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Avalon Instruments Merlino Instruction Manual

Personal remote observatory
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Personal Remote Observatory
"Merlino"
I
M
NSTRUCTION
ANUAL
Rev. 1.0.0 May 2021
All the pictures and contents here included are property of AVALON INSTRUMENTS. The content may bot be
reproduced, published, copied or transmitted in any way, including the internet, without the written permission of
AVALON INSTRUMENTS

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Summary of Contents for Avalon Instruments Merlino

  • Page 1 ANUAL Rev. 1.0.0 May 2021 All the pictures and contents here included are property of AVALON INSTRUMENTS. The content may bot be reproduced, published, copied or transmitted in any way, including the internet, without the written permission of AVALON INSTRUMENTS...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    CONTENTS 1. Merlino Observatory Description 2. Merlino Control System 2.1 User Interface Description 2.2 Macro Editor Description and Use 2.3 Temperature Control and Timer description and use. 2.3.1 Temperature Control 2.3.2 Timer functions 2.4 “Start Position” (HOMING) function description 2.5 “Polar Alignment” (POLAR) Function Description...
  • Page 3 The system is controlled by a custom made software interface that allows the Merlino to be used in a mode very similar to a typical mobile setup. In fact, many commonly known software applications are integrated into the system, further increasing easy of use.
  • Page 4 This allows you to automate both the beginning (startup) and closing (shutdown) of various operations. The Merlino is able to autonomously shut down the system in case of unexpected events or problems, thanks to the included rain sensor, thus ensuring the safety and security of your system.

  • Page 5: Merlino Control System

    Merlino.exe software, developed inside of Avalon Instruments. Merlino can be launched by a double click on its icon like a normal Windows program, if it resides on the PC desktop or with a simple click if its icon is placed on the Windows applications bar.
  • Page 6 The keys inside the function matrix represent the switches of activation of the single Merlino hardware operations. If the keys are of lighted red color it means that the associated functions are active (ON), if they are of dark red color their states are OFF.
  • Page 7 The key HOMING is a very important as it will allow to bring the telescope in the “Home” starting position with extreme HOMING precision, making the objects search during the photographic session very precise. Its use will be described in detail in section 2.4.
  • Page 8 This switch activates all the observatory USB devices (Mount, main CCD, guiding CCD, internal Webcam, Allsky cam, etc). It must be in ON position (closed) for monitoring CCD that is USB driven StarGO is the key that closes the mount electric power supply circuit.
  • Page 9 In particular the first three pieces of information are relative to the state of the installed software, that is: the version of the application, the version of the Firmware and the COM port to which Merlino is connected. In case of missing connection, instead of the indication the used port an error condition is given.
  • Page 10 On the right of figure 3, the first two windows indicate the service battery voltage and the temperature inside the electronic cabinet. Clicking over the C° simbol the measurement unit will change to F° (and vice versa).

  • Page 11: Macro Editor Description And Use

    Macro Editor Description and Use The USER button, as mentioned in the previous section, allows the access to the command editor to prepare command sequences. Pressing the button the MACRO window opens showing the last macro developed (in this case a demo) as reported in the below left figure. The buttons Start and Stop allow the launch or to end the execution of the macro.
  • Page 12 To move up and down the existing command of the macro list is sufficient to select the command and using the two up and down arrows available in the editor window. The complete list of the available commands in the system is the following: WEB CAMERA MOVE UP (CAM UP) WEB CAM MOVE DOWN (Cam DOWN) USER RELAY 3 ON...
  • Page 13 Note that two of the listed commands (START PROGRAM and KILL PROGRAM) require the access to an external program. When one of these commands is used in the macro, a classical Windows choosing window is opened to allow to choose the needed program. As an example, we will build a macro to monitor the observatory using the available monitoring CCD without activating the other observatory components.

  • Page 14: Temperature Control And Timer Description And Use

    In order to do this it is necessary to press the SETTING key in the Shutdown frame. Such operation will cause, on the left of the Merlino software interface, the opening of a black window for the calculation of the times, as follows:...
  • Page 15 Analogously the Startup timer is activated by pressing SETTING key of Startup frame and also in such case it will opened, to the left of the Merlino interface, a black window to setup the start time. The Startup timer is useful for the programming of a session starting at a determined date and time.

  • Page 17: Start Position" (Homing) Function Description

    “Start Position” (HOMING) function description In order to obtain a better pointing precision it is necessary that the alignment operations, described in detail in the StarGO manual, are executed beginning from a Home position as much as possible close to the ideal position, i.e. with the telescope axis aiming exactly to the North Pole.
  • Page 18 Pressing the UNPARK key on the StarGO application the mount will be unparked and the moving commands will appear and become active in the StarGO.
  • Page 19 “Polar Alignment” (POLAR) Function Description Thanks to the optional Motorized Polar Alignment kit available on the M-zero OBS, M-uno and M-tre mounts, it is also possible to carry out a remote and precise Polar Alignment. The motors can be easily controlled with the special Polar Alignment tool that comes with the StarGo software.

  • Page 20: Polar Alignment" (Polar) Function Description

    The Polar Alignment tool, if used in combination with Precise Polar Alignment external devices, using they’re software to calculate the alt-azimuthal offset of the polar axis from the celestial North Pole, allow an easy and precise remote Polar Alignment operation. Once the device will notice the Alt/Az error, it will be really easy to the user to compensate it “manually”...

  • Page 21: Using The Monitoring Camera

    Using the Monitoring Camera The Merlino observatory is supplied of a QHY5LII CMOS camera which is moveable from horizontal to vertical view to watch the telescope or the sky. The software used for the management of the camera is that provided with it, called “EZPlanetry, which can be launched by double clicking the icon placed on the desktop:...
  • Page 22 Once the camere is connected the view of the observatory internal is shown insed the main view: To adjust the vision of the internal switch on the Internal Lights (see the table at page 8) and use the slides on the upper left of the main screen: Sometime it may be necessary to increase the maximum value of one of the three parameters.
  • Page 23 To move the camera through the two extreme positions two keys are available in the W Cam frame of the Merlino main GUI. W-Cam Up moves the CCD toward the sky monitoring vertical position whereas the W-Cam Dw...

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