Vixen Starbook-S User manual

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Instruction Manual for the STARBOOK-S Set
PREFACE
Thank you for your purchase of a Vixen STARBOOK-S Go-To controller and Motors Set. The
STAR BOOK-S features intuitive Go To operation with its LCD display for the Vixen GP series
equatorial mounts. We hope it will help increase your enjoyment of your observing session. You
should refer to the instruction manuals for your telescope together with this manual.
Readthisinstructionmanualcompletelybeforeuse
- Always keep this instruction manual near your telescope to ensure quick answers to any
questions.
- This instruction manual describes necessary precautions for the safe use of the product by
preventing possible injuries to yourself and others, as well as damage to the equipment.
WARNING!
Never look directly at the sun with your naked eyes or though this product. Permanent and
irreversible eye damage may result.
- Never connect the cable of the STARBOOK-S with other equipment such as a PC. It may cause
a failure, heating or electrical shock.
- This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant of Part 15 of the FCC rules.
CAUTION
- Do not use the product while traveling or walking, as injuries may arise from stumbling, falling
or collision with objects.
- Keep plastic and vinyl packing materials away from children, these may cause danger from
swallowing or suffocation.
- Do not use the product in a wet environment.
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CONTENTS
PREFACE ２AUTOMATIC SLEWING 19
Flow of Automatic Slewing 19
WARNING・CAUTION ２Home Position 19
Align the Telescope 20
CONTENTS 3Starting Automatic Slewing 26
Choosing a Target from the 28
BEFORE USE 4Object Menu
Checking Contents 4 Completing Observing 30
Parts Descriptions 4
Legend on the Screen 6 APPLICATION 32
Flow of Operation 7 Chart Setting 32
LCD Adjustment 35
PREPARATION 8 Backlighting Duration 36
About Batteries 8 Adjustment
Backlash Compensation 37
SETTING UP 9PEC 39
InstallingtheRAMotor 9 ConnectingtoLAN 43
Installing the DEC Motor 11 Automatic Slewing to a Comet 44
Connecting the Cables 12 Setting Autoguider 51
Supplying the Power 12 Upgrading your STARBOOK-S 53
INITIAL SETTING 13
Turning the Power On and Off 13
Setting Language 14
Setting Local Time 15
Setting Location 16
Saving the Settings 17
BASIC OPERATION 18
Moving the Telescope 18
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BEFORE USE
CheckingContents
This STARBOOK-S Set contains the parts listed below. Make sure that your box contains all
these parts. Your contents may differ from this list if you purchased a telescope package
complete with the STARBOOK-S.
Description Q’ty
STARBOOK –S Hand Controller 1
R.A. Motor 1
Motor Control Board （Combined with Motor
Cover）
1
DEC. Motor 1
DEC. Motor Gear Cover 1
Vanity Cap for DEC shaft 1
Space Filler for R.A. Motor Cover 2
Spur Gears 2
Motor Cable 1
Controller Cable 1
8x D-Size Battery Box 1
5mm Allen wrench 1
1.5mm Allen wrench 1
Instruction Manual（This booklet）1
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STARBOOK-SHandController
01. TN 2.6-inch monochrome LCD screen
02. Power switch
The upper buttons(Right side on-screen soft-key legend): Enter, Cursor movement, Scroll
03. LEFT (Moves the cursor left -The screen scrolls toward right.)
04. UP (Moves the cursor up.-The screen scrolls down.)
05. RIGHT (Moves the cursor right.-The screen scrolls toward left.)
06. DOWN (Moves the cursor down.-The screen scrolls up.)
07. ENTER (Changing Chart / Scope modes)
The lower buttons(Left side on-screen soft-key legend): Alignment, Zoom
08. MENU (Accesses various settings on the system menu.)
09. ZOOM+ (Zooms in the screen in 8 steps.)
10. ALIGN (Aligns computer with telescope position.)
11. ZOOM- (Zooms out the screen in 8 steps.)
12. DISP (On screen information changes each time pressed.)
13. LAN LAN connection terminal (10BASE-T) for communication with a PC
14. A.G. Autoguider port
15. MOUNT Controller cable connection terminal
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Partsdescriptions:GPD2MountwithSTARBOOK-Sshownhere
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LegendontheScreen
01. Mode Display: SCOPE Mode and CHART Mode
02. Date
03. Time
04. Battery Level: Varies according to a level of discharge.
The battery levels are displayed individually for both the STAR BOOK-S and the Mount.
Note: battery level indicator may show “Empty” when the controller cable is not connected
securely.
05. Up Arrow / Down Arrow
Up arrow: A group of on-screen soft-keys corresponding to the upper buttons.
Down arrow: A group of on-screen soft-keys corresponding to the lower buttons.
06 : Directional keys and cursor movement
07. Select, Automatic Slewing and changing Chart / Scope Modes.
08. Zoom+: Zoom in the screen
09. Zoom-: Zoom out the screen.
10. MT: Speed of scrolling the screen / zooming visually.
11. Menu: Open the System Menu dialog box to change various settings.
12. Align: Set up directions (alignment) for automatic slewing.
13. Disp: On screen information changes each time pressed.
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Specifications
Display TN 2.6-inch monochrome LCD screen (160x160 = 25600
pixels) with backlighting
Coordinates of object Shown on the STARBOOK-S in 0.1’ increment
Slewing speed Max. 1200x (sidereal rate)
Controller cable connection
terminal
8-pole 8-wired modular jack
Autoguider port 6-pole 6-wired modular jack
LAN connection terminal 10BASE-T
Auxiliary terminal D-sub 9 PIN (unavailable)
External power supply DC12V EIAJ RC5320A Class 4
Batteries Controller: 4 x AA-size alkaline batteries
Motors: 8x D-size alkaline batteries
Working duration with alkaline
batteries
Controller: About 8 hours at 20 degrees C.(68F) ambient
temperature
Motor: About 6 hours at 20 degrees C.(68F) ambient
temperature
Operating temperature 0 degree C. to 40 degrees C.
Maximum Loading weight 7 kg for GP2, 10kg for GPD2
Celestial Data Base Total 22,735 objects consisting of:
17,635 Fixed stars brighter than 7th magnitude
110 Messier objects
4,980 NGC/IC objects brighter than 14th magnitude
8 Planets, the Moon and Sun
Controller Size 85mm(w) x 134mm(l) x 38mm(h)
Controller Weight 165g (without batteries and without cables)
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FlowofOperation
Take the following steps to set up and use the STARBOOK-S.
1PREPARATION page8
Installing the supplied RA and DEC motors on a GP series equatorial mount of your telescope.
2 INITIAL SETTING page 13
Setting Language (The first time only)
Turn the power switches of both the RA motor and controller to ON, then turn on the
Starbook-S,and then choose your language in the STARBOOK-S.
Setting Date & Time (The first time only)
Enter date and your local time.
Setting Longitude & Latitude (The first time only)
Enter longitude and latitude of your observation site.
3 AUTOMATIC SLEWING page 19
Home Position
Slew the telescope to the home position.
Alignment
Choose two out of 39 registered reference stars in the STARBOOK-S’ database.
Automatic Slewing
Upon completion of alignment, automatic Go-To slewing and tracking are ready.
4 FINISHOPERATION page30
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PREPARATION
About Batteries
The STARBOOK-S controller runs on four AA-size alkaline batteries (not supplied.)
The batteries last about eight hours at a temperature of 20 degrees centigrade.
The RA and DEC motors run on eight D-size alkaline batteries (not included) or an external power
supply sold separately. The batteries last about eight hours at a temperature of 20 degrees
centigrade.
InsertingthebatteriesintotheSTARBOOK-S
Push the latch of the rear cover down and open the cover toward you as shown in the figure.
Insert 4 new and unused AA-size alkaline batteries. Take care not to mix up the polarity of each
battery.
Replace the cover.
InsertingthebatteriesintotheBatteryBox
Insert 8 new and unused D-size alkaline batteries. Take care not to mix up the polarity of each
battery.
Do not mix up the polarity as this may cause a failure.
SETTING UP
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InstallingtheRAMotor
(1) Take off the vanity cap on the RA body of your mount as shown in the figure.
(2) Remove the screw to fix the plastic RA motor cover by using the Phillips-head screwdriver.
(3) Remove the plastic RA motor cover.
(4)Turn the altitude adjustment screw so that the altitude of the mount goes down to
approximately 10 degrees as shown in the figure. You may need to hold down the mount to do
this if it does not descend as you turn the altitude adjustment screw.
(5) Attach the spur gear to the RA shaft facing the flat side of the spur gear outward. Orient the
spur gear so that the setscrew is over the flat portion of the RA shaft as shown in figure 5-1. Put
the spur gear into the dead end of the shaft (5-2) and tighten the setscrew by using the supplied
1.5mm Allen wrench (5-3).
The RA shaft is projected on both sides of the RA worm bracket. Attach the super gear to the
shorter projected side with a nut.
(6) Attach the RA motor so that its dovetail attachment base fits the counterpart on the RA body
as shown in the figure. Engage the gears so that the two are flush. At the same time, fix the RA
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motor with the supplied bolt (long) through the hole just above the altitude adjustment screw by
using the supplied 5mm Allen wrench.
* Make sure that the gears are engaged properly after you install the RA motor.
(7) Turn the altitude adjustment screw until the altitude of the mount goes up to the latitude of
your observation site.
(8) Connect the motor control board (combined with motor cover) and the RA motor with the
electric wires. Hold the connector of the electric wires with your fingers so that the blue electric
wire is on the left side as shown in the figure. Plug the connector into the socket on the RA motor
securely.
*Take care not to tear apart the electric wires.
(9) Attach the motor control board (combined with motor cover) on the RA body by sliding it onto
the guide rail as shown in the figure. Put the space filler onto it at the point where the motor
gears are hidden behind the motor cover, then slide up the motor cover to the end and securely fix
the motor cover in place with the screw.
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Installing the DEC Motor
(1) Attach the spur gear to the DEC shaft facing the flat side of the spur gear outward. Orient
the spur gear so that the setscrew is over the flat portion of the DEC shaft as shown in the figure.
Put the spur gear into the dead end of the shaft and tighten the setscrew by using the supplied
1.5mm Allen wrench.
(2) Attach the DEC motor so that its dovetail attachment base fits the counterpart bracket on the
DEC body as shown in the figure. Engage the gears so that the two are flush. At the same time,
connect the DEC motor with the supplied bolt (short) through the hole of the bracket by using the
supplied 5mm Allen wrench.
* Make sure that the gears are engaged properly after you install the DEC motor.
(3) Push and fit the DEC motor gear cover over the DEC motor as shown in the figure.
*Take care not to break the claws on the cover.
(4) Attach the vanity cap to cover the DEC shaft on the opposite side.
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Connecting the Controller and Motor Cables
(1) Connect the RA motor and DEC motor with the motor cable as shown in the figure. Orient
the motor cable plug so that it fits in the socket on the motor properly.
(2) Connect the STARBOOK-S controller cable to the motor control board. Orient the controller
cable plug so that it fits in the socket on the motor control board properly. Tighten the lock
screws on the controller cable plug securely.
(3) Connect the controller cable to the STARBOOK-S. Orient the controller cable plug so that it
fits in the socket on the STARBOOK-S properly until it clicks.
Warning!
Never connect the controller cable to other instruments such as a PC. It may cause a power
failure, overheating, or electric shock. Please do not attach the controller cable to the LAN
connection terminal. The connection size is similar.
Use the supplied battery box by connecting the cable from the battery box to the motor control
board.
* An optional Vixen AC Adapter 12V 3A is available for the drives of the motors.
When using an external DC 12V power supply or an optional AC adapter 12V 3A, be sure to
connect the power cable to the mount before turning on the power switch.
External power terminal DC 12V EIAJ RC5320A Class 4
INITIAL SETTING
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TurningthePowerOnandOff
(1) There are two power switches; one on the RA motor and another on the STARBOOK-S hand
controller. The power is supplied to both components independently so be sure to turn on both
power switches.
Caution Always turn on the power switch on the RA motor first, and then turn on the
STARBOOK-S in succession.
(2) Confirm that the Vixen logo is displayed on the screen for a few seconds when you turn on the
STARBOOK-S.
If the screen is hard to read, please refer to Hint 1(P. 14)
The picture below will appear on screen after the Vixen logo when the STARBOOK-S power is
switched on. Move the cursor with the keys onto the item you want to choose and press
Select .
Turn off the STARBOOK-S in the initial setting screen (Refer to page 30 when you end operations
for observing.)
(1) To turn off the power, choose Power Off with the keys and press Select.
(2) The confirmation screen is displayed. Move the cursor to OK with the keys and press
Select.
(3) Then turn off the power switch on the RA motor.
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Caution Remember to turn off the power switch on the RA motor as well as on the STARBOOK-S,
otherwise, the batteries will be depleted. Turning one component off will not turn off the other.
SettingLanguage
The STARBOOK-S can be operated with your choice of language with English, German, French,
Italy, Spanish and Japanese to choose from. Japanese is set at the default language initially.
(1)In the initial setting screen, choose 言語/Language with the keys and press Select.
(2) Choose your language with the keys and press Select.
(3) The screen returns to the initial setting screen of your selected language.
Hint 1 Adjusting the LCD screen
In the initial setting screen, contrast of the LCD screen can be adjusted with the keys Cont.+ or
Cont.- shown at the lower left of the screen. Adjust it with the corresponding keys according to
conditions of use.
Be sure to save the contrast setting for use under the same conditions next time.
The contrast of the screen may change with ambient temperature.
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SettingLocalTime
Enter the date and local time of your observing site by using the upper five buttons on the
STARBOOK-S.
This task is required only once the first time you use the STARBOOK-S. However, you will need
to reset the date and time if you travel from your regular observing site to a different time zone, or
if you reset your clocks for Daylight Saving time. The STARBOOK-S keeps the stored memory
while you replace the batteries. It is not necessary to enter the date and time again if you put in
fresh batteries within an hour. A deviation may arise between the initial clock of the
STARBOOK-S and your time, but a few minute’s difference does not affect the slewing
performance of the unit.
(1) Choose Local Setting Time with the keys and press Select.
(2) To change the date and time, move the cursor with the keys to the item where corrections
are needed. Then change the number with the keys.
(3) To finish the setting, move the cursor with the keys to OK and press Select to enter.
SettingLocation
Enter the longitude, latitude and time zone of your observing site. Once the settings for your
location are entered and saved, you don’t need to change them unless you travel more than 15
miles to a different observing location. The longitude and latitude of your observing site can be
checked on a map or with a GPS device. The initial location is set at Tokyo.
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(1) Choose Location with the keys and press Select.
(2) To change the longitude and latitude settings for your observing site, move the cursor with
the keys to the item where corrections are needed. Then change the numbers with the
keys.
(3) To finish the setting, move the cursor to OK with the keys and press Select. The screen
will go to the reboot screen. If the location settings remain the same as last time, it will go back
to the initial setting screen.
(4) The STARBOOK-S will ask to reboot. Press Select to choose OK. To continue operation,
turn on the power switch again.
AboutTimeZone
The time zones are based on longitude bands 15 degrees wide, starting at Greenwich, England.
Set the time difference in hours between your local time and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Its
sign is plus if local time is ahead of GMT (east of Greenwich) and minus if local time is behind
GMT (west of Greenwich). For example, the time zone for Los Angeles (on Pacific Standard
Time) is -8 hours.
Please note that the entered time zone setting is not converted to Daylight Saving time
automatically. When you reset your clocks for Daylight time, add one hour to the value in the
Time Zone setting, as in Los Angeles, change the setting from -8 to -7.
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SavingtheSettings
Save your time, language and contrast settings for the next use. Failure to do so will result in
having to re-enter these settings every time you turn on the power. Once you save the settings,
they will be stored in the memory of the STARBOOK-S and you can simply choose OK to advance
the screen the next time you use it.
(1) Choose Save Setting with the keys and press Select.
(2) Next the confirmation screen is displayed. Move the cursor to OK with the keys and
press Select to enter.
(3) Now all the entered data is saved and the screen goes back to the initial setting screen.
MovingtheTelescope
(1)In the initial setting screen, move the cursor to OK with the keys and press Select to
enter.
(2)The screen displays a warning on solar observation.
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(3)After reading the text, choose Confirm with the keys and press Select to enter.
The warning continues on the screen when Not Confirm is chosen.
(4)The screen advances to the home position setting as soon as you choose the Confirm key.
However, please disregard it here and press OK with the Select key to continue operation in the
daytime.
(5)Press the keys to see in what direction the telescope tube moves.
The keys move the telescope left and right, and the keys move it up and down. (The
telescope may not move below the horizon.)
Note: The mount starts driving at sidereal rate (the speed of Earth’s rotation) as soon as the OK
key is pressed in the home position setting screen.
AUTOMATIC SLEWING
AutomaticSlewing
Start automatic slewing after you generally understand the basic operation of the telescope.
Automatic slewing allows your telescope to search for celestial objects based on the position of
each object stored in the memory of the STARBOOK-S.
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FlowofAutomaticSlewing
Setting the Telescope To Home Position Move the telescope to the home position (initial position
of the telescope). The telescope tube is leveled and orientated to point west (in the southern
hemisphere, point the telescope tube east) using the STARBOOK-S.
Aligning the Telescope Select celestial objects from the STARBOOK-S database as reference
points. The first slew from the home position can position the telescope in the vicinity of a target
object. You will need to move the telescope so that its field of view matches that of the
STARBOOK-S screen.
Automatic Slewing Automatic slewing can begin after you complete a two-point alignment.
HomePosition
After you finish setting up the telescope, turn the power switches of both the RA motor on the
mount and STARBOOK-S hand controller to ON and complete all the initial settings. (Refer to
pages 13 to 17.) The screen will display the text shown on the right.
Remember to use an eyepiece with the lowest possible magnification on the telescope. If possible,
focus on a distant object before proceeding.
Note: If you have advanced to CHART MODE or SCOPE MODE, turn off the STARBOOK-S and
restart to reach the above mentioned screen again.
(1)Slew the telescope by pressing each of the keys on the STARBOOK-S to confirm that
the telescope tube moves in the same direction as the corresponding image of the sky.
(2)Position the telescope tube so that it is level and pointing toward the west in the northern
hemisphere (east in the southern hemisphere) as shown in the figure.
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