Starlock Utility - Meade LX850 Instruction Manual

APPENDIX B:

StarLock Utility

The StarLock Utility program provides the ability to:
• Install Firmware Updates
• StarLock Tracking Performance
Meade is constantly
performance of the product and it is common for new
features or performance improvements in the software
to be developed. Use the StarLock Utility to update
your Starlock firmware.
If you use your telescope with a computer in the field,
the StarLock utility will also allow you to monitor how
your image session is going and help you tune the
guide rate to optimize performance.
Installation
The StarLock utility will normally be installed when
you install the Autostar Suite DVD that comes with
your telescope. If you have download the program
from Meade's website, the StarLock Utility program is
packaged in an install file with a file name of the form
StarLockUtilSetup_Vx.y.zip, where x and y are version
and sub-version numbers. To install the program,
download it to a working directory and execute the
program. It will walk you through the setup.
Connection
In order to run the Utility program the StarLock needs
to attached to a Meade telescope by the StarLock
interface cable connected to the "StarLock Telescope
Connector" on the left side of the back of the StarLock.
The telescope will need to be turned on to supply
power to the StarLock. Next you need to attach a
standard Meade AutoStar #507 telescope interface
cable to the "PC" connector on the right side of rear of
the StarLock. This cable is attached to a serial port on
the back of your PC or via an USB/Serial connector.
Running The Software
From you Start Menu, click on Programs, Meade and
then StarLockUtility to start the program. Alternatively,
you can start the program from within AutostarSuite by
selecting Telescope/StarLock Util.
When the program begins to execute, the dialog below
will appear
Before beginning to use the program, check that the
correct COMM port number is entered in the dialog
50
working to improve the
Fig 39: Start-up Screen
box, and if you have changed serial ports, click on the
Reset Connection button on the display.
Viewing StarLock Images
To view StarLock images you should point your
telescope at a bright or first magnitude star. It is best
to start by focusing the wide field sensor. You can use
the slow motion controls of the telescope to move the
star the precise center of the sensor's field of view. The
center of the your optical field of view may not exactly
match the sensor's field of view. For this exercise you
want to center your star on the StarLock's center,
not the eyepiece's. Once you have viewed the wide
field sensor, you can then view the star in the narrow
field sensor.
To view your StarLock images click on the Reset
Connection button. Then, select which Imager you
wish to view by clicking on the "Wide Field" or "Narrow
Field" button. Now click on the "Focus" button. After
a few seconds a "Downloading" progress message
should appear on the bottom line of the display.
At this point you should see an image from the
StarLock in the main window of the dialog. The
sensors on the StarLock are 1280x1024 pixels. In
order to speed the update process, the downloaded
images are a maximum of 320x240 pixels. The
"Binning" control allows you to select how many pixels
of the original image are binned together to make the
displayed image.
For example, binning 4x4 results in 16 pixels being
combined into a single pixel of the final display and
image size being 320x240. If you use a lower binning
number, the image is cropped, showing you only the
center 320x240 pixels of the resulting image.
It is therefore important that your target be as well