis to compensate for slewing backlash experienced on that axis Backlash is a delay in motorized motion of the mount due to slack between gears Backlash is experienced when the slewing direction is reversed on one or both axes of motion For improved pointing accuracy it is important the backlash value is set to be equal or greater than the actual amount of
16. their current orientation in the sky when viewed with the naked eye To do this release the R A lock lever and rotate the main telescope around the R A axis until the reticle is oriented with sky For larger optical tubes you may need to remove the tube from the mount to pre vent it from bumping into the mount Once the reticle is cor rectly oriented use the right ascension lock lever to secure the mount s position 5 Now use the azimuth adjustment knobs Figure 2 and the latitude adjustment L bolts Figure 5 on the mount to posi tion the star Polaris inside the tiny circle marked Polaris on the finder s reticle You must first loosen the knob under neath the equatorial mount on the center support shaft to use the azimuth adjustment knobs Once Polaris is properly positioned within the reticle you are precisely polar aligned Retighten the knob underneath the equatorial mount If you do not have a clear view of Polaris from your observing site you will not be able to use the polar axis finder to pre cisely polar align the telescope Note From this point on in your observing session you should not make any further adjustments in the azimuth or the latitude of the mount nor should you move the tripod Doing so will undo the polar alignment The telescope should be moved only about its right ascension and declination axes Additional Note Regarding Focusing the Polar Axis Finder Scope The polar axis finder scope is
17. 3 or visit our website at www OrionTelescopes com for more information Atlas EQ G Dual Axis Hand Controller Button Combination Quick Reference Chart Button Combination Notes sidereal rate tracking tracking must be active 2xsidereal rate __1 25x sidereal rate 1 25x sidereal rate Activate Deactivate tracking Guide then Slow g Slow then Down Fast then Up Fast then Left Fast then Right Fast then Down buttons buttons Northern Southern Hemishpere operation Slow then Left Slow then Up 8 The Atlas EQ G GoTo Hand Controller The Atlas EQ G mount equipped with the GoTo hand control ler provides easy computerized location of thousands of night sky objects such as planets nebulae star clusters galaxies and more for viewing through your telescope The GoTo hand controller and internal dual axis motors allow you to automati cally point your telescope at a specific object or tour the skies with pushbutton simplicity The user friendly menu allows automatic slewing to over 13 400 objects Even inexperienced astronomers will find themselves quickly mastering the vari ety of features the GoTo hand controller offers in just a few observing sessions Attaching the GoTo Hand Controller The Atlas EQ G GoTo hand controller comes with two cables one for usage with the Atlas EQ G mount while the other is for use with the Sirius EQ G mount Feel free to discard the cable for the Sirius EQ G as it
18. 7796 GoTo hand controller Slew speeds Autoguiding rates German equatorial Steel 54lbs Quantity 2 11 lbs each 10 to 65 Included illuminator built into mount Dual axis GoTo comput erized internally housed Northern or Southern hemisphere 12V DC 2A tip positive Microstep driven 1 8 stepper motors 0 144 arc sec or 9 024 000 steps rev 705 Guiding speed 4x 8x 32x 64x 800x 2x 1 75x 1 5x 1 25x sidereal rate sidereal lunar solar R A tracking Rate 0 1 5x Rate 1 2x Rate 2 8x Rate 3 16x Rate 4 32x Rate 5 64x Rate 6 400x Rate 7 500x Rate 8 600x Rate 9 800x 3 4 sec 2x 1 75x 1 5x 1 25x sidereal rate Tracking rates Sidereal default lunar solar PEC sidereal R A tracking One star alignment two star alignment three star alignment Tracking modes Alignment method Database 25 user defined objects complete M NGC and IC catalogs Total 13 436 objects Up to 1 arcminute with cone error calibration up to 15 arcminutes without cone error calibration Pointing accuracy This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 this device nay not cause harmful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation Changes of modifications not expressly approved by the party respo
19. INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion Atlas EQ G Equatorial Mount 9996 Customer Support 800 676 1343 gt ORIO IN E mail support telescope com TELESCOPES BINOCULARS Corporate Offices 831 763 7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 IN 279 Rev C 01 09 Power switch Tube ring mounting plate eo ee Mounting plate lock knobs i ee Declination lock lever Power indicator light 12V DC power jack Auto guider jack Right Ascension setting circle Declination setting circle Front opening Right Ascension lock lever Hand controller jack Counterweight shaft lock lever Latitude scale Counterweight shaft Latitude adjustment L bolts Counterweights sm aan F S Center support shaft Tripod center support tray E GoTo hand controller GoTo hand controller cable Tripod leg Leg lock levers Figure 1 The Atlas EQ G mount Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion mount Your new Atlas EQ G mount works with many different optical tubes Designed for astronomical use the Atlas EQ G provides a solid stable foundation for precise navigation of the night sky The internally housed dual axis stepper motors provide smooth slewing and tracking of any celestial object With a little practice you ll find that the Atlas EQ G mount is an invaluable tool for getting the most out of your astronomical
20. TER again and the hand controller will ask View Object Press ENTER once more to have the telescope slew to the object PLANET This shortcut button takes you straight to the Planets submenu in the hand controller s database Use the scroll but tons to scroll through the list of planets and the Moon in our solar system Press ENTER to display the chosen planet s coordinates Press ENTER again and the hand controller will ask View Object Press ENTER once more to have the tele scope slew to the object If the planet you selected is currently below the horizon the hand controller will prompt you to make another choice USER This shortcut button will take you to the database that you have defined for yourself You can enter a new location or recall the objects that have been previously saved see Using the User Defined Database 2 Object Button The OBJECT button takes you to the Objects Catalog where you have complete access to all of the celestial objects in the database Simply scroll through the object catalogs using 15 the scroll buttons and choose the catalog of objects you wish to view Press ENTER to confirm your choice Use the scroll buttons to choose an individual object within the catalog and press ENTER a second time to display the object s coordinate Press ENTER again and the hand controller will ask View Object Press ENTER once more to have the telescope slew to the object 3 Menu
21. TER to confirm your choice Once again repeat the centering procedure for the third alignment star and press ENTER to confirm alignment 5 Once the three alignment stars have been entered and alignment is completed the hand controller will display Alignment Successful Press ENTER to access the Main Menu Otherwise Alignment Failed will be displayed and the alignment procedure must be performed again To do this turn the mount s power switch off then on again Two Star Alignment Two star alignment requires only two alignment stars but may produce lesser pointing accuracy than the three star align ment The description below will lead you on a step by step procedure on how to perform the two star alignment 1 From the alignment screen select 2 Star Align using the scroll buttons Press ENTER to confirm your choice 2 The hand controller will provide a list of stars available in your current sky for you to choose as the first alignment star Using the scroll buttons choose a star you are familiar with and press ENTER to confirm your choice The mount will start slewing the telescope towards the chosen star When the telescope stops slewing adjust its position with the controller s directional buttons until the star is centered on the crosshairs of the finderscope Now look in the eye piece and adjust the position of the telescope again using the directional buttons so the chosen star is centered in the f
22. activated the Atlas EQ G will slew at 4x sidereal rate With tracking deactivated pressing the Slow button will set the Atlas EQ G mount to slew at 64x sidereal rate With tracking activated the Fast button will set the Atlas EQ G mount to slew at 8x sidereal rate If tracking is not activated pressing the Fast button will set the Atlas EQ G to slew at 800x sidereal rate this is a very fast speed that can be used to slew the mount from object to object across the sky with Tracking peed Button activated with Tracking Deactivated Guiding Speed Pc ae RE coe 800x Guiding Speed equals 1 5x sidereal rate by default Changing the Guiding Speed The dual axis hand controller provides 4 different guiding speed settings 2x 1 75x 1 5x default and 1 25x sidereal rate If you change the guiding speed from the default setting of 1 5x sidereal rate the controller will guide at the chosen speed until another guiding speed is selected In order to set the guiding speed of your Atlas EQ G use the button following button combinations e 2x sidereal rate Hold the Fast button then press the Up directional button e 1 75x sidereal rate Hold the Fast button then press the Left directional button e 1 5x sidereal rate Hold the Fast button then press the Right directional button e 1 25x sidereal rate Hold the Fast button then press the Down directional button Reversing the Directional Buttons Celest
23. ainst defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail pur chaser only During this warranty period Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars will repair or replace at Orion s option any warranted instrument that proves to be defective provided it is returned postage paid to Orion Warranty Repair 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 If the product is not registered proof of purchase such as a copy of the original invoice is required This warranty does not apply if in Orion s judgment the instrument has been abused mishandled or modified nor does it apply to normal wear and tear This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state For further warranty service information contact Customer Service Department Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 800 676 1343 Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 Customer Support Help Line 800 676 1343 Day or Evening 27
24. al tubes specifically Schmidt Cassegrains and Maksutov Cassegrains have a mounting plate connected directly to the tube For these telescopes optional tube rings are not required Simply follow step 2 above to connect the telescope to the mount 5 Balancing a Telescope To ensure smooth movement of a telescope on both axes of the equatorial mount it is imperative that the optical tube is properly balanced We will first balance the telescope with respect to the right ascension R A axis then the declination Dec axis 1 Keeping one hand on the telescope optical tube loosen the R A lock lever Make sure the Dec lock lever is locked for now The telescope should now be able to rotate freely about the right ascension axis Rotate it until the counter weight shaft is parallel to the ground i e horizontal 2 Now loosen both counterweight lock knobs and slide the weights along the shaft until they exactly counterbalance the telescope Figure 4a That s the point at which the shaft remains horizontal even when you let go with both hands Figure 4b If the telescope refuses to balance than you have either too much or too little counterweight Remove a counterweight or add optional counterweights if needed 3 Retighten the counterweight lock knobs The telescope is now balanced on the right ascension axis 4 To balance the telescope on the declination axis first tight en the R A lock lever with the counterw
25. bout the mount s declination axis so the tube is parallel with the mount s R A axis and the front of the tube is pointed to the sky not the ground Rotate the mount s R A axis so the counterweight shaft is pointed straight down The telescope and mount should now appear as shown in Figure 14 This will be called the home position of the mount Note Once the mount is initially set to its home position the mount should not be moved manually Otherwise the GoTo hand controller will lose track of the mount s position and the alignment procedure will need to be performed again Keep both the R A and Dec lock levers engaged 3 Turn on the power switch on the mount 4 The initial screen displayed on the hand controller is the version screen Press ENTER to proceed 12 Figure 14 The telescope and mount in their home position 5 The hand controllers LCD screen will show a safe solar viewing warning message Press the ESC button to con tinue Note The GoTo hand controllers LCD backlighting will become dim and the illuminated buttons will turn off if left idle for 30 seconds Pressing any bution will re illuminate the hand controller 6 Enter your observing site s longitude and latitude coordi nates First enter the longitude coordinate and hemisphere followed by the latitude coordinate and hemisphere Use the numerical keypad to enter the digits and use the left and right directional buttons to
26. buttons can also be used to move the text cursor when entering data into the hand controller Scroll Buttons The up and down scroll buttons allow you to scroll up and down within the menu tree or selections displayed on the hand controller screen Dual Purpose Buttons The dual purpose buttons serve two distinct purposes They are used for data entry and as quick reference keys TOUR button Takes you on a preset tour of the best night sky objects visible RATE button Changes the speed of the motors when the directional buttons are pressed There are 10 speeds to choose from with 0 being the slowest and 9 being the fast est UTILITY button Hot key access to the Utility Functions menu USER button Enter or recall coordinates for up to 25 objects in the User Defined database ID button Identifies the object the mount is currently pointing to NGC IC M Planet and Object buttons Allow direct access to catalogs and databases of over 13 400 objects GoTo Hand Controller Operation This section provides a guide for initial setup and alignment of the Atlas EQ G mount with the GoTo hand controller Initial Setup 1 Perform the polar alignment using the procedure previous ly outlined in Section 6 A rough polar alignment will suf fice but an accurate polar alignment using the polar axis finder scope will increase tracking accuracy and pointing accuracy for one star alignments 2 Rotate the telescope tube a
27. characterize the periodic The Guide star drifts Adjust the telescope to move the away from the center guide star back to the center Figure 22 Drifting caused by periodic error 23 errors Pressing ESC will immediately stop the recording and exit from the PEC Training function Note Guiding actions are recorded even when the PEC train ing is stopped midway The PEC sidereal tracking will not be accurate until a full cycle of the PEC Training is performed The Atlas EQ G will emit a beep sound and display Record completed when the training time is up Press any button to exit from the PEC Training upon completion Play Back the PEC Record PEC tracking can be activated under the Setup menu or by pressing the Setup button when needed In the Setup menu choose Set Tracking then PEC Sidereal The Atlas EQ G will play back the corrections you made during the PEC train ing cycle and start tracking with periodic error compensated for Note The Atlas EQ G will continue to track in the PEC sidereal mode until another tracking mode is selected If the power is turned off while the Atlas EQ G is in the PEC side real mode the hand controller loses synchronization with the R A worm gear and the PEC training will have to be repeated when the power is turned back on To avoid this be sure to return the telescope to its home position by selecting Park Scope in the Utility Functions befor
28. current sky for you to choose as the first alignment star Choose a star you are familiar with using the scroll buttons Press ENTER to confirm your choice The mount will start slewing the telescope towards the chosen object When the telescope stops slewing adjust its position using the controller s directional buttons until the chosen star is centered on the crosshairs of the finderscope Now look in the eyepiece and adjust the position of the telescope again using the directional buttons so the chosen star is centered in the field of view of the eyepiece Press ENTER to confirm the star is centered Note The slewing speed can be adjusted by pressing the RATE button Choose a desired rate between 0 slowest and 9 fastest Note The hand controller will make a beep sound once it has finished slewing to an object Do not try to adjust the tele scope before you hear the beep sound The controller will only respond to the ESC button while slewing which stops the slewing 3 The controller will provide a list of stars that can be used as the second alignment star Choose a star using the scroll buttons and press ENTER to confirm your choice Repeat the centering procedure for the second alignment star using the directional buttons and press ENTER to confirm alignment 4 The controller will once again provide a list of stars that can be used as the third alignment star Choose a star using the scroll buttons and press EN
29. der scope for the Atlas EQ G has a tiny star map printed on it that makes precise polar align ment quick and easy To polar align the mount using the polar axis finder scope follow these instructions 1 Approximately polar align the mount as outlined in the pro cedure above 2 Loosen the Dec lock lever and rotate the optical tube on the declination axis so the tube is at a 90 angle to the right ascension axis Figure 8 Tighten the Dec lock lever 3 Focus the polar finder by rotating the eyepiece Now sight Polaris in the polar axis finder scope If you have followed the approximate polar alignment procedure accurately Polaris will probably be within the field of view If not move the tripod left to right and adjust the latitude up and down until Polaris is somewhere within the field of view of the polar axis finder scope 4 The mount has a built in illuminator that allows you to see the reticle pattern in the polar axis finder scope at night Simply turn on the power switch on the Atlas EQ G mount see Powering the Atlas EQ G Mount and the polar axis finder scope reticle will be illuminated Note the constel lation Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper in the reticle They do not appear in scale but they indicate the general posi tions of Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper relative to the north celestial pole which is indicated by the cross at the cen ter of the reticle Rotate the reticle so the constellations depicted match
30. e hand controller will overwrite the previously saved coordi nates 6 The hand controller will now display View Object Press ENTER to slew the telescope to the object or press ESC to exit Recalling a User Defined Object 1 Press the USER button You can also select User Defined in the Object Catalog menu and then press ENTER 2 Choose Recall Object and press ENTER 3 Select the User Object number representing the object you wish to view using the scroll buttons Press ENTER to dis play the object s coordinate Press ENTER again and the hand controller will ask View Object Press ENTER once more to have the telescope slew to the object If a vacant User Object number is selected the hand controller will not respond Note If the recalled User Object is currently below the horizon the controller will display Below Horizon Try another obj and will automatically return to Recall Object Identifying an Unknown Object The GoTo hand controller has the ability to identify celestial objects that are unknown to you To identify an object the telescope is pointing at simply press the ID button You can also scroll to Identify in the Main Menu and press ENTER to identify the object The hand controller will then show a list containing the close objects in the M IC NGC and Named Star catalogs and their angular distance from the location where the telescope is pointed Use the scro
31. e adjustment screws will be explained further in Appendix A For now confirm that all four adjustment screws are sufficiently unthreaded so that the ends of their threaded shafts are flush with the top surface of the tube ring mounting plate Note The optical axis offset adjustment screws should be oriented so that the threaded shaft extends upward through the top surface of the tube ring mounting plate If the tube ring mounting plate arrives with the optical axis offset screws installed backwards reverse their orientation before proceed ing Figure 3 2 Loosen the black mounting plate lock knobs on the top of the equatorial mount Place the mounting plate with the tube rings attached in the slot on top of the equatorial mount Position the mounting plate so that it is centered in the slot Re tighten the mounting plate lock knobs until the plate is secure 3 Open the tube rings and lay the telescope optical tube in the rings at about the midpoint of the tube s length Rotate the tube so that the focuser is at a convenient height for viewing Close the tube rings and tighten them Note The Atlas EQ G mount is very heavy Alone it weighs 54 lbs With a large optical tube and counterweights it can easily weigh over 100 lbs Keep this in mind when moving the tele scope even small distances and use assistance when need ed It is best to remove the optical tube and counterweights when moving the mount Note Some telescope optic
32. e turning off the power 24 Appendix C RS 232 Connection The Atlas EQ G mounts equipped with the GoTo hand control ler are designed to receive commands sent from a computer s RS 232 COM port via the computer interface cable The hand controller will communicate with the computer at 9600 bits sec no parity no stop bit All angles are communicated with 16 bits and communicated using ASCII hexadecimal The chart below shows the ASCII commands from the PC and what the hand controllers response will be Additional RS 232 Commands Sending a Tracking Rate i Separate TRACKRATE Multiply the desired tracking rate arcseconds second by 4 For example if the desired track rate is 120 arcseconds second approximately 8 times sidereal rate then the TRACKRATE 480 into two bytes such that TRACKRATE TrackRateHighByte 256 TrackRateLowByte For example if TRACKRATE 480 then TrackRateHighByte 1 and TrackRateLowByte 224 To send a tracking rate send the following 8 bytes a Positive Azm tracking 80 3 16 6 TrackRateHighByte TrackRateLowByte 0 0 b Negative Azm tracking 80 3 16 7 TrackRateHighByte TrackRateLowByte 0 0 c Positive Alt tracking 80 3 17 6 TrackRateHighByte TrackRateLowByte O O Physical Connection Diagram RJ 12 Connector The Back of the DB9 Pinout d Negative Alt tracking 80 3 17 7 TrackRateHighByte TrackRateLowByte O O 4 The number 35 is
33. eight shaft still in the horizontal position 5 With one hand on the telescope optical tube loosen the Dec lock lever The telescope should now be able to rotate freely about the declination axis 6 Loosen the knurled ring clamps on the tube rings a few turns until you can slide the telescope tube forward and back inside the rings this can be aided by using a slight twisting motion on the optical tube while you push or pull on it Figure 4c 7 Position the telescope in the tube rings so it remains hori zontal when you carefully let go with both hands This is the balance point for the optical tube with respect to the Dec axis Figure 4d 8 Retighten the knurled ring clamps Figure 4a d Proper operation of the equatorial mount requires that the telescope tube be balanced on the R A and Dec axes a With the R A lock lever released slide the counterweights down the counterweight shaft until they just counterbalance the telescope tube b When you let go with both hands the tube should not drift up or down c With the Dec lock lever released loosen the tube ring lock clamps a few turns and slide the telescope forward or back in the tube rings d When the tube is balanced about the Dec axis it will not move when you let go The telescope is now balanced on both axes When you loos en the lock lever on one or both axes and manually point the telescope it should move without resistance and should not drift fr
34. en vertical and horizontal Figure 9 illustrates how the telescope will look when pointed at the four cardinal directions north Figure 9a south Figure 9b east Figure 9c and west Figure 9d The key things to remember when pointing the telescope are that a you only move it in right ascension and declination not in azimuth or latitude altitude and b the counterweight and shaft will not always appear as it does in Figure 1 In fact it almost never will 7 The Atlas EQ G Dual Axis Controller The Atlas EQ G with dual axis hand controller will track any celestial object as the Earth rotates You can also use the con troller s directional buttons to center objects within your tele scope s finderscope or eyepiece For imaging purposes the controller provides several guide speed rates so a camera can be accurately guided during a long exposure Attaching the Dual Axis Controller The dual axis controller has a cable with a large serial con nector DB 9 on one end Plug the serial connector into the jack on the faceplate of the mount Figure 9 1 Use the captive screws to secure the serial connector in place The nylon hook and loop strips have been provided so the dual axis hand controller can be placed in a convenient posi tion on the mount when not in use Place the hooks strip on the back of the dual axis hand controller and the loops strip on the mount in a convenient location Make certain the loca tion
35. excellent point ing accuracy for visual observation For other applications such as CCD imaging even better pointing accuracy can be obtained in a specific region of the sky by use of the Pointing Accuracy Enhancement PAE function Perform the following procedure to use the PAE function 1 Choose a bright star near the area of interest in the night sky Consult a planisphere or software program to choose this bright star if necessary 2 Find this star in the hand controller s object database This is easily done by pressing the OBJECT button which will take you directly to the Named Star database Press ENTER to access the list of named stars Use the scroll buttons to peruse the list and press ENTER to select the star Press ENTER again and the LCD will ask View Object Press ENTER to issue a command to the mount to GoTo the star If the mount is under the control of a computer running planetarium software click on the star to slew the mount to it 3 Use the directional buttons and RATE button to accu rately center the star in a high powered eyepiece 10mm or less focal length 4 Press the ESC button then press and hold the ESC but ton for 2 seconds The hand controller LCD will read Re center and the name of the chosen bright star will blink three times If the GoTo command was sent by a computer running planetarium software the LCD will read Last goto object instead of the star s name 5 Make
36. ial objects appear to move through the sky differently when viewed through telescopes and or accessories of dif ferent designs For example if an object viewed through a refractor appears to migrate towards the left hand side of an eyepiece s field of view it will appear to migrate towards the right hand side of an eyepiece s field of view in a reflector telescope In order to make viewing and tracking objects convenient regardless of telescope design the dual axis controller fea tures a reverse function which reverses the direction of the hand controller s directional buttons This way you can match the directional button to the way the object actually moves in the telescope eyepiece To reverse the direction of the Left and Right directional but tons press and hold the Slow speed button then press the Left directional button To reverse the direction of the Up and Down directional buttons press and hold the Slow button then press the Up directional button Once you have reversed the directional buttons the dual axis controller will save the reversed settings until it they are man ually changed again Turning the power off will not affect the directional button setting last entered Northern or Southern Hemisphere Operation The dual axis hand controller is capable of operating in either Northern or Southern Hemisphere viewing locations The sys tem is set up for Northern Hemisphere locations by default so if you are v
37. ield of view of the eyepiece Press ENTER to confirm the star is centered 3 The controller will provide a list of stars that can be used as the second alignment star Choose a star using the scroll buttons and press ENTER to confirm your choice Repeat the centering procedure for the second alignment star and press ENTER to confirm alignment 4 Once the two alignment stars have been entered and alignment is complete the hand controller will display Alignment Successful Press ENTER to access the Main Menu Otherwise Alignment Failed will be displayed and the alignment procedure must be performed again To do this turn the mount s power switch off then on again One Star Alignment One star alignment is the simplest and quickest alignment method as only one alignment star is required Due to minimal data input however a one star alignment will not yield optimal results unless polar alignment is very accurate and any cone error is minimized see Appendix A The description below will lead you on a step by step procedure on how to perform the one star alignment 1 From the alignment screen select 1 Star Align using the scroll buttons Press ENTER to confirm your choice 2 The hand controller will provide a list of stars available in your current sky for you to choose as the first alignment star Using the scroll buttons choose a star you are familiar with and press ENTER to confirm your choice The mount w
38. iewing from a Northern Hemisphere location it is not necessary to make any setting changes 10 For the dual axis controller to properly track celestial objects in the Southern Hemisphere press and hold the Down direc tional button and then press the Set button while powering on the mount Release the Set button after the mount has successfully powered on and the Guide button begins flash ing The controller will now operate properly in the Southern Hemisphere You Gan switch back to Northern Hemisphere mode by using the same button combination As long as the controller is operating in Southern Hemisphere mode the Set button will illuminate Power Conservation In the interest of conserving the amount of power drawn by the Atlas EQ G mount the Dec motor will enter a sleep mode if left idle for a period of 15 seconds In sleep mode the Dec motor stops completely and the amount of used power drops by about 40 To reactivate the Dec motor press the Up or Down directional button Upgrading your Atlas EQ G While the dual axis hand controller provides many useful functions such as celestial object tracking and motorized motion control there is a GoTo hand controller for the Atlas EQ G available from Orion The features and functions of the GoTo hand controller are explained in the following section If you are interested in upgrading your Atlas EQ G to a GoTo system call our Customer Service department at 800 676 134
39. ill start slewing the telescope towards the chosen star When the telescope stops slewing adjust its position with the controller s directional buttons until the star is centered on the crosshairs of the finderscope Now look in the eye piece and adjust the position of the telescope again using the directional buttons so the chosen star is centered in the field of view of the eyepiece Press ENTER to confirm the star is centered 3 Once the alignment star has been entered and alignment is complete the hand controller will display Alignment Successful Press ENTER to access the Main Menu Tips for Choosing Alignment Stars If possible use the following tips when choosing alignment stars for best pointing accuracy One star alignment Choose a star close to the Celestial Equator Dec close to 0 Two star alignment Choose two stars on the same side of the meridian and at least 3 hours apart in right ascension and 3 apart in declination If you suspect your polar alignment is poor choose two stars that are 20 to 60 apart in declination Three star alignment For the first two stars follow the tip above for two star alignment For the third alignment star choose a star on the other side of the meridian The first and third align ment stars should have declination coordinates between 30 and 70 or between 30 and 70 14 Pointing Accuracy Enhancement PAE The three star alignment should provide
40. ion at the default sidereal rate Power indicator light 12V DC power jack Power switch Autoguider modular Set button Figure 9 2 The Atlas EQ G Dual Axis hand controller consult section 6 of this manual and attempt to polar align the mount more accurately Tracking can be deactivated or activated at any time the Atlas EQ G mount is receiving power In order to deactivate tracking simply press and hold the Guide button then press the Slow button on the controller Pressing the same button combination will reactivate tracking at the default sidereal rate There are three tracking rates used by the dual axis control ler Sidereal rate tracking is the default tracking rate for the Atlas EQ G mount Celestial objects are tracked using this rate which is equivalent to the rate of the Earth s rotation Solar rate tracking is used to track the Sun over a long period of time Solar rate tracking is activated by pressing and holding the Slow speed button then the Right directional button Warning Never look directly at the Sun through your tele scope or its finder scope even for an instant without a professionally made solar filter that completely covers the front aperture of the instrument or permanent eye dam age could result Young children should use this telescope only with adult supervision Lunar rate tracking is used to track the Moon at its rate of apparent motion across the sky Lunar
41. irm that the telescope is properly polar aligned using the polar axis finder scope Perform the one star alignment using an eastern star as the alignment star see One Star Alignment After com pleting the star alignment choose a bright star in the western sky from the Atlas EQ G object database and press ENTER to slew the telescope to the star If the optical axis is perfectly aligned to the R A axis the telescope will accurately put the star in the center of the eyepiece This shows that there is no cone error in your telescope setup and you will not need to perform the calibration It is acceptable if the star is slightly off center as long as it appears in the eyepiece field of view and reasonable close to the center Many factors determine the pointing accuracy of the Atlas EQ G Incorrect star alignment loose R A or Dec lock knobs or cone error If the Atlas EQ G puts the star outside the eyepiece field of view you need to determine which of these factors is causing the pointing inac curacy To determine if the inaccuracy is caused by cone error simply move the telescope about the R A axis by pressing the Left or Right direction button If the star can be moved into the eyepiece field of view without adjusting the Dec axis it is likely that cone error exists in your telescope setup Calibration Procedure 1 Insert an illuminated reticle eyepiece not supplied into the focuser or diagonal of the telescope Confirm the
42. is finder scope is accurately aligned with the mount 6 Loosen the R A lock knob and rotate the telescope about the R A axis until the counterweight shaft is parallel to the ground as shown in Figure 18a 7 Using the Dec direction button on the hand controller adjust the telescope in Dec so Polaris lies on the R A crosshairs of the illuminated reticle eyepiece Figure 17 8 Without moving the R A axis adjust the azimuth control knobs Figure 2 to orient Polaris in the center of the eye Dec on Figure 17 Adjust the telescope in Dec with the hand controller to place the star on the R A crosshair 21 Figure 18a b Rotate the telescope 180 about the R A axis piece field of view Adjustment in Dec axis using the hand controller may be necessary 9 Loosen the R A lock knob and carefully rotate the tele scope 180 about the R A axis Figure 18a amp 18b This should be done as accurately as possible referencing the R A mechanical setting circle 10 Adjust the position of the telescope in the Dec axis so Polaris lies on the R A crosshairs of the illuminated reticle eyepiece Figure 17 11 Carefully push the telescope in horizontal motion while observing the movement of Polaris in the eyepiece field of Figure 19 gently push the telescope horizontally to determine direction of optical axis offset y y Figure 20a Adjust the optical axis offset screws this way if Polaris moves
43. ll buttons to view this list of objects Press ESC when finished Linking with a Computer The GoTo hand controller can be connected to a computer via the supplied computer interface cable Many commercially available planetarium software programs can utilize this func tion and be used to control the Atlas EQ G mount Look for software that is compatible with the Celestron NexStar 5i 8i or NexStar GPS like Starry Night Pro The description below will lead you through the procedure on how to connect and discon nect the Atlas EQ G to a computer 1 Align the mount as described previously see Alignment 2 Connect the supplied computer interface cable to the smaller modular jack RJ 11 on the hand controller Figure 10 Connect the other end of the cable to the COM port of your computer 3 In the planetarium software of your choice choose Celestron NexStar 5i or Celestron 8 9 11 GPS for the driver setup and follow the instructions provided by the pro gram to connect the mount and computer through the hand controller The mount will be under the full control of your computer once the connection is successfully established 4 When finished observing follow the software s instructions to close the computer connection to the hand controller See Appendix C for more information on computer interfacing Auto Guiding For astronomical imaging the Atlas EQ G mounts have a des ignated autoguider jack Figure 11
44. mount is now fully assembled and should resemble Figure 1 except for the hand controller which will be installed and explained in Section 7 Dual Axis or Section 8 GoTo of this manual 4 Attaching a Telescope The Atlas EQ G equatorial mount is designed to hold tele scope tubes weighing up to approximately 40 lbs For heavier telescopes the mount may not provide sufficient stability for steady imaging Any type of telescope can be mounted on the Atlas EQ G including refractors Newtonian reflectors and catadiotropics provided a set of tube rings is available to cou ple the tube to the mount Orion sells a variety of telescope tube rings Please visit our website at OrionTelescopes com for details Tube ring attachment screw Flat washer Lock washer Optical axis offset adjustment screws Figure 3 The tube ring mounting plate 1 Attach the tube mounting rings to the tube ring mounting plate using the screws that come with the tube rings The screws should go through the center holes in the ends of the mounting plate and rethread into the tube rings Note that the side of the mounting plate with the central groove will be facing up Figure 3 Use a small wrench to secure the tube rings to the mounting plate Note The tube ring mounting plate included with the Atlas EQ G includes four optical axis offset adjustment screws these are the socket head cap screws located at each cor ner of the mounting plate Thes
45. nsible for compliance could void the user s authority to operate the equipment Note This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a resi dential installation This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interfer ence to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will no occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or televi sion reception which can be determined by turning the equip ment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver Connect the equipment into an output on a circuit different from that to which the receiver in connected Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help A shielded cable must be used when connecting a peripheral to the serial ports 19 Atlas EQ G GoTo Hand Controller Menu Tree SETUP MODE UTILITY FUNC TOUR OBJECT IDENTIFY CATALOG Date Show Position i Time Display Time Solar System Observ Site Park Scope Mercury Daylight Saving Inqui
46. nt 1 Equatorial mount 1 Tube ring mounting plate 1 12V DC Power cable If you ve purchased the 7945 Dual Axis hand controller Box 3 Dual Axis Hand Controller 1 Dual Axis hand controller 2 Nylon hook and loop strips 1 hook strip 1 loop strip 1 Wire clip If you ve purchased the 7947 GoTo hand controller Box 3 GoTo Hand Controller 1 GoTo hand controller 1 GoTo hand controller cable for Sirius EQ G 1 GoTo hand controller cable for Atlas EQ G 1 GoTo hand controller bracket 1 Computer interface cable RS 232 1 Wire clip 3 Assembly Refer to Figure 1 as needed during the assembly process 1 Stand the tripod legs upright and spread the legs out as far as they will go Make certain that the leg lock levers are tightened Keep the tripod legs at their shortest fully retracted length for now you can extend them to a more desirable length later after the mount is fully assembled 2 Place the base of the equatorial mount onto the tripod head Orient the equatorial mount so that the post on the tripod head lines up with the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount Figure 2 You may need to loosen the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount in order to fit the mount onto the tripod head Azimuth adjustment knobs Figure 2 Orient the equatorial head so that the post on the tripod lines up with the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount 3 Thread the center support shaft up through
47. om where you point it 6 Setting Up and Using the Equatorial Mount Dec lock lever not shown Front opening Polar axis finder scope Azimuth adjustment knobs 2 Figure 5 The Atlas EQ G mount adjustment L bolts When you look at the night sky you no doubt have noticed that the stars appear to move slowly from east to west over time That apparent motion is caused by the Earth s rotation from west to east An equatorial mount Figure 5 is designed to compensate for that motion allowing you to easily track the movement of astronomical objects thereby keeping them from drifting out of your telescope s field of view while you re observing This is accomplished by slowly rotating the telescope on its right ascension R A axis using the built in motor drive But first the R A axis of the mount must be aligned with the Earth s rotational polar axis a process called polar alignment Little Dipper in Ursa Minor Big Dipper in Ursa Major Polaris ynter pow A a gats Cassiopeia Figure 6 To find Polaris in the night sky look north and find the Big Dipper Extend an imaginary line from the two Pointer Stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper Go about five times the distance between those stars and you ll reach Polaris which lies within 1 of the north celestial pole NCP Polar Alignment For Northern Hemisphere observers approximate polar align
48. ou have a clear view through the polar axis finder scope Figure 8 Tighten the Dec lock lever 2 Look through the polar finder at a distant object during the day and center it in the crosshairs You may need to adjust the latitude adjustment L bolts and the tripod posi tion to do this Focus the polar finder by rotating the eye piece 3 Rotate the mount 180 about the R A axis It may be con venient to remove the counterweights and optical tube before doing this 4 Look through the polar finder again Is the object being viewed still centered on the crosshairs If it is then no further adjustment is necessary If not then look through the polar finder while rotating the mount about the R A axis You will notice that the object you have previously centered moves in a circular path Use the three alignment set screws on the polar axis finder Figure 7 to redirect the crosshairs of the polar finder to the apparent center of this circular path 5 Repeat this procedure until the position that the crosshairs point to does not rotate off center when the mount is rotat ed in R A Figure 8 The optical tube must be rotated about the declination axis in order to view through the polar axis finder The polar axis finder scope is now ready to be used When not in use replace the plastic protective cover to prevent the polar finder from getting bumped Using the Polar Axis Finder Scope The reticle of the polar axis fin
49. pdate date file to the folder you created The file will be named OrionVxxxxEQ ssf where xxxx indicates the version number of the firm ware Updating the GoTo Hand Coniroller 1 Plug the modular plug end of the computer interface cable into the middle jack in the hand controller Figure 10 Plug the serial connector end of the cable to the COM port on your PC 2 Press and hold down the 0 and 8 numerical buttons simul taneously then plug the power supply into the hand con trollers DC power jack The hand controller will beep and display SynScan Update Ver x x on the LCD screen 3 Run the Firmware Loader program on your computer 4 Click on the Browse box and select the OrionVxxxx ssf file location where it was saved previously on your com puter 5 Click on the Update button and the new firmware will begin loading into the hand controller The Firmware Loader will show the progress of the update on your computer screen It will usually take approximately 5 minutes for the new firmware to load into the hand controller It may take significantly longer if a serial to USB adapter is employed on your computer 6 When the download is complete the Firmware Loader will display Update Complete The firmware in the GoTo hand controller has now been updat ed You can click on the HC Version button to confirm the new version number of the firmware and possibly the data base but the hardware
50. pe s opti cal tube until it is parallel with the right ascension axis as itis in Figure 5 4 Move the tripod so the telescope tube and right ascen sion axis point roughly at Polaris If you cannot see Polaris directly from your observing site consult a compass and rotate the tripod so the telescope points north The equatorial mount is now polar aligned for casual observ ing More precise polar alignment is recommended for astrophotography For this we recommend using the polar axis finder scope Focus Objective lock ring lens Eyepiece focus ring Alignment setscrew 3 a Figure 7 The polar axis finder scope From this point on in your observing session you should not make any further adjustments to the latitude of the mount nor should you move the tripod Doing so will undo the polar alignment The telescope should be moved only about its R A and Dec axes The Polar Axis Finder Scope The Atlas EQ G mount comes with a polar axis finder scope Figure 7 housed inside the right ascension axis of the mount When properly aligned and used it makes accurate polar alignment quick and easy to do Unthread the cover at the rear of the mount s right ascension axis and remove the cap on the front opening of the equatorial mount Figure 5 to view through the polar axis finder scope Alignment of the Polar Axis Finder Scope 1 Loosen the Dec lock lever and rotate the optical tube about the declination axis until y
51. r Version Soa ars Alignment PEC Training Jupiter 1 Star Align LCD LED Tuning Saturn 2 Star Align Uranus 3 Star Align Neptune Set Backlash Pluto Moon Set Tracking Sidereal Rate Named atar Lunar Rate NGC Catalog Solar Rate IC Catalog PEC Sidereal Rate Messier Catalog Stop Tracking Caldwell Catalog Auto Guide Speed aea 2X i 1 75X Variable Star 1 5X l User Defined 1 25X H Input Coordinate Recall Object 20 Note The following appendices apply to the Atlas EQ G with GoTo hand controller only Appendix A Enhancing the Pointing Accuracy The Atlas EQ G produces pointing accuracy and tracking accuracy adequate for most applications If higher precision is required cone error calibration may be necessary Cone Error Calibration Cone error is a common inaccuracy found on all German equatorial mount designs Cone error results from the optical axis of the telescope not being aligned to the R A axis of the mount This affects the pointing accuracy of the Atlas EQ G Three star alignment automatically compensates for some of the cone error but pointing accuracy will be optimized by mechanically minimizing the cone error The following calibra tion procedure should be performed before the initial use of the telescope and periodically thereafter to ensure peak accu racy Testing for Cone Error This test is performed at night using two bright stars located on opposite hemispheres of the night sky Conf
52. racket with the notch in the tripod center support tray and slide the bracket forward until it clicks into place Figure 12 You now have a place to put the GoTo hand controller while you are viewing You can reduce the chances of getting your hand controller cable tangled during use by installing the included wire clip The clip also prevents mechanical strain on the hand control ler cable when it is in use The wire clip is adhesive backed for easy attachment to any convenient location on the mount Tripod center support tray Hand controller bracket Figure 12 Installing the hand controller bracket Powering the Atlas EQ G Mount The Atlas EQ G should be powered by an 11V to 15V DC power supply tip positive capable of producing continuous current of a minimum 2 amps We recommend using a por table rechargeable battery like the Dynamo or Dynamo Pro available from Orion If you are using a portable battery like the Orion Dynamo use the 12V DC power cable supplied with your mount male ciga rette lighter plug on one end standard 12V DC power plug on other end to connect the battery to the 12V DC power jack on the mount Figure 11 Make sure the Dynamo s power switch is in the on position after connecting Then to turn the mount and GoTo hand controller on simply press the switch on the mount so it is in the on position Note The power indicator LED on the mount near the power switch will begin to fla
53. returned from the hand controller Sending a Slow GoTo Command 1 Convert the angle position to a 24 bit number Example if the desired position is 220 then POSITION_24BIT 220 360 224 10 252 743 2 Separate POSITION_24BIT into three bytes such that POSITION_24BIT PosHighByte 65536 PosMedByte 256 PosLowByte Example PosHighByte 156 PosMedByte 113 PosLowByte 199 3 Send the following 8 bytes a Azm Slow Goto 80 4 16 23 PosHighByte PosMedByte PosLowByte 0 b Alt Slow Goto 80 4 17 23 PosHighByte PosMedByte PosLowByte 0 4 The number 35 is returned from the hand controller Resetting the Position of Azimuth or Altitude 1 Convert the angle position to a 24bit number same as Slow Goto example 2 Send the following 8 bytes a Azm Set Position 80 4 16 4 PosHighByte PosMedByte PosLowByte O b Alt Set Position 80 4 17 4 PosHighByte PosMedByte PosLowByte 0 3 The number 35 is returned from the hand controller RJ 11 Pin outs 1 NC 2 TD 3 GND 4 GND 5 RD 6 NC l 1 6 9 25 o F uea o0 UuB820 ueb onueny gt o gt DIDEA o CLA 20 o unos unos 1 e e a Q uejpuj ar Se o o1 ta t No uea2o onueny p o ueac0 asy Fes 1543 lt 0 gt 1SiM PHOM 9Y JO SOUOZ UI Puepuels q xipuaddy 26 One Year Limited Warranty This Orion Atlas EQ G Equatorial Mount is warranted ag
54. sh when the battery power is low When the battery power is extremely low the LED will flash rapidly Recharge or replace the battery as needed 11 Functions of the GoTo Hand Controller There are four main categories of control buttons on the GoTo hand controller Figure 13 Display screen _SynScan J Mode buttons Directional buttons Dual purpose buttons Scroll buttons Figure 13 The GoTo hand controller Mode buttons Directional buttons Scroll buttons Aok gt Dual Purpose buttons Mode Buttons The three mode buttons are located at the top of the con troller directly below the LCD screen They include the ESC ENTER and SETUP buttons The ESC button is used to escape from a certain command or go back a level in the menu tree The ENTER button is used to select the functions and sub menus in the menu tree and to confirm certain functional operations The SETUP button is a hot key that takes you to the Setup Menu Directional Buttons The directional buttons allow the user to have complete motion control of the Atlas EQ G mount at almost any step in opera tion These controls are locked out when the mount is slewing to an object The directional buttons are very helpful when initially aligning the mount centering objects in the eyepiece field of view and manual guiding The directional buttons are typically used in conjunction with the RATE button The left and right directional
55. tele scope is properly set up and balanced and the finderscope is aligned with the optical tube of the telescope Note Steps 2 to 4 are to identify R A and DEC movements in the reticle eyepiece If you are already familiar with the move ments proceed to step 5 2 Find a bright star and position the telescope so the star is centered in the eyepiece field of view 3 Look into the eyepiece Move the telescope about the R A axis using the R A direction buttons on the hand controller while carefully observing the movement of the star 4 Keep moving the telescope about the R A axis back and forth to keep the star within the eyepiece field of view Rotate the eyepiece in the focuser or diagonal until the movement of the star becomes parallel to one of the illu minated crosshairs Figure 16 This crosshair will repre sent R A movement in the course of this procedure and the perpendicular crosshair will represent Dec movement Tighten the set screws to secure the eyepiece in position Make sure the eyepiece will remain stationary while the telescope is moved Figure 16 Aligning the R A motion of the star with the crosshairs RA movement Y of the star rotate eyepiece this way eyepiece view 5 Point the telescope North and set the latitude scale to your local latitude using the altitude adjustment L bolts Alternatively place Polaris in the polar axis finder scope if your polar ax
56. the tripod head and into the bottom of the equatorial mount until tight Use the upper knob on the center support shaft to do this The equatorial mount should now be firmly connected to the tripod 4 Remove the knob and washer from the bottom of the center support shaft Slide the tripod support tray up the bottom of the central support shaft until the three tray arms are touching the legs of the tripod The flat side of the support tray should be facing up Make sure the V of each tray arm is against a tripod leg Place the washer on the center support shaft against the tray and follow it by threading the knob all the way up the center support shaft until it is tight against the tray The tripod support tray pro vides additional stability for the tripod and holds up to five 1 25 eyepieces and two 2 eyepieces 5 Loosen the counterweight shaft lock lever and fully extend the counterweight shaft Retighten the lock lever 6 Remove the knurled toe saver retaining screw on the bottom of the counterweight shaft and slide both counter weights onto the shaft Make sure the counterweight lock knobs are adequately loosened to allow the counterweight shaft to pass through the hole Position the counterweights about halfway up the shaft and tighten the lock knobs Replace the toe saver at the end of the bar The toe saver prevents the counterweights from falling on your foot if the lock knobs happen to come loose Your Atlas EQ G
57. to both refract ing and reflecting telescope designs Differences in the optical path of telescopes do not affect how the telescope tube and tube rings should be adjusted on the mounting plate Place Polaris here Polaris Nis pa Figure 21 Using the optical axis offset screws move Polaris halfway to the eyepiece s center Appendix B Periodic Error Correction PEC Using the PEC functions requires an illuminated reticle eye piece capable of producing at least 300X magnification when used with your telescope For best results the true field of view should not exceed 10 arcminutes Periodic errors are inherent in almost all worm gears due to slight eccentricities and misalignments The PEC Periodic Error Correction Training function provides a manual correct ing method to reduce the amplitude of the worm gear errors By recording a full cycle of guiding actions the Atlas EQ G can compensate for drifting in the R A sidereal tracking caused by periodic errors The following instruction will lead you on a step by step procedure for performing the PEC Note The PEC training function is recommended for advanced users with interest in long exposure astrophotography only Careful guiding is required Standard sidereal tracking is suf ficient for all casual visual applications of the Atlas EQ G and PEC training is not required PEC Training 1 Perform an accurate polar alignment using the polar axis finder scope
58. toward the center of the eyepiece when the tube is pushed as in Figure 19 if NY Figure 20b Adjust the screws this way if Polaris moves away from the center of the eyepiece 22 view Figure 19 This will determine which direction left or right moves Polaris closer to the center of the eyepiece field of view 12 Carefully and gently loosen both the tube ring attachment screws Figure 3 by a couple of turns 13 Make adjustments to the optical axis offset adjustment screws the socket head cap screws located at each corner of the mounting plate Figure 3 according to the results of step 11 If Polaris moves toward the center when the telescope is pushed as indicated in Figure 19 loos en the adjustment screws near the front of the tube and tighten the adjustment screws closer to the back of the tube Figure 20a If Polaris moves away from the center when the telescope is pushed as in Figure 19 loosen the adjustment screws near the back of the tube and tight en the adjustment screws closer to the front of the tube Figure 20b Look into the eyepiece Adjust the adjust ment screws just enough to place Polaris HALF the dis tance back to the center of the illuminated reticle eyepiece Figure 21 14 Repeat steps 7 to 12 until Polaris remains in the center of the eyepiece field of view or moves slightly around the center when the mount is rotated about the R A axis Note This calibration method can be applied
59. ur favorite objects to view Saving an Object to the Database 1 Press the USER button You can also select User Defined in the Object Catalog menu and then press ENTER 2 Use the scroll buttons to select Input Coordi and press ENTER 3 You can ENTER the object s location by its R A and Dec coordinates or its azimuth and altitude coordinates Press 1 RA Dec or 2 AZAIt to make your selection 4 The default setting will display the R A Dec or Az Alt coor dinates the telescope is currently pointed to Therefore if the telescope is pointing at the object you wish to save i e the object is centered in the eyepiece simply press ENTER If the object you wish to save is at another location in the sky enter its coordinates using the numeric keypad When finished inputting the coordinates press ENTER Note If the coordinates entered do not exist the hand con troller will not respond when ENTER is pressed Check the coordinates for data entry mistakes and re enter the correct coordinates 5 The hand controller will then ask Save If you do wish to save the entered object coordinates press ENTER Otherwise press ESC 6 The controller will now prompt you to choose a num ber between 1 and 25 for your chosen object Using the scroll buttons select a number you wish to represent the object then press ENTER Keep in mind that if the object is assigned a User Object number that is already in use th
60. vember the hand controller will ask DAYLIGHT SAVING on the LCD screen Use the scroll buttons to select YES or NO to indicate if you are currently on Daylight Savings Time or not and press ENTER 11 The hand controller will now display Begin Alignment Press 1 or ENTER to start the alignment procedure Press 2 or ESC to skip the alignment and exit to the Main Menu You are now ready to begin the alignment procedure Alignment In order for the GoTo hand controller to accurately locate and point to objects in the sky it must first be aligned on known positions stars With the supplied information the controller can replicate a model of the sky and the movements of astro nomical objects There are three ways to align depending on your demand for accuracy If you are using the GoTo controller for the first time we recommend you begin with the three star alignment In most cases a three star alignment produces the most accu rate alignment among the three methods The description below will lead you through a step by step procedure on how to perform the three star alignment Note Before performing any of the alignment methods be sure your finderscope is well aligned with the telescope tube 13 Three Star Alignment 1 From the alignment screen select 3 Star Align using the scroll buttons Press ENTER to confirm your choice 2 The hand controller will provide a list of stars available in your
61. version will not change with internet updates Note If the error message Can not connect to a SynScan hand control appears on your computer check all cable con nections Also try closing all other computer programs that might be attempting to use the COM port Note If the error message Firmware update failed appears on your computer remove the power plug from the hand con troller and then reconnect it Now repeat the firmware update procedure By default the data communication rate between the GoTo hand controller and the computer is 115kbps The RS 232 port on some PCs may not support this high data transfer rate If the firmware update procedure fails after a few tries try reduc ing the data transfer rate by pressing the SETUP button on the hand controller This will reduce the data transfer rate to 9 6kbps The controllers LCD screen will show Lo in the lower right hand corner to indicate the lower transfer rate set ting The firmware update procedure remains the same except it will take much longer for the firmware to load into the hand controller 18 9 Technical Specifications Mount Tripod Weight Counterweights Polar axis latitude adjustment Polar axis finder scope Motor drives Operation Power requirement Motor type and resolution Resolution Gear ratio 7795 Dual Axis hand controller Slew speeds Guiding speeds Tracking rates Tracking mode
62. will not be needed The cable for the Atlas EQ G mount has a large serial con nector DB 9 on one end and a smaller modular connector RJ 45 on the other Plug the modular connector of the hand controller cable into the hand controller Figure 10 Push the connector into the jack until it clicks into place Plug the serial connector into the mount Figure 11 Use the captive screws to secure the serial connector in place Hand controller modular jack Computer interface modular jack Figure 10 Hand controller jacks Power indicator light 12V DC power jack Power switch Autoguider modular Hand controller serial jack Figure 11 Atlas EQ G mount faceplate The smaller modular jack on the hand controller Figure 10 is used for RS 232 communications between the Atlas EQ G mounts and a computer equipped with astronomy software like Starry Night Pro see Linking with a Computer The 12V DC power jack on the hand controller allows independent use of the GoTo hand controller for users who wish to browse the object database without connecting to the telescope mount Figure 10 The power jack is also used when updating the firmware in the hand controller see Updating the GoTo Hand Controllers Firmware The included GoTo hand controller bracket attaches to the built in notch in the tripod center support tray To install the hand controller bracket simply line up the tab on the back of the b

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