ASTRO DEVICES Nexus-II User manual

USER MANUAL
Nexus
STATUSCHARGE
POWER
-II

User Guide for Nexus-II
Version 1.1
Firmware version 1.x.x
Last revised on May 15th, 2016
Printed in Australia
Copyright
Copyright © 2016, 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-II 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-II where it is subjected to extremes
in temperatures. This includes low levels as well as high.
DO NOT leave Nexus-II 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-II to impact.
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 and/or batteries if water or other liquids are
present.
Product
Do not drop or subject the device to impact.
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.
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

1 firmware version 1.X.X Nexus-II User Manual
Thank you
Thank you for purchasing Nexus-II WiFi electronic telescope interface. We hope
you enjoy it! This user manual will get you started and help you make the most
of your Nexus-II.
Introduction
Nexus-II is a computerised WiFi wireless adapter for your telescope. It works
with most popular telescopes – on equatorial or Alt-Azimuth mounts.
Nexus-II can be configured to function as a DSC and/or USB serial to WiFi
adapter.
Nexus-II, two optical encoders, encoder cable and a tablet or computer will
transform your telescope into a computerised telescope making locating all
those hard to find objects an easy task. Also Nexus-II communicates wirelessly
with your tablet or personal computer so you will find no wires to trip over in the
darkness.
You will need planetarium software in order to use Nexus-II.
Product Features
Below is a short outline of main features of your Nexus-II.
• Supports extended Ouranos, Bbox, Sky Commander and LX200
communication protocols
• Handles TTL quadrature optical encoders with practically unlimited
number of pulses per second
• Dual power source – internal 3.7V Lithium battery or external 5-9V DC
• Operating temperature range from -20 oC to +50 oC (-5 oF to +120 oF)
• Humidity 10%-90% non-condensing
• FCC / CE/ IC certified 2.4GHz IEEE 802.11b/g transceiver
• Supports Access Point and infrastructure WiFi networks
• Secure Wi-Fi authentication schemes (WEP/WPA/WPA2)
• Class I WiFi device (up to 150 meters)
• Uses 2412 ~ 2484MHz Unlicensed ISM band (channels 1-14)
• USB providing up to 0.5A, 5V power
• Uses a 32-bit MIPS CPU.
• Power consumption (while charging) – 1.5 A from 5V
• Reverse polarity protection
• RoHS compliant
System Requirements
Nexus-II uses a WiFi communication module and requires one of the following
to be connected to:
• iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) running iOS 3.0+
• Android devices with WiFi support
• PC with WiFi support (running Windows XP or Windows 7).
• Apple computers with WiFi support (running Mac OS X).
Please also refer to the system requirements for your favourite planetarium
software.

Nexus-II User Manual firmware version 2.X.X 2
Package Content
The package contains:
- Nexus-II
- User manual
- DC 2.1mm to USB-A power cable
For using Nexus in the field we advise on using rechargeable batteries or
external power source.
Controls
Status LEDs are situated on the front panel of Nexus-II:
Controls are situated on side panel of Nexus-II:
WARNING:
Do not connect Nexus-II to an external power source that is not
within the specified voltage range. Nexus has internal over-current
protection but it is safer to use it with the power source specified.
The USB port can be used to charge your portable computing
device and Nexus-II can provide up to 0.5A.
Nexus
STATUSCHARGE
POWER
-II
1 2 3 4 5
ENCODERS
FS
5-9V DC USB
OFF ON
1 – ON/OFF slide switch
2 – 2.1mm DC connector
3 – USB
4 – Encoders RJ45 connector
5 – Factory settings button
CHARGE – indicates if charging is in
progress (ON if charging, OFF if charging
is complete)
STATUS – Encoders RJ45 connector
POWER – indicates if the power source is
valid (ON if the power source is between 5
and 9V DC and provides sufficient current)

3 firmware version 1.X.X Nexus-II User Manual
The status LED reports different states of Nexus-II:
Blinking type
Description
Fast pulsating blinking
(once a second)
A computing device is connected to Nexus or
Nexus is connected to a WLAN
Slow pulsating blinking
(once every two seconds)
Nexus is not connected
ON
Updating firmware
Flashing
(once a second)
Error/Change Mode
Charge the battery
The battery may not be fully charged at first. It is advised to fully charge the
battery.
Please use either the provided optional power adapter or one of the
recommended power adapters to charge the battery.
Please use the supplied USB to DC 2.1mm cable to charge the battery from a
power adapter with a USB socket. The power adapter should be capable of
supplying at least 1.5A at 5V otherwise it will take much longer to fully charge
the battery in Nexus-II.
Connect the power adapter to Nexus-II and plug the adapter into a power point.
It is recommended to keep Nexus-II turned off during charging to reduce
charging time.
WARNING:
Do not connect Nexus-II to an external power source that is not within
the specified voltage range. Nexus-II 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 0 oC to +30 oC (32 oF to 86 oF)
Connecting Nexus-II to Your Telescope/Other Devices
Nexus can operate in various modes:
• Wireless DSC
• Wireless DSC and USB serial to WiFi adapter
• USB serial to WiFi adapter
Wireless DSC
The following diagram illustrates how Nexus-II is connected to a telescope:

Nexus-II User Manual firmware version 2.X.X 4
Nexus-II constantly detects pulses sent by the encoders and translates them
into absolute angular positions. Planetarium software periodically (depending on
the settings) requests the encoders’ current position and converts it to real sky
coordinates. Then the position of the telescope is usually reflected on the
screen by a cross hair. An alignment procedure needs to be performed before
the planetarium software can start showing where the telescope is pointing.
Please refer to the user manual of the planetarium software for details on
performing the alignment procedure.
Please note that the connection to a telescope mounted on an equatorial mount
is the same except the Azimuth cable is connected to the RA (right ascension)
encoder while the Altitude cable is connected to the Declination encoder.
Wireless DSC and USB serial to WiFi adapter
Nexus-II can be used as a wireless DSC and a USB serial to WIFi adapter. In
this mode Nexus-II is used for a ‘push-to’ DSC on a telescope while USB can
be connected to another telescope/device.
WIRELESS
CONNECTION
TO TABLET/PC/MAC
ENCODERS
FS
5-9V DC USB
OFF ON
Telescope
Encoders
Telescope/
Other device

5 firmware version 1.X.X Nexus-II User Manual
USB Serial to WiFi adapter
In this mode only the USB port is used. The USB port is connected using a
standard USB cable to a telescope with a USB interface. Nexus-II supports a
number of telescopes with a USB interface based on FT232x (ServoCAT,
SiTech), CP210x (iOptron) and PL2303 (iOptron, Meade) chips.
Ports Pin Descriptions
Encoders
Nexus has a standard RJ-45 connector to connect it to the rotary encoders of
your telescope. The pins are numbered according to the following diagram:
The pin descriptions are in the following table:
Pin
Description
1
Channel B of Azimuth or RA encoder
2
+5 V
3
Channel A of Azimuth or RA encoder
4
Ground
5
Channel B of Altitude or Declination encoder
6
+5V
7
Channel A of Altitude or Declination encoder
8
Ground
WARNING:
While Nexus-II’s encoders’ port has an input protection, care
must be taken not to exceed the maximum input voltage of +5V
DC on any input, and the inputs should never be driven to
negative voltages below GROUND. This will cause permanent
damage to the internal circuits of Nexus-II.
Nexus-II only works with TTL (Transistor-Transistor Logic)
ENCODERS
FS
5-9V DC USB
OFF ON
Telescope/
Other device
USB ENCODERS
PIN 1 PIN 8

Nexus-II User Manual firmware version 2.X.X 6
rotary encoders with quadrature output.
Connecting To Tablet/PC/Mac
Nexus-II communicates with planetarium software using one or more TCP/IP
ports. Nexus-II’s default TCP/IP ports’ configuration is described in the following
table:
TCP/IP
port
Port
Connection
Serial port parameters,
baudrate, data bits, stop bits,
parity
4060
Astro Devices communication
protocol
4061
LX200 communication
protocol
4062
USB
9600, 8, 1, no
4070
Configuration protocol
Nexus-II is operating in Access Point mode by default. The default SSID of
Nexus is ADNexusII_XXXXX where XXXXX is the serial number of your Nexus.
The serial number is printed of the back of your Nexus-II. The SSID can be
changed using the configuration utility.
The default IP address of your Nexus is 10.0.0.1.
Note: The WiFi Configuration setup may differ based on the
brand of the computer used and on the OS running on that
device. Please refer to the user manual of the devices and the
OS. The TCP/IP port used for configuration is always 4070 and
cannot be changed.
Please refer to the user manual of your planetarium software for the explanation
on setting up the communications with telescope. Some software is designed to
operate a telescope directly through a serial port. You can use a special utility –
virtual serial port driver for you computer. A number of utilities of this type are
available, with many of them free:
COM2TCP - with a 45-day free trial, by AstroGeeks
HW VSP 3 - Free for personal use
Operating Nexus-II
Updating Firmware

7 firmware version 1.X.X Nexus-II User Manual
Nexus-II’s firmware can be updated using a USB memory stick. Please
download the latest firmware from the support section of our website and
copy it to the root folder of the USB memory stick. Please follow these
steps:
• Turn Nexus-II OFF
• Insert the USB memory stick into USB connector of Nexus-II
• Press and hold the ‘Factory Setting’ button (using a pin/pen)
• Turn Nexus-II ON
• Wait for two seconds
• Release the ‘Factory Setting’ button
• The firmware will be updated. Once the update is complete the
Status LED will start ‘pulsating’ blinking
• Turn Nexus OFF
• Remove the USB memory stick
Please note that Nexus-II may reset all of its settings with a firmware
update.
Restoring WiFi factory settings
From time to time you may need to restore the WiFi settings of your
Nexus-II. The following steps will allow you to reset them:
• Turn Nexus OFF
• Press and hold the ‘Factory Setting’ button
• Turn Nexus-II ON (the status LED will start flashing)
• Release the button
• The WiFi settings are restored as soon as the status LED will start
‘pulsating’ blinking
Note: Please make sure that no device is connected/joined to
Nexus-II’s WiFi network when restoring WiFi factory settings.
List of Compatible Planetarium Software
Nexus-II is compatible with most planetarium software packages that support
Ouranos or Bbox protocols. You can also use planetarium software that
supports ASCOM platform (http://ascom-standards.org). The table below lists
just a few software packages that Nexus-II was tested with.
Software Name
Platform
Protocol
Website
Deep Sky Browser
iOS
Astro Devices Nexus
http://www.astrodevices.com/
Cartes du Ciel
Windows
Orion IntelliScope Mounts
(ASCOM platform)
http://sourceforge.net/projects/skychart/
DeepSky
Windows
Orion IntelliScope Mounts
(ASCOM platform)
http://www.deepsky2000.net
Hallo northern sky
Windows
Orion IntelliScope Mounts
http://www.hnsky.org/

Nexus-II User Manual firmware version 2.X.X 8
Software Name
Platform
Protocol
Website
(ASCOM platform)
Megastar
Windows
Bbox/Sky Wizard CTI
http://www.willbell.com/
SkySafari Plus/Pro
Android
iOS
MacOS X
Basic Encoder System
http://www.southernstars.com/
Starry Night®
Windows
Orion IntelliScope Mounts
(ASCOM platform)
http://www.starrynightstore.com
TheSky 6
Windows
BBox
http://www.bisque.com
Voyager-4.5
Windows
MacOS X
Basic Encoder System
http://www.carinasoft.com
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
Q: How long does the battery last?
A: That depends on a number of different factors – type of encoders used, and
operating temperature to some extent. It also depends on the mode Nexus-II is
running in. For example, the internal battery (fully charged) will last for around
11 hours with Nexus operating as a WiFi DSC with US Digital S2/S6, 10000
steps encoders
Q: Can I use non-optical encoders?
A: Yes, the firmware processes pulses from standard quadrature encoders.
They can be optical, capacitive or magnetic encoders. Any of them can be used
as long as they provide TTL level quadrature output.
Q: Does Nexus-II use external power when external is connected?
A: Nexus-II uses only external power source to operate and to charge the
battery. If the battery is fully charged then the external power will be used to
power Nexus-II. If the battery is not fully charged then external power will be
used to charge the battery and to power Nexus-II.
Q: Does Nexus-II have a built-in charger for the installed battery?
A: Yes, Nexus-II has a built-in charger with a temperature sensor and high
precision voltage output required to charge Lithium batteries. It also has a built-
in safety timer that will disconnect the battery under charge in 5 hours.
Q: How can I determine the resolution of my encoder?
A: Just multiply the CPR (counts per revolution) of your encoder by four and
then multiply the result by the ratio of the gears it is connected to your telescope
(if you have any).
Q: Does Nexus-II work with a standard Android based device (without any
modifications to the device’s firmware?