Appendix C. Firmware Upgrade - iOptron SmartStar iEQ45 Instruction Manual

Appendix C. Firmware Upgrade

The firmware of an 8407 hand controller, as well as the main control board, R.A. and DEC motor
control boards can be upgraded by the customer. Please check iOptron's website, www.iOptron.com, under
Support Directory, for the most up to date firmware.
To upgrade the firmware, you need some or all of the following software/hardware, depends on the
upgrading you are performing:
•
iOptron Upgrade Utility Program
•
8407 hand controller firmware
•
iEQ45 main board firmware
•
iEQ45 R.A. board firmware
•
iEQ45 DEC board firmware
•
RJ9 serial port to RS232 cable (included, for hand controller upgrade)
•
RS232 cable (included, for control boards upgrade)
•
USB to RS232 converter and driver. If your computer does not equip a RS232 port (9-pin D-shape
connector) except the USB port, you need to buy a USB to RS232 converter, form a computer
hardware store or on-line.
1. Find the serial port (COM port) number from your computer:
In order to perform the firmware upgrade (as well as to use planetarium software to control the
mount), the communication between the PC and hand controller or mount has to be established.
The first step is to find the COM port number. If your computer has a serial port (9-pin D-shape male
connector on the back, next to the 25 pin printer connector), the default assigned number is COM1.
If your computer only has USB ports, like most laptops do, you need a USB to COM converter to
convert one USB port to a COM port. Here are two examples of USB2COM converters.
After install the USB2COM driver that comes with the device, click on Start located on the left
bottom corner of your compute screen. Move the mouse to My Computer and right click on it. Move the
mouse down and click on Properties.
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