Orion EQ-G Preparing the Computer for the Update, Updating the GoTo Hand Controller

-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 Atlas EQ-G mount.

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 10). 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 computer 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 updat- ed. You can click on the “HC. Version” button to confirm the new version number of the firmware (and possibly the data- base, but the hardware version will not change with internet updates).

Note: If the error message “Can not connect to a SynScan hand control” appears on your computer, check all cable con- nections. 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 reduc- ing the data transfer rate by pressing the SETUP button 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 set- ting. 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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