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5. Drive Panel Interface
5.1
Drive Panel
The drive panel of the Atlas Pro AZ/EQ-G is shown in Figure
24.
5.2
Panel Interface Components:
POWER: This is a threaded 12V DC power input jack that pro-
vides a secure connection to the power source. The 12V DC
"cigarette lighter" power cable provided with the mount has a
matching threaded connector for the input jack.
HAND CONTROL: This RJ-45 8-pin jack is for connecting the
coil cable of the SynScan hand controller.
AUTO GUIDE: A 6-pin RJ-12 jack is for connecting an autogu-
ider. It is compatible with any autoguider with a ST-4 type
interface.
SNAP: This 2.5mm stereo jack allows connection to a camera's
shutter control port. The SynScan hand controller can control
a camera to take pictures automatically via this interface. The
camera control cable included with the Atlas Pro mount is com-
patible with select Canon EOS series DSLR cameras. It has
a right angle 2.5mm stereo plug on one end for connection to
the drive panel and a straight 2.5mm plug on the other end for
connection to the camera. Cables for other cameras can be
sourced optionally or custom made.
ON/OFF Switch: Turns on and off the power to the mount and
hand controller.
Power LED: The power LED serves as a power-on indicator
and provides other status information:
1.
Steady on: Power voltage is normal.
2.
Slow flashing: Power voltage is low; continuing to operate
the mount may damage the battery (if a 12V lead-acid
battery is in use).
3.
Fast flashing: Power voltage is extremely low; continuing
to operate the mount may damage the battery and the
motor controller in the mount.
4.
Intermittent single flash: The PPEC training routine has
been triggered, but the controller board in the mount has
not received the worm index signal and the PE correction
recording has not started yet.
5.
Intermittent double flash: The PPEC training routine has
been started and the controller board in the mount has
received the worm index signal and started to record the
PE correction. When the intermittent double flash stops, it
means the PPEC training has finished.
6.
Intermittent triple flash: Sidereal tracking with PEC is now
enabled.
5.3
Pinout of the Interfaces
A schematic diagram of the drive panel port circuitry is shown
in Figure 25.
14
Power LED
Figure 24. The drive panel of the Atlas Pro AZ/EQ-G
Note:
• The SNAP port provides two trigger signals to the
stereo plug. The signal to the head of the plug is issued
slightly later than the signal to the ring of the plug.
• For a camera that needs only a shutter-release signal,
either trigger signal will work. For a camera that requires
a "Focus" signal ahead of the shutter-release signal,
both signals will be utilized.
5.4
Attaching the SynScan GoTo Hand
Controller
The coil cable for the SynScan hand controller has RJ-45 con-
nectors on each end. Plug one connector into the Hand Control
port of the drive panel and the other connector into the RJ-45
port on the bottom of the SynScan controller (Figure 26). Push
the connector into the port until it clicks into place.
The smaller modular port next to the RJ-45 port on the hand
controller enables serial communication between the Atlas Pro
mount and a computer running astronomy software such as
Starry Night Pro. For that you will need the RS-232 computer
interface cable that was included with the mount. If your com-
puter does not have an RS-232 port, you will also need a USB-
to-serial adapter. Check telescope.com for an available adapter.
5.5
Power Supply Requirements
The Atlas Pro AZ/EQ-G should be powered by a 12V DC or
AC-to-DC power supply with a 3-amp or higher output cur-
rent rating. (A 2A AC adapter of the type recommended for the
Atlas EQ-G mount will not work for the Atlas Pro.)
• Output Voltage: DC 11V (minimum) to DC 16V
(maximum). Voltage not in this range could cause
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