SKY-WATCHER SynScan EQ6 Pro Instruction Manual
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SKY-WATCHER SynScan EQ6 Pro Instruction Manual

SKY-WATCHER SynScan EQ6 Pro Instruction Manual

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INSTRUCTION MANUAL
SynScan
TM
SSHCV3-F-141031V1-EN
Copyright © Sky-Watcher

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  • Page 1 INSTRUCTION MANUAL SynScan SSHCV3-F-141031V1-EN Copyright © Sky-Watcher...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    CONTENT Basic Operations PART I : INTRODUCTION 1.1 Outline and Interface ..................4 1.2 Connecting to a Telescope Mount ..............4 1.3 Slew the Mount with the Direction Keys .............. 4 1.4 SynScan Hand control’s Operating Modes ............5 PART II : INITIALIZATION 2.1 Setup Home Position of the Telescope Mount .............
  • Page 3 CONTENT PART VIII : AUXILIARY FUNCTIONS 8.1 Editing Date, Time, Coordinates, Time Zones, and Daylight Saving Time ..28 8.2 Re-aligning the Mount ..................28 8.3 Show Position ....................28 8.4 Show Time and Local Sidereal Time ............28 8.5 Display Version Information ................28 8.6 Display Temperature ..................

  • Page 4: Part I : Introduction

    1.2 Connecting to a Telescope Mount Connect the 8-pin (RJ-45) “Mount” port of the hand control to the “Hand Control” port on a Sky-Watcher mount using an appropriate cable. The table below lists the “Hand Control” ports on different Sky-Watcher mounts.

  • Page 5: Synscan Hand Control's Operating Modes

    *2, *3: For Equatorial mounts, the speed is the drift speed of an object in FOV while the mount’s tracking is turned on; it is not the axis’s rotation speed. Maximum speed varies on mounts. For most Sky-Watcher mounts, it is higher than 800X (3.4 degrees/sec).
  • Page 6 Fig. 1.4b In Easy Tracking mode, the hand control also needs to connect to a Sky-Watcher tele- scope mount. The mount must be setup at a proper “Home Position” (refer to Section 2.1 for details) before turning on the power. After turning on the power to the mount, the hand control must complete an “Initialization”...

  • Page 7: Part Ii : Initialization

    PART II : INITIALIZATION 2.1 Setup Home Position of the Telescope Mount Before powering on the telescope mount, it should be setup to a particular home position. The home position differs between an equatorial mount and an Alt-azimuth mount. Home Position of an Equatorial Mount: •...
  • Page 8 PART II: INITIALIZATION Auto-homing This step only applies to a mount with Auto-homing feature (such as the Sky-Watcher EQ8 Equatorial mount). Auto-Home? 1) YES 2) NO • The LCD screen will display “ ” in the first line, and display “...
  • Page 9 PART II: INITIALIZATION Elevation ( for atmospheric refraction compensation ) The LCD screen will display “Set Elevation:” in the first line, and display the elevation in meters in the second line. • Use the scroll keys to change the leading “+” or “-” sign when the cursor is on it. •...
  • Page 10 PART II: INITIALIZATION Press “ ” to skip the alignment process. The SynScan hand control will enter standby mode. • Users may start the tracking functions 6.1), or use the GOTO function (refer to Section to roughly locate celestial objects. Both operations will let the SynScan PART (refer to hand control work in the Easy Tracking mode...

  • Page 11: Part Iii : Alignment

    PART III : ALIGNMENT 3.1 Choosing an Alignment Method At the beginning of the alignment process, users are asked to choose an alignment method. The available alignment methods differ between the mount types, as listed below: For an equatorial mount: 1-Start Alignment (1-Star Align.) , 2-Star Alignment (2-Star...

  • Page 12: Alt-Azimuth Mounts Using Brightest Star Alignment Method

    PART III : ALIGNMENT Now users can use the direction keys to move the telescope to align with the 1 alignment star. That is, center the 1 alignment star in the FOV of the finder scope, and then center ENTER it in the FOV of the telescope’s eyepiece;...
  • Page 13 PART III : ALIGNMENT N (0˚) (315˚) (45˚) W (270˚) E (90˚) (225˚) (135˚) S (180˚) Fig. 3.4a The hand control will generate a list of the bright stars within the selected horizontal region. The list is sorted by the brightness of the star and with the brightest stars at the top of the list.
  • Page 14 PART III : ALIGNMENT Point scope to RR ZZ.Z’ TT.T’ Now the screen will display “ ”, which means point the telescope to RR region, the exact azimuth is ZZ.Z degree and the exact altitude is TT.T degree. Users can use the direction keys on the SynScan hand control to move the mount and point the telescope to the 1 alignment star selected in the previous step.

  • Page 15: Alt-Azimuth Mounts Using 2-Star Alignment Method

    PART III : ALIGNMENT 3.5 Alt-Azimuth Mounts using 2-Star Alignment Method Aligning the 1 Star: Choose 1 Star The LCD screen displays “ ” in the first line. Use the scrolling keys to browse ENTER through a list of star names and Press key to pick the one on the screen as the 1st alignment star.

  • Page 16: Tips For Improving Alignment Accuracy

    PART III : ALIGNMENT 3.6 Tips for Improving Alignment Accuracy Eyepiece It is very important to put the alignment stars at the center (or the same spot) of the FOV of the telescope’s eyepiece during the alignment process. Thus, • It is recommended that a reticle eyepiece is used for alignment.
  • Page 17 PART III : ALIGNMENT Equatorial Mount with 2-Star Alignment: Advantage: For visual observing, the mount does not need to be polar-aligned accurately. Preconditions: Small cone error in the telescope-mount setup. Rules for choosing alignment stars: • The deviation in R.A. of the two alignment stars should not be too small or too close to 12 hours;...

  • Page 18: Part Iv : Synscan Menu Tree

    PART IV : SYNSCAN MENU TREE 4.1 Menu Structure The SynScan hand control uses menu tree to organize its various functions. The following table shows the menu tree: OBJECT LIST SETUP MODE UTILITY FUNC. Date Show Position Named Star Time Show Information Solar System Observ.

  • Page 19: Accessing Menus

    PART IV: SYNSCAN MENU TREE 4.2 Accessing Menus The SynScan hand control’s menu is only accessible after the initialization, or after the star ENTER alignment routine is completed (If it is chosen to start.). Users can use the key, the key, and the two scrolling keys to access the menu.

  • Page 20: Part V : Locating Objects

    PART V : LOCATING OBJECTS Users can access several popular celestial object catalogs stored in the SynScan hand control and control the telescope mount to locate a specific object in the catalogs. The object location function is available for either “Full Feature” mode or “Easy Tracking”...

  • Page 21: Locating Ngc And Ic Objects

    PART V : LOCATING OBJECTS 5.2 Locating NGC and IC Objects The process for locating NGC or IC objects is similar to that for locating Messier objects (Sec- tion 5.1), with the following differences: • Press the “ ” shortcut key to access the NGC catalog. The screen will display “ Catalog / NGC = ”.

  • Page 22: Locating Sao Stars

    PART V : LOCATING OBJECTS 5.5 Locating SAO Stars Choosing an Object: OBJECT Object List Press the “ ” shortcut key. The screen will display “ ” in the top row. Use SAO Catalog the two scroll keys to browse the list until “ ”...

  • Page 23: Deep Sky Tour

    PART V : LOCATING OBJECTS Locate the Object: • The operation is similar to that of locating Messier objects; for de- refer to Section 5.1 tails. 5.7 Deep Sky Tour The SynScan hand control can generate a list of the most famous deep sky objects which appear in the current sky.
  • Page 24 PART V : LOCATING OBJECTS • If the “R.A./Dec.” coordinates is chosen: The screen will display the coordinates to which the telescope is pointing to at the moment. • If the “Axis” coordinates is chosen: The screen will display the coordinates of the mount’s two axes.

  • Page 25: Part Vi : Configure The Telescope Mount

    PART VI : CONFIGURE THE TELESCOPE MOUNT 6.1 Choosing Tracking Speed SETUP\Tracking ENTER Access the menu “ ” and press the key. ENTER Use the scroll keys to browse through the following options, and press the key to pick one. Sidereal Rate: Enables the mount to track celestial objects at the sidereal rate for ob- •...

  • Page 26: Enable/Disable Auxiliary Encoder

    6.4 Enable/Disable Auxiliary Encoder Some Sky-Watcher’s mounts are equipped with auxiliary encoders on their primary axes to support manually rotating the axes without worrying about losing the mount’s alignment sta- tus. Users may turn off the auxiliary encoder to obtain the best pointing accuracy. The auxiliary encoder can be turned on again at any time for manually moving the mount.

  • Page 27: Part Vii : Configure The Hand Contrl

    PART VII : CONFIGURE THE HAND CONTROL 7.1 Display, Keypad, and Beeper Setup \ Handset Setting ENTER Access the menu “ ” and press the key. LCD Contrast Use the scroll keys to select “ ”; then use the left/right direction keys to adjust the contrast of the LCD screen.

  • Page 28: Part Viii : Auxiliary Functions

    PART VIII : AUXILIARY FUNCTIONS 8.1 Editing Date, Time, Coordinates, Time Zones, and Daylight Saving Time SETUP Press the “ ” shortcut key. Date ENTER Use the scroll keys to select “ ” and press the key to edit the date. Press the ENTER key to apply change, or press the key to exit.

  • Page 29: Display Temperature

    2-star alignment or a 3-star alignment. 8.10 Changing Polar Scope Illumination Level This function applies only to certain Sky-Watcher’s equatorial mounts that are equipped with a polar scope illuminator. Utility Func \ Polar Scope LED ENTER Access the menu “...

  • Page 30: Synchronizing Encoders

    PART VIII : AUXILIARY FUNCTIONS Identify: Searching… Press the “ ” shortcut key. The screen will display “ ”. The SynScan hand control will look up the named stars, planets, Messier objects, NGC objects, and IC objects within a 5 degrees range centered by the object in the eyepiece. No object found The screen will display “...

  • Page 31: Part Ix : Connecting To A Computer

    PART IX : CONNECTING TO A COMPUTER 9.1 Working with Astronomical Applications After the SynScan hand control is initialized, it can communicate with a computer via the RS- 232C connection on its multi-purpose port. The computer must have a RS-232C serial port; otherwise, a USB-to-Serial adapter is required.

  • Page 32: Part X : Updating Firmware

    PART X : UPDATING FIRMWARE 10.1 Hardware Requirements A SynScan hand control with firmware version 3.0 or above. A computer running Windows 95 or a later version. A RS-232C serial port on the computer, or a USB-to-Serial adaptor. The PC-Link cable (D-Sub9 to RJ-12) which comes with the mount. A DC 7.5V to 12V DC power supply which can output at least 100 mA current.

  • Page 33: Troubleshooting

    PART X : UPDATING FIRMWARE Auto-detect COM port • Check the “ ” to let the application detect the proper serial port that will connect to the SynScan hand control. Clear it to manually choose the COM Port COM port and select a serial port from the “...

  • Page 34: Part Xi : Advanced Functions

    PART XI : ADVANCED FUNCTIONS 11.1 Parking Telescope If the mount of the telescope have not been moved after an observing session, the user can park the telescope to keep the alignment data, PAE data and PEC data, and start observing in the next session without redoing the alignment and calibration.

  • Page 35: Pointing Accuracy Enhancement

    PART XI : ADVANCED FUNCTIONS The SynScan hand control divides the sky into 85 small zones, and users can calibrate the pointing error for each of these zones. The next time that the SynScan controller tries to locate an object in the calibrated zone (or a zone nearby), it will automatically apply the re- corded calibration data to compensate the pointing error.

  • Page 36: Polar Alignment Without Polar Scope

    PART XI : ADVANCED FUNCTIONS 11.3 Polar Alignment without Polar Scope The polar alignment function can help users to polar align an equatorial mount accurately. Here are the operating instructions: Complete a 2-star alignment or a 3-star alignment. At the end of the alignment, the Syn- Scan hand control will display the polar alignment error 3.3).

  • Page 37: Camera Control

    Connecting the Camera Using the SNAP port on the telescope mount: Several Sky-Watcher’s equatorial mounts (such as the AZ-EQ6 GT and the EQ8) are equipped with a SNAP port. Users can use a proper shutter release control cable to con- nect this port to the same port on the camera.
  • Page 38 PART XI : ADVANCED FUNCTIONS The first row of the screenshot below indicates the index number of the group being edited. The second row shows the exposure time of this group. Edit Group#1 Exposure mm:ss • Use the left and right keys to move the cursor and use the numeric keys to fill the dig- ENTER its with the cursor.

  • Page 39: Periodic Error Correction (Pec) For Eq Mount

    PEC (SPEC), which applies to Sky-Watcher’s EQ3/EQ5/HEQ5/EQ6 Pro mount. The other is permanent PEC (PPEC), which applies to Sky-Watcher’s AZ-EQ6 GT mount and EQ8 mount. The SynScan hand control can detect the mount model and choose the corre- sponding PEC algorithm.

  • Page 40: Calibrating Auto-Home Offset

    PPEC. 11.6 Calibrating Auto-Home Offset Some Sky-Watcher’s equatorial mounts (ex. the EQ 8 mount) has the Auto-Home function which can set the mount to a standard home position after turning on the power. The offset of the home position can be calibrated and compensated with the following procedures: Polar-align the equatorial mount accurately.

  • Page 41: Astronomical Time-Lapse Photography

    Repeat step 1 to 3 until preset numbers of photos is taken. Both the “SNAP“ port on a Sky-watcher mount or the multi-purpose port of the SynScan hand control can be used to control the camera with proper cables availiable from Sky-watcher product dealers.

  • Page 42: Part Xii : Using A Synscan Gps Module

    PART XII : USING A SYNSCAN GPS MODULE Users may purchase a SynScan GPS module to acquire accurate local geographical coordi- nates and local time; it will help improve the accuracy of the mount alignment and the polar alignment. 12.1 Initialization of the Hand control with a SynScan GPS Module The initialization process of the SynScan hand control with a SynScan GPS plug-in differs from a regular one.

  • Page 43: Appendix I : Eliminating Cone Error

    APPENDIX I : ELIMINATING CONE ERROR If the telescope’s optical axis is not perpendicular to the declination axis of the equatorial mount, then there is cone error in the telescope-mount system. The cone error might lower the accuracy of locating an object or the accuracy of the Polar-Alignment process. Testing for Cone Error Perform a precise polar alignment on the equatorial mount, and then perform a two-star alignment.

  • Page 44: Appendix Ii : Synscan Self-Diagnosis

    APPENDIX II : SYNSCAN SELF-DIAGNOSIS The SynScan hand control contains a built-in self-diagnosis program. To run a full test, users should prepare two “Loop-Test Plug” by referring to and the following instructions: Appendix 3 • Short the pin-5 (RX_TTL) and pin-6 (TX_TTL) of a RJ-45 plug. •...

  • Page 45: Appendix Iii : Schematic Of The Ports

    APPENDIX III : SCHEMATIC OF THE PORTS Vpp+ Vpp+ RX(RS232C) Vpp+ COMMON TX(TTL) RX(TTL) TX(RS232C) SHUTTER DROP Optoisolator Power Port Multi-Purpose Port Telescope Mount Port APPENDIX IV : SPECIFICATIONS Supported Mount EQ Mount and Alt-Az Mount Object Catalog Messier, NGC, IC, SAO, Caldwell, Double Star, Variable Star, Named Star, Planets Pointing Accuracy...
  • Page 46 SynScan...

This manual is also suitable for:

Synscan heq5 proSynscan eq5 proSynscan eq3 proSynscan az-eq6 gtSynscan eq8Synscan

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