Installation and Operations Manual February 2001 RAMONA 17849 RAMONA, TECHNOLOGY HIGHWAY 67 CA 92065 WWW.RAMONATECH.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. © 2001 RAMONA TECHNOLOGY.
Table Of Contents Introduction 6 Safety Instructions Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Astronomy Terms Notational Conventions 6 6 6 Chapter 1 7 Installation - Losmandy telescope mount 7 DEC Motor Installation RA Motor Installation Dovetail Knob Installation Digital Controller Installation Hand Controller Installation 7 8 9 9 9 Chapter 2 10 Installation - Celestron CI 700 telescope mount 10 DEC Motor Installation RA Motor Installation Digital Controller Installation Hand Controller Installation Ini
Men u Tree 19 Chapter 4 21 Periodic Error Correction (PEC) 21 Adjusting the mount for polar alignment (Losmandy) 22 Making the telescope's axis of rotation parallel to the Earth's 23 Polar aligning your G-8/G-11 or CI 700Mount...
Chapter 10 37 Glossary 37 Chapter 11 38 Warranty 38 5
Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of your new 9()II system for the Losmandy G-8 (or G-11) or Celestron CI 700 Equatorial telescope Mount. Before starting the installation, verify the condition of the all equipment for signs of damage. If damage exists contact the shipping company. Inventory the shipment. If anything is missing contact Ramona Technology.
Chapter 1 Installation - Losmandy telescope mount The following step-by-step procedure will convert your existing Losmandy telescope to a complete stand-alone 9011 system. No permanent modifications to the original mount are required and the mount can be converted back to the original Losmandy configuration at any time. All special tools (Allen head hex wrenches) not normally found in the average home shop and required for this installation are provided.
Coupler Interface Shown Slid partially off shows the G8 mount with DEC motor removed. Note the portion of the of the coupler still attached to the worm shaft. I Shaft Coupler I Step 5: Refer to Fig 4 for the following. The plastic coupler interface is symmetrical and either side can be installed on the motor/gearbox. Install coupler (removed at step 2) on the new DEC Motor/Gearbox Note: the DEC Motor/Gear Box is the one with the long Fig 4 cab/e.
Dovetail Knob Installation Step 9: If a telescope is installed on the mount remove it before proceeding. The Losmandy Dovetail knob will not clear the DEC gearbox and must be replaced. The knob supplied is made up of two pieces, This was done so that the gripping surface is large enough to be able to tighten the dovetail easily. Remove the Losmandy knob and replace with the one supplied as shown in Fig 8.
Chapter 2 Installation - Celestron CI 700 telescope mount The following step-by-step procedure will convert your existing CI 700 telescope to a complete stand-alone 9()II system. No permanent modifications to the original mount are required and the mount can be converted back to the original Celestron configuration at any time. All special tools (Allen head hex wrenches) not normally found in the average home shop and required for this installation are provided.
slid on the dec plate. Slide the gearbox toward the worm until the output gear on the gearbox and the gear on the worm shaft engage. You may have to turn the knob on the worm shaft for them to line up. There should be a small amount of backlash so the gears do not bind. Tighten up both screws. To check the backlash turn the knob on the worm shaft back and forth. There should be a perceptible movement in the gear on the worm shaft before the gear on the gearbox starts to rotate.
Fig 16 Fig 17 Step 6: Connect RA and DEC Motor cables to the controller. i ~Caution: U "n Dress and tie cables so that they do not interfere with the mount as it is rotated throughout the entire range Hand Controller Installation Step 7: If the wireless option has be purchased, Install 2 ;.
Initial Operation and Checkout Step 9: If a telescope is installed on the mount make sure it is well balanced. mount is not set near the end of any travel range. Make sure the Initial checkout should be done with the AC power supply provided even if the system will be operated from a battery or other power source. Make sure the power supply is disconnected from the AC source. Connect the power supply to the controller.
Chapter 3 System Operation After the 1) 2) 9()IIsystem is installed and power is turned on one of two things happens: If the hand controller is not connected to the digital controller by cable, the system remains in the boot loader waiting for commands from a PC to update the firmware. The controller will stay in this mode for 10 seconds. Instructions to upgrade firmware are explained in Chapter 5 -Maintenance.
Command Descriptions Slew Pressing the SLEW button along with a direction button (NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST) will slew the telescope in the direction desired. Also note that the display will update both RA and DEC to reflect the current position, this assumes the telescope was previously ALIGNED. Set Pressing the SET button along with a direction button (NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST) will move the telescope at 10x the Sidereal rate in the direction desired.
Mode Descriptions CA TLOG (Catalog) This mode allows the user to select an object from the built-in database. There are 4 catalogs in the database. NG (contains all objects in the NGC catalog of John Dreyer published in 1888) M (contains all the objects in the lists of Charles Messier) IC the "Indexed Catalog" and P (8 Planets excluding earth). After the object is selected pressing the ENTER button will display relevant information about the selected object.
Mode Descriptions (cont.) SETUP This mode allows the user to enter specific values for the operation of the controller. The following parameters are stored in battery backed-up memory, allowing these values to be re-Ioaded the next time the controller is powered up. TIME, MONTH, DAY, YEAR Current Time, Month, Day, Year This information is required for the correct operation of the system. It is used for setting the telescope limits as well a calculating the Planet positions.
LED Display Information Flashing Bright/Dim The flashing bright/dim of RAlDEC alerts the user to choice between two options. 1. Pressing 'ENTER' -In the ALIGN, A-STAR, ENTER modes, pressing the 'ENTER' button sets the displayed RAlDEC as the current location. 2. Pressing any motion button - Exits the current mode.
Menu Tree Menu Tree Display Button I MODE I Display Button Display Button Display Button MOOE any UP! DOWN I ISetup SETUP I SETUP UP! SETUP any DOWN TIME I Enter Local Time of Day SETUP UP! Enter Current Month (number) MONTH DOWN MODE I Mode MODE ENTER I IDescription Display Button UP! SETUP DOWN DAY Enter Current Day (number) Enter Current Year (number) UP! SETUP DOWN YEAR UP! DOWN SETUP UT .
Menu Tree (cont.) Menu Tree Button I MODE Display I Display Button Display Button Display Button IDescription Display Button MODE any UPI DOWN I IAllgn Mode MODE ALIGN ENTER I ALIGN object I I Align to an Object oran RAIDEe 1 Sec 0000.0 Delay +00.00 ENTER I MODE I MODE any UPI DOWN I IA-5ll1r Mode MODE A-5TAR ENTER I A-5TAR any UPI DOWN I A-5TAR stamame I I Align to a selected bright star continue on next line a-star continued 1 Sec 0000.0 Delay +00.
Chapter 4 Periodic Error Correction (PEC) Periodic Error Correction, or PEC, is a system that improves the tracking accuracy of the drive. PEG is designed to improve photographic quality by reducing the amplitude of the worm gear errors. Periodic error is a slight oscillation in right ascension caused by imperfections in all drive gears. The cycle of the periodic error is equal to one rotation of the worm gear, which is four minutes for the G-11 and two minutes for the G-8 and CI-700.
Adjusting the mount for polar alignment (Losmandy) Note: Currently the system is designed to operate only in the Northern Hemisphere. A Future release of the firmware will allow the system to operate from the Southern Hemisphere. In order for the clock drive to track accurately, the telescope's axis of rotation must be parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation, a process known as polar alignment. Polar alignment is achieved NOT by moving the telescope in R.
Making the telescope's axis of rotation parallel to the Earth's Polar aligning your G-8/G-11 or CI700Mount In order for the telescope to track the stars, you must meet two criteria; first, you need a drive motor that moves at the same rate as the stars. A polar axis finder is offered as an optional accessory. The second thing you need is to set the telescope's axis of rotation so that it tracks in the right direction.
Latitude Scales The easiest way to polar align a telescope is with a latitude scale. Unlike other methods that require you to find the celestial pole by identifying certain stars near it, this method works off of a known constant to determine how high the polar axis should be pointed. The Losmandy G-11 mount can be adjusted from 14° to 64°. The constant, mentioned above, is a relationship between your latitude and the angular distance the celestial pole is above the northern (or southern) horizon.
Remember, while polar aligning, do NOT move the telescope in R.A. or DEC. You do not want to move the telescope itself, but the polar axis. The telescope is used simply to see where the polar axis is pointing. Like the previous method, this gets you close to the pole but not directly on it. The following methods help improve your accuracy for more serious observations and photography.
Make the appropriate adjustments to the polar axis to eliminate any drift. One you have managed to eliminate all drift, move to the star near the east horizon. The star should be 20° above the horizon and ± 5° of the celestial equator. • If the star drifts south, the polar axis is too low • If the star drifts north, the polar axis is too high. Once again, make the appropriate adjustments to the polar axis to eliminate any drift.
A brief explanation of time To simplify matters, nations have generally agreed to employ, on an earth wide basis, only 24 varieties of time, differing by whole hours from one another. We subdivide the 360 degrees of longitude around the equator into 24 intervals of 15 degrees, one for each hour. Thus the ZERO MERIDIAN, the meridian of Greenwich, is centered on one of these 15-degree strips.
To calculate the sidereal time approximately, figure out the number of months and days that have elapsed since the autumnal equinox. Allow 2 hours for each month and 4 minutes for each day in excess of the months. Add this figure to the Greenwich Mean Time to get a rough estimate of the Greenwich Sidereal Time.
Chapter 5 Maintenance Hardware Replacing Hand Controller Batteries (wireless option) Depress the battery cover latch (on the rear of the hand controller case) and slide off Remove old batteries and replace with two new AA alkaline batteries (Duracell MN1500 or equivalent). Make sure the polarity of batteries matches the marking on case. Replace battery cover. Note: in order to prolong the life of batteries they should be removed from the hand controller when it is not in use.
Chapter 6 Trou bleshooti n9 This will be Future addition if required 30
Chapter 7 Support Ramona Technology 17849 Hwy. 67 Ramona, Ca. 92065 Sales Support Technical Support sales@ramonatech.com support@ramonatech.com Website http://www.ramonatech.
Chapter 8 User Connector Information _', f The following information is supplied for use in interfacing to the A U 9l)II system. When connecting equipment not supplied by Ramona Technology make sure you understand what you are doing before proceeding. If you have any doubts contact Ramona Technology. We will be glad to help. Main Power Connector Pin 1 + 12VDC Pin 2 12 Volt Return Front Panel View Focus Motor The Focus motor is a differential signal. The motor must be isolated from ground.
RS-232 Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin 1 No connection 2 Controller Transmit 3 Controller Receive 4 Ground 5 No connection 6 No connection Front Panel View 33
Chapter 9 Specifications** Digital Controller Tracking: Sidereal Rate King Rate Lunar Rate Solar Rate Resolution: 0.28 arc-second/ustep Resolution: 0.56 arc-second/ustep Resolution: 0.28 arc-second/ustep for G11 for G8 for CI 700 PEe Manual Movement: Slewing Speed = 3 deg/sec max. (adjustable) Setting Speed 10 x Sidereal rate Guiding Speed = 0.
Specifjcations (cont.) Interfaces (cont.): Reticle! Shutter: 1!8 mono phone jack Wiring: Tip Sleeve Auto Guider RJ11 6x6 SBIG Compatible Wiring: Pin1 Common Pin2 Common Pin3 North Switch Pin4 South Switch Pin5 East Switch Pin6 West Switch Hand Controller RJ 11 6x6 RS232 RJ11 6x6 Power Requirements: 12 VDC @ 2 amps (average current -0.
Stepper Motor / Gearbox Ce/estron CI-700 Mount Gear Ratio: 8: 1 Output Gear 64 pitch 80 tooth 55 Dimensions: 2.00 x2.50 x 3.40) Motor full step: 1.8 degrees Motor Voltage: 3.7v Motor Current: 1.2 amp Motor Holding torque: 44 in-oz Motor Drive: bipolar, mica-stepped in tracking modes Cable Length: 16 inches RA, 32 inches DEC ** Specifications subject to change without notice.
Chapter 10 Glossary CATLOG Catalog DEC Dedination Angle DISBRI Display Brightness FIRMWARE FOCSPD Focus Speed KGRAT King_Rate LAT Latitude LED Light Emitting Diode LONG Longitude LUNRAT Lunar Rate MVDEC Move to Declination angle MVRA Move to Right Assencion angle PC IBM Compatable Personal Computer PE Periodic Error PEC Periodic Error Correction RA Right Assencion Angle RETBRI Reticle Brightness RF Radio Frequency RTC Real Time Clock SCRSPD Display Scroll Speed SIDRAT
Chapter 11 Warranty 9~II WARRANTY Ramona Technology warrants to the original user that the system will be free from design and manufacturing defects for 1 year from purchase. This warranty does not apply to any unit (i) damaged during shipping or installation, (ii) unless that it is installed strictly in accordance with the instructions in this manual, (iii) subjected to accident, abuse or misuse Our liability under this warranty is limited to repair or replacement of the defective component.
