iOptron GoToNova 8401 Instruction Manual
SmartStar® CubePro
TM
Instruction Manual
Table of Content
Table of Content .............................................................................................................. 2
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 4
1.1. CubePro Features ................................................................................................ 4
1.2. CubePro
2. CubePro Assembly ...................................................................................................... 6
3. GOTONOVA
3.1. Key Description ..................................................................................................... 8
3.2. The LCD Screen ................................................................................................... 9
3.3. Connection to a Computer .................................................................................... 9
4. Getting Started ............................................................................................................ 9
4.1. Level and Align the Mount .................................................................................... 9
4.2. Setting Up the Mount .......................................................................................... 10
4.2.1. Set Up Time Zone ........................................................................................ 10
4.2.2. Set Up Daylight Saving Time ....................................................................... 11
4.2.3. Set Mount Type ............................................................................................ 11
4.2.4. Set Anti-backlash ......................................................................................... 12
4.2.5. Go to the Moon ............................................................................................ 12
4.2.6. Initial Star Alignment .................................................................................... 12
4.3. Turn Off the Mount .............................................................................................. 13
5. Use the CubePro ....................................................................................................... 13
5.1. Manual Operation of a Telescope ....................................................................... 13
5.2. Slew to an Object ................................................................................................ 13
5.2.1. Planets, Sun, Moon ...................................................................................... 13
5.2.2. Deep sky objects .......................................................................................... 13
5.2.3. Comets ......................................................................................................... 13
5.2.4. Asteroids ...................................................................................................... 14
5.2.5. Stars ............................................................................................................. 14
5.2.6. Constellations ............................................................................................... 14
5.2.7. User Objects ................................................................................................ 14
5.2.8. Enter R.A. DEC ............................................................................................ 14
5.3. Sync to Target .................................................................................................... 14
5.4. Electric Focuser .................................................................................................. 14
5.5. Set Up Controller ................................................................................................ 14
5.5.1. Set Up Local Time ........................................................................................ 14
5.5.2. Set Up Site ................................................................................................... 14
5.5.3. Set N/S Hemisphere .................................................................................... 14
5.5.4. Set Display Contrast .................................................................................... 14
5.5.5. Set Eyepiece Light ....................................................................................... 15
5.5.6. Set Backlight ................................................................................................ 15
5.5.7. Set Anti-backlash ......................................................................................... 15
5.5.8. Set Key Beep ............................................................................................... 15
5.5.9. Set Mount Type ............................................................................................ 15
5.5.10. Reset All ..................................................................................................... 15
5.5.11. Update Firmware ........................................................................................ 15
5.5.12. Set gear ratio .............................................................................................. 15
TM
Assembly Terms ................................................................................ 5
TM
8401 Hand Controller ......................................................................... 8
2
5.5.13. Set Language ............................................................................................. 15
5.6. Align .................................................................................................................... 15
5.6.1. One Star Align .............................................................................................. 15
5.6.2. Two Star Align .............................................................................................. 15
5.6.3. Three-Star Align ........................................................................................... 16
5.6.4. Dis R.A axis error ......................................................................................... 16
5.6.5. Test Anti-backlash ........................................................................................ 16
5.6.6. Polaris Position ............................................................................................ 16
5.7. PEC Option ......................................................................................................... 16
5.8. Set Up Tracking .................................................................................................. 16
5.9. User Objects ....................................................................................................... 16
5.10. Auto Guide ........................................................................................................ 16
5.11. Park Scope ....................................................................................................... 16
5.12. To Park Position ............................................................................................... 16
6. Maintenance and Servicing ....................................................................................... 17
6.1. Maintenance ....................................................................................................... 17
6.2. Troubleshooting .................................................................................................. 17
6.3. iOptron Customer Service .................................................................................. 18
Appendix A. Technical Specifications............................................................................ 19
Appendix B. GOTONOVATM 8401 HC MENU STRUCTURE ........................................ 20
Appendix C. GOTONOVATM Star List ........................................................................... 22
Appendix D. Set Up USB-PC Connection ..................................................................... 27
Appendix E. Firmware Upgrade .................................................................................... 34
Appendix F. Use a PC to Control an iOptron Mount ...................................................... 37
Appendix G. RS-232 Command Set.............................................................................. 38
IOPTRON TWO YEAR TELESCOPE, MOUNT, AND CONTROLLER WARRANTY ... 43
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.
WARNING!
3
1. Introduction
1.1. CubePro Features
CubeProTM GOTO altazimuth (A/A)
Mount is the ideal portable mount to go with
your traveling OTAs, such as a 60mm or
80mm ED refractor, a 90mm or 100mm
Maksutov-Cassegrain or a 114mm
Newtonian reflector. It can also be used to
mount solar scopes.
It features a SmartStar
computerized control system with 130,000
objects and 8-line backlit LCD screen. A 32
channel internal GPS, easy alignment
procedure and accurate GOTO and autotracking minimize the setup time.
Package Contents
The CubeProTM mount comes with the tripod in the same shipping box, which includes:1
• Telescope Mount (with builtin GPS)
®
1” stainless steel tripod with metal
platform and metal hinges makes the mount
very sturdy. Compact design of the tripod
and the mount makes it easy to carry
around in a travel case. The mount
assembling takes less than 5 minutes.
Standard dovetail makes this mount
compatible with many different OTAs.
CubePro
TM
is compatible with all
ASCOM compliant planetarium programs
and many other programs such as Sky X,
Starry Night and Voyager.
• AC Adaptor with cord
• 8401 Hand Controller
• Controller Cable
• USB cable
• Tripod
• Tripod bolt (with black shaft) and Tray Lock
• Tripod Tray
• 1.5 kg Counterweight and shaft
1
The contents may vary slightly.
4
1.2. CubeProTM Assembly Terms
1. Telescope (not included)
2. Dovetail Lock
3. Hand Controller
4. Altitude Lock
5. Mount
6. Tripod
7. Inner support/Tripod bolt
8. Tray
9. Tray lock
10. Counterweight (not shown)
Figure 1. CubePro mount and tripod
5
2. CubePro Assembly
Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3. Installing Batteries
Extend tripod legs to full extension.
Attach mount to tripod using the long bolt (#7). Slide tray on
bottom of shaft. Then screw on round black knob (#9).
Pull the batteries compartment cover (shown) open.
Gently pull the batteries holder out of the compartment to avoid
breaking the attached wires.
Step 3a.
Insert 8 AA batteries (not included) according to the diagrams on
the holder.*
Replace the holder back into the batteries compartment and
replace the cover.
Note
: fit the batteries holder back into the compartment with the
attached wires at the bottom right corner (see arrow in the
photo).
* Use only fresh batteries; do not mix fresh and old
Step 4. Attaching Telescope
Dovetail
lock (#2)
batteries; insufficient battery power may cause error
messages.
Attach telescope to mount using the dovetail lock knob (#2).
6
Step 6. Connecting Hand Controller
Plug hand controller into any one of the HBX (handbox) ports on
the mount. Plug in power plug if a AC adaptor is used.
Turn on power. Now you are ready to observe. Use the 4 Arrow
keys (▲▼◄►) to rotate the scope Up, Down, Left, and Right.
Use the Number key to change the slew speed from the slowest
(1 - 1X) to the fastest (9 - MAX).
The other HBX is reserved for accessories, such as electronic
focuser, laser pointer and autoguider adapter. DO NOT plug
non-iOptron accessories into the unit to avoid damaging the
mount or accessories
7. This step allows you to attach the counterweight to the mount.
(note: if you have a scope less than 7 lbs., attaching a
counterweight is optional).
Unlock and remove the altitude lock (#4). Screw on the counterweight
shaft and tighten it.
8. Slide the counterweight onto the counterbalance shaft. Next, insert
the brass pin into the hole on the counterweight.
9. Secure the counterweight by tightening the lock knob.
Counter weight is heavy. Please handle with care to avoid
injury!
7
3. GOTONOVATM 8401 Hand Controller
Figure 2. GOTONOVA 8401 Hand Controller
GOTONOVA
shown in Figure 2.
TM
8401 hand controller (HC) is the standard controller for a CubePro, as
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, or slew the
telescope to a selected object.
• Arrow (▲▼►◄): Press ▲▼ buttons to
move a telescope along the DEC
direction, ►◄ to move a telescope
along the RA direction. Brows the
menu or move the cursor in operating
menu.
HBX
Port
USB
Port
• Number Keys: Input numerical values.
Also used to adjust speeds (1: 1X; 2:
2X; 3: 8X; 4: 16X; 5: 64X; 6: 128X; 7:
256X; 8: 512X; 9: MAX)
• Light Key(☼): Turns on/off the red LED
reading light on the back of the
controller.
• ? Key: For help or extra information.
• STOP/0 Key: Stop/Start tracking.
• HBX (Handbox) port: connect the HC to
CubePro mount using a 6-wire RJ11
cable.
• USB port: connect the HC to a
Computer via a USB cable.
8
Figure 3. 8401 HC LCD Information Screen
3.2. The LCD Screen
The 8401 HC is designed to use for both
iOptron’s equatorial (EQ) mount, such as
the SmartStar
Equatorial Mount and the GOTONOVA
Equatorial Kit, and AltAzimuth (A/A) mount,
which includes all SmartStar
mounts and telescopes. It consists of a
large 8-line LCD screen, which displays all
the information as shown in Figure 3. The
user interface is simple and easy to learn.
• GPS status: When the power is turned
on, it shows “GPS ON”, which means a
GPS receiver is connected. When the
GPS receiver finds the satellite and
receives GPS signal, it shows “GPS OK”.
The “GPS OK” may turn off after few
minutes.
• Slew speed: It has 9 speeds: 1X, 2X, 8X,
16X, 64X, 128X, 256X(1º/sec),
512X(2º/sec), MAX(4º/sec).
• Tracking speed: It has 4 speeds: Cel
(celestial), Sol (Solar), Lun (Lunar), Def
(user defined)
• Mount Type: EQ is equatorial and A/A
altazimuth.
®
-PR GOTO German
®
GOTO
TM
3.3. Connection to a Computer
The GOTONOVA hand controller has a
USB port which can be connected to a
computer. This will allow Firmware
Upgrading, Database Updating, or
Planetarium application. A USB2COM driver
is needed to simulate the USB port to a RS232 serial port. (see Appendix D)
The CubePro
TM
can be controlled by a
number of popular astronomy software
programs. For astronomy software that
does not have an embedded iOptron mount
driver, an ASCOM driver and related
platform are needed. Please refer to
Appendix F for more information.
4. Getting St arted
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. Level and Align the Mount
Each time the Mount is turned on, the
default position is Parking Position, i.e.,Alt.
90º0’0” and Azi. 180º0’0”, which means the
Mount is leveled, facing south and the
telescope pointing up at the Zenith. The
procedures are:
• Level the Mount. Adjust the leg length to
make sure the bubble on the side of the
mount is centered. Turn the Mount
around to make sure it is always leveled.
It is also recommended to use additional
levels to assure very precise leveling.
Leveling is critical for a good GOTO
and tracking accuracy.
Select and slew
Sync. to target
Electronic focuser
Set up controller
Align
PEC option
Set up Tracking
User objects
• Face the South.
Align the Mount to
south by turning
Up
the South mark
facing south. An
additional
compass may be
needed. There are
South
two ways to do so.
One is loosen the AZI lock (7) a little
and manually turn the Mount to face
south. Then tighten the AZI lock again.
The other is turn on the Mount. Turn the
Mount facing south using hand control.
Then turn off the power.
• Point to Zenith. Unlock the ALT Lock
and turn the telescope to point up
directed at the Zenith.
4.2. Setting Up the Mount
A CubePro is equipped with
a GPS receiver, which will
receive the local time,
longitude and latitude
information from a satellite
after the link is established.
However, manual input is still needed for
time zone and Daylight Saving setting.
A clear sky outside is needed for GPS to
communicate well with the satellites.
Press ENTER. Scroll down and select “Set
up site”
Set up Local Time
Set up site
Set N/S hemisphere
Set display contrast
Set Eyepiece light
Set Backlight
Set anti-backlash
Set Key Beep
Press ENTER. The longitude and latitude
coordinates will be updated when the GPS
picks up satellite signals. “W/E” means
west/east hemisphere; “N/S” means
north/south hemisphere; “d” means degree;
“m” means minute; and “s” means second.
Set up site info:
Longitude:
W071d27m47s
Latitude:
N42d15m40s
300 Min. behind of UT
If for any reason your GPS can’t pick up a
signal you can manually enter the GPS
coordinates. Press ◄ or ► key to move the
cursor and using ▲ or ▼ key to toggle
between “W” and “E”, “N” and “S”, using
number key to change the numbers. It is
always a good idea to do your home work to
get the GPS coordinates before traveling to
a new observation site.
4.2.1. Set Up Time Zone
Press MENU button, from the main menu,
scroll down and select “Set up controller”
The site coordinates information can be
found from internet, such as GPSVisualizer
(http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/geocode
entering the city name or address. In case
you only find the site information in decimal
format you can convert them into d:m:s
format by multiplying the decimal numbers
by 60. For example, N47.53 can be
10
), by
changed to N47º31'48”: 47.53º = 47º +0.53º,
0.53º=0.53x60'=31.8', 0.8'=0.8x60"=48".
Therefore, 47.53º=47º31'48" or 47d31m48s.
Same as N47º31.8’: 31.8’=31’+0.8’,
0.8’=0.8x60”=48”.
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).
• 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 (universal time), as shown in the
following table. So make sure it shows
“behind” instead of “ahead of” UT.
Time Zone Hours
behind UT
Enter
Minutes
Hawaii -10 600
Alaska -9 540
Pacific -8 480
Mountain -7 420
Central -6 360
Eastern -5 300
To adjust minutes, move the cursor to each
digit and use the number keys to input
number directly. To change the “behind” or
“ahead” of UT, move the cursor to “ahead”
and using ▲ or ▼ key to toggle between
“behind” and “ahead”. 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 internet,
such as
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/
.
DO NOT COUNT DAYLIGHT SAVING
TIME.
4.2.2. Set Up Daylight Saving Time
Scroll up and select “Set up local Time”
Set up Local Time
Set up site
Set N/S hemisphere
Set display contrast
Set Eyepiece light
Set Backlight
Set anti-backlash
Set Key Beep
Press ENTER.
Set local time:
2008-06-01 11:55:09
Daylight Saving Time Y
Use the ◄ or ► key to move the cursor to
the bottom of the screen, use the ▲ or ▼
button to toggle between “Y” and “N”. Press
ENTER to go back the previous screen. The
local time also can be manually entered in
case of GPS malfunction or testing the
mount inside.
The time and site information will be stored
inside HC memory chip. If you are not
traveling to other observation site, they do
not need to be changed.
4.2.3. Set Mount Type
The 8401 hand controller that comes with
the CubePro can function in both EQ and
AltAz. For the CubePro you will need to set
the hand controller to function in AltAz.
Scroll down and select “Set Mount Type”,
11
Set up site
Set N/S hemisphere
Set display contrast
Set Eyepiece light
Set Backlight
Set anti-backlash
Set Key Beep
Set Mount Type
DEC anti-backlash:
0150 steps
One steps equal to
1.5 arc second.
Press Enter.
Equatorial Mount
Alt/Azi Mount
Select Alt/Azi mount and press ENTER to
go back the previous screen.
4.2.4. Set Anti-backlash
For an Alt/Azi operation, both R.A. and DEC
anti-backlash should be set to 0 step
(factory default setting). Scroll down and
select “Set anti-backlash”
Set up Local Time
Set up site
Set N/S hemisphere
Set display contrast
Set Eyepiece light
Set Backlight
Set anti-backlash
Set Key Beep
Move the cursor to each digit and use the
number keys to set the anti-backlash to 0.
Press ENTER to go back the previous
screen.
Press BACK button to go back to main
menu.
4.2.5. Go to the Moon
After performing these set-ups the mount is
ready to GOTO and track objects. One of
the most common objects is the Moon.
To slew to the Moon, press MENU button,
select “Select and slew” by pressing the
ENTER button. Select “Planets, Sun, Moon”,
and use the ▲ or ▼ buttons to select Moon.
Press ENTER. The telescope will
automatically slew to the Moon and lock on.
It will automatically begin to track once it
locks on. Use the arrow keys to center the
Moon in your eyepiece if it is not centered.
Or for better performance use Sync to
Target (see instructions later).
Press ENTER. A R.A. anti-backlash will
display:
R.A. anti-backlash:
0150 steps
One steps equal to
1.5 arc second.
To adjust steps, move the cursor to each
digit and use the number keys to input
number directly. Press ENTER, a DEC antibacklash will display:
4.2.6. Initial Star Alignment
A simple star alignment/synchronization can
be performed to improve the GOTO and
tracking accuracy. To do so, after slew the
mount to an object, such as Moon, press
MENU button, scroll down to “Sync. To
Target”, follow the on-screen instruction and
press ENTER.
An alternate way is to perform an “Easy
One Star Align”. To do so, press MENU
button, scroll down to “Align”, select “Easy
One Star Align” and press ENTER. The
screen will list three bright objects for you to
select from (ex. Moon, Jupiter, Venus).
12
Select an object using ▲ or ▼ key. Then
press ENTER. Next use the arrow keys to
slew to the object until it is centered in your
eyepiece. Then press ENTER.
You may need using number keys to
change the slewing speed to make the
centering procedure easier.
individual number. The check mark (√)
indicates the object is above the horizon,
and a cross mark (X) means it is below the
horizon. In some catalogs those stars below
the horizon will not display on the hand
controller.
5.2.1. Planets, Sun, Moon
4.3. Turn Off the Mount
When you are finished observing it is
recommended to return the mount to Park
Position. If the mount is not moved then no
initial set up is needed when you turn on the
mount next time. To park the telescope
press the MENU button, scroll down to
“Park Telescope” and press ENTER. Once
the telescope returns to Park Position turn
the power off.
5. Use the CubePro
5.1. Manual Operation of a
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 I/O switch on the
telescope mount to turn on the mount. Use
►,◄,▼ or ▲ buttons to point the telescope
to the desired object. You may need to use
the number keys to change the slewing
speed. Simply press a number while
slewing to change the slew speed.
5.2. Slew to an Object
Press the MENU button. From the main
menu select “Select and Slew.” Select an
object that you would like to observe and
press the ENTER key.
The GOTONOVA
has a database of about 130,000 objects.
Use the ► or ◄ buttons to move the cursor
and the ▼▲ buttons to change the
TM
8401 hand controller
There are 10 objects in the Solar system
catalog.
5.2.2. Deep sky objects
This menu includes objects outside our
Solar system such as galaxies, star clusters,
quasars, and nebulae.
• Named Deepsky Objects: consists of 60
deep sky objects with their common
names. A list of named deep sky objects
is attached in Appendix C.
• Messier Catalog: consists of all 110
objects.
• NGC IC Catalog: consists of 7840
objects in NGC catalog and 5386 objects
in IC catalog. To select an object from
NGC or IC catalog, move the cursor to
NGC, using▲ or ▼ button to toggle
between NGC and IC. Then move the
cursor to numerical position and use the
number button to select the object.
• UGC Catalog: consists of 12939 objects.
• MCG Catalog: consists of 29004 objects.
They are listed numerically from
MCG+15 to MCG-05.
• Caldwell Catalog: consists of 109
objects.
• Abell Catalog: consists of 2712 objects.
• Herschel Catalog: consists of 400
objects.
5.2.3. Comets
This catalog contains up to 190 comets.
This database is customer upgradeable.
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