Astromi.ch MGPBox User manual

MGPBox Manual

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 4
Overview........................................................................................................................................ 5
System Requirements ................................................................................................................... 6
General Requirements............................................................................................................... 6
Windows Operating Systems ................................................................................................. 6
Other Operating Systems....................................................................................................... 6
ASCOM Connections................................................................................................................. 6
MGPBox usage ............................................................................................................................. 7
Windows Application ..................................................................................................................... 7
Firmware Versions ........................................................................................................................ 8
Standard Firmware .................................................................................................................... 8
10Micron specific Firmware ....................................................................................................... 8
Installation and Configuration ................................................................................................ 8
Differences in Windows Application ....................................................................................... 9
More Details ......................................................................................................................... 10
Hardware information .................................................................................................................. 12
Pressure Sensor ...................................................................................................................... 12
Temperature Sensor................................................................................................................ 12
Humidity Sensor....................................................................................................................... 12
Microprocessor ........................................................................................................................ 13
GPS Module............................................................................................................................. 13
RJ10 Interface.......................................................................................................................... 14
Application Interface.................................................................................................................... 15
Serial Port settings................................................................................................................... 15
Serial Port settings RJ10 ......................................................................................................... 15
Protocol.................................................................................................................................... 16
Setting, resetting, receiving Calibration data and other commands ........................................ 17
Setting pressure calibration.................................................................................................. 17
Setting temperature calibration ............................................................................................ 17
Setting humidity calibration .................................................................................................. 18
Resetting calibration values ................................................................................................. 18
Getting calibration values..................................................................................................... 18
Send GPS-Data to Mount (Standard Firmware only) .......................................................... 18
Send Meteo-Data to Mount (Standard Firmware only) ........................................................ 18

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Update Mount refraction data (10Micron specific Firmware only) ....................................... 18
Update Mount time initially (10Micron specific Firmware only)............................................ 18
Update Mount time continuously (10Micron specific Firmware only) .................................. 19
Getting Mount Model (10Micron specific Firmware only)..................................................... 19
Getting Mount Firmware Version (10Micron specific Firmware only) .................................. 19
Rebooting the GPS-Module ................................................................................................. 19
Rebooting MGPBox ............................................................................................................. 19
Turning GPS Module On...................................................................................................... 19
Turning GPS Module Off...................................................................................................... 19
Activating the relay............................................................................................................... 19
Query Device type................................................................................................................ 20
Query status of timesync (10Micron specific Firmware only) .............................................. 20
Troubleshooting........................................................................................................................... 20

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Introduction
Thank you for purchasing MGPBox (short for Meteo-, GPS- and Power Box) a small, self-
contained device that delivers positional information, barometric pressure, temperature,
humidity and dew point information with high accuracy.
Sophisticated telescope mounts usually allow the creation of models to minimize inaccuracies in
pointing and tracking that can result from mechanical tolerances, atmospheric refraction and
other factors. In order for this model to be of the highest quality, the mount computer or
controlling software can use the data that MGPBox provides and thus improve the accuracy in
their calculations.
Because of the small size of MGPBox, it can be used in both mobile astronomy as well as
stationary setups inside an observatory.
MGPBox is self-declared CE conform according to EN 301489-1 Class B and EN 61000-6-3
Class B
MGPBox is also ROHS compliant.

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Overview
1 –RJ10 Port
2 –GPS Status LED
LED blinks in 1 second interval if no GPS Fix is acquired
LED remains off once a valid GPS Fix is achieved
3 –Mount Status LED
Only relevant for the 10Micron specific Firmware
Indicates if communication with the mount has been established. If the LED is on,
MGPBox and the mount are not communicating with each other.
4 –Micro USB Connector
5 –Socket for Power-Control Cable

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System Requirements
MGPBox was tested on WindowsXP, Windows 7 and Windows 10 in a mix of 32-bit and 64-bit
versions. It is assumed that the Windows OS is updated to the latest patches and updates.
General Requirements
Windows Operating Systems
Windows 10
Windows 8 / 8.1
Windows 7
oNo further requirements, in case the FTDI Driver is missing or overwritten by
the Windows update process, please reinstall the one from the FTDI website
(http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm)
WindowsXP
oService Pack 3
o.Net Framework 4.0
oFTDI Driver (http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm)
Other Operating Systems
Although untested, MGPBox should work on Mac or Linux operating Systems. It may be
necessary to install the proper driver that is available from FTDI (see link above). For a
description of the command protocol please refer to Section Application Interface.
ASCOM Connections
For connections thru ASCOM the following needs to be installed:
ASCOM Platform 6.2 or later
Astromi.ch MGPBox Driver

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MGPBox usage
MGPBox can either be used with or without a computer.
If you use the RJ10 interface of MGPBox, please check the pinout of your mount’s computer
before hookup. We take no responsibility for possible damages resulting from improper
configurations! Please see Chapter “RJ10 Interface”for details
Usage with computer
Connect MGPBox to your computer using the supplied USB-Cable and launch the
application. MGPBox will be recognized by Windows as a new Com-Port
It is recommended to do this at least once to in order to configure the behavior of the
RJ10 Port.
On older Windows Versions or other Operating Systems, it might be necessary to install
the proper FTDI Driver before the device becomes available.
Usage without computer
MGPBox can also be connected to your mount using the supplied RJ10 cable. The
RJ10-Port is configured similar to a serial port and MGPBox can draw power either thru
the USB-Port or from the RJ10-Port.
Using just the RJ10 Port makes MGPBox operate in stand-alone mode where it just
keeps sending data according to its configuration.
Note: For 10Micron Mounts, if the mount is powered off but the mount’s power source
remains on, MGPBox will continue to receive power from the mount.
Windows Application
Please consult the respective manual for a description of the windows application.

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Firmware Versions
There are two versions of Firmware available for MGPBox which are described here.
Standard Firmware
The standard Firmware is pre-flashed onto the microprocessor. It sends both positional and
meteorological data to the computer and the RJ10 port, if configured.
10Micron specific Firmware
Operating a high-end telescope mount can have some pitfalls. There are quite a few things that
can go wrong and ruin the experience the mount is capable of providing.
Just to name a few:
Wrong refractive data / time during model creation
Update of critical parameters during tracking / exposure
Multiple sources that sync (different values) with the mount (e.g. time)
Etc.
In order to reduce this complexity, a 10Micron specific Firmware is available. The goal is to have
one device that is “plug and forget”and does all of the above automatically and therefore
reduce complexity for the user.
Installation and Configuration
Please download the Firmware from the astromi.ch website and install it using the MGPBox
application and the procedure described in chapter “Windows Application –Setup and Close
buttons”of this manual.
The application recognizes the firmware automatically after reconnection and automatically
enables additional features.
Configure the Mount’s GPS-Port to be a serial port. Details about this can be found in the
10Micron Manual.
Once these prerequisites are met and you have verified the pinout of your mount’s computer,
you can connect MGPBox to your mount using the supplied RJ10 cable.
Note: If you want to use MGPBox as the “one-and-only”data source, please ensure that no
other software or driver also synchronizes data as this could lead to unpredictable results.

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Differences in Windows Application
Because this Firmware features additional functionality, the Windows application also needs to
be slightly different to take advantage of these features. The additional functionality described
below is enabled automatically when the software detects the 10Micron specific Firmware.
Main Window
Mount Model and Firmware Information
Once MGPBox and your Mount communicate with each other, information about the Mount
Model and the installed Firmware is displayed.

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Setup Window
Initial time sync
Updates the mount’s time to the time received from the GPS Module. This will only happen
once when MGPBox and your mount establish communication. No further updates will happen
after that.
Update refraction
Sends updated temperature and pressure information to the mount.
Continuous timesync
This option will continuously update the mounts time, depending on the tracking state as further
explained below.
More Details
When MGPBox is plugged into the mount it will boot up and constantly query the mount for
various information. As soon as a valid reply is received for a specific command, the main
processes start.
Tracking state
MGPBox queries the mount for its tracking status at frequent intervals. Any updates to time or
refraction parameters will only happen if the status is anything but tracking.