Sky-watcher SynScan V4 Hand Controller User Manual

INSTRUCTION MANUALSynScanTMCopyright © Sky-WatcherSSHCV4-F-141105V1-EN

10Press “2” to skip the alignment process. The SynScan hand control will enter standby mode.• Users may start the tracking functions (refer to Secti

11At the beginning of the alignment process, users are asked to choose an alignment method. The available alignment methods differ between the mount t

12PART III : ALIGNMENT3. Now users can use the direction keys to move the telescope to align with the 1st alignment star. That is, center the 1st ali

13PART III : ALIGNMENT3. The hand control will generate a list of the bright stars within the selected horizontal region. The list is sorted by the b

144. Now the screen will display “Point scope to RR ZZ.Z’ TT.T’ ”, which means point the telescope to RR region, the exact azimuth is ZZ.Z degree and

15PART III : ALIGNMENT1. The LCD screen displays “Choose 1st Star” in the rst line. Use the scrolling keys to browse through a list of star names an

16PART III : ALIGNMENTEyepieceIt is very important to put the alignment stars at the center (or the same spot) of the FOV of the telescope’s eyepiece

17PART III : ALIGNMENTAdvantage: For visual observing, the mount does not need to be polar-aligned accurately.Preconditions: Small cone error in the t

18PART IV : SYNSCAN MENU TREEDateTimeObserv. SiteDaylight SavingAlignmentBacklashTrackingAuto Guide Speed #Elevation Limit ^Flipping Mode #Auxiliary.

19PART IV: SYNSCAN MENU TREEThe SynScan hand control’s menu is only accessible after the initialization, or after the star alignment routine is compl

2PART I : INTRODUCTIONPART II : INITIALIZATIONPART III : ALIGNMENTPART IV : SYNSCAN MENU TREEPART V : LOCATING OBJECTSPART VI : CONFIGURE THE TELESCOP

201. Choosing an Object:2. View Information on the Object:3. Locate the Object:Press the “M” shortcut key on the SynScan hand control. The screen w

21PART V : LOCATING OBJECTSThe process for locating NGC or IC objects is similar to that for locating Messier objects (Sec-tion 5.1), with the followi

22PART V : LOCATING OBJECTS5.5 Locating SAO Stars1. Choosing an Object:2. View Information on the Object:3. Locate the Object:Press the “OBJECT” s

23PART V : LOCATING OBJECTS5.7 Deep Sky Tour1. Choosing an Object:2. View Information on the Object:The SynScan hand control can generate a list of

24PART V : LOCATING OBJECTSRecalling Objects:1. Press the “USER” shortcut key. The screen will display “USER OBJECT / Recall Object”. Press the ENTER

25PART VI : CONFIGURE THE TELESCOPE MOUNT6.1 Choosing Tracking Speed6.2 Backlash Compensation6.3 Setting the Elevation Slewing Limits1. Access the

26PART VI : CONFIGURE THE TELESCOPE MOUNT6.4 Enable/Disable Auxiliary Encoder6.5 Setting Autoguider Speed• The screen will display “Set Elev. Limit

27PART VII : CONFIGURE THE HAND CONTROL7.1 Display and Keypad7.2 Alignment Star Filter7.3 Sorting Method of the Alignment Star List1. Access the m

28PART VIII : AUXILIARY FUNCTIONS8.1 Editing Date, Time, Coordinates, Time Zones, and Daylight Saving Time8.2 Re-aligning the Mount8.3 Show Positio

29PART VIII : AUXILIARY FUNCTIONS8.9 Changing Polar Scope Illumination Level 8.10 Identifying Objects• H.C. Firmware: The rmware version of the SynS

3PART VIII : AUXILIARY FUNCTIONSPART IX : CONNECTING TO A COMPUTERPART X : UPDATING FIRMWAREPART XI : ADVANCED FUNCTIONSPART XII : USING A SYNSCAN GPS

30PART VIII : AUXILIARY FUNCTIONS8.11 Synchronizing Encoders If the mount lost the correct position of any of its two axes; for example, the axis is m

31PART IX : CONNECTING TO A COMPUTER9.1 Working with Astronomical Applications9.2 PC Direct ModeAfter the SynScan hand control is initialized, it can

32PART X : UPDATING FIRMWARE10.1 Hardware Requirements10.2 Preparation10.3 Updating Firmware1. A SynScan hand control with rmware version 3.0 or abo

3310.4 Troubleshooting1. If a window pops up and displays the message: “Cannot connect to a SynScan hand control” after clicking the “Update” button

34If 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

35PART XI : ADVANCED FUNCTIONSThe SynScan hand control divides the sky into 85 small zones, and users can calibrate the pointing error for each of the

36PART XI : ADVANCED FUNCTIONSThe polar alignment function can help users to polar align an equatorial mount accurately. Here are the operating instru

37PART XI : ADVANCED FUNCTIONS1. Using the SNAP port on the telescope mount: Several Sky-Watcher’s equatorial mounts (such as the AZ-EQ6 GT and the

38• Use the left and right keys to move the cursor and use the numeric keys to ll the dig-its with the cursor. Press the ENTER key to end setting th

39PART XI : ADVANCED FUNCTIONSNotes:• It is recommended to use a high-power telescope and a reticle eyepiece for the PEC train-ing. A digital eyepiec

4PART I : INTRODUCTIONMulti-Purpose Port: Connects to an external device such as a com-puter, a GPS module, a camera, etc. Mount Port: Connects to a S

40PART XI : ADVANCED FUNCTIONS11.6 Calibrating Auto-Home Offset• Press “1” key to keep the original Home Position Offset. • Press “2” to use the res

41PART XI : ADVANCED FUNCTIONS11.8 Astronomical Time-Lapse PhotographyThe SynScan hand control can coordinate a Skywatcher telescope mount(equitorial

42PART XII : USING A SYNSCAN GPS MODULE12.1 Initialization of the Hand control with a SynScan GPS Module12.2 Checking GPS Information3. The hand cont

43Testing for Cone ErrorEliminating Cone ErrorAPPENDIX I : ELIMINATING CONE ERROR• If the pointing accuracy is still good, then the mount system has

44APPENDIX II : SYNSCAN SELF-DIAGNOSISThe SynScan hand control contains a built-in self-diagnosis program. To run a full test, users should prepare a

45Supported Mount EQ Mount and Alt-Az MountObject Catalog Messier, NGC, IC, SAO, Caldwell, Double Star, Variable Star, Named Star, PlanetsPointing Acc

SynScanTM

5PART I: INTRODUCTION1. Full Feature Mode:The ow chart of the “Full Feature” operation is shown in Fig. 1.4a. • The left and right keys are used to

6In 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”

7PART II : INITIALIZATION• Tripod head is leveled.• R.A. axis points towards the Northern Celestial Pole (in Northern Hemisphere) or the Southern Ce

8PART II: INITIALIZATIONThis step only applies to a mount with Auto-homing feature (such as the Sky-Watcher EQ8 Equatorial mount).• The LCD screen wi

9Date, Time, Daylight Saving Time• When “Date: mm/dd/yyyy” is displayed, enter the current date in the indicated mm/dd/yyyy format (i.e. 10/24/2012 f