Orion 7817 The GoTo Hand Controller, Powering the SkyView Pro GoTo system, Mode Buttons

Hand controller	Computer	interface 12V DC power jack
modular jack	modular jack

Figure 14. GoTo hand controller jacks

3.The GoTo Hand Controller

Once aligned, the GoTo hand controller and dual-axis GoTo motors allow you to automatically point your SkyView Pro mounted telescope at a specific object, or tour the skies with pushbutton simplicity. The user-friendly menu allows auto- matic slewing to over 13,400 objects. Even inexperienced astronomers will find themselves quickly mastering the vari- ety of features the GoTo hand controller offers in just a few observing sessions.

Powering the SkyView Pro GoTo system

The SkyView Pro GoTo system should be powered by an 11V to 15V DC power supply (tip positive) capable of producing continuous current of a minimum 2 amps. We recommend using a portable rechargeable battery, like the Dynamo or Dynamo Pro available from Orion.

If you are using a portable battery like the Orion Dynamo, use the 12V DC power cable supplied with your mount (male ciga- rette lighter plug on one end, standard 12V DC power plug on other end) to connect the battery to the 12V DC power jack on the motor control box. Make sure the Dynamo’s power switch is in the “on” position after connecting. Then, to turn the GoTo system on, simply press the switch on the motor control box so it is in the “on” position.

The 12V DC power jack on the hand controller allows inde- pendent use of the GoTo hand controller for users who wish to browse the object database without connecting to the tele- scope mount (Figure 14). The power jack is also used when updating the firmware in the hand controller (see “Updating the GoTo Hand Controller’s Firmware”).

Functions of the GoTo Hand Controller

There are four main categories of control buttons on the GoTo hand controller (Figure 15a):

1.Mode buttons

2.Directional buttons

3.Scroll buttons

4.Dual Purpose buttons

Display screen

Mode buttons

Directional buttons

Dual purpose buttons

Scroll buttons

Figure 15a. The GoTo hand controller.

Mode Buttons

The three mode buttons are located at the top of the con- troller, directly below the LCD screen. They include the ESC, ENTER, and SETUP buttons.

The ESC button is used to escape from a certain command or go back a level in the menu tree.

The ENTER button is used to select the functions and sub- menus in the menu tree, and to confirm certain functional operations.

The SETUP button is a “hot key” that takes you to the Setup Menu.

Directional Buttons

The directional buttons allow the user to have complete motion control of the SkyView Pro GoTo system at almost any step in operation. These controls are locked out when the mount is slewing to an object. The directional buttons are very helpful when initially aligning the mount, centering objects in the eyepiece field of view, and manual guiding. The directional buttons are typically used in conjunction with the RATE but- ton. The left and right directional buttons can also be used to move the text cursor when entering data into the hand con- troller.

Scroll Buttons

The up and down scroll buttons allow you to scroll up and down within the menu tree or selections displayed on the hand controller screen.

Dual Purpose Buttons

The dual purpose buttons serve two distinct purposes. They

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