Orion 7817 Updating the GoTo Hand Controller’s Firmware, Auto Guiding, System Requirements

Auto Guiding

For astronomical imaging, the SkyView Pro GoTo motor con- trol box has a designated autoguider jack. The pin-outs on the 6 pin modular jack are SBIG compatible and can be used with most autoguiders available. Refer to Figure 16 when connecting the autoguider cable to the mount and calibrating the autoguider. Autoguiding speed can be adjusted using the “Auto Guide Speed” function in the Setup Menu.

Figure 16. Pin diagram for the SkyView Pro GoTo autoguider jack

Updating the GoTo Hand Controller’s Firmware

From version 3.0 and up, the GoTo hand controller’s firmware can be updated over the internet. Users can download firmware updates from Orion’s website www.OrionTelescopes.com.

System Requirements

-GoTo hand controller version 3.0 or greater

-Windows95 or later

-An available RS-232 COM port on the PC

-Computer interface cable (supplied)

-DC power supply (7.5V to 15V @ 100mA or greater output with 2.1mm tip positive plug)

Preparing the Computer for the Update

1.Create a folder where you will store the files necessary for the update.

2.Go to the website www.OrionTelescopes.com, and access the support page for the SkyView Pro GoTo system.

3.Download and save the Firmware Loader program to the folder you have created on your computer. You will need to download this program only once; after it is saved on your computer, only the firmware data file is needed for future updates.

4.Download and save the firmware update date file to the folder you created. The file will be named OrionVxxxxEQ. ssf, where xxxx indicates the version number of the firm- ware.

Updating the GoTo Hand Controller

1.Plug the modular plug end of the computer interface cable into the middle jack in the hand controller (Figure 14). Plug the serial connector end of the cable to the COM port on your PC.

2.Press and hold down the 0 and 8 numerical buttons simul- taneously, then plug the power supply into the hand con- troller’s DC power jack. The hand controller will beep and display “SynScan Update Ver. x.x” on the LCD screen.

3.Run the Firmware Loader program on your computer.

4.Click on the “Browse” box and select the OrionVxxxx.ssf file location where it was saved previously on your com- puter.

5.Click on the “Update” button, and the new firmware will begin loading into the hand controller. The Firmware Loader will show the progress of the update on your com- puter screen. It will usually take approximately 5 minutes for the new firmware to load into the hand controller. It may take significantly longer if a serial-to-USB adapter is employed on your computer.

6.When the download is complete, the Firmware Loader will display “Update Complete”.

The firmware in the GoTo hand controller has now been updated. You can click on the “HC. Version” button to confirm the new version number of the firmware (and possibly the database, but the hardware version will not change with inter- net updates).

Note: If the error message “Can not connect to a SynScanhand control” appears on your computer, check all cable connec- tions. Also, try closing all other computer programs that might be attempting to use the COM port.

Note: If the error message “Firmware update failed...” appears on your computer, remove the power plug from the hand con- troller, and then reconnect it. Now, repeat the firmware update procedure.

By default, the data communication rate between the GoTo hand controller and the computer is 115kbps. The RS-232 port on some PCs may not support this high data transfer rate. If the firmware update procedure fails after a few tries, try reducing the data transfer rate by pressing the SETUP but- ton on the hand controller. This will reduce the data transfer rate to 9.6kbps. The controller’s LCD screen will show “Lo” in the lower right hand corner to indicate the lower transfer rate setting. The firmware update procedure remains the same except it will take much longer for the firmware to load into the hand controller.

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