Vixen STARBOOK-S User Manual

Instruction Manual for the STARBOOK-S Set

PREFACE

Thank you for your purchase of a Vixen STARBOOK-S Go-To controller and Motors Set. The STAR BOOK-S features intuitive Go To operation with its LCD display for the Vixen GP series equatorial mounts. We hope it will help increase your enjoyment of your observing session. You should refer to the instruction manuals for your telescope together with this manual.

Read this instruction manual completely before use

- Always keep this instruction manual near your telescope to ensure quick answers to any questions.

- This instruction manual describes necessary precautions for the safe use of the product by
	.
preventing possible injuries to yourself and others, as well as damage to the equipment
WARNING!	Inc

Never look directly at the sun with your naked eyes or though this produ t Permanent and irreversible eye damage may result.

- Never connect the cable of the STARBOOK-S with other equipme t such as a PC. It may cause a failure, heating or electrical shock.

CAUTION

- This MrStarGuy,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.

- Do not use the product while traveling or walking, as inj ries may arise from stumbling, falling or collision with objects.

- Keep plastic and vinyl packing materials away from children, these may cause danger from swallowing or suffocation.

- Do not use the product in wet envi onment.

1

CONTENTS

PREFACE			AUTOMATIC SLEWING			19
			Flow of Automatic Slewing			19
WARNING CAUTION			Home Position			19
			Align the Telescope			20
CONTENTS		3	Starting Automatic Slewing			26
			Choosing a Target from the			28
BEFORE USE		4	Object Menu
Checking Contents		4	Completing Observing			30
Parts Descriptions		4
Legend on the Screen		6	APPLICATION			32
Flow of Operation		7	Chart Setting			32
			LCD Adjustment			35
PREPARATION		8	Backlighting Duration			36
About Batteries		8	Adjustment		.
			Backlash Compe sation			37
SETTING UP		9	PEC			39
Installing the RA Motor		9	Connecting to LAN			43
Installing the DEC Motor		11	Automatic Slewing to a Comet			44
Connecting the Cables		12	Setting Autoguider			51
Supplying the Power		12		Inc		53
			Upgrading our STARBOOK-S
INITIAL SETTING		13
Turning the Power On and Off		13
Setting Language		14
Setting Local Time		15
Setting Location		16
Saving the Settings		17
BASIC OPERATION		18
Moving the Telescope		18
MrStarGuy,

2

BEFORE USE

Checking Contents

This STARBOOK-S Set contains the parts listed below. Make sure that your box contains all these parts. Your contents may differ from this list if you purchased a telescope package complete with the STARBOOK-S.

Description	Q’ty
STARBOOK –S Hand Controller	1
R.A. Motor	1
Motor Control Board Combined with Motor	1
Cover
DEC. Motor	1
DEC. Motor Gear Cover	1
Vanity Cap for DEC shaft	1
Space Filler for R.A. Motor Cover	2
Spur Gears	2
Motor Cable	1
Controller Cable	1
8x D-Size Battery Box	1
5mm Allen wrench	1
1.5mm Allen wrench	1
Instruction Manual This booklet	1
MrStarGuy,

. Inc

3

STARBOOK-S Hand Controller

01. TN 2.6-inch monochrome LCD screen

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)

	The lower buttons(Left side on-screen soft-key legend): Alignment, Zoom				.
	08.	MENU	(Accesses various settings on the system menu.)	Inc
	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.)
	13.	LAN	LAN connection terminal (10BASE-T) for commu ication with a PC
	14. A.G.		Autoguider port
	15.	MrStarGuy,
		MOUNT	Controller cable connection terminal

4

Parts descriptions: GPD2 Mount with STARBOOK-S shown here

	.
MrStarGuy,	Inc

5

Legend on the Screen

		.
		Inc
MrStarGuy,
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 Mount.

Note: battery level indic tor m show “Empty” when the controller cable is not connected securely.

05. Up Arrow / Down Arrow

Up arrow: A group of on-screen soft-keys corresponding to the upper buttons. Down arrow: A group of on-screen soft-keys corresponding to the lower buttons.

06	: Di ectional keys and cursor movement
07.	Select, Automatic lewing and changing Chart / Scope Modes.
08.	Zoom+: Zoom in the screen
09.	Zoom-: Zoom out the screen.
10.	T: Speed of scrolling the screen / zooming visually.

11. enu: Open the System Menu dialog box to change various settings. 12. Align: Set up directions (alignment) for automatic slewing.

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

6

Specifications

	Display	TN 2.6-inch monochrome LCD screen (160x160 = 25600
		pixels) with backlighting
	Coordinates of object	Shown on the STARBOOK-S in 0.1’ increment
	Slewing speed	Max. 1200x (sidereal rate)
	Controller cable connection	8-pole 8-wired modular jack
	terminal
	Autoguider port	6-pole 6-wired modular jack
	LAN connection terminal	10BASE-T
	Auxiliary terminal	D-sub 9 PIN (unavailable)
	External power supply	DC12V EIAJ RC5320A Class 4
	Batteries	Controller: 4 x AA-size alkaline batteries
		Motors: 8x D-size alkaline batteries
	Working duration with alkaline	Controller: About 8 hours at 20 degrees C (68F) ambient
	batteries	temperature		.
		Motor: About 6 hours at 20 degrees C.(68F) ambient
		temperature
	Operating temperature	0 degree C. to 40 degrees C.
	Maximum Loading weight	7 kg for GP2, 10kg for GPD2
	Celestial Data Base	Total 22,735 objects consisting of:	th
		17,635 Fixed stars brighter thanInc7 magnitude
		110 Messier objects
		4,980 NGC/IC objects brighter than 14th magnitude
		8 Planets, the Moon and Sun
	Controller Size	85mm(w) x 134mm(l) x 38mm(h)
	Controller Weight	165g (without batteries and without cables)
	MrStarGuy,

7

Flow of Operation

Take the following steps to set up and use the STARBOOK-S.

1 PREPARATION page 8 Installing the supplied RA and DEC motors on a GP series equatorial mount of your telescope.

2 INITIAL SETTING	page 13
Setting Language (The first time only)
Turn the power switches of both the RA motor and controller to ON, then turn on the
Starbook-S,and then choose your language in the STARBOOK-S.

	Setting Date & Time (The first time only)	.
	Enter date and your local time.	Inc
	Setting Longitude & Latitude (The first time only)
	Enter longitude and latitude of your observation site.
3	AUTOMATIC SLEWING		page 19
	Home Position
	MrStarGuy,
	Slew the telescope to the home position.
	Alignment
	Choose two out of 39 registered reference stars in the STARBOOK-S’ database.
	Automatic Slewing
	Upon completion of alignment, automatic Go-To slewing and tracking are ready.
4	FINISH OPERATION		page 30

8

PREPARATION

About Batteries

The STARBOOK-S controller runs on four AA-size alkaline batteries (not supplied.) The batteries last about eight hours at a temperature of 20 degrees centigrade.

The RA and DEC motors run on eight D-size alkaline batteries (not included) or.an external power Inc

supply sold separately. The batteries last about eight hours at a temperature of 20 degrees centigrade.

Inserting the batteries into the STARBOOK-S

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

Replace the cover.

Inserting the batte ies into the Battery Box

Insert 8 new and unused D-size alkaline batteries. Take care not to mix up the polarity of each battery.

InsertMrStarGuy,4 new and unused AA-size lk line batteries. Take care not to mix up the polarity of each battery.

Do not mix up the polarity as this may cause a failure.

SETTING UP

9

Installing the RA Motor

(1) Take off the vanity cap on the RA body of your mount as shown in the figure.

(2)	Remove the screw to fix the plastic RA motor cover by using the Phillips-head screwdriver.
(3)	Remove the plastic RA motor cover.	.
	MrStarGuy,	Inc
(4)Turn the altitude adjustment screw so that the altitude of the mount goes down to
approximately 10 degrees as shown in the figure. You may need to hold down the mount to do
this if it does not descend as you turn the altitude adjustment screw.
(5)	Attach the spur gear o he RA sh ft facing the flat side of the spur gear outward. Orient the

spur gear so that the se screw is over the flat portion of the RA shaft as shown in figure 5-1. Put the spur gear into the dead end of the shaft (5-2) and tighten the setscrew by using the supplied 1.5mm Allen wrench (5-3).

The RA shaft is projected on both sides of the RA worm bracket. Attach the super gear to the shorter projected side with a nut.

(6) Attach the RA motor so that its dovetail attachment base fits the counterpart on the RA body as shown in the figure. Engage the gears so that the two are flush. At the same time, fix the RA

10

motor with the supplied bolt (long) through the hole just above the altitude adjustment screw by using the supplied 5mm Allen wrench.

. * Make sure that the gears are engaged properly after you install theIncRA motor

(7) Turn the altitude adjustment screw until the altitude of the mou t goes up to the latitude of your observation site.

(8) ConnectMrStarGuy,the motor control board (combined with motor cover) and the RA motor with the electric wires. Hold the connector of the electric wires with your fingers so that the blue electric

wire is on the left side as shown in the figu e. Plug the connector into the socket on the RA motor securely.

*Take care not to tear apart the electric wires.

(9) Attach the motor control board (combined with motor cover) on the RA body by sliding it onto the guide rail as shown in the figure. Put the space filler onto it at the point where the motor gears are hidden behind the motor cover, then slide up the motor cover to the end and securely fix the motor cover in place with the screw.

11

Installing the DEC Motor

(1) Attach the spur gear to the DEC shaft facing the flat side of the spur gear outward. Orient the spur gear so that the setscrew is over the flat portion of the DEC shaft as shown in the figure. Put the spur gear into the dead end of the shaft and tighten the setscrew by using the supplied 1.5mm Allen wrench.

. Inc

(2) Attach the DEC motor so that its dovetail attachment base fits the counterpart bracket on the DEC bodyMrStarGuy,as shown in the figure. Engage the gears so that the two are flush. At the same time,

connect the DEC motor with the supplied bolt (short) through the hole of the bracket by using the supplied 5mm Allen wrench.

* Make sure that the gears are engaged p operly after you install the DEC motor.

(3) Push and fit the DEC mo or ge cover over the DEC motor as shown in the figure.

*Take care not to break the claws on the cover.

(4) Attach the vanity cap to cover the DEC shaft on the opposite side.

12

Connecting the Controller and Motor Cables

(1) Connect the RA motor and DEC motor with the motor cable as shown in the figure. Orient the motor cable plug so that it fits in the socket on the motor properly.

(2) Connect the STARBOOK-S controller cable to the motor control board. Orient the controller cable plug so that it fits in the socket on the motor control board properly Tighten the lock screws on the controller cable plug securely.

. Inc

Warning!

(3) ConnectMrStthe controllerarGuy,cable to the STARBOOK-S. Orient the controller cable plug so that it fits in the socket on the STARBOOK-S properly until it clicks.

Never connect the con roller c ble to other instruments such as a PC. It may cause a power failure, overheating, or elec ric shock. Please do not attach the controller cable to the LAN connection terminal. The connec ion size is similar.

Use the supplied batte box by connecting the cable from the battery box to the motor control board.

* An optional Vixen AC Adapter 12V 3A is available for the drives of the motors.

When using an external DC 12V power supply or an optional AC adapter 12V 3A, be sure to connect the power cable to the mount before turning on the power switch.

External power terminal	DC 12V EIAJ RC5320A Class 4
INITIAL SETTING

13

Turning the Power On and Off

(1) There are two power switches; one on the RA motor and another on the STARBOOK-S hand controller. The power is supplied to both components independently so be sure to turn on both power switches.

		.
Caution	Always turn on the power switch on the RA motor first, and then turn on the
STARBOOK-S in succession.		Inc

(2) Confirm that the Vixen logo is displayed on the screen for a few seconds when you turn on the STARBOOK-S.

If the screen is hard to read, please refer to Hint 1(P. 14)

The pictureMrStarGuy,below will appear on screen after the Vixen logo when the STARBOOK-S power is switched on. Move the cursor with the keys onto the item you want to choose and press

Select .

Turn off the STARBOOKin the initi l setting screen (Refer to page 30 when you end operations for observing.)

(1) To turn off the power, choose Power Off with the keys and press Select.

(2) The confirmation screen is displayed. Move the cursor to OK with the keys and press Select.

(3) Then turn off the power switch on the RA motor.

14

Caution Remember to turn off the power switch on the RA motor as well as on the STARBOOK-S, otherwise, the batteries will be depleted. Turning one component off will not turn off the other.

Setting Language

The STARBOOK-S can be operated with your choice of language with English, German, French, Italy, Spanish and Japanese to choose from. Japanese is set at the default language initially.

Hint 1 Adjusting the LCD screen

(1)In the initial setting screen, choose				/Language	with the keys and press				Select.
								.
(2)	Choose your language with the							Inc
				keys and press
						Select.
(3)	The screen returns o he ini i		l setting screen of your selected language.
		MrStarGuy,

In the initial setting screen, contrast of the LCD screen can be adjusted with the keys Cont.+ or Cont.- shown at the lower left of the screen. Adjust it with the corresponding keys according to conditions of use.

Be sure to save the contrast setting for use under the same conditions next time.

The contrast of the screen may change with ambient temperature.

15

Setting Local Time

Enter the date and local time of your observing site by using the upper five buttons on the STARBOOK-S.

This task is required only once the first time you use the STARBOOK-S. However, you will need to reset the date and time if you travel from your regular observing site to a different time zone, or if you reset your clocks for Daylight Saving time. The STARBOOK-S keeps the stored memory

while you replace the batteries. It is not necessary to enter the date and time again if you put in fresh batteries within an hour. A deviation may arise between the initial clock of the STARBOOK-S and your time, but a few minute’s difference does not affect the slewing performance of the unit.

					.
(1) Choose	Local Setting Time	with the	keys and press	Select.	Inc

(2) To change the date and time, move the cursor with the keys to the item where corrections

Setting Location

are needed. Then change the number with the	keys.
(3) To finish the setting, move he cursor with the	keys to		and press		to enter.
		OK		Select
MrStarGuy,

Enter the longitude, latitude and time zone of your observing site. Once the settings for your location are entered and saved, you don’t need to change them unless you travel more than 15 miles to a different observing location. The longitude and latitude of your observing site can be checked on a map or with a GPS device. The initial location is set at Tokyo.

16

(1) Choose Location with the keys and press Select.

(2) To change the longitude and latitude settings for your observing site, move the cursor with

the keys to the item where corrections are needed.			Then change the numbers with the
keys.			.
			Inc
(3) To finish the setting, move the cursor to	OK	with the	keys and press	Select.	The screen

(4) The STARBOOK-S will sk to eboot. Press Select to choose OK. To continue operation, turn on the power swi ch g in.

will goMrStarGuy,to the reboot screen. If the location settings remain the same as last time, it will go back to the initial setting screen.

About Time Zone

The time zones e based on longitude bands 15 degrees wide, starting at Greenwich, England. Set the time diffe ence in hours between your local time and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Its sign is plus if local time is ahead of GMT (east of Greenwich) and minus if local time is behind G T (west of Greenwich). For example, the time zone for Los Angeles (on Pacific Standard Time) is -8 hours.

Please note that the entered time zone setting is not converted to Daylight Saving time automatically. When you reset your clocks for Daylight time, add one hour to the value in the Time Zone setting, as in Los Angeles, change the setting from -8 to -7.

17

Saving the Settings

Save your time, language and contrast settings for the next use. Failure to do so will result in having to re-enter these settings every time you turn on the power. Once you save the settings, they will be stored in the memory of the STARBOOK-S and you can simply choose OK to advance the screen the next time you use it.

(1) Choose Save Setting with the keys and press Select.

	.
	Inc
(2) Next the confirmation screen is displayed. Move the cursor to OK with the keys and
press Select to enter.
MrStarGuy,

(3) Now all the entered data is saved and the screen goes back to the initial setting screen.

Moving the Telescope

(1)In the initial setting screen, move the cursor to OK with the keys and press Select to enter.

(2)The screen displays a warning on solar observation.

18

(3)After reading the text, choose Confirm with the keys and press Select to enter.

			.
		Inc
The warning continues on the screen when Not Confirm is chosen.

(4)The screen advances to the home position setting as soon as you choose the Confirm key. However, please disregard it here and press OK with the Select key to co ti ue operation in the daytime.

MrStarGuy,
(5)Press the	keys to see in what direction the telescope tube moves.

The keys move the elescope left and right, and the keys move it up and down. (The telescope may not move below the horizon.)

Note: The mount sta ts driving at sidereal rate (the speed of Earth’s rotation) as soon as the OK key is pressed in the home position setting screen.

AUTO ATIC SLEWING

Automatic Slewing

Start automatic slewing after you generally understand the basic operation of the telescope. Automatic slewing allows your telescope to search for celestial objects based on the position of each object stored in the memory of the STARBOOK-S.

19