Hobym Observatory TiTaN TCS User manual

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F/W 2.6.0
2018/11/23
TiTaN TCS
Opeation Manual

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TiTaN TCS(Telescope Control System) is the most compact and powerful telescope
control system which adopted the latest technologies in a small size.
In addition, the powerful CPU, memory, wireless module and various connectors are
readily available for continuous updates of functions and upgrades, so that the device
will meet your needs.
Contents ------------------------------------------------------------------- 2
1. Main Functions of TiTaN Telescope Control System -------------- 3
2. How to Use Navigation Button & Wheel ------------------------------6
3. Parking & Speed Volume knob ----------------------------------------- 7
4. System Configuration Diagram ---------------------------------------- 8
5. Operation Sequence of TiTaN TCS ----------------------------------- 11
6. Menu List ------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
7. Explanation of Menu ----------------------------------------------------- 21
8. Bluetooth ------------------------------------------------------------------- 48
9. Technical Specifications ------------------------------------------------ 54
10.LX200 Commands supported ------------------------------------------ 56
11.Replacing the battery --------------------------------------------------- 57
12.Pin Map -------------------------------------------------------------------- 57
13.FAQ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 58

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1. Main Functions of TiTaN Telescope Control System
1. Titan has separate control CPU (120MHz / 32bit) and UI CPU for future
expansion of required functions.
2. Internal GOTO databases including Messier, NGC, IC, Caldwell, and SH-2, so
users can slew to the desired object using TCS without PC.
3. Supports Bluetooth Serial Protocol (SPP) to be connected with various devices.
4. Variable microstepping (1/4 ~ 1/128)
By automatically selecting 1/128 microstep in tracking mode and 1/4 ~ 1/64
microstep in Slewing mode, precise tracking performance and high speed
slewing could be simultaneously achieved within minimum power consumption.
The TCS also dynamically controls the voltage and current according to the
motor speed.
5. Internal DC voltage step-up regulator and current control enables powerful
operation of the stepper motor.
6. Supports the widely used Meade LX200 compatible protocol; can be connected
with various astronomical software.
Can be connected with the PC using the ASCOM driver for LX200.
7. If you correctly follows the parking steps, the parking position of the telescope
will be automatically recovered, which enables more convenient observation.
8. Various functions in the compact size (86 x 115 x 35 mm)
9. High-resolution color graphic OLED display: allows to monitor various
information including current status of the telescope, current consumption of
motor. The OLED display always responsive immediately even below freezing,
compared to LCD, which slow downs at low temperature.
(1.69" Diagonal Size, 160 x 128 Pixels, 16Bit Color)
10. The maximum motor current for slewing and tracking can be set separately,
which is optimized for outdoor observations with limited power supply situations.
11. In tracking mode, the current consumption is about 0.25 ~ 0.6A depending on
the setting, suitable for outdoor observations.
12. Power output through USB connector planned: 5V 0.6A will be available for
external devices.
*The software upgrade is scheduled to support this feature
13. Two RS-232 connection ports: Two of PC or other devices can be connected by
two ports at the same time. This allows simultaneous connection to multiple
astronomical software.

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14. USB Virtual COM Port Supported: can connect TCS to your PC via USB. Two
Virtual COM Ports are supported, reducing the number of cables needed.
15. 4 LED equipped in the guide port input: The guide status for each axis can be
checked in real time during auto-guiding.
16. The built-in beeper informs the status and problem situation of the controller.
17. Guide port is isolated from internal circuit with optocoupler, electrical noise and
surge is blocked.
Notice
TitianTCS Hardware has two versions, V1 and V2.
V1 is connected to the motor by a circular connector.
V2 is connected to the motor via D-Sub connector,
and camera shutter control function is added.

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Titan TCS V1
Titan TCS V2

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2. How to Use Navigation Button & Wheel
Option input can be done by rotating the navigation wheel, clicking arrow keys and
the enter key at the center.
Navigation button & wheel moves the telescope, searches for objects, and
performs menu operations.
Navigation button & wheel can be operated by rotating rotation wheel or
pressing up/down/right/left arrow keys and the enter key at the center.
Press Enter Key for 2 seconds to enter menu.

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3. Parking & Speed Volume knob
Speed Selection: The slewing speed can be adjusted by rotating the volume knob.
When you make adjustments, the OLED screen shows current slewing speed,
which can be used for observation, astrophotography or fine adjustment.
Parking: When fully turned counterclockwise, the volume knob will tick and the
telescope will be parked. The parking/unparking function automatically saves and
restore previous position, which ease the operation at the next observation.
.

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4. System Configuration Diagram
When connected to a PC via Bluetooth, two connections may appear on the
control panel, but only one connection can be used for Bluetooth.
If you use older operation system such as Windows 7, you need to install USB
driver manually.
The driver program is provided separately.
When connected to a PC via USB, two virtual serial ports are created. Both
virtual serial ports can be used simultaneously to communicate with various
astronomical software.
Caution) Even though TiTaN TCS has both Micro USB Type B connector and
USB Type A connector, both are internally connected to same USB port. NEVER
CONNECT TO BOTH CONNECTORS AT THE SAME TIME!
Be sure to use a larger USB Type A if you are using USB connection. Micro USB
Type B connectors have very small figure, which results in frequent contact
failures depending on the cables used. Micro USB Type B is for emergency /
spare use only.

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Motor Cable Connection (Circular Connector Type, V1)
Motor Cable Connection (15 pin D-Sub type, V2)

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5. Operation Sequence of TiTaN TCS
First Time Using or If you have not used Parking function:
A. Mount the telescope on the equatorial mount: roughly balance the
telescope when mounting.
B. Connect the RA motor cable to the telescope controlling system: Connect
red cable to the RA connector of the TiTaN TCS and yellow (or white)
cable to the DEC connector of the TCS. Please check the indications on
cable carefully as the color of cable may be different depending on the
model or production date.
C. Connect the power cable.
D. Turn the power switch on.
E. Select any bright star: it does not matter whether it is on the east or west.
First, use the arrow keys of TCS to bring the star into the field of vision of
the telescope.
Then, place it at the center of the eyepiece.
F. Enter the controller's menu and navigate to [Object] –[Star Name] –
(Pointed Star Name) - [Sync] to synchronize.
G. Slew to the desired object and observe.

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If Parking function was used in previous observation
A. Mount the telescope in the same way as the previous observation: It will
be easier to remember if you park the telescope pointing to the east
horizon or to the west horizon.
B. Connect the RA motor cable to the telescope controlling system: Connect
red cable to the RA connector of the TiTaN TCS and yellow (or white)
cable to the DEC connector of the TCS. Please check the indications on
cable carefully as the color of cable may be different depending on the
model or production date.
C. Connect the power cable
D. Turn the power switch on.
E. Make sure that "SYNC" message appears at the top of the TCS screen.
If there is no "SYNC" message, you should follow instruction under “First
Time Using or If you have not used Parking function” section.
F. Select adequate bright star from [Object] menu and slew the telescope to
it.
G. Make fine adjustments at low speed to center the star exactly.
H. In the controller menu, select [Object] - [Star Name] –(Pointed Star Name)
- [Sync] to synchronize.
I. Slew to desired object and observe.

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6. Menu List
6.1. User Menu
Top Menu
Sub Menu
U/I
Mode
Option
Functions
Telescope
TCS Main Operation Screen
Display RA, DEC, time and TCS status
Object
Star Name
B
Alphabet
240 items
Solar System
B
Sun / Mercury /
Venus / Mars /
Jupiter / Saturn /
Uranus / Neptune /
Moon
Tracking rate will be
changed to luna tracking
rate or solar tracking rate
after sync or slew.
Messier
B
Number
110 items
NGC
B
Number
7840 items
IC
B
Number
5386 items
Caldwell
B
Alphabet
109 items
SH-2
B
Number
341 items
Lower Object
B
Show / Hide
Shows or hides objects
below the horizon.
RA
(RA Settings)
/
DEC
(DEC
Settings)
Max Speed
B
Input numerical values
Maximum slewing speed
Acc. Rate
B
Input numerical values
Acceleration Rate
Reverse
E
Normal / Reverse
The direction of rotation of
the axis.
Depending on electrical
wiring or machine
conditions.
Fast Microstep
E
Microstep selection for
high speed mode
We recommend „Auto‟
mode.
Slow Current
E
Current setting for slow
speed
(Tracking condition)
135mA ~ 955mA
(for Crux Mini 135mA ~
1405mA)

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Fast Current
E
Current setting for high
speed
(Slewing condition)
135mA ~ 1150mA
(for Crux Mini 135mA ~
1405mA)
Time Lapse
Alt, Az Speed
B
Speed setting for
moving speed
Speed : 0 ~99.0x
Direction : +, -
Minutes : HH:MM
00:01 min ~ 99:00 min
1 minute ~ 99 hours
Start
Cancel
Interval Tmr
*This menu is
only supported
on V2 models.
Interval Timer for
camera shutter control
Delay (Seconds) :
3 sec ~ 120 min
Exposure (Seconds) :
3 sec ~ 120 min
Interval (Seconds) :
3 sec ~ 120 min
Repeat (Seconds) :
3 sec ~ 120 min
Stop Mount when exposure:
Yes or No
Cut Count:
1 ~ 999 Exposure
Set Count:
1 ~ 999 Sets for Cuts
group
Wake up:
Wakeup signal for
Camera(double focus
commands)
Stop Timelapse:
Cancel [Az,Alt speed]
action
F/S Swap:
Swap Focus and
Shutter signal for different
cable connection.
Start:
Start Interval timer
Cancel:
Cancel this menu
Observatory
Date/Time
B
Set Date & Time
YYYY-MM-DD
HH:MM:SS

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Site
E
Select a site from the
site list.
4 sites are supported.
Site Name
E
Enter the name of the
selected site
Up to 12 characters
Location
B
Enter the location of the
selected site
Latitude, Longitude
Time Zone
B
Enter the time zone of
the selected site
-12 ~ + 12 hours
Parking
Select Bank
Select bank for parking
configureation.
Slsected bank can set
name & position.
User 0 is for ASCOM.
It can not be renamed.
It is parking information
used by ASCOM.
Latest Position
ASCOM(=User0)
User 1
User 2
User 3
User 4
Edit Name
Edit name of current
selected bank
Save Position
Save the current
position as the parking
position of the selected
bank.
* This menu can not be
selected when not in
sync.
Parking Knob
Select the location to
park with the parking
knob.
Select bank
Safety
RA Auto Stop
B
Enable / Disable
Enable : In tracking mode,
RA tracking automatically
stops when the RA axis
passes near the meridian.
The auto stop position can
be specified in the “RA
Limit” menu.
In case RA auto stopped,
“RA Auto Stop!” message is
displayed at the bottom of
the OLED.
RA Limit
E
Input numerical values
(Degree)
Adjust the “RA Auto Stop"
position in degrees.
if it is negative, it will stop

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before passing the
meridian. In case it is
positive, it will stop after
passing.
Landscape
E
Sky view / Landscape
When Landscape mode is
selected, RA tracking stops
and "Tracking Stopped!"
message is displayed at the
bottom of the OLED.
Go below
horizon
E
Enable / Disable
Enable :
When the TCS executes a
command that slews to the
target, the telescope can be
directed down the horizon.
But, if the “Meridian Flip” is
disabled, the command to
slew the telescope down the
horizon is ignored.
Disable :
The TCS ignores
commands that slew the
telescope below the
horizon.
Alt Lower Limit
E
Altitude of the horizon
limit (Degree).
This limit is affect only
slewing final target
position.
When [Go below horizon]
option is enabled, you can
adjust the altitude of the
horizon.
Alt Upper Limit
*Altitude limit for
slewing target position.
This limit is affect only
slewing final target
position.
0+ ~ +30
(*Value 0 is altitude 90,
Value 30 is altitude 60)
Sleep Timer
Sleep mount for long
operation without any
action.
Value 0 is disable sleep
timer.
1 ~ 999 minutes :
Enabble sleep timer
Meridian
(Meridian
Meridian Flip
B
Enable / Disable

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Flip)
PEC
PEC
B
Enable / Disable
PEC Training
B
Start / Stop
System
Max Bright
B
Input numerical values
(%)
Maximum OLED
Brightness(20~100 %)
Min Bright
B
Input numerical values
(%)
Minimum OLED Brightness
(20~50%)
Guide Speed
B
Input numerical values
0.1x ~ 0.9x
Batt Low V
E
Input numerical values
(voltage)
Set voltage for battery low
voltage warning
Batt Over V
E
Input numerical values
(voltage)
Set voltage for battery over
voltage warning
DC/A Limit
(DC Current
Limit)
B
Input numerical values
(current)
If the total current
consumption exceeds the
set value, the TCS
temporarily reduce the
motor acceleration rate.
Note:
The actual current consumption is
not limited. It only reduces the
acceleration of the motor.
CPU Overheat
E
Input numerical values
(Celsius degree)
Set Celsius degree for CPU
Overheat warning.
Tracking Rate
B
Select RA tracking rate
Sidereal / Solar / Luna
Beep Level
Select message beep
level
Detail ~ Silent
Serial A
B
Communication Speed
(BPS)
Default ( 115,200)
9600 ~ 115,200
Serial B
B
Communication Speed
(BPS)
Default ( 115,200)
9600 ~ 115,200
U/I Mode
B
Select U/I menu level
Beginner / Expert
This setting is not reflected
until reboot.
Power Monitor
Power monitor
Volt & Current for DC-in.

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Volt & Current for internal
motor power source.
The current sensor may
have an offset error of about
0.2A.
Users can optimize power
consumtion for low power
system.
Guide Port
Ignore guide port.
Guide port(RJ-12) can be
ignored using this menus.
TCS has pulse guide
function using ASCOM or
LX200 protocol.
Security
TCS Name
B
Enter name of TCS for
Bluetooth connection.
Up to 12 characters
Dimming Sec
E
Input numerical values
(seconds)
OLED Auto dimming delay
time
(5 ~ 300 seconds)
When the “Dimming Sec”
elapses, the brightness of
the OLED dims to the
minimum brightness.
Save
Save, Exit
B
Save last settings
Yes / Cancel
Backup
E
Save last settings to
backup memory
Restore
E
Restore settings from
backup memory
Reboot
B
Reboot TCS
Help
Hardware
B
Illustrations of various connector locations on TCS
Serial BPS
B
Display the speed of
serial port A/B
(Display only)
RS-232 / BPS
Version
B
Display firmware
information & Serial
number of TCS
Model, version, date
Serial Number
Firmware
Enter firmware update
To terminate this function,

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Update
mode
turn the power off and on.
However, never turn off the
power after the firmware
has been started.
U/I Mode
B : Begginer Mode
E : Experet Mode
"Observatory" / "Date / Time" does not need to be saved after changing the setting.
Immediately after entering the Date & Time is reflected in the internal clock.
"Safety" / "Landscape" does not need to be saved after changing the setting.
It is an execute command, and this value is not stored in memory.
When you reboot, it will always be initialized to “Sky View”mode.
[System] / "Tracking rate" does not need to be saved after changing the setting.
It is an execute command, and this value is not stored in memory.
When you reboot, it will always be initialized to “Sidereal Tracking Rate”mode.
[System] / "U/I Mode" must be saved after changing the setting.
This setting is reflected in the menu after rebooting.
“PEC”/ “PEC Training”does not need to be saved after changing the setting.
If training is started and training is successful by the “PEC”/ “PEC Training”/ “Stop”
menu, it is auto-saved in separate memory for PEC.
"Security" / "TCS Name" does not need to be saved after changing the setting.
Immediately after entering the TCS Name is reflected in the internal special memory.
You do not need to save the “Telescope”, "Object" and "Help" menu groups.
These menu groups are execution commands.
Menus not specifically mentioned above must be saved after setting values have been
changed so that the changed values can be read after rebooting.
[RA] and [DEC] menus must be saved after setting value is changed to reflect the
changed result. The TCS performs the calculations and initialization related to the motor
again when setting values are saved.
Under normal operating conditions, if the temperature of the TCS exceeds 40 ° C, it may
be overloaded.

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To improve the overload condition, adjust the Slow / Fast Current properly in the [RA],
[DEC] menu.
Operation for long time beyond 55 ° C may result in damage to internal components.
Power devices generate heat, so the temperature is higher than the CPU.
It is recommended that you save, reboot, and check the function again after you change
important settings.