1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. Software Bisque Manuals
  4. Network Hardware
  5. TheSky Fusion
  6. User manual

Software Bisque TheSky Fusion User Manual

Hide thumbs Also See for TheSky Fusion:
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

Download this manual
TheSky Fusion™ User Guide
Revision 2.0, March 2023
© 2023 Software Bisque, Inc. All rights reserved.

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the TheSky Fusion and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel

Summary of Contents for Software Bisque TheSky Fusion

  • Page 1 TheSky Fusion™ User Guide Revision 2.0, March 2023 © 2023 Software Bisque, Inc. All rights reserved.
  • Page 2 Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Software Bisque, Inc. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement. It may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Hardware Overview ........................9 Front View ........................... 9 Rear View ..........................11 Bottom View ..........................12 Attaching TheSky Fusion to the Telescope ................... 13 Wiring TheSky Fusion ........................14 Connecting Communication Cables to TheSky Fusion ..............15 Passwords ..........................16 Connecting ..........................
  • Page 4 Gaia Stars on the Sky Chart ....................41 Gaia vs. UCAC and NOMAD Catalogs..................41 Appendix A: Power Out Port Configuration .................. 42 Opening TheSky Fusion Housing ....................42 Appendix B: User Guide Revision History ..................45 P a g e 4...

  • Page 5: Introducing Thesky Fusion

    TheSky Fusion User Guide Introducing TheSky Fusion Figure 1: TheSky Fusion provides remote access and power to your astronomical equipment. TheSky Fusion™ marries TheSky™ Imaging bundle, the world’s single-most capable object- acquisition and imaging software, with exquisitely designed hardware to connect, power and integrate your imaging equipment.

  • Page 6: Serial Number Registration

    TheSky Fusion User Guide Photos collected by TheSky Fusion can easily be shared with your desktop or laptop computer so that they can be viewed/analyzed/processed later. TheSky Fusion’s built-in computer is very capable of running astronomical equipment and acquiring photos. A primary purpose of TheSky Fusion is to be a reliable image acquisition workhorse.

  • Page 7: Packing List

    TheSky Fusion User Guide Packing List The table below lists the components included with TheSky Fusion. Please contact Software Bisque if anything is missing. TheSky Fusion Packing List Photo Description TheSky Fusion Shipping Box Specifications • Total weight: 3.2 kg (7 lbs.) •...
  • Page 8 This tester measures DC voltage, only. Never attempt to use it to measure voltage from an AC power source. TheSky Fusion Power Input Cable • 0.9 m (3 ft) long • Powerpole to Powerpole connectors To use this cable with third-party power supply units.

  • Page 9: Hardware Overview

    TheSky Fusion User Guide Hardware Overview Front View Figure 2 and the tables below describe each TheSky Fusion component. Figure 2: TheSky Fusion’s external components. For a description of each component, match the number in Figure 2 with the Number column in the table below.
  • Page 10 The power button does not operate like a traditional on/off switch. • TheSky Fusion is booted each time the external power cable is plugged in. In this case, there is no need to click the power on/off button. The boot process takes about one minute before TheSky Imaging is ready to use.

  • Page 11: Rear View

    Power In Port (12V at 40A Max) If you purchased a TheSky Fusion power supply unit (PSU), plug it into the mains power supply and plug the Powerpole connector into the Power In port. Custom PSUs must supply 12V DC, with up to 40 amps maximum (480W max).

  • Page 12: Bottom View

    TheSky Fusion User Guide Bottom View Figure 4: TheSky Fusion external housing, bottom view. Power Output Port Description Text The voltage and amperage for each power output port are etched into the bottom of TheSky Fusion housing to provide a convenient reference and reminder so that you can be sure you are using the correct port before plugging in your equipment.

  • Page 13: Attaching Thesky Fusion To The Telescope

    TheSky Fusion User Guide Threaded Mounting Holes TheSky Fusion is normally shipped with the dovetail plate attached to the top of the housing with four mounting bolts. The six threaded mounting holes on the bottom of the housing can also be used to attach the dovetail in any of the three different positions.

  • Page 14: Wiring Thesky Fusion

    Dovetail Mounting Configurations Wiring TheSky Fusion At a minimum, TheSky Fusion requires two cables to run through or along the outside of the telescope mount: • A 12V DC power supply cable to power TheSky Fusion and supply DC power to your equipment through TheSky Fusion’s built-in power output ports.

  • Page 15: Connecting Communication Cables To Thesky Fusion

    Equipment that communicates with TheSky Imaging via USB communication can be connected to one of the four USB 3.0 ports located on TheSky Fusion’s front panel. If more ports are required, consider adding an optional four-port powered USB 3.0 hub (sold separately).

  • Page 16: Passwords

    TheSky Fusion turns on automatically when power is connected. If TheSky Fusion is powered on, the power button will turn it off. If TheSky Fusion is plugged in, and powered off, because it was shut down, the power button will power it back on.

  • Page 17: Vnc App

    4. Login to TheSky Fusion using the default Wi-Fi network password from table above. VNC App Software Bisque recommends VNC Viewer by VNC Connect as we have validated and tested it on multiple platforms. To download the VNC Viewer app visit the URL below or scan the QR code in Figure 6.

  • Page 18: Transferring Images From Thesky Fusion

    8. Enter the Password (default: fusion) and feel free to have the app save the password. From now, just tap or double click on the icon for TheSky Fusion in the VNC app and enter the password, if prompted, to connect.

  • Page 19: Transferring Files To A Mac

    Figure 7: The Connect to Server command on macOS Finder. 3. Enter the IP address of TheSky Fusion; the default IP address is shown in Figure 8 and click Connect. When prompted, click Connect again to verify that you want to connect to this server.
  • Page 20 Enter the username and password. The default username is admin and the password fusion. Click Connect to proceed. Figure 9: Enter the name and password to connect to TheSky Fusion from macOS. 5. On the next window, click OK. P a g e 20...

  • Page 21: Transferring Files To Windows 10 Pc

    TheSky Fusion User Guide Figure 10: Choose the name of TheSky Fusion's volume to mount. TheSky Fusion’s ImageRuns folder now mounted and is shown under Locations in the Finder sidebar. Your images can be copied from this folder to anywhere on your computer.
  • Page 22 6. Right-click the Desktop then click New > Shortcut. 7. On the Create Shortcut window, Under Type the Location of the Item, enter \\TheSky Fusion’s IP address\ImageRuns. The default IP address is: \\192.168.42.1\Images. TheSky Fusion’s shared folder is now displayed on the Desktop. P a g e 22...

  • Page 23: Troubleshooting Windows File Sharing

    Windows caches network connection information, so that attempting to share files from a second TheSky Fusion on a single machine may result in the following error message. Figure 13: Error message when attempting to connect a second TheSky Fusion to a Windows 10 computer.

  • Page 24: Thesky Fusion Desktop

    TheSky Fusion User Guide TheSky Fusion Desktop Figure 14: TheSky Fusion desktop. Figure 14 shows TheSky Fusion Desktop. The Desktop shortcuts include: Icon Description The Home folder is like the Windows Documents folder. It stores the Desktop, Documents, Downloads, and other folders commonly used to store files.

  • Page 25: Thesky Fusion Configuration Settings

    Figure 15: Double-click TheSky Fusion Settings icon to launch the app. Startup Tab The Startup tab (Figure 16) lets you configure what software is launched each time TheSky Fusion is powered on. You can also set the resolution of remote screen and the system’s time zone.
  • Page 26 TheSky Fusion User Guide Figure 16: TheSky Fusion Configuration Settings. • TheSky LTI Full Screen: TheSky LTI’s window is sized to occupy the entire screen. • TheSky Imaging: The first time TheSky is launched, the window is size using the default screen size.
  • Page 27 TheSky Fusion User Guide Figure 17: Setting the Remote Screen Resolution. Apply Now Button Click this button to permanently save the Startup tab options. Security Tab The Security tab is used to change the Wi-Fi password and the password to access TheSky Fusion’s Desktop from a web browser.
  • Page 28 Networking Tab The Networking tab lets you configure: • The Network Device Name, which is how other devices see TheSky Fusion on a network. • The Network SSID, which is the name of the ad hoc Wi-Fi network or “hotspot” TheSky Fusion creates.
  • Page 29 TheSky Fusion User Guide Figure 19: TheSky Fusion's Wi-Fi Access Point network settings. TheSky Fusion can also be connected to an existing (or infrastructure) Wi-Fi network. Figure 20: The infrastructure network settings. External Display The OLED Display tab lets you enter text in the Test Text control; clicking Set shows the text on TheSky Fusion’s external display.
  • Page 30 4. Enter your Username or Email Address and Password and click the Log In graphic. 5. Click My account > My Download to view your downloads (Figure 22). 6. Click TheSky Fusion Update graphic to download the file. Firefox saves downloads to the Downloads folder.
  • Page 31 If you have purchased and registered multiple products (thank you!), scroll down to locate the appropriate link. If TheSky Fusion does not have Internet access, the file must be downloaded to a separate computer first. 1. Download the update and save the update to a USB thumb drive or removable SSD.
  • Page 32 The Software Updates tab is used to select an archive that contains the update. The archive file name uses the following convention: TSFP-YYYY-MM-DD.tar.gz Where: • TSFP is the abbreviation for TheSky Fusion Patch • YYYY is the year. • MM is the month. • DD is the day the patch was created.

  • Page 33: Hardware Configuration

    Your equipment can be irreparably damaged if the power output port is configured to supply a voltage that is not compatible with your hardware. Figure 25: TheSky Fusion DC Voltage Meter showing 12.1V. Power Output Disclaimer: The user assumes all liability for equipment damage caused by incorrectly configured output voltages.

  • Page 34: Power Output Port Basics

    1. Loosen the two bolts on the front of TheSky Fusion about four turns. 2. Remove the two bolts on the top of TheSky Fusion. Flip the top of Fusion over to access the inside. 3. On the large red printed circuit board (PCB) there are three small switches. Each one is labeled for which position sets the voltage to which position.

  • Page 35: Configuring The Power Ports

    TheSky can control and configure them. Configuring the Power Ports 1. Turn on TheSky Fusion and establish a local or remote connection. By default, TheSky Imaging is launched automatically when TheSky Fusion is powered on. If TheSky Fusion Configuration Settings app’s Startup tab > Autostart on Boot option has been set to TheSky LTI Full Screen (Figure 16) close TheSky LTI and double-click TheSky Imaging icon on the Desktop to launch it.
  • Page 36 The LEDs will not illuminate when the power port is turned off. 7. Under Circuit State When TheSky Fusion Boots, turn the checkbox on or off as desired. The state of these ports is saved and restored each time TheSky Fusion is turned on. Turn on the Enable LEDs checkbox to illuminate the LEDs next to the ports on the front panel.

  • Page 37: External Display Status Messages

    Ready and In AP mode once the Wi-Fi hotspot access point is available. Display Brightness The brightness of the display can be configured from the OLED Display tab in TheSky Fusion Settings application (page 29). P a g e 37...

  • Page 38: Using Thesky Imaging

    The following describes TheSky Imaging features that are specific to TheSky Fusion. Setting TheSky’s Location TheSky Fusion’s built-in GPS can be used to accurately determine the longitude and latitude of your observing location. TheSky Imaging uses this information to show the location of objects and the location of the local horizon on the Sky Chart.

  • Page 39: Mount Control Notes

    USB 1.5 TB or larger SSD or disk drive, TheSky Imaging’s Sky Chart can display every star from the Gaia catalog along with accompanying “metadata”. TheSky Fusion includes two subsets of the Gaia star catalog that should suit the needs of most. P a g e 39...

  • Page 40: Using The Larger Gaia Subset

    • The large Gaia subset contains the RA, Dec, magnitude, spectral class, and proper motion for 1.7 billion stars. For TheSky Fusion, this 94 GB dataset is located on the Mass Storage volume. This following sections describe how to configure TheSky Imaging to display stars from the Gaia catalog.

  • Page 41: Gaia Stars On The Sky Chart

    TheSky Fusion User Guide Table 1: Gaia Catalog Subsets Catalog Number of Stars Disc Space Occupied Larger Gaia Subset 1.7 billion stars 93.6 GB Smaller Gaia Subset 100 million stars 4.62 GB Gaia Stars on the Sky Chart While the Gaia catalog contains a few brighter stars (as bright as magnitude 5), it does not contain most bright stars.

  • Page 42: Appendix A: Power Out Port Configuration

    TheSky Fusion User Guide Appendix A: Power Out Port Configuration The maximum output power supplied to three of TheSky Fusion’s eight power out ports is configurable. See “Hardware Overview” on page 9 for the specifications of each power out port.
  • Page 43 TheSky Fusion User Guide Once the two halves are separated, the power out port configuration switches are located on the PCB attached to the bottom of the housing (Figure 34). Move the switch or switches to the desired position and you are ready to reassemble the housing.
  • Page 44 3A 24W max. Once the switches have been moved in the desired positions, reassemble the external housing, power up TheSky Fusion, and verify the output voltage on each port with TheSky Fusion DC Voltage Tester. P a g e 44...

  • Page 45: Appendix B: User Guide Revision History

    • Expanded Wi-Fi access instructions. • Updated photos. • Added GPS-related details. • Expanded Power Control window documentation. • Expanded the description of TheSky Fusion software update process. • Added missing photos. • Minor formatting revisions. • Added System Time Zone documentation.

Table of Contents