iOptron ASTROBOY 70E User Manual

AstroBoy®-70e Computerized Telescope

Instruction Manual

Table of Content
Table of Content .............................................................................................................................	2
1. AstroBoy®-70e Overview ...........................................................................................................	4
1.1. AstroBoy® features ..............................................................................................................	4
1.2. AstroBoy®-70e Assembly Terms.........................................................................................	5
2. Telescope Assembly ...................................................................................................................	6
3. GoToNova® 8404 Hand Controller ............................................................................................	8
3.1. Key Description ...................................................................................................................	8
3.2. The LCD Screen ..................................................................................................................	8
4. Getting Started ..........................................................................................................................	10
4.1. Set the Telescope to PARK POSITION ............................................................................	10
4.2. Setting Up the Hand Controller .........................................................................................	10
4.3. Using Your Telescope........................................................................................................	12
4.3.1. Getting Familiar with Your Telescope .......................................................................	12
4.3.2. Go to the Moon ...........................................................................................................	12
4.3.3. Initial Star Alignment .................................................................................................	13
4.4. Turn Off the Mount............................................................................................................	13
5. More Functions of GoToNova® Hand Controller.....................................................................	14
5.1. Manual Operation of the Telescope...................................................................................	14
5.2. Slew to an Object...............................................................................................................	14
5.2.1. Planets, Sun, Moon .....................................................................................................	14
5.2.2. Deep Sky Objects........................................................................................................	14
5.2.3. Comets ........................................................................................................................	14
5.2.4. Asteroids .....................................................................................................................	14
5.2.5. Stars.............................................................................................................................	14
5.2.6. User RA&DEC JD2000 Objects.................................................................................	15
5.2.7. Enter Position..............................................................................................................	15
5.2.8. Watch List...................................................................................................................	15
5.2.9. Watch List Auto..........................................................................................................	15
5.3. Land Objects ......................................................................................................................	15
5.4. Sync to Target....................................................................................................................	16
5.5. Set Up Controller ...............................................................................................................	16
5.5.1. Set Up Time and Site ..................................................................................................	16
5.5.2. Set Display Info ..........................................................................................................	16
5.5.3. Set Key Beep...............................................................................................................	17
5.5.4. Set Azi Work Mode ....................................................................................................	17
5.5.5. Reset All......................................................................................................................	17
5.6. Align ..................................................................................................................................	17
5.6.1. Solarsys Align.............................................................................................................	17
5.6.2. One Star Align ............................................................................................................	18
5.6.3. Two Star Alignment....................................................................................................	18
5.7. Modify Star Catalog...........................................................................................................	18
5.7.1. User RA&DEC JD2000..............................................................................................	18
5.7.2. Comets ........................................................................................................................	20
5.7.3. Asteroids .....................................................................................................................	21
5.8. Watch List..........................................................................................................................	22
5.9. Set Telescope Coord. .........................................................................................................	22

5.10. Park Scope .......................................................................................................................	22
6. Using Electronic Eyepiece to Capture Images..........................................................................	23
6.1. iE1300 Driver Installation..................................................................................................	23
6.2. Use the iE1300 to Observe an Object................................................................................	23
6.3. Example: Using Future WinJoe For Image and Video Capture ........................................	23
7. Maintenance and Servicing.......................................................................................................	28
7.1. Maintenance.......................................................................................................................	28
7.2. Storage and Transport........................................................................................................	28
7.3. Troubleshooting .................................................................................................................	29
7.4. iOptron Customer Service..................................................................................................	30
Appendix A. Technical Specifications .........................................................................................	31
Appendix B. GoToNova® 8404 HC MENU STRUCTURE ........................................................	32
Appendix C. GoToNova® Star List ..............................................................................................	34
IOPTRON ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY.......................................................................	47

WARNING!

NEVER USE A TELESCOPE TO LOOK AT THE SUN!

Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. Children should always have adult supervision while observing.

July 2011 V1.2

iOptron reserves the rights to revise this instruction without notice. Actual color/contents/design may differ from those described in this instruction.

1. AstroBoy®-70e Overview

1.1. AstroBoy® features

iOptron’s AstroBoy® portable telescope is easy to use and easy to carry! Just click and it finds stars for you. Simply select a star or planet and the built-in computer moves the telescope for you! Plus, it stays on target as the earth rotates. Functions in both celestial and land modes for watching stars, birds, or landscapes. Take it with you camping, school, anywhere. It sits on a desk or can be attached to a tripod.

Alt-Azimuth mount

The AstroBoy® refractor telescope comes with our Alt-Azimuth Mount. This compact mount design is probably the most functional and flexible unit on the market. Both axis motors are built into a small single unit with optical encoders which provides accurate GOTO and tracking. The proprietary GoToNova® technology ensures there are no “dead spots” – so you can point your telescope to ANYWHERE above the horizon. With an optional DC adaptor, you can plug your telescope mount into your car if you’re camping or at any remote location.

The easy to understand controller on the market

The GoToNova® hand controller is much easier to use than other similar products. The hand controller is more intuitive with menu categories well organized. It also has a larger LCD screen with more lines of content compared with the competition. Using the easy-to-use hand controller and its large LCD screen, you can easily set up your telescope and select where you want to go.

More precise speed control for viewing objects

The control system also allows you to slew the telescope at 5 different drive speeds, keeping the object within the telescope’s viewfinder for as long as you wish.

GoToNova® computerized control system

The revolutionary GoToNova® computerized control system is by far the most technologically advanced automated tracking system available on the market today. With a database of more than 4,000 celestial objects, including all of the most famous galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, not to mention the planets, you’ll be able to enjoy star gazing with the simple push of a button.

Megapixel electronic eyepiece for video and image capture

With a 1.3 megapixel camera, you can experience astro-video and astrophotography for yourself! The iOptron electronic eyepiece allows you to view real-time images from your telescope on a computer screen. It transmits live video images of the Moon, Sun, planets and terrestrial objects through a USB cable to your computer. Images can be recorded for later playback or frame imaging.

FEATURES

•Alt-Azimuth mount with GoToNova® computer control technology

•Real-time GOTO and tracking features

•4,000+ object database with 256 user-definable objects.

•4 line, 20-character LCD hand controller with backlit LED buttons for easy operation

•Dual-axis servomotor with optical encoders

•Drive motor with 5-speed setting for precise tracking

•Push-to alignment

•70mm achromatic refractor telescope for land and celestial objects observation

•1.3 megpixel camera with USB port

•Also exchangeable to photo tripods with ¼” camera screw

1.2.AstroBoy®-70e Assembly Terms

1.Telescope

2.Dovetail Lock

3.	Altitude Lock	1
4.	Mount	1
4.	Mount
5.	Hand Controller
6.	Focuser
7.	Diagonal
8.	Eyepiece
9.	Tabletop	2

2. Telescope Assembly

Step 1. Preparing the Tripod

Unlock the tripod leg locks.

Extend tripod legs.

Lock the leg locks afterwards.

Step 1a.

Pull tripod legs apart to a fully opened position.

Tighten the center tripod lock knob to a firm feel to secure the tripod legs.

Caution: Make sure you loosen this lock knob before collapsing the tripod to store away.

Step 2. Attach the mount

Attach mount to tripod by aligning base of mount onto screw on top of tripod and then hand tightening until secure.

Step 3. Install Batteries

Lift the battery cover. Carefully pull out the battery holder from the compartment. Be sure not to accidentally disconnect the wires.

	Step 3a.
	Insert 6 AA batteries (not included) in the holder. Refer to the
	diagram on the holder to orient the batteries properly. Replace
	the holder back into the battery compartment and replace the lid.
	Use only fresh batteries. Using old or low batteries may cause
	error messages.
	An optional AC adapter and 12V car plug cable are also
	available for purchase at www.iOptron.com.
Tapered dovetail	Step 4. Attach the telescope
	Slide the telescope into the dovetail slot on mount along the
	arrow direction on the slot and secure the telescope using
	dovetail lock knob (#2). Note that the dovetail is tapered and
	slides in one direction only (see arrow in photo). Don’t force the
	telescope into the dovetail slot!

	Step 5. Attaching Optics
		Insert 45º diagonal: Insert diagonal (#7) into the eyepiece side
		of the telescope. Tighten the thumbscrews to a firm feel only.
		Insert the eyepiece: Remove the supplied 25mm eyepiece (#8)
		from its container and slide it into the open end of the diagonal.
	45º diagonal (#7)	Tighten the thumbscrews to a firm feel only.
		Remove the round dust cover lid from the end of telescope.
		Use the focus knob to bring objects into focus. You may need
	Eyepiece (#8)	to turn the focus knob quite a few turns to focus your telescope
		for the first time. Always start observing using a lower power
		eyepiece (such as the 25mm eyepiece) to get a wider field of
		view. Later on you can change to higher powers. (Eyepieces of
	Focus knob (#6)	higher powers have narrower field of views; it’s more difficult to
	Focus knob (#6)	locate objects using high-power eyepieces.)
		locate objects using high-power eyepieces.)

Step 6. Connecting hand controller

Plug hand controller into the HBX port on the mount. The hand controller can attach magnetically to the mount arm.

3. GoToNova® 8404 Hand Controller

Figure 1. GoToNova® 8404 Hand Controller

GoToNova® 8404 hand controller (HC) is the standard controller for an AstroBoy telescope, as shown in Figure 1.

3.1.Key Description

•MENU: Press “MENU” to enter the Main Menu.

•BACK: Move back to the previous screen, or end/cancel current operation, such as slewing.

•ENTER: Confirm an input, go to the next menu, select a choice, slew the telescope to a selected object, or stop/start tracking.

•Arrow (▲▼►◄): Press ▲▼ buttons to move a telescope along the altitude direction, ►◄ to move a telescope along the azimuth direction. Brows the menu or move the cursor in operating menu.

•SPEED Key: To select slew speed (2X, 8X, 64X, 256X, and MAX)

•HELP Key: For help and display more information on an object.

3.2.The LCD Screen

The 8404 HC consists of a large 4-line LCD screen, which displays all the information as shown in Figure 2. The user interface is simple and easy to learn.

Target Name	Mount Status
Right Ascension	Declination
Altitude	Azimuth
Local Date and Time	Slew Speed
	Figure 2. 8404 HC LCD Information Screen

1. Target Name: display the name of the target that telescope is currently point to.

•Park Position: A default position when the mount is turned on, i.e., the telescope is point to zenith (altitude is 90º) and the mount is facing south (azimuth is 180º);

•An object name, such as “Mercury” or “Andromeda Galaxy”: Name of the Star or celestial object currently that is currently slewing, gotoing or tracking;

•LandMark #: The telescope is working at Land Objects mode and the telescope does not track;

•User Position: The mount has been manually slewed to an object; or an R.A and DEC value of an object was manually entered; or a goto or tracking process has been interrupted.

2.Mount Status: display current status of the mount. When the mount is turned on.

•Stop (Mount Status): the telescope is at a standby position;

•Slew (Mount Status): the telescope is manually slewing to the target;

•Goto (Mount Status): the telescope is going to the target;

•Track (Mount Status): the telescope is tracking a target;

•Align (Mount Status): the telescope is in align mode;

3.R: Right Ascension of the telescope, or R.A.

4.D: Declination of the telescope, or DEC.

5.A: Altitude of the telescope (zenith is 90º).

6.Z: Azimuth of the telescope (north is 0º, east 90º, south 180º, and west 270º).

7.Local Date and Time: display local time in a format of YY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.

8.Slew speed: It has 5 speeds: 2X, 8X, 64X, 256X (1º/sec), MAX (~ 4º/sec). Press SPEED key to change it.

4. Getting Started

You may start observing land and astronomical objects using GoToNova’s arrow keys.

After the telescope was assembled (referring to Section 2. Telescope Assembly), flip the I/O switch on the telescope mount to turn on the mount. Use ►,◄,▼ or ▲ buttons to point the telescope to the desired object. Use the SPEED key to change the slewing speed.

In order to experience the full GOTO capability of GoToNova technology, it is very important to set up the mount correctly before observation.

4.1. Set the Telescope to PARK POSITION

Each time the mount is turned on, the default position is Park Position, i.e., its altitude is 90º0.0’ and azimuth is 180º0.0’, which means the “SOUTH” mark is pointing to south and the telescope is pointing straight up at the zenith. To set the Park Position, you can:

(1) Loosen the altitude clutch; point the telescope tube directly up at the zenith, as shown in Figure 3 left. Tighten the clutch.

(2) Position the mount so that the “N-S” mark is aligned with the earth’s magnetic north and south poles, as shown in Figure 3 right. A compass is needed.

(1)

(2)

Figure 3

(3) Level the mount using the bubble on the mount base by adjusting the height of the tripod legs.

4.2. Setting Up the Hand Controller

Press the I/O power switch to turn the mount on (controller will light up). This section provides a brief setting instruction. A complete setting instruction is located in Section 5.

Set local time:

Now “Set Local Time:” is displayed at the top. A blinking cursor is on the second line.

Set Local Time:

2009-06-01 11:55:09

Daylight Saving Time Y

Use ▲/▼ keys to change the numbers. Use ◄/► keys to scroll through the fields. The last field of this screen is for setting Daylight Saving Time. Use ▲/▼ keys to switch between “Y” (yes) and “N” (no). Press ENTER when finished.

Now “Setup Site Info:” is displayed at the top. A blinking cursor is on the second line. (“Longi” means longitude; “Lat” means latitude.)

Setup Site Info: Longi: W071d27m47s Lati : N42d15m40s 300 Min. behind

“W/E” means west/east hemisphere; “N/S” means north/south hemisphere; “d” means degree; “m” means minute; and “s” means second. The site info is retained in the memory and no need to be input unless the telescope is moved to significantly different site.

Set site coordinates:

Use the ◄ or ► key to move the cursor, and the ▲ or ▼ button to change the numbers or toggle between “W” and “E”, “N” and “S”.

The site coordinates information can be found from iOptron’s website (http://www.iOptron.com) under Support->>FAQ ->>Controller Set-up.

Set time zone

Press ◄ or ► key, move the cursor to the bottom of the screen to set the time zone information (add or subtract 60 minutes per time zone). Enter minutes “ahead of” or “behind” UT (universal time). The minimum time difference is 15 minutes.

•New York City is 300 minutes “behind” UT

•Los Angeles is 480 minutes “behind” UT

•Rome is 60 minutes “ahead of” UT

•Beijing is 480 minutes “ahead of” UT

•Sydney is 600 minutes “ahead of” UT

All the time zones in North America are behind UT, as shown in the following table. So make sure it shows “behind” instead of “ahead of” UT.

Time Zone	Hawaii	Alaska	Pacific	Mountain	Central	Eastern

Hour behind UT	-10	-9	-8	-7	-6	-5

Enter Minutes	600	540	480	420	360	300

To adjust minutes, use the ◄ or ► key to move the cursor, and the ▲ or ▼ button to change the numbers. To change the “behind” or “ahead of” UT, move the cursor to “ahead of” and using ▲ or ▼ key to toggle between “behind” and “ahead of”. When the number is correct, press ENTER and go back to the previous screen.

For other parts of the world, you can find out your “time zone” information from iOptron’s website (http://www.iOptron.com) under Support->>FAQ ->>Controller Set-up. DO NOT COUNT DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME. i.e., if your local time is 5:00 pm, just enter 17:00, regardless DST.

Press ENTER when finished.

NOTE: If the time zone set is not correct, the telescope may think that the celestial object you select is still below the horizon even though it is high in the night sky.

Every time you turn on the telescope, this initial setting up screen will be shown. You need to enter date and local time; however, you may just press the ENTER key to skip site

setting if everything remains unchanged. The daylight saving, time zone and site info will be stored in the hand controller memory.

You may also get into this setup procedure by pressing MENU button from the main menu, scrolling down and selecting “Set Up Controller,” then selecting “Set Up Time and Site”.

4.3. Using Your Telescope

4.3.1. Getting Familiar with Your Telescope

Always practice your telescope during the daytime to get familiar with the operation.

Eyepiece and diagonal:

1.Always begin viewing with the lowest power eyepiece. (Note: a 25 mm focal length eyepiece has a lower power than a 10 mm one.) A formula can be used to determine the power of each eyepiece: Telescope focal length divided by eyepiece focal length equals magnification. Ex. 500mm ÷ 25mm = 20X (magnification)

2.Included with this telescope is a 45° Erecting Diagonal Prism. The Erecting Diagonal Prism is used to erect the image you will see. Astronomical telescopes are designed in such a way that the image you see may be UPSIDE DOWN and REVERSED. This is acceptable for viewing celestial bodies. However, it will feel strange when observing a land object or a bird.

Focusing Telescope:

1.After selecting the desired eyepiece aim the telescope tube at a land-based target at least 200 yards away (e.g. A telephone pole or building). Fully extend focusing tube by turning the focuser.

2.While looking through selected eyepiece, slowly retract focusing tube by turning focuser until object comes into focus.

Electronic Eyepiece:

AstroBoy-70e comes with a plug and play electronic eyepiece, iE1300 1.3 megapixel CMOS camera. An electronic eyepiece works just as a short focal length (few mm) eyepiece. Therefore, you need to start the observation with the longer focal length eyepiece. In most cases, directly replace an optical eyepiece with an electronic eyepiece will not bring an image onto the computer screen immediately. Fine focusing is needed. You should practice in daytime to get familiar with your setup.

4.3.2. Go to the Moon

After performing these setups, the mount is ready to GOTO and track objects. The most common object will be Moon.

Press MENU button, select “Select and Slew” by press ENTER button. Select “Planets, Sun, Moon”, and using ▲ or ▼ button to select Moon. Press ENTER. The telescope will start slew to the general direction where the Moon should be. After the mount stops slewing, it will automatically begin to track.

If the Moon is not located inside the filed of view (FOV) of the eyepiece once the telescope stops slewing, you may push the telescope mount (not the base or tripod) in the azimuth direction and altitude direction (by losing the altitude lock) to put the Moon in the FOV. Retighten the altitude lock. In most cases, manual move is needed only in the azimuth.

Then press MENU button and scroll down the menu to “Sync to Target” and press ENTER. Follow the instruction, use ◄ ► ▲ and ▼ keys to move the Moon in the center of your eyepiece and press ENTER. You may press the SPEED button to change the adjusting speed.

If the Moon is located inside the FOV of your eyepiece but not centered, follow the instruction above to sync it to the center of the FOV.

4.3.3. Initial Star Alignment

A simple alignment/synchronization can be performed to improve the GOTO and tracking accuracy. To do so, press MENU button, scroll down to “Align”, select “Solarsys Align” and press ENTER. The screen will list Moon, Sun and other planets for you to select from. Select an object using ▲ or ▼ key. Then press ENTER. The mount will slew to the object. Use ◄ ► ▲ or ▼ key to center the object in your eyepiece. Press SPEED button to change the slew speed if needed. Then press ENTER to complete the alignment. Or press the BACK key to cancel the process.

An alternate way is performing “Sync to Target” which is equally good as one-star alignment. To do so, press MENU button, select “Select and Slew” and press ENTER. Then select a known sky object, such as Moon from “Planets, Sun, Moon” menu and press ENTER. The mount will slew to the Moon. When the mount stopped slewing, the Moon could be just inside your eyepiece or way off. Press MENU button and scroll down the menu to “Sync to Target” and press ENTER. Follow the instruction, use ◄ ► ▲ and ▼ keys to move the Moon in the center of your eyepiece and press ENTER. Now the system is aligned and readies to go to other stars.

4.4. Turn Off the Mount

Press the ON/OFF button to turn off the mount.

5. More Functions of GoToNova® Hand Controller

5.1. Manual Operation of the Telescope

You may observe land and astronomical objects using GoToNova’s arrow keys.

After the telescope was assembled (referring to Section 2. Telescope Assembly), flip the ON/OFF switch on the telescope mount to the ON position. Use ►,◄,▼ or ▲ buttons to point the telescope to desired object. You may need using SPEED key to change the slewing speed.

5.2. Slew to an Object

Press MENU button, from the main menu, select “Select and Slew.” Select an object you would like to observe and press ENTER key.

The GoToNova® hand controller has a database consists of over 4,000 objects. Use ► or ◄ button to move the cursor and ▼ or ▲ button to change the number. “”indicates the object is above the horizon, and “” means it is below the horizon. Only those objects above the horizon can be observed. In some catalogs, those stars below the horizon may not display.

5.2.1. Planets, Sun, Moon

There are 9 objects in Solar system.

5.2.2.Deep Sky Objects

•Named Deepsky Object: It consists of 137 deep sky objects with their common names. More information will be available by pressing HELP key. A list of named deep sky objects is also attached in Appendix C.

•Messier Catalog: It consists of all 110 objects in Messier catalog. More information will be available by pressing HELP key.

•NGC Catalog: It consists a few thousand objects in NGC catalog. Use ► or ◄ button to move the cursor and ▼ or ▲ button to change the number.

5.2.3.Comets

It contains up to 64 comets. This database is customer editable.

5.2.4. Asteroids

It contains up to 64 asteroids. This database is customer editable.

5.2.5.Stars

•Named Stars: It consists of 191 stars with their common names. They are listed alphabetically. A list is attached in Appendix C.

•Constellations: It consists of 88 modern constellations with their names. They are listed alphabetically. A list is attached in Appendix C.

•Double Stars: It consists of 211 double stars. A list is attached in Appendix C.

•SAO Bright Stars: It consists of the bright SAO catalog objects with their magnitudes greater than 6. A reference table is available on iOptron’s website.

5.2.6.User RA&DEC JD2000 Objects

It can consist up to 256 user predefined objects. These objects need to be entered before they can be selected for slewing (Refer to 5.7.1 User RA&DEC JD2000).

5.2.7. Enter Position

Go to a target by entering its R.A. and DEC numbers.

5.2.8. Watch List

A watch list is a list of your favorite celestial objects in the database. It can be selected for slewing. User can add, delete and browse the watch list. (Refer to 5.8 Watch List).

5.2.9. Watch List Auto

This function will set the mount automatically slew to all the objects listed in Watch List at a preset time interval. The time interval can be set to from 10 seconds to 1200 seconds by using ▼ or ▲ button.

5.3. Land Objects

Up to 4 your favorite land objects can be stored in the hand controller. Press MENU, select “Land Objects” and press ENTER, the Land Objects screen will show.

Goto saved	1 2 3 4
Save new	1 2 3 4
Input Coord.	1 2 3 4
A 10º 0.0’	Z 10º 0.0’

Goto saved (land object):

Use ▼ or ▲ button to move the cursor to “Goto saved” line, use ► or ◄ button to a saved land object and press ENTER. The mount will automatically slew to the target.

This function only works if a land object has been stored in database.

Save new (land objects)

Use ▼ or ▲ button to move the cursor to “Save new” line, use ► or ◄ button to select the object number you want to store, and press ENTER. A landmark screen will show:

LandMark 1

Stop

A 13º 0.0’ Z 25º58.8’ 09-05-04 15:43:27 2X

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