Celestron 94155 Instruction Manual

FOCU S MOTOR FOR SC T & EDG EHD INSTRUCTION MANUAL

FOCUS MOTOR
FOR SCT & EDGEHD

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

ENGLISH • MODEL #94155

The Focus Motor for SCT & EdgeHD provides
hands-free focusing for Celestron Schmidt­Cassegrain telescope (SCT) and EdgeHD telescope
optical tubes. This is a great convenience, especially
for astroimagers with remote telescope setups and
people who have dexterity issues that limit their ability
to use a focus knob.

The focus motor is compatible with all Celestron
SCTs from 6” to 14” in aperture that have
been produced since the year 2006; it is not
compatible with 5” SCTs or older models. It is
compatible with all EdgeHD optical tubes, the 8” and
36cm Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph (RASA)
models, and the Celestron 7” Maksutov-Cassegrain.
The focus motor can also be used with the 11” RASA,
but requires the Focuser Retrofit Kit for the RASA 11
(#94255).

CHECKING CLEARANCES

The focus motor protrudes outward from the rear cell
of the telescope. After installation, check to make
sure the focus motor does not interfere with the
telescope’s mount as it points to different parts of
the sky. Specifically, if using a fork mount that has
adjustable positioning of the optical tube on the fork,
such as the NexStar SE and NexStar Evolution mounts,
make sure the focus motor does not interfere with
the mount when pointed straight up (or at the pole if
using an equatorial wedge).

If using a Celestron computerized mount, the focus
motor can be powered by the mount, and allows
focus control from the telescope’s hand control
or from a computer connected to the mount. If not
using a Celestron mount, the focus motor can be
controlled directly by a computer via a USB cable,
and is powered by the USB connection or an optional
12V DC power supply.

Please read through the entire instruction manual
before attempting to use the focus motor. The
manual will guide you through the various methods
of powering and controlling the focus motor. For
installation instructions, refer to the Setup Guide
included with the focus motor.

If it does interfere, simply reposition the telescope on
the fork mount until the focus motor clears the base.
The telescope may be a bit out of balance, but it should
not affect performance.

To prevent interferences, the focus motor orientation
relative to the telescope’s rear cell can also be changed.
This is done by using a different set of mounting holes
to mount the focus motor onto the focuser cover plate,
or by rotating the cover plate itself. Refer to the Setup
Guide for more information.

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FOCU S MOTOR FOR SC T & EDG EHD INSTRUCTION MANUAL

USING THE FOCUSER MOTOR
THROUGH A CELESTRON COMPUTERIZED MOUNT

METHOD 1: WITH THE NEXSTAR+
OR STARSENSE HAND CONTROL

If using a Celestron computerized mount, the focus
motor can be powered and controlled from the
mount. This is done by connecting the AUX port on
the focus motor to an AUX port on the mount using
the supplied cable. If there are no available AUX
ports, the optional Celestron Aux Port Splitter can
be purchased.

Once connected to the mount’s AUX port, the focus
motor can be controlled from the mount’s hand
control. Both the the NexStar+ hand control (requires
version 5.30+ of the fi rmware) and the StarSense
hand control (requires version 1.19+ of the fi rmware)
are compatible.

NOTE: If your hand control fi rmware is not up-to-date, use the

Celestron Firmware Manager (CFM) to update it. This
program can be found at celestron.com/CFM.

The focus control can be accessed by pressing the hand
control’s MENU button, then selecting “Focuser.”

METHOD 2: WITH A COMPUTER

When connected to the AUX port, the focus motor
can also be controlled through the mount from a
computer. This is especially desirable when doing
astronomical imaging, as this will allow control of both
the mount and the focus motor from the computer.
Connect the hand control to the computer using a
USB A-to-mini B cable (not included). One end of
the cable is connected to the USB mini B port on the
bottom of the hand control, the other end is connected
to the computer.

Once connected, you can use most any astronomy
telescope control software that has focuser
control by using the Celestron Unifi ed ASCOM
mount driver, which can be downloaded from
ascom-standards.org.

The focus motor controlled by the NexStar+ hand control through a
Celestron mount.

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The focus motor controlled by a computer through a Celestron mount.

FOCU S MOTOR FOR SC T & EDG EHD INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Celestron also offers FREE Windows PC software
that directly controls the focus motor without
the need for an ASCOM driver. The simple
Celestron Focuser Utility Program application
can be downloaded from the Focus Motor
product page at celestron.com/FocusMotor.
Alternatively, the focus motor can be controlled
with the Celestron PWI software. This program
is available at celestron.com/CPWI. If using either of
these two programs along with the Celestron CGX
or CGX-L mounts, the computer can be directly
connected to the mount’s USB port (requires a USB
A-to-B cable).

NOTE: If control commands arrive from multiple sources,

such as the hand control and a computer program,
the focus motor will answer all commands in the order
they arrive.

The free Celestron Focus Utility Program provides a simple

user interface for controlling the focus motor.

USING THE FOCUS MOTOR
WITHOUT A CELESTRON MOUNT

If you are not using a Celestron mount, the focus
motor can be powered and controlled via the USB
port. This can be done by connecting it to a USB3
port or a USB2 port that provides at least 900 mA. To
connect to a USB port, you will need a USB A-to-B
cable (not included). Make sure to use a good quality
cable, or the motor may not receive enough power.
Connect the cable to the USB port on the focus
motor, and connect the other end to your computer
or USB hub.

Alternatively, the focus motor can be powered from
a 12V DC power source. The power source needs
to be able to supply at least 1A. Connect the power
source to the 12V DC jack on the focus motor using
a tip positive 5.5mm/2.1mm cable. Using an external
12V DC power source will prevent your laptop battery
from being drained by the focus motor. Also, if your
computer’s USB2 port does not provide enough
power, an external 12V DC power source can
be used.

To use the focus motor with astronomy software,
you will need the Celestron USB Focuser ASCOM
driver, which can be downloaded from the Focus
Motor product page at celestron.com/FocusMotor.
Celestron also offers FREE Windows PC software
that directly controls the focus motor without the need
for an ASCOM driver. The simple Celestron Focuser
Utility Program is available on the Focus Motor product
page at celestron.com/FocusMotor.

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The focus motor controlled directly from
computer through its USB port.