Specifications

10
SECTION 3.0
INSTALLATION & OPERATING PROCEDURE
3.1 INSTALLATION OF PYXIS
The Pyxis rotator is shipped with a detachable 2” nosepiece. Power is provided by a 12 VDC
switching power supply that can accept 110VAC to 230 VAC input. A 6-wire Reverse cable and
serial port converter connect the Pyxis to the user’s PC for computer control of the rotator.
Camera adapters need to be purchased separately.
To install the Pyxis rotator to a standard T-thread camera such as the SBIG ST-X series cameras,
simply screw the camera onto the male T-thread on the back of the Pyxis. Three small setscrews
allow rotational adjustment for the camera. Use the .050” long arm L-shaped ball driver to
carefully loosen and tighten the setscrews. For non-T-thread cameras other mounts are available.
Contact Optec to specify C-mount or SCT (2” 24tpi) threaded mounts.
Once the camera is attached, the Pyxis and camera can be inserted into any 2” focuser. There is a
small, machined brass screw on the flange of the 2” nosepiece that is designed to drop into a slot
on the Optec TCF-S focuser or the JMI NGF-s focuser. Once the position angle is established
the entire Pyxis can be rotated by carefully loosening the three setscrews holding the 2” nosepiece
in place. Use the 5/64
”
ball driver to loosen and tighten the three setscrews in the main body of
the Pyxis. After the Pyxis software has initialized, the position angle will be at zero. Adjust the
2” nosepiece to line up with north by examining images with the camera control software.
The detachable 2” nosepiece can also be replaced with either of the Optec NextGEN
telecompressors. The 0.33X NextGEN MAXfield (NGM) can be used with cameras having
diagonals up to 11mm diagonal. The 0.5X NextGEN WideField (NGW) can be used with
cameras having diagonals up to about 18mm. To install either the NGM or NGW, simply loosen
the three setscrews in the main body of the Pyxis and remove the standard 2” nosepiece. Install
the telecompressor in its place. The back focus distance is set for proper operation with the SBIG
ST-X line without the need for a separate camera mount. Contact Optec for using the NGM or
NGW with the Pyxis and other cameras.
To connect the Pyxis to your Windows PC, you should order the #17695 Serial Port Converter
and a Reverse cable of proper length. Figure 4-1 shows the proper pins to connect for the cable
and converter for users wishing to fabricate their own cable.
Install the software as described in Section 4.0 below. All Pyxis operational commands are
provide through software.