ASTRO DEVICES Nexus DSC User manual

Nexus DSC
Quick Setup Guide
1 2
4
7
0
8
5
3
6
9ESC OK
OFF ON

Nexus DSC - Quick Setup Guide
Version 1.1
Firmware version 1.x.x
Last revised on December 12th, 2014
Printed in Australia
Copyright
Copyright © 2014, Astro Devices. All rights reserved.
No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form for any purpose other than
the purchaser’s personal use, without the express written permission of Astro Devices.
Astro Devices reserves the right to make changes and improvements to its product without
providing a notice.
Precautions and Safety
Electricity
Nexus DSC contains a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion
batteries can explode or cause a fire if they are used incorrectly or if they
are defective. Therefore, you are recommended to read the following
instructions very carefully:
NEVER leave Nexus DSC where it is subjected to extremes in temperatures.
This includes low levels as well as high.
DO NOT leave Nexus DSC where it is in direct sunlight or in an enclosed
space, such as a car, that can become extremely hot very rapidly.
Do not drop or subject the Nexus DSC to impact.
Use only approved power adapter to charge your Nexus DSC.
Do not handle power plug and adapter with wet hands. Electrical shock may
result. Immediately power off the product and unplug the DC adapter and/or
batteries if smoke or odours emit from the product. Immediately power off the
product and unplug the DC adapter if water or other liquids are present.
Product
Keep it away from harsh environments including humid, dusty, and smoky
areas.
Do not use excessive force on the connectors or attempt to disassemble the
device without prior consultation with Astro Devices.
Do not place heavy objects on the product. Damage to your products may
result from improper use.
Technical Support
Astro Devices
198 The Esplanade,
SYLVANIA, NSW 2224
AUSTRALIA
ABN 75 270 616 917
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.astrodevices.com

Nexus DSC Quick Setup Guide 2
Thank you
Thank you for purchasing Nexus DSC digital
setting circles telescope computer. We hope
you enjoy it! This Guide will get you started
with your Nexus DSC.
Introduction
Nexus DSC is a digital setting circles
computer with optional WiFi interface for your
telescope. It works with most popular
telescopes – on equatorial or Alt-Azimuth
mounts.
Nexus DSC is a very sophisticated device for
locating celestial object in the sky. Only two
rotary encoders are required to be fitted to
your telescope in order to be able to locate
celestial object with Nexus DSC.
System Requirements
Nexus DSC uses a an optional WiFi
communication module and may be
connected to one of the following:
•iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch)
running iOS 3.0+
•Android devices with WiFi support
•PCs with WiFi support (running
Windows XP or Windows 7/8).
•Apple computers with WiFi support
(running Mac OS X).
Please also refer to the system requirements
for your favourite planetarium software.
Package Content
The package contains:
•Nexus DSC
•Quick setup guide and User manual
•DC 2.1mm to cigarette lighter power
cable
•USB to DC 2.1mm cable
•Optional power adapter 6V, 3A, 90-
264V AC
Unpacking
Nexus DSC has a protective film covering the
front panel. Please peel it off to be able to see
the display clearly.
Controls
All controls are situated on front panel of
Nexus DSC:
– power switch
– keypad
– display
– external power connector (DC 2.1mm)
– charging status LED
– USB connector
– Serial (RS232) port
– Encoders port
– Micro SD socket
Charge the battery
The battery may not be fully charged at first. It
is advised to fully charge the battery first.
Please use either the provided power adapter
or one of the recommended power adapters to
charge the battery.
7 8
4
1
0
2
5
9
6
3ESCOK
OFF ON
1 2 3
1
2
3
ENCODERSSERIAL
USB
microSD
5-16V DC
CHG
1 2 3 4 5 6
1
2
3
4
5
6

3 Nexus DSC Quick Setup Guide
It is also possible to use the supplied USB to
DC 2.1mm cable to charge the battery from a
power adapter with a USB socket. The power
adapter must be capable of supplying at least
1.5A at 5V.
Connect the power adapter to Nexus DSC and
plug the adapter into a power point.
It is recommended to keep Nexus DSC turned
off during charging to reduce charging time.
WARNING:
Do not connect Nexus DSC to an
external power source that is not
within the specified voltage range.
Nexus DSC has internal over-current
protection but it is safer to use it with
the power source specified.
The internal Lithium battery can only
be charged at a temperature range of
0oC to +30 oC(32 oF to 86 oF)
The charging status LED reports different
states:
Blinking
type
Description
Solid ON
The internal battery charging is in
progress
OFF
The internal battery has been fully
charged
Flashing
Flashing LED is indicating an error
(power source is not supplying sufficient
voltage and or current)
User interface
The main screen consists of a status bar,
horizontal menu with icons and a text
description of the currently selected menu
item:
– Status bar
– Main menu
– Menu description
The status bar has the following elements:
– WiFi status
– GPS fix status
– Current time
– Battery charge level
and keys on the keypad move
between previous and next menu items, they
are also used to move between control fields
(edit value, list, check box, on-screen buttons)
in a dialogue screen. The key also acts
as a backspace when editing a value in edit
fields.
The key activates the selected menu
item. The key goes back to the previous
menu level/screen.
and keys are used to select an item
from a list, to adjust value in numeric fields
with predefined steps (like ‘Time Zone’) or to
change a character in an edit field; they can
also be used to go to the previous/next menu
level.
On-screen buttons have a flashing border
when selected – in that case pressing the
key generates a button press event.
Initial Setup
In order to be able to use Nexus DSC for
locating celestial object it is necessary to set a
few parameters first:
- Time and date
- Mount Type
- Encoders’ resolution
Setting the time and date
Please select ‘Settings’ from the main menu:
Then select ‘Time and Date’:
1
2
3
1
2
3
1 2 3 4
1
2
3
4
OK
ESC
OK

Nexus DSC Quick Setup Guide 4
It will show the current time and date that can
be changed:
If all parameters are set correctly then
pressing the key can be used to avoid
changing any parameter.
If the time zone, time and date need to be
changed then and keys can be
used to select the parameter that needs to be
adjusted. and keys are used to
change the value.
Setting the time and date is only required if
time synchronisation with GPS is disabled.
However the time zone and date needs to be
set for Nexus DSC to show the local time
correctly.
The easiest way to set the time and date
is to set the date and time zone and then
step outside to allow the GPS receiver to get a
fix and thus synchronise time from GPS.
It usually takes 30 to 60 seconds for the
GPS receiver to get a fix on the location
(under open sky conditions). Nexus DSC will
update the internal real time clock with the
time received by the GPS receiver at this time.
The GPS receiver will automatically be
switched into a power saving mode after it
acquired the location to conserve the battery
power.
Connecting to your telescope
Please plug the encoder cable into ‘Encoders’
port on Nexus DSC.
To make sure that encoders are functioning
correctly Nexus DSC has a test mode.
Selecting ‘Test’ from the main menu activates
it:
Then selecting ‘Encoders’:
will show the current encoder steps and
angles:
In order for Nexus DSC to function correctly it
is required to adjust the encoder steps now to
make sure that:
•the RA/AZ current position in degrees is
increasing when rotating the telescope
clockwise around RA/AZ axis
•the Dec/Alt current position in degrees is
increasing when moving the telescope up
in declination/altitude
If either of those values is not increasing then
set the encoder steps for that axis to ‘Reverse’
in the Telescope Settings.
Telescope Settings
Nexus DSC needs the mount type and
encoder steps to be set correctly before it can
be used to locate celestial object precisely.
The mount type and encoder steps are set in
the Telescope Settings that can be accessed
by selecting ‘Setting’ from the main menu:
then by selecting ‘Telescope’:
ESC

5 Nexus DSC Quick Setup Guide
Then you need to select the telescope:
Nexus DSC allows to have up to five different
telescope configurations. You can also
rename TELESCOPE 1 to your telescope
name. You just need to activate the Rename
button by using and then press the
key. A text cursor now appears under the
name:
You will now be able to edit the name and
change it to your telescope name:
Now you need to set other parameters for
your telescope:
where the mount type can be selected by
using and keys. The encoder steps
are set to 10000 steps by default and should
be set to the number of steps corresponding
to the number of steps installed on your
telescope. Encoder steps can be set by using
the numeric keys on the keypad. Please
enable ‘Reverse’ if required as described
previously:
Two star alignment
Nexus DSC needs to be aligned on two stars
before it can locate celestial objects.
Your telescope does not need to be
levelled for Nexus DSC to locate celestial
objects accurately.
The two star alignment is performed in three
steps.
Please go to the Align menu:
Then select Altitude Reference:
Adjust the altitude reference angle if required:
Now move the telescope into position
depending on the mount type (for 90 degrees
reference):
Telescopes on Alt-Azimuth mount should be
positioned vertically:
OK

Nexus DSC Quick Setup Guide 6
The same rule applies to telescopes installed
on equatorial platforms. Please note that the
telescope should be at 90 degrees to the
ground board, not the ground.
For equatorial mounts 0 degrees altitude
reference is more convenient.
Telescopes on an Equatorial Fork for a 0
degrees altitude reference then be positioned
as below:
The telescope does not have to be
positioned exactly at the angle specified,
but it should be within ±10°. You can also set
the altitude reference to any angle
between -180°and +180° by selecting
Custom from the list and by adjusting the
angle:
Please note that the altitude reference
angle is individual for each telescope
configuration – this angle will be stored in
the settings for the currently selected
telescope.
Nexus DSC will automatically switch the
screen to the selection of first alignment
object:
While Nexus DSC can be aligned on any
object in its database it is best to use objects
form either Named Stars catalogue or Bright
Stars catalogue.
It is time to select the first alignment object –
by pressing to go to the object selection
list and then using and to change
to another star:
Acamar was selected as it is well above 30
degrees. Now the telescope should be pointed
at Acamar using an eyepiece with a
reticle/crosshair or a very high magnification
eyepiece. Press the button once the
telescope is pointing at the star.
Nexus DSC will now switch to the selection of
a second alignment object:
Please follow the procedure described above
to change the selection of the second
alignment object if necessary.
Press the button once the star is in the
centre of the eyepiece.
Now Nexus DSC will show the alignment
error:
OK
OK

7 Nexus DSC Quick Setup Guide
Now you can press either the button or
the key to go to the previous menu.
You can go back to align on first or to
align on second object at any time in case
the alignment error is too big.
Alignment object screen
Alignment object screen presents the following
information:
where:
– Currently catalogue
– Currently selected object’s azimuth
– Currently selected object’s RA
– Object’s information
– Currently selected object
– Currently selected object’s altitude
– Telescope’s AZ/RA
– Telescope’s Altitude/Declination
– Currently selected object’s declination
Pointing accuracy
Pointing accuracy depends on a number of
factors:
•Quality of the telescope mount
•Choice of alignment stars
•Accuracy in pointing on alignment
objects
To achieve the best pointing accuracy with an
Altitude-Azimuth mount it is recommended
that:
•The alignment stars chosen should
always be at 30 to 80 degrees in
altitude and separated by at least 70
degrees in azimuth.
•Alignment stars should ideally have at
least a few degrees separation in
altitude
•Polaris can be used as one of the
alignment stars
To achieve the best pointing accuracy on an
Equatorial mount it is recommended that:
•Polaris should never be used as one of
the alignment stars
•Alignment stars with a declination
greater than 80 degrees should be
avoided
•The alignment stars chosen should
always be at 30 to 80 degrees in
altitude and separated by at least 70
degrees in RA.
Locating an object
Once the two star alignment is performed
Nexus DSC can locate celestial object in the
sky.
The following steps describe a basic location
of celestial objects.
Go to the top menu and select Find:
Select From Catalogues:
Select a catalogue by using the and
buttons:
And just leave the Filter as Disable for now:
OK
ESC
1
5
2 3
6 97 84
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Nexus DSC Quick Setup Guide 8
The display will show the last selected object:
Suppose we would like to find NGC55. Just
press the key and the display will prompt
to continue typing the object number:
Now press the key again and then press
:
Nexus DSC will now show where to move the
telescope to aim at NGC55:
It shows that the telescope needs to be moved
down by 6.9 degrees and counter clockwise
by 59.7 degrees. As you start moving the
telescope the numbers will start updating.
Continue to move until both numbers are
close to 0s:
If you look through the eyepiece then you will
see NGC55 there now.
To display additional information about the
object just press or key:
Pressing , or will take you
back to the previous screen.
Please refer to the Nexus DSC User
Manual for advanced topic on objects’
selection.
Using Nexus DSC with
SkySafari
If your Nexus DSC has the optional WiFi card
then you can connect it to SkySafari Plus/Pro
running on iOS, Android or Mac OS X. The
following steps describe how to set everything
up on iPhone but the procedure is very similar
for Mac OS X and Android.
Nexus DSC setup
Please go to the top menu on Nexus DSC and
select Settings and then WiFi:
Make sure that WiFi Mode is set to Access
Point:
Press until the second page of setting
appears and make sure that Protocol is set to
LX200:
5
5
OK
ESC
OK

9 Nexus DSC Quick Setup Guide
SkySafari Setup
Next please go to Settingg->WiFi on your
iPhone: and join NexusDSC’s network:
The next steps is to set SkySafari’s settings.
Please start SkySafari on your iPhone and go
to Settings->Telescope->Setup:
Nexus DSC is emulating LX200 protocol when
used with a planetarium application. Change
the Scope Type to Meade LX200 Classic:
The next step is to set the WiFi network
parameters. Assuming default Nexus DSC’s
settings were not changed:
- set Mount Type to Alt-Az GoTo
- IP Address should be set to 10.0.0.1
- Port Number should be set to 4060

Nexus DSC Quick Setup Guide 10
- Readout Rate can be set to 10 per
second
Now the telescope control panel can be
activated by touching the Scope icon. Then
touch Connect.
If the telescope is still aimed at NGC55 then
SkySafari will show the telescope cursor on
the screen and NGC55 will be in the centre of
the screen:
Locating objects with SkySafari
Please go to the top menu on Nexus DSC and
then select Find and then From Planetarium:
To locate an object selected in SkySafari you
need to touch GoTo on the telescope control
panel – Nexus DSC will now show where to
move the telescope to locate the object:
Please refer to Nexus DSC User Manual for additional details of using your Nexus DSC

Printed in Australia