Vixen SKYPOD User Manual

Instruction Manual for

Altazimuth Mount

PERFACE

The SKYPOD Altazimuth Mount features automatic slewing of celestial objects on the screen of its dedicated hand controller ‘STAR BOOK-S’ and a various convenient menus and functions that will help you in enjoying your observation in the night sky. We hope you will enjoy exploring celestial wonders anywhere with the SKYPOD. This manual is prepared in common with all the SKYPOD ser your model, this depends on the model you purchased.

We thank you very much for your purchase of our product from a series of the Vixen SKYPOD Altazimuth Mount astronomical telescopes.

ies telescopes. You may occasionally find descriptions in the text not relevant to

Please read this instruction manual carefully before use, and follow them precisely.

Always keep the instruction manual near to your mount or telescope to enable any operational queries to be easily answered. This instruction manual describes necessary precautions for the safe use of the product by preventing yourself and others from possible injuries as well as damages to the equipment.

WARNING!

Never look directly at the sun with your naked eyes or through any telescope or its finder scope or guide scope. Permanent and irreversible eye damage may result.

Never connect the cable of the STAR BOOK-S with other equipment such as a PC. It may cause a failure, heating, or electrical shock.

CAUTION

Do not try to restrain the movement when the mount in operation, which may lead to injuries to yourself or equipment damage.

Do not leave the optical tube uncapped in daytime. It may cause a fire from the objective lens or mirror of the optical tube or finder scope in case of sunlight passing through the telescope.

Do not use the product while moving or walking, where injuries could arise from collision with objects or stumbling or falling.

Keep tiny caps, desiccant, or vinyl packing materials away from children. It may cause danger from swallowing or suffocation.

Do not use the product in a wet environment and do not touch with wet hands. Do not turn the power switches of the SKYPOD and STAR BOOK-S to on under conditions that internal

dew condensation is suspected on them. It may cause failure by leakage of electricity.

HANDLING

Do not leave the product inside a car in bright sunshine, or in hot places. Keep any strong heat radiation sources away from the product.

When cleaning, do not use the organic solvent such as paint thinners or similar. Do not expose the product to rain, water drops, dirt or sand. Avoid touching any lens or mirror surfaces directly with hands. In case a lens or mirror becomes dirty with

fingerprints or general smears, gently wipe it using a commercially available lens cleaner and a lens cleaning paper, or consult your local Vixen dealer.

Blow off dust on lens using a commercially available blower brush. For storage, keep the product in dry places, and do not expose to direct sunlight. Remove the batteries from the battery box while the product is not used for a long time. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant

of Part 15 of the FCC Rules.

CONTENTS

PREFACE----------------------2 INITIAL SETTING--------------17

Setting Up the STAR BOOK-S

WARNING,CAUTION,HANDLING---2

CONTENTS --------------------3

BEFORE USE------------------4

Checking Contents --------------------4 Principle and Basic Operation of --------4 Altazimuth Mounts---------------------4 Parts Descriptions---------------------5 STAR BOOK-S Hand Controller---------6 Specifications-------------------------7

Turning the Power On and Off------17

II.

Setting Language-----------------18 Setting Local Time----------------19

III.

Setting Location ------------------20

IV. V

Saving the Settings ---------------21

BASIC OPERATION------------22

Moving the Telescope -------------22

Viewing Terrestrial Landscape -----23

II.

Changing the Magnification--------26

III.

Why you Need a Finder Scope-----26

IV.

Observing the Moon --------------29

HOW TO USE ------------------8

Flow of Operation----------------------8

PERPARATION-----------------9

About Batteries for the SKYPOD--------9

Install Batteries in the SKYPOD --------9

Setting up the Telescope

Setting up the Tripod--------------10

II.

Attaching the SKYPOD Mount -----10 Install Batteries into the Battery----11

III.

Pack on the SKYPOD Mount

IV.

Attaching the Counterweight-------12 (Optional)

Preparation for Mounting the Optical Tube-----------------------------12 Attaching the Optical Tube---------12

VI.

Attaching the Eyepiece Adapter----13

VII.

Attaching the Finder Scope--------13

VIII.

Balancing the Telescope ----------15

IX.

Connecting the STAR BOOK-S Cable

to the SKYPOD-------------------16

XI.

Connecting External Power Supply--16

AUTOMATIC SLEWING---------31

Automatic Slewing ----------------31

Flow of Automatic Slewing---------31

II.

Home Position--------------------31

III.

Align the Telescope ---------------32

IV.

Starting Automatic Slewing --------38

Choosing a Target from the Object

VI.

Menu ----------------------------40 Completing Observing-------------42

VII.

APPLICATION -----------------44

Chart Setting

LCD Adjustment ------------------45

II.

Backlighting Duration Adjustment---46

III.

About STAR BOOK-S -------------47

IV.

Saving the Settings ---------------47

Using the STAR BOOK-S as a Stand

VI.

Alone Unit ------------------------47

BEFORE USE

Checking Contents

The SKYPOD Altazimuth Mount box contains the parts listed below. Make sure that your box contains all these parts.

Contents of SKYPOD Altazimuth Mount

SKYPOD Altazimuth Mount

STAR BOOK-S Hand Controller

STAR BOOK-S

Instr

uction Manual (This booklet)

ial Number Stickers

Ser

Note : Batteries are not included.

For parts included in optical tube boxes and other instruments, please refer to that product manual.

Instruction Manual (This booklet)

SKYPOD Altazimuth Mount

Principle and Basic Operation of Altazimuth Mounts

What is an Altazimuth Mount?

The Altazimuth mount is a telescope platform with simple vertical and horizontal motion controls that allow you to move the telescope up and down and side to side.

Due to Earth’s rotation, the mount must move to follow a celestial object. Without this movement, stars and celestial objects move through the field of view as time passes by. An Altazimuth mount moves in altitude( to keep the object you are viewing centered in the field of view of your telescope.

vertically

)and azimuth(

horizontally

Apparent movement of stars

)

Moves horizontally (in azimuth motion)

Moves vertically (in altitude motion)

Basic Operation

The STAR BOOK-S automatic GoTo controller controls the motion of the SKYPOD. The SKYPOD functions smoothly and accurately when the weight of each component is properly balanced. Using the SKYPOD without proper balancing may cause tracking errors, slippage of the telescope tube, or interruption of observation. Make sure to balance the telescope. For a proper balancing procedure, please refer to page.15 (Balancing may not be necessary depending on models of the SKYPOD.)

Vertical Rotation Axis

Horizontal Rotation Axis

BEFORE USE

Parts Descriptions : SKYPOD Mount and Tripod

SKYPOD VMC110L and A80Mf telescopes shown here, your telescope may differ.

Horizontal Rotation Axis

Eyepiece Eyepiece Set Screw Finder Bracket Lock Screw VMC110L Optical Tube

Dot Finder

Eyepiece Adapter (31.7mm) Eyepiece Set Screw Focus Knob

Objective Hood Objective lens (Inside)

A80Mf Optical Tube Tube

Finder Scope Focus Knob Half Pillar (Optional)

Safety Screw

Dovetail Mounting Block

STAR BOOK-S

Vertical Rotation Axis

Compartment Cover

Power Switch

External DC 12V Power Terminal

Auxiliary Port

Tabletop Tripod

Fixing Knob

Dovetail-Plate

Lock Screw

STAR BOOK-S

Rack

Drawtube

Tripod Head

Fixing Knob

Tripod Leg

Tripod Leg Spreader

Leg Extension Clamp

Cable Connector

Battery Case Cover

Battery Case

Eyepiece

Diagonal Prism

Azimuth Adjustment Screw

(Not used)

Accessory Tray

BEFORE USE

STAR BOOK-S Hand Controller

02 13

01. TN 2.6-inch Monochrome LCD Screen

04 05

02. Power Switch

The upper buttons (Right side on-screen soft-key legend): Enter, Cursor Movement, Scroll

03. LEFT (Moves the cursor left. <The screen scrolls toward right.>)

04. UP (Moves the cursor up. <The screen scrolls down.>)

05. RIGHT (Moves the cursor right. <The screen scrolls toward left.>)

06. DOWN (Moves the cursor down. <The screen scrolls up.>

07. ENTER (Changing Chart / Scope modes)

11 08

The lower buttons (Left side on-screen soft-key legend): Alignment, Zoom

08. MENU (Accesses various settings on the system menu.)

09. ZOOM+(Zooms in the screen in 8 steps.)

10. ALIGN (Aligns computer with telescope position.)

11. ZOOM-(Zooms out the screen in 8 steps.)

12. DISP (On screen information changes each time pressed.)

Legend on the Screen

08 09 12

13. LAN :

14. MOUNT: Controller Cable Connection Terminal

01. Mode Display: SCOPE Mode and CHART Mode

02. Date

03. Time

04. Battery Level: Varies according to a level of discharge. The battery levels are displayed individually for both the STAR BOOK-S and the SKYPOD Mount.

Note: The SKYPOD battery level indicator may show “Empty” when the controller cable is not connected securely.

05. Upward Arrow / Downward Arrow Upward Arrow: A bunch of on-screen soft-keys corresponding to the upper buttons. Downward Arrow: A bunch of on-screen soft-keys corresponding to the lower buttons.

06. : Directional keys and cursor movement

07. Select, Automatic Slewing and changing Chart / Scope mode

08. Zoom + : Zoom in the screen.

0613

09. Zoom – : Zoom out the screen.

LAN Connection Terminal (10BASE-T) for communication with a PC

Full Middle Empty

10. MT : Speed of scrolling the screen / zooming visually.

11.

Menu :

12. Align : Set up directions (alignment) for automatic slewing

Open the System Menu dialog box to change various settings.

13. Disp: On screen information changes each time pressed.

<Soft-key legend> <RA and Dec> <No indication>

SKYPOD Mount Specifications

BEFORE USE

Legend on the Screen

Mount Altitude worm wheel Azimuth worm wheel Coordinates of object Slo

motion controls

wing speed

Sle A

uxiliary terminal

Batter

ies

orking duration with batteries

Exter

nal power supply

Maxim

um loading weight Dimensions W

ight

Optional Accessor

ies

Altazimuth GOTO Mount Full circle 70-tooth gear Full circle 70-tooth gear Show

n on the STAR BOOK-S in 0.1’ increment

ic, 8-speed in both axes

Electr Max.

900x (sidereal rate) D-SUB 9 Pin (una 8 x AA-size alkaline batter 8hrs at 20 degrees C DC12V EIAJ RC5320A Class4 About 5kg with an optional counterwe 210mmW x 200mmL x 190mmH (without tr

2.8kg (Incl. Two-section aluminum tripod, Counterweight (Supplied as standard accessor

vailab

. (68F) ambient temperature

controller and cab

STAR BOOK-S Specifications

Controller CPU Display Au

toguider Port Controller cable connection terminal LAN connection terminal Batteries Working duration with batteries Dimensions W

ight

Celestial objects stored in memory

Other functions / Capabilities

STAR BOOK-S 32Bit RISC processor CS89712 TN 2.6-inch monochrome LCD screen (160 x 160 = 25600 pixels) 6-pole 6-wired modular jac 8-pole 8-wired modular jack 10BASE-T 4 x AA-size 8hrs at 20 degrees C 124mmW x 85mmL x 38mmH 165g (without batteri Total 22,735 objects consisting of: 17,635 fix 4,980 NGC/IC objects brighter than 14th magnitude Software upgrade via LAN connection Built-in speak Oper

alkaline batter

. of ambient temperature

es and cab

ed stars br

ating temperature between 0 deg-C. and 40 deg-C.

ighter than 7-th magnitude, 110 Messier objects,

le)

ies

ight

le)

ies f

or some models.)

le)

ipod)

, 8 Planets, the Moon and Sun

HOW TO USE

Flow of Operation

Take the following steps to set up the SKYPOD.

PREPARATION

INITIAL SETTING

BASIC OPERATION

Assembling the SKYPOD and tripod.

Setting Language (The first time only.)

Tur n the powers of both the mount and controller to ON, and then choose your language in the STAR BOOK-S.

Setting Date & Time (The first time only.)

Enter date and your local time.

Setting Longitude & Latitude

Enter longitude and latitude of your observation site.

Read the manual to understand basic operation of the SKYPOD.

(The first time only.)

Pages 09 to 16

Pages 17 to 21

Pages 22 to 30

AUTOMATIC SLEWING

APPLICATION

Home Position

Slew the telescope to the home position by using the STAR BOOK-S hand controller. *The‘Home Position’is the initial set-up position of the SKYPOD which is required

Alignment

Choose two out of many celestial reference points stored in the STAR BOOK-S database.

Automatic Slewing

Upon completion of alignment, automatic Go To slewing and tracking are available.

Finish Operation

Pages 31 to 43

Page 44 to 47

PREPARATION

About batteries for the SKYPOD

The STAR BOOK-S controller of the SKYPOD runs on four (4) AA-size alkaline batteries (not included). The batteries can last about eight hours at 20 degrees C.

The SKYPOD Mount runs on eight (8) AA-size alkaline batteries (not included) or optional external power supply. The batteries can last about eight hours at 20 degrees C.

A total of twelve (12) AA-size alkaline batteries are needed optionally to run the product.

How to insert the batteries into the STAR BOOK-S

Push the latch of the rear cover down and open the cover toward you as shown in the figure.

Insert fresh batteries (4 x AA-size alkaline batteries). Do not mix up the polarity as it may cause a failure.

Replace the cover to complete.

Rear Cover

Install batteries in the SKYPOD. Explanation on how to install the batteries is stated in the “PREPARATION Setting up the telescope” section for the sake of convenience. (See page 11 of this manual.)

PREPARATION

Setting up the Tripod

Setting up the telescope

Stand the tripod on even and sold ground. Adjust the height of the tripod as the occasion demands.

To change the height, loosen the leg extension clamp of each tripod leg. Be sure to tighten all the

Leg Extension ClampLeg Extension Clamp

leg extension clamps securely after adjusting the height of the tripod.

Take off the tray lock knob at the center of the tripod leg spreader to reveal the tray anchor bolt.

Tray Anchor BoltTray Anchor Bolt

Attaching the Half Pillar (Optional)

(Proceed to II when you don't need the Half Pillar for your SKYPOD.) Use an optional Half Pillar when your telescope optical tube can hit the tripod leg. Hold the Half Pillar over the tripod head so that the center shaft is above the matching hole. Place the Half Pillar on the tripod head so that the two are flush. Tighten the locking knob on the underside of the tripod head firmly.

Pull the tripod legs apart until the tripod leg spreader has been fully extended to let the tripod stand by itself.

Place the accessory tray over the tripod leg spreader and position it so the anchor bolt on the tripod leg spreader fits the matching hole at the center of the accessory tray. Then, attach the accessory tray with the tray lock knob.

Half Pillar

Tripod Head

Accessory Tray

(Not used)

Tripod Leg

Spreader

Tray Lock

Knob

Half Pillar

Locking Knob

Hold the SKYPOD Mount over the Half Pillar so that the center shaft is above the matching hole. Place the SKYPOD Mount on the Half Pillar so that the two are flush. Tighten the locking knob on the underside of the tripod head fir mly.

Attaching the SKYPOD Mount

Hold the SKYPOD Mount over the tripod head so that the center shaft is above the matching hole. Place the SKYPOD Mount on the tripod head so that the two are flush. Tighten the locking knob on the underside of the tripod head firmly.

SKYPOD

SKYPOD Mount

Mount

Tripod Head

Locking KnobLocking Knob

Setting up the telescope

PERPARATION

Attaching to the Tabletop Tripod

Hold the SKYPOD Mount over the tabletop tripod head so that

SKYPOD

the center shaft is above the

SKYPOD Mount

Mount

matching hole. Place the SKYPOD Mount on

Tabletop

the tabletop tripod head so that

Tabletop Tripod

Tripod

the two are flush. Tighten the knob on the underside of the tripod head firmly.

Locking KnobLocking Knob

Install batteries into the battery pack on the SKYPOD Mount.

Open the front cover to access the inner blue battery case as shown in the figure. Open the battery case by sliding off its top cover.

Take out the battery pack and inser t the fresh batteries into it. Do not mix up the polarity as this may cause a failure.

Put the battery pack back into the blue battery case. Turn the projection on the battery pack so that it fits into the recess of the battery case as shown in the figure below. Close the cover as it was

Compartment

Compartment Cover

Cover

Battery Pack

Slide Cover

Batteries

Batteries (AA x 8)

(AA x 8)

Projection on the

Projection on the Battery Pack

Battery Pack

Compartment

Compartment Cover

Cover

PREPARATION

Setting up the telescope

Attaching the Counterweight (Optional)

(Proceed to V when you don't need the Counterweight for your SKYPOD.)

Use an optional counterweight with the SKYPOD when you install a telescope optical tube weighing over 2.5 kg (5.5lbs.). Remove the blue weight cap by unscrewing it and screw the counterweight onto the end of counterweight shaft inside. Replace the counterweight cap after making sure that the counterweight is tightly secured inside.

Counterweight ShaftCounterweight Shaft

Weight CapWeight Cap Weight CapWeight Cap

CounterweighCounterweigh

WARNING!

Handle the counterweight with care as it is heavy.

Preparation for Mounting the Optical Tube

Loosen both the dovetail-plate lock screw and safety screw until the tips of these screws no longer extended into the inner part of the dovetail block.

Dovetail-Plate

Dovetail-Plate Lock Screw

Lock Screw

Safety Screw

Attaching the Optical Tube

Slide the dovetail mounted scope into the dovetail mounting block of the SKYPOD, tighten the dovetailplate lock screw (centered on the notch) onto the dovetail tube plate until snug.

Dovetail-Plate

Dovetail-Plate Lock Screw

Next, tighten the small chrome safety screw onto the dovetail mounting block until snug.

Lock Screw

Dovetail Tube Plate Safety Screw Gap

Caution Caution

Optical tube assemblies are seriously damaged if dropped. Tighten the dovetail-plate lock screw securely. The safety screw should also be screwed in completely.

Make sure that the dovetail tube plate is flat against the dovetail mounting block. Tightening the dovetailplate lock screw with a gap between these parts may result in the telescope unexpectedly falling off.

PREPARATION

ATTACHING THE EYEPIECE ADAPTER

VMC110L Focuser Visual Configuration

Right-angled Viewing

Eyepiece Adapter

R130Sf

Focus Knob

(42mm to 31.7mm / 11/4”)

31.7mm / 11/4”(Supplied)

Eyepiece

ED80Sf Focuser Visual Configuration

Focus Knob

Straight-through Viewing

Flip Mirror Lever (Changes the light path.)

A70Lf, A80Mf Focusers Visual ConfigurationR130Sf Focuser Visual Configuration

A70Lf

A80Mf

Eyepiece 31.7mm / 11/4”(Supplied)

Focus Knob Eyepiece Adapter

Focus Knob

Eyepiece 50.8mm/2” (Optional)

(42mm to 31.7mm / 11/4”)

Erect-Image Diagonal

Eyepiece

31.7mm / 11/4” (Supplied)

31.7mm / 11/4” (Supplied

50.8mm Adapter/2” (Supplied)

Focus Knob

ED80Sf

Tension Adjustment Screw (underneath)

ATTACHING THE FINDER SCOPE

Diagonal Mirror

50.8mm/2” (Optional)

on the telescope you purchased.

Attaching the Finder Scope (Dot Finder)

Loosen the chrome finder bracket lock screw on the telescope.

Finder Bracket

Lock Screw

Attach the finder scope as shown in the figure. Tighten the finder bracket lock screw securely.

Flip Mirror (Supplied)

Eyepiece

31.7mm / 11/4” (Supplied)

The included finder scope is different depending

(

Dot Finder

Finder Bracket

Lock Screw

)

PREPARATION

Attaching the Finder Scope (A80Mf or R130Sf)

Back out the adjustment screws on the finder bracket to allow passage of the finder scope. (Make sure the adjustment screws do not fall off the bracket.)

Pull up the fixed stud on the bracket ring so that the finder tube can slide into the bracket ring from its eyepiece end. Release the fixed stud into the wide groove on the finder tube.

Loosen the finder bracket lock screw on the telescope.

Finder Bracket

Lock Screw

Adjustment

Screw

Finder Bracket

Slide the rubber O-ring onto the eyepiece end of the finder. There are two grooves on the finder tube. Position the O-ring on the narrow groove at the middle of the finder scope.

Fonder Scope

O-ringGroove

Tighten the two adjustment screws so that the

Adjustment

Screw

finder scope is aligned as shown in the figure.

Attach the finder bracket as shown in the figure.

Finder Bracket

Lock Screw

Tighten the finder bracket lock screw securely.

Attaching the Finder Scope (A70Lf)

Remove the two finder bracket attaching screws from the telescope.

Finder Bracket

Attaching

Screws

Attach the bracket on the finder scope as shown in the figure. Tighten the finder bracket attaching screws securely.

Finder Bracket

Attaching

Screws

Attaching the Finder Scope (ED80Sf)

Proceed to step 5 if the finder scope is already installed in its bracket.

PREPARATION

Back out the adjustment screws on the finder bracket to allow passage of the finder scope. (Make sure the adjust ment screws do not fall off the bracket.)

Pull up the fixed stud on the bracket ring so that the finder tube can slide into the bracket ring from its eyepiece end. Release the fixed stud into the wide groove on the finder tube.

Loosen the finder bracket lock screw on the telescope.

Adjustment

Screws

Finder Bracket

Lock Screw

Slide the rubber O-ring onto the eyepiece end of the finder. There are two grooves on the finder tube. Position the O-ring on the narrow groove at the middle of the finder scope.

Finder Scope

Tighten the two adjustment screws so that the

Groove

O-ringGroove

Adjustment

Screws

finder scope is aligned as shown in the figure.

Attach the finder bracket as shown in the figure. Tighten the finder bracket lock screw securely.

Finder Bracket

Lock Screw

BALANCING THE TELESCOPE

(Balancing in altitude motion)

Be sure to attach the finder scope, eyepiece, and any other accessories before proceeding.

Balancing an optical tube with tube rings and

Optical Tube with Tube Rings

dovetail tube plate.

(i.e. A70Lf, A80Mf, R130Sf and ED80Sf telescopes) Loosen the tube ring lock knobs so the optical tube can slide. Hold the optical tube in the horizontal position with the dovetail tube plate up and slide the tube until it's balanced under the center of the plate.

Tube Ring Lock KnobTube Ring Lock Knob

Balancing the VMC110L optical tube

Find the rough center of balance by holding the dovetail slide bar of the VMC110L as shown. Attach it to the SKYPOD with this point centered in the dovetail mount.

VMC110L Optical Tube

Dovetail Slide BarDovetail Slide Bar

Warning!

Take great care in holding a telescope this way as there is a much greater risk of dropping it. Normally you should hold the tube from underneath.

+ 33 hidden pages

Vixen SKYPOD User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual