Astromi.ch MGBox User manual

MGBox 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
MGBox usage................................................................................................................................7
Windows Application .....................................................................................................................8
Temperature, Pressure and Dew Chart.....................................................................................8
Chart Details .......................................................................................................................... 9
Temperature, Pressure and Dew point values........................................................................10
Offsets..................................................................................................................................11
GPS-Location, altitude and UTC-Time....................................................................................12
Connection indicator................................................................................................................12
Setup and Close buttons .........................................................................................................14
Setup....................................................................................................................................14
Close button.........................................................................................................................15
Running multiple Instances of the application.............................................................................16
Firmware Versions ......................................................................................................................17
Standard Firmware ..................................................................................................................17
10Micron specific Firmware.....................................................................................................17
Installation and Configuration ..............................................................................................17
Differences in Windows Application.....................................................................................18
More Details.........................................................................................................................19
Hardware information..................................................................................................................21
Pressure Sensor......................................................................................................................21
Temperature Sensor................................................................................................................21
Humidity Sensor.......................................................................................................................21
Microprocessor ........................................................................................................................22
GPS Module.............................................................................................................................22
RJ10 Interface..........................................................................................................................23
Application Interface....................................................................................................................24
Serial Port settings...................................................................................................................24

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Serial Port settings RJ10 .........................................................................................................24
Protocol....................................................................................................................................25
Setting, resetting, receiving Calibration data and other commands........................................26
Setting pressure calibration..................................................................................................26
Setting temperature calibration............................................................................................26
Setting humidity calibration..................................................................................................27
Resetting calibration values.................................................................................................27
Getting calibration values.....................................................................................................27
Send GPS-Data to Mount (Generic Firmware only) ............................................................27
Send Meteo-Data to Mount (Generic Firmware only)..........................................................27
Update Mount refraction data (10Micron specific Firmware only) .......................................27
Update Mount time (10Micron specific Firmware only)........................................................27
Getting Mount Model (10Micron specific Firmware only).....................................................27
Getting Mount Firmware Version (10Micron specific Firmware only)..................................28
Query the status of the initial time sync (10Micron specific Firmware only)........................28
Troubleshooting...........................................................................................................................29

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Introduction
Thank you for purchasing MGBox (short for Meteo- and GPS 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 MGBox provides and thus improve the accuracy in
their calculations.
Because of the small size of MGBox, it can be used in both mobile astronomy as well as
stationary setups inside an observatory.
MGBox is CE conform according to EN 301489-1 Class B and EN 61000-6-3 Class B
MGBox 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,
MGBox and the mount are not communicating with each other.
4 –Micro USB Connector

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System Requirements
MGBox 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, MGBox 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 MGBox Driver

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MGBox usage
MGBox can either be used with or without a computer.
If you use the RJ10 interface of MGBox, 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 MGBox to your computer using the supplied USB-Cable and launch the
application. MGBox 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
MGBox can also be connected to your mount using the supplied RJ10 cable. The RJ10-
Port is configured similar to a serial port and MGBox can draw power either thru the
USB-Port or from the RJ10-Port.
Using just the RJ10 Port makes MGBox 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, MGBox will continue to receive power from the mount.

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Windows Application
The Software that is provided together with MGBox collects the data from the hardware and
displays it in a small graphical user interface that can be split up into two main sections, which
are described below. The application also writes a file called “10micronRefraction.txt” to your
temp folder at periodic intervals. If you own a 10Micron mount and use Per Frejvall’s ASCOM
Driver for the mount, the driver will read this file and send the atmospheric information to your
mount.
Temperature, Pressure and Dew Chart
As soon as MGBox is connected by the application the chart region (1) will begin to be
populated with data. The Chart features a temperature scale on the left side that is used for
temperature and dew point, and a pressure scale on the right side used to indicate current
relative air pressure. The scale at the bottom indicates a timeline, with the actual time and data
displayed on the right side of the graph.

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Below the chart the current measurements are displayed as clear text (2), along with
information about configured offsets, GPS information, the port used for communication and
firmware version of MGBox.
Chart Details
Moving the mouse pointer inside the chart area will change it to a crosshair that provides
detailed information about a certain point on the chart when hovered over a line.
On the bottom left of the chart, the current range index of the chart is displayed. Scrolling with
the mouse wheel acts as zoom into or out of the graphic and will change the time range that is
displayed on the chart.
Clicking onto the chart with the right mouse button brings up a context menu as shown in the
next figure.

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Save as JPG
oSaves the currently displayed chart in a picture on your computer.
Export to CSV
oExports all data points available into a CSV file that can later be used with 3rd
party Software (e.g. Excel) to recreate the graphs.
Clear
oClears the current graph and removes all data points
Temperature, Pressure and Dew point values
In addition to the chart, the current values are displayed in a numeric format for easier
readability.