Celestron Advanced VX Mount and Tripod Celestron PWI Telescope Control Softwar - Page 15
Other Alignment Methods, Using the Celestron Focus Motor
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Other Alignment Methods After initially connecting the mount to CPWI, the Select an Alignment Method window appears. The Manual Alignment selection has been discussed previously in this manual. Here, we will review the other alignment methods that can be selected from this window. Quick Align (EQ mounts only) This is a "zero star" alignment - this alignment method relies on the accurate initial positioning of the mount. The EQ mount must be in the "home" position (i.e. counterweight shaft pointing straight down with the telescope tube parallel to the RA axis) and must be accurately polar aligned. This alignment method is typically used for telescopes that are housed in an observatory, where the polar alignment is accurate and the mount is not moved. If the mount has home sensors, like the CGX and CGX-L mounts, then you can use this option for a remote alignment. Otherwise, you will typically find better pointing accuracy using the Manual Alignment selection. Last Alignment After you perform a manual alignment, the data is automatically saved. If you have not moved the mount since the last time you used it, you can select "Last Alignment", and CPWI will use the data from the previous manual alignment. Then, to have an accurate alignment to the current night sky, all you need to do is select "Sync on Object" from the Alignment section of the Menu. The Select Target window will appear. Select an object in the SkyViewer, GoTo the object, center it with the onscreen slew controls, then click "Centered." The last alignment should now be accurate to the sky. Load Alignment You can save a manual alignment by selecting "Save Alignment" from the Alignment section of the Menu. If you have saved an alignment previously, then you can use it by choosing "Load Alignment" from the Alignment Methods. The mount will need to be in the home position initially. If you have an EQ mount with home switches, like the CGX or CGX-L, the mount can be automatically slewed to the home position. You will be asked for the file location of the saved alignment. Once the alignment is loaded, you will be prompted to sync on a star. The Select Target window will appear. Select an object in the SkyViewer, GoTo the object, center it with the onscreen slew controls, then click "Centered." The loaded alignment should now be accurate to the current sky. Using the Celestron Focus Motor With the Celestron Focus Motor attached to your Celestron telescope and connected to an AUX port on the mount, connect to CPWI. CPWI will automatically search for the Celestron Focus Motor. Once found, you will now see the Focuser section in the Menu: If you have not yet calibrated the Celestron Focus Motor to your telescope optical tube, start by selecting "Calibration" from the Focuser section in the Menu. NOTE: If you have already calibrated the Focus Motor using the hand control, you don't need to do it again when using CPWI. Then, click "Begin" from the Focuser Calibration pop-up window. The calibration process finds the inward and outward limits to the focuser mechanical travel and provides indexing so you can return to specific focuser positions. (The inward focus limit is index mark "0," and each CCW rotation of the focuser knob adds 1000 counts.) The calibration process takes several minutes to complete, as the Focus Motor needs to move through the entire range of focuser motion. Click "Force Stop" to abort the Focus Motor calibration process, if needed. Once calibration is complete, you can find the current focuser position at the top of the Focuser selection from the Menu. The motor will now stop before it reaches the inward and outward limits of focuser travel. Recalibrating your Celestron Focus Motor is required any time you remove it from the telescope optical tube. For quick focusing, you can use the "Move In" and "Move Out" commands from the Focuser section in the Menu. Selecting "Move In" will move the primary mirror away from the Schmidt corrector at the fastest rate (rate 3), while selecting "Move Out" will move 13