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Astro-Physics Command Center (APCC) Help File

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1. West View Astro Physics 3D Scope View C Documents and Settings All Users Applicati 2 x Trimetric View In the Trimetric view 3 axes have different angles from each other Note that in addition to the red zenith O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 3D Scope Window KN arrow the north and east arrows display as well Functional Icons In order to fully understand how you can utilize these icons we encourage you to experiment When you activate each icon the cursor will change to suit the function and the icon button will turn blue PICEA Eb J zoom Fit Rotate Pan zoom Zoom Window Zoom Window Allows you to create an enlargement window for a specific portion of your 3D model Left click on the icon to activate the crosshair Scroll to move the crosshair to the desired starting position click and draw a box much like a crop tool in photo editing software When you release your mouse button the blue marked area will enlarge To return your model to the default position select the Zoom Fit icon Zoom Allows you to zoom in gradually to the center of your 3D model Left click on the icon to activate the magnifying glass flanked by and signs Scroll across the screen to enlarge or decrease the size ofthe image To return your model to the default position select the Zoom Fit icon Pan Allows you to move the 3D model to a different position within the box This may be useful if your telesco
2. Program operation If you change any of these settings they are effective immediately Ask if OK to exit Check this option if you want APCC to pop up a confirmation dialog before exiting If unchecked and you exit by pressing F4 or the close window button X APCC will exit immediately Note Do NOT have this checked if you also check the Auto Shutdown box Also DO NOT check this if a script is shutting down APCC This form is always on top Check this option if you always want APCC to stay on top of other windows Note that if another window also has this property set it can be placed on top of APCC Show Emergency Stop Window Check this option if you want the Emergency Stop Window to pop up when your mount is slewing Review the Emergency Stop Window information regarding this option Advanced Settings This button opens another window with some additional settings Mount type Select your mount type from the drop down box You cannot change this setting if the mount is connected If you are using a mount from Parallax Instruments or Mathis Instruments with the GTOCP3 Servo Drive System set your mount to 1200GTO In the future we will include a more specific setting for your mount Tools The tools group box contains several buttons to quickly access a few features You can also access these tools from the Tools Menu Terminal This button opens the terminal interface window which allows you to send commands 20
3. Select the ELS Tab Choose your scope configuration Normal Side by side or Custom Click the Settings Button oOo N OD A Set the various parameters in the Settings window according to the instructions above Then click OK to accept 9 Click the Establish Home button The following dialog box will appear 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 133 hi 1 Please confirm that an accurate ReCal has been done EAST of the meridian between the zenith and celestial equator 2 Please be sure you have moved the RA Home Actuator all the way to the east both hemispheres and moved the Dec Home Actuator all the way clockwise as viewed from above the scope for the Northern Hemisphere Move the Dec Home Actuator all the way Counter clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere Click OK to continue or CANCEL to quit Click OK to proceed 10 Wait while the mount performs the number of homing slews that you chose under Iterations in the Settings window 11 When APCC is finished with the routine the following dialog box will appear with somewhat different values Average Altitude 1 32124 degrees RMS Arc mins 2 36 Average Azimuth 89 26559 degrees RMS Arc mins 1 99 Click OK to save these Home coordinates 12 Click OK to save the averaged coordinates Part 2 Finding Home if you get your mount lost You do NOT need to use the home functions in normal operation of your mount You only need to
4. Use Selected Settings Display Output This option must be set to plain text If not click the change link and select it and click Use Selection Above O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 180 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Jet Propulsion Laboratory View the NASA Portal Search JPL California Institute of Technology Near Earth Object NEO Program mowe m TT HORIZONS Web Interface This tool provides a web based limited interface to JPL s HORIZONS system which can be used to generate ephemerides for solar system bodies Full access to HORIZONS features is available via the primary telnet interface HORIZONS system news shows recent changes and improvements A web interface tutorial is available to assist new users Current Settings Ephemeris Type change OBSERVER Target Body change Mars 499 Observer Location change San Jose CA 121 53 24 0 W 37 20 16 1 N Time Span change Start 2013 11 24 Stop 2013 12 04 Step 1 m Table Settings change QUANTITIES 1 4 7 9 20 23 24 Display Output change plain text Display Output Settings Select the desired display output option from the list below Note that any errors will also be displayed using this format HTML default Ephemeris results will be shown in a normal formatted web page plain text Ephemeris results will be displayed as plain text ASCII download save Ephemeris results will be saved to a local file t
5. O Solid State Drives SSDs have recently become much more affordable They are certainly not a requirement but are recommended for your boot drive for their robustness lack of moving parts and overall speed At least 10GB of free drive space for logs and settings should be available o APCC makes some demands for graphics capabilities but its demands are generally less than those for either of the two most popular planetarium programs If you can run TheSkyX or Starry Night Pro Plus you have probably already exceeded APCC s minimum requirements However for clarity please note the following 3D accelerated graphics card or integrated controller recommended if using the 3D Telescope View OpenGL 1 5 or later required Both planetarium programs mentioned above require higher Open GL o Native serial port or installed PCI serial card or USB serial port converter required For USB to serial converters we recommend the following Keyspan units sold by Astro Physics High quality units with FTDI chipsets i e Industrial units from serialgear com like their 2 port or 4 port O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Getting Started a Industrial USB to Serial converters from Moxa Converters from Digi Edgeport We CAN NOT advise using ANY converter with a Prolific chip set Minimum Computer Software Requirements and Recommendations o Windows XP Vista 7 8 8 1 32 bit or 64 bit Windows 7 Pro 64 bit is our curr
6. South Pole Opens Horizon Limit Editor Countdown Timer lt a Your Custom Horizon Line MEN ge tup 4 Time Site 4 Parkg GoTo ReCalg Rate Settings y Mian 4 Virtual Ports Pointing ee Reset Button 0 Telescope Pointing Here NET N w m e o Es sw Ex EJ M9 None Unparked AP Tracking Sidereal Guide Rate 1 00x PEM On RA Rate 0 00000 DEC Rate 0 00000 Horizon Tab showing typical setups Northern hemisphere is on the top southern hemisphere on the bottom Your particular horizon can be edited and saved in the Horizon Tracking Limits Editor Multiple horizons can be saved for different favorite locations and the particular horizon for a specific location can be associated with that location s full group of settings for ease of setup Operation Enable Horizon Tracking Limits This enables horizon tracking limits once you have a set of limits defined Think of it as the On Off switch for the horizon tracking limits When a limit is reached while tracking not slewing the mount will do the appropriate action as described in the next paragraph You will note that enabling the horizon limits causes the horizon to appear on the small sky map in the Telescope Position section at the lower right side of the main window The horizon will not appear on the sky map if the limits are disabled 2015 Astro Physics In
7. 3 13 2013 16 27 39 349 lt 05 00 00 0 3 13 2013 16 27 40 186 lt West 3 13 2013 16 27 40 212 lt 08 38 08 0 3 13 2013 16 27 40 236 lt 00 00 00 lt 00 00 00 0 3 13 2013 16 27 40 284 lt 51 39 52 gt 3 13 2013 16 27 40 308 lt 00 00 00 Options Click on Options to reveal the following choices Clear Window Removes the activities that have taken place from the display window Always on Top Provides the choice to hold the window in the foreground over other applications or to let it drop behind them It can be toggled on and off Save to File Allows you to name and save a record of this activity in the folder of your choice It will capture the events up to the moment of saving the file Always Show Last Line If checked automatically scrolls to show the current communications Show RA Dec Queries If checked activates the display of RA and Dec position status Show GOS Queries If checked activates the display of the operational status of the mount Show Side of Mount Queries If checked activates the display of the mount s east or west positioning Show Other If checked activates the display of all the other mount queries Clear button Clicking the Clear button will clear the record allowing you to begin a fresh command log This is convenient when you want to isolate specific events and mount behavior If you wish to zip the log file for future reference or send for analysis refer to the Log Zip
8. Note Horizon limits are always displayed if enabled on the Measurement Points tab 13 9 Advanced Topics Enter topic text here 14 Horizons Horizons allows your Astro Physics mount to accurately follow solar system objects such as Comets Asteroids Planets and even the moon and sun It uses data that you import from the JPL Horizons Ephemerides web site to calculate the precise tracking rates needed to follow a target without any guiding For example this means you can do longer unguided exposures of a comet without it blurring Or in the case of fast moving asteroids you don t need to worry about keeping your scope centered because Horizons will send commands to your AP GTO mount to keep the target centered Horizons requires APCC Standard or Pro edition to operate Horizons will work best with APCC Pro because Pro includes tracking rate corrections based on the pointing model in use Of course a pointing model must be in place for the target s tracking rate to be appropriately adjusted to compensate for things like polar misalignment refraction mount scope flexures etc When you open Horizons it should look something like this 2015 Astro Physics Inc 172 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File fa TSS E Astro Physics Horizons v1 0 0 4 lal a x A e ee ee eee ee D File EphemerisData Mount Track Help Step 1 Click link and configure target date and time e PRAT ak JPL Horizons Ephem
9. e Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Save This will save the RA Dec coordinates to the drop down list 1 First manually enter Load or Load Current see below the coordinates that you wish to sawe Then select a Not Used spot from the dropdown list CAUTION Be sure to select a Not Used spot from the dropdown list if it is available or you will overwrite another entry This may be necessary if you have already saved all of the available slots 2 Confirm the coordinates that populate the coordinate fields 3 Select the Save button 4 The Saving GoTo Position window will prompt you to enter an optional title If you do not enter a title one will be created for you based on the position in the drop down box for instance Saved 9 LJ APCC Saving GoTo Position Andromeda Galaxy 5 Click OK The coordinates will automatically display in addition to the name Lagoon Nebula RA 18h 03m 47s DEC 24 23 00 Load Select the desired target from the drop down box Then click the Load button load the RA Dec coordinates with the selected values from your saved list in the RA Dec fields Load Current RA Dec Polls the mount for its current position and then loads the RA Dec fields with the current coordinates GoTo ReCal to Alt Az Altitude and Azimuth coordinates are entered in much the same way as the RA and Dec coordinates described above Here too entries can be in sexagesimal or decimal form V
10. Status View Window 3 Rates Displays information obtained from the mount control box Time Displays information obtained from the mount control box Other Displays information obtained from the mount control box O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 4 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Faults This field can display the following e None No faults e Power Low Power fault e Stall Motor Stall e Servo Servo fault If there are multiple items they will have a sign between them For Instance Power Stall 5 Main Window The Main Window was designed so that you can monitor the most important connection telescope position and status information at all times regardless of which tab is open The controls for moving the scope via the buttons are also handy The tab format allows you to easily access all settings throughout your settings 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window a f Astro Physics Command Center Pro Sox File Settings Tools Help Toggle Tracking EMERGENCY STOP Unparked AP Tracking Sidereal Guide Rate 1 00x PEM On RA Rate 0 00000 DEC Rate 0 00000 5 1 Connection Group Box In this group box you can set up the COM port and the timeout to the COM port Primary COM Port The list of serial ports that were detected on the computer will be displayed in this drop down list box Select the default COM port that APCC will use when t
11. memorize the corrections you make with your button inputs and automatically play them back for each cycle of the worm This circuit has some unique features that makes it easy to operate and almost totally foolproof A most valuable feature of this circuit is that it automatically compensates for any drift inadvertently introduced by the operator in the process of recording the gear error For instance if the mount was not properly polar aligned in altitude the right ascension drift rate would be in error The circuitry automatically subtracts this slow drift from the memory so that the overall long term drive rate remains exactly at the sidereal rate This way the compensated driving rate will always be correct for any other 2015 Astro Physics Inc 122 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File position in the sky and for any other time that the mount is set up in the field There are several ways to correct the residual periodic error in Astro Physics mounts as described below PEM Already Programmed at Astro Physics The heart of your Astro Physics mount is a precision gearbox using custom high quality fine pitch gears coupled to a highly accurate worm and worm wheel These parts are manufactured and assembled at our facility and individually tested to meet or exceed our periodic error standards before introducing any periodic error correction The PE is smoothly variant with extremely low ripple or moment to moment error
12. we recommend that you use only one in your session and that you always initialize unpark and park with the same primary control device We expect that for most of you the primary control device will be your PC with APCC Remove the primary control functions from any other device that you use For the keypad this means setting the auto connect to EXT Other devices like iPads should have the time updating functions to the mount disabled and should not be used during your final park and shutdown routine Remember these rules e ONLY ReCal from the same device that sent the slew command e NEVER perform a full SYNC from a secondary device This document provides information regarding various options for controlling your mount Control Options for Astro Physics Mounts 3 Initialization Window Whenever APCC detects that the mount needs to be initialized right ascension O and declination 90 the Initialize Astro Physics Mount window will open By default if you do nothing whatever parameters have been set up in this dialog window will execute in a user defined number of seconds Default is 10 sec See the Advanced Settings section under Main Window gt Setup Tab However you can stop this auto initialization by clicking the button Stop Auto Init This will allow you to check your settings and change them if you wish 2015 Astro Physics Inc Initialization Window Click HERE to stop the Auto init la i le iii
13. If the plate solve doesn t finish in time then it will be marked as a plate solve failure X arc sec pixel This is the approximate image scale of the x axis Dont forget to account for binning If Refine image scale from solved image is checked then this value will be updated on the first successful plate solve Y arc sec pixel This is the approximate image scale of the y axis Don t forget to account for binning If Refine image scale from solved image is checked then this value will be updated on the first successful plate solve Image Scale Tolerance Use this setting to prevent false positive plate solves The default is 10 If you are sure of your image scale entry see above you can tighten this tolerance Note plate solves will be rejected even if successfully solved when the returned image scale of a plate solve differs dramatically more than your defined than previously solved images Refine image scale from solved image When checked the X and Y image scale settings will be updated with the values in the first good plate solve It is HIGHLY recommended that this option be enabled so that APCC won t continuously reject images where the wrong image scale is set Test Clicking this will allow you to test that you have the PinPoint settings correctly setup A dialog will open allowing you to navigate to a FITS image which you have previously taken and plate solve it If the FITS image does not have embedded RA Dec coordin
14. mount thinks it is already pointing at Since it does not re establish the mount s position in memory it doesn t matter if the telescope and ReCal object are both on the same side of the meridian It is therefore a safer command to use during your session Remember that for both commands the preferred object of choice will always be a single bright star because it is a single point source Avoid double or multiple stars if possible Solar system objects can be useful for daylight syncing or recalibrating In addition remember that pointing accuracy is also dependent on the accuracy of the polar alignment and the orthogonality of the entire system CAUTION It is important to note that external software programs may not make the same distinction 2015 Astro Physics Inc Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 5 10 between the 2 terms so be careful when syncing or recalibrating or whatever they call it with other programs For safety sake we recommend that you utilize the SNYC gt RCal Translation safeguard described on the Virtual Ports tab Rate Settings Tab Rate Settings ac Ss CUA Sel m CA A cones ad Use the dropdown menus to select from among the available rates in each category Note that the current rate is the rate that is currently set in the mount and is not necessarily the rate displayed in the dropdown menu Click the Set Now button to set the rate to the one you have selected The value in t
15. received for any given option below Set Tracking Rate If this option is checked the selected tracking rate is sent to the mount If this option is not checked the mount will begin tracking at the default sidereal rate Set Guide Rate If this option is checked the selected guide rate is sent to the mount If this option is not checked the default guider rate of 1x will be used Set Move Button Rate If this option is checked the selected rate will be used for button presses within APCC If this option is not checked the default rate of 600x will be used Note that direction buttons in the keypad and in other software will generally override this rate to whatever rate is in that particular device or software That rate will remain until APCC or another device changes it again Set GoTo Slew Rate If this option is checked the selected slew rate will be used for slews from within APCC If this option is not checked the default slew rate of 1200x 600x for the 3600GTO will be used Set Dec Backlash If this option is checked the backlash value is sent to the mount If this option is not checked the default is zero Remember that backlash settings are generally NOT recommended for most users and are DEFINITELY NOT recommended if you are autoguiding They are generally useful only for visual observing or manual guiding with a crosshair eyepiece Set RA Backlash If this option is checked the backlash value is sent to the mount If this
16. 002713854 DAN 01264 DDN 78843 L 288 8525699 B 12 7627071 MOID 023097 TP 2013 Nov 28 7762567750 Comet physical GM km 3 s 2 RAD km GM n a RAD n a Mi 8 M2 n a ki 8 k2 n a PHCOF n a Comet non gravitational force model AMRAT m 2 kgq A1 A3 au d 2 DT days RO au AMRAT 0 DT 0 A1 1 021004676819E 7 A2 5 460487604141E 9 A3 0 Standard model ALN 1112620426 NK 4 6142 NM 2 15 NN 5 093 RO 2 808 COMET comments 1 soln ref JPL 51 data arc 2011 09 30 to 2013 11 20 2 k1 8 RR RR RR RR RR RRR RH RH RR RRR RRR RRR RR RRR RRR RRR RRR RR RRR RRR RRR AAA The area to paste the above ephemeris data into is highlighted below 2015 Astro Physics Inc 182 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File File Ephemeris Data Mount Track Help Step 1 Click link and configure target date and time Oae o gt 3 47 9 tathors ck Sep 2 Copy and Paate Object Ephemais data bel a ee Ephemeris Values View Ephemeris Data ISON C 2012 S1 11 24 2013 12 00 00 AM 12 4 2013 12 00 00 AM 00 01 00 37 338 238 110 EA 115 066 05 02 14 96 15 11 47 02 20 46 50 86 Target Name Start UT Stop UT Interval Lat Lon Current Alt Az Current Hr Ang Current RA Current Dec Save to save data to ephemeris data to disk for later use Load to load previous data Test to run a simulated run Track Object immediately or delays until a time issues a GOTO and starts t
17. 142 3D Scope perspectives 137 3D Scope view edit 142 3D Scope view open saved view 147 3D Scope view orthographic 147 3D Scope view perspective 147 3D Scope view reset parameters 147 3D Scope view save 147 3D Scope view sync 148 3D Scope views 137 3D Scope window 136 3D Telescope tab 142 3D Zoom action 141 3D Zoom fit action 141 3D Zoom window 141 A Adjust reticle brightness 124 Altitude position displayed 44 APCC on top of other windows 50 APCC Pro features 7 APCC Standard features 6 ASCOM Astro Physics V2 driver 17 24 Platform 17 Automatically park if power is lost 57 Auto Park 57 Azimuth position displayed 44 2015 Astro Physics Inc B Backup COM port select 41 Button move rate set 35 43 70 ee Clear license 49 Clear RA and Dec delta 43 Command log window 47 Command window 150 Configure 3600GTOPE R A precision encoder 126 Connect GPS device 134 Connect to port button 37 41 Connection group box 41 Create new GPS site 134 Create virtual port 109 Custom tracking rates Custom tracking rate units 70 Dec rate 70 RA rate 70 D Dec backlash set 35 Dec delta displayed 43 Dec drift 70 Dec position displayed 44 Dec tracking rate displayed 45 Delete virtual port 109 Directional movement buttons 37 43 Disconnect port button 37 41 5 east limit 85 East meridian limit 85 Elevation displayed 53 Elevation set 54 ELS tab 124 Emergency stop button 37
18. 44 18 24 46 0 04 58 50 8 18 2434 8 05 00 00 0 1544 13 7 167 90 1745047 04 58 49 7 17 44 54 0 05 00 00 0 1544 39 7 159 02 1705 19 2 04 58 46 0 17 05 08 8 05 00 00 0 15 45 05 0 155 96 16 25 33 6 04 58 39 2 16 25 24 1 05 00 00 0 15 45 30 3 142 83 1545 49 6 04 58 29 9 1545412 05 00 00 0 15 45 55 7 126 10 19 54 51 1 14 58 53 1 1954 39 6 15 00 00 0 1546 37 1 166 35 19 1404 3 14 59 05 0 19 1353 8 15 00 00 0 1547028 151 95 18 33026 14 59 09 2 18 32 53 1 15 00 00 0 15 47 28 8 137 14 1752 04 1 14 59 06 6 1751549 15 00 00 0 15 47 54 5 132 76 ATADRAR AENA rao ann 120 99 East Best Fit West Best Fit arcsec arcsec coro ME E ex Eror HA Index Eror Dec Non Perp HA Dec Nan Pep DecoTA E Polar Axis Elevation Festi IS SSS SSS S83 8S S SSS SSS S88 East Model West Model 22 92 Arc secs 20 47 Arc secs Max Error 53 44 Arc secs Max Error 67 18 Arc secs The pointing model window is broken up into several sections The bottom section shows the pointing errors for the East and West models as a pair of scatter diagrams In the upper left of the graph is the overall average pointing error for the model in arc seconds RMS This is the average expected pointing error of the model using the Root Mean Square The maximum expected error is shown at the bottom Note that obtaining the average error stated assumes that the mount is ReCalibrated into the model and that the effects of refr
19. 75 Meridian tracking limits 85 87 90 Hour angle scale 87 Meridian tracking limits explorer 90 Hour angle meridian inclination 87 Mount firmware 16 17 Mount firmware display 51 i Mount latitude longitude group box 52 Mount position status 38 Initialization group box 34 Mount type select 50 Initialization window 32 Move button rate set 35 43 70 Initialize button 32 Initializing your mount 32 46 a O L aa Open Explorer instance in logs directory 47 Optional iniitialization group box 35 Latitude displayed 52 Latitude set 54 O 2015 Astro Physics Inc P Park 1 2 and 3 positions defined 57 Park at current position 56 Park at user defined alt az 56 Park button 37 56 Park state 45 PEC see PEM 120 121 PEM record countdown 120 PEM recording options 121 PEM state 45 PEM tab 120 PEM disable PEM enable PEM record PEM set 35 Pier side displayed 44 Pointing Model Operation 113 Primary COM port select 41 Program operation group box 50 Q Quick access controls 37 Ru R A precision encoder 3600GTOPE configure 126 R A precision encoder 3600GTOPE enable 126 R A precision encoder 3600GTOPE set trim rate 126 R A precision encoder 3600GTOPE status 127 RA backlash set 35 RA delta displayed 43 RA drift 70 RA position displayed 44 RA tracking rate displayed 45 RA tracking state 45 Rate settings Set button rate 70 Set guide rate 70 Set slew rate 70 Set tracking rate 70 Rate status
20. 8 _v _ Declination Offset Degrees Right Ascension Offset Y 0 H y M Min Declination deg Degrees SA Min Hour Angle Hada 9 _ _ a _ 110 005 Z Max Declination deg i Z Max Hour Angle Sia i v 9 H i UH 10 00 5 O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 168 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Measurement Settings Group Box Slew Settle Time secs The time in seconds APPM will pause after a slew to a new point completes This allows the system to settle at its new position after each slew Astro Physics mounts generally do not require more than a second or two of settle time but you may want a longer time if your optical imaging train needs a few extra moments to settle Show Points This brings up a map of the points that will be mapped See here for more information Estimate Time This will estimate the approximate time to complete the current run You should consider the reported time as the minimum time the run will take If plate solves take longer than expected the actual time could be substantially longer Mapping Point Creation Strategy Group Box Create East Points When checked East side mapping points are generated East side mapping points have the scope on the west side of the pier Create West Points When checked West side mapping points are generated West side mapping points have the scope
21. As the mapping progresses make a mental note of the magnitude of the errors that are being displayed A screen shot might also be a convenient way to document the errors These are the raw pointing errors that the model will try to correct Note that they will vary considerably in different parts of the sky O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 158 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 13 2 e When prompted install the model into APCC e Goto the APCC Pointing Model Tab and open the Pointing Model Window Verify that the correct model has been loaded by looking at the title bar of the Pointing Model Window The file name of the loaded model will have the time and date of the mapping That same file name should also appear at the top of the Pointing Model Group Box on the APCC Pointing Model Tab e Perform a Verify Run on your model Further information is found in the Run Tab section that follows Again as the verify run progresses make a mental note of the magnitude of the errors that remain If all has gone as we hope the magnitude of the errors will have dropped significantly from the initial point mapping run e Live with the model you have created for a while Try some real astronomy with it in place and with pointing and tracking corrections turned on Are you now always placing your target on your chip or in the filed of vew of your eyepiece Try some short unguided images Check your results all over the sky If you have an ar
22. Astro Physics Point Mapper Requirements To use APPM with your mount you will need to have the following 1 A full version of Maxim DL CCDSoft or AstroArt Meade DSI cameras are also supported but they usually are not big enough to capture enough stars for reliable plate solves Support for ASCOM cameras will be coming soon 2 The full version of DC3 Dreams PinPoint application Version 6 of Pinpoint is preferred In the future other plate solving methods will be made available but we believe this is the best solution available at this time 3 Optional we recommend that you purchase a THUM temperature Humidity sensor This will allow APCC to compensate for changes in temperature and humidity for the purposes of calculating refraction accurately Using the Astro Physics Point Mapper APPM The APPM is a very powerful and versatile mapping tool It s primary purpose is to create and then run a point mapping that will provide the error data needed for APCC to create a model which can then be used to determine corrections to both the pointing and the tracking of your mount The point mapping can be custom tailored to your system and even has a mapping strategy to facilitate domed observatories that may have rather narrow slits Before beginning an actual mapping run make sure that your system is as mechanically sound as is possible Models are predictive tools They answer the question Based on previous results how should the mo
23. B Astro Physics Command Mason Settings Tools Help Load Settings Save Settings as Exit Load Settings This will open a dialog window from which you can select a previously saved settings file This menu item is only available i e active when APCC is not connected to the mount Save Settings as This will open a dialog window from which you can select a file name to which settings will be saved All Initialize Mount settings will be saved Refer to the Initialization Window for more information regarding these settings In addition the file names of the current set of Horizon and Meridian Limits will be saved for automatic loading into APCC This makes it much more convenient to use APCC with several favorite locations and setups that may have different limit settings Exit this will exit APCC 5 5 2 Settings Menu File Settings Tools Help Edit ASCOM Driver Settings Initialize Mount Manage Sites BoB Resize to original Window Size Save Window Positions Close Main Window when opening Status Window Advanced Settings Setup 4 Site Park GoTo ReCal Rate Settings Horizon 4 Meridian Virtual Ports Pointing Mode Edit ASCOM Driver Settings This will open the ASCOM V2 Driver s Telescope Setup Window It provides a convenient way to set the driver up to work optimally with the APCC Initialize Mount This will open the initialize mount dialog window which
24. Emergency stop window 61 Emergency stop window enable 50 Enable 3600GTOPE R A precision encoder 126 Enable horizon tracking limits 73 Enable meridian tracking limits 85 190 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Enable R A precision encoder 3600GTOPE 126 License agreement 11 Exit APCC 46 License key Full license 17 F Trial license 17 Limit switches 124 Fault status 40 Limit switches configure 126 131 File menu 46 Alii switches home position 129 131 Focus motor speed set 124 Limit switches mechanical position 128 Limit switches status 127 Load previously saved settings 46 m G Local sidereal time displayed 44 Lockout Slews 148 Get site data from mount 54 Log directory open 50 GoTo Alt Az position 64 Log window 47 50 GoTo RA Dec position 61 Log zipper 47 GoTo slew rate set 35 Logging enable 50 GPS tab 134 Longitude displayed 52 GPS connect device 134 Longitude set 54 GPS create new site 134 LST displayed 44 Group boxes 31 GTOELS control box 124 Guide rate displayed 45 A M a Guide rate set 35 70 l Manage sites 34 53 Manage sites window 54 H meridian 85 Meridian delay 85 89 Hardware requirements 16 Meridian flip 87 Help icon 31 Meridian inclination 87 Help menu 49 meridian limit 85 Horizon tab 71 Meridian limits 85 Horizon tracking limits editor 75 meridian limits warning 85 Horizon tracking limits operation 73 Meridian tab 85 Horizon tracking limits altitude azimuth
25. RCALs Usually you want to set this to Translate to prevent SYNC commands from being issued inappropriately from other applications when the correct function is RCAL Most programs do not employ the RCAL command and will instead send a SYNC in all circumstances regardless of whether it is appropriate Improper use of SYNC particularly when the mount is in a counterweight up position as it might be if you are using the Meridian Delay feature will cause the mount to become lost since SYNC defines the pier side This translation feature will help to prevent incorrect commands Please read the Sync Explained in Detail and Compared to Recalibrate section for a comparison of these functions Delete Residual Virtual Ports You can try this option if virtual ports remain even after an attempt to delete them fails If this does not work rebooting should remove the virtual ports One last thing Hovering the mouse over a connected virtual port will show the path of the application that is connected on that port Hovering the Mouse over a Connected Virtual COM Port 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 113 5 14 Pointing Model Tab Operation Enable Pointing Correction When checked this enables APCC s pointing correction logic Enable Tracking Correction When checked this enables APCC s tracking rate correction logic Note You must have a model loaded in order to enable pointing or tracking correction See the section on APPM for
26. Software for archival purposes only provided that you reproduce all copyright or other proprietary notices that are on the original copy of the Software 2 Restrictions Requirements a APCC ST APCC PRO APH These Software Products were written exclusively for mounts manufactured by Astro Physics or original equipment manufacturer OEM mounts that utilize the GTOCP3 Servo Drive System or a later version Each ofthese Software Products may not be used with any other mount or drive system The firmware version ofthe GTOCP3 Control Box must be version V or later b APAE This Software Product was written exclusively for mounts manufactured by Astro Physics that incorporate Absolute Encoders It may not be used with any other mount or drive system For the duration that you own the associated mount you may install this software on any computer that you use to control the mount c APCC ST APCC PRO and APH Astro Physics grants to Customer a non assignable non transferable license for these products without the right to sublicense to use the Licensed Software d APAE This Software Product may be transferred without charge along with the Astro Physics mounton which the Absolute Encoders are installed You must provide Astro Physics with the name and address of the person to whom you are transferring the rights granted herein The recipient must provide a bill of sale and agree in writing to all terms of this License Agreemen
27. USB converter fails Terminal Interface tool to send commands directly to the mount All features of the latest GTOCP3 control box firmware are supported allowing feedback of the actual status of the mount at all times Tight integration with the ASCOM driver Advanced support features for 36 00GTO 3600GTOPE 1600GTO and 1100GTO series mounts including Home recovery e Includes the Horizons program for satellite comet and asteroid tracking APCC Pro Features e Includes all features of the Standard version e Dual model pointing and tracking rate correction even with the telescope in the counterweight up O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 3 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File position e Includes a separate application to acquire Pointing Tracking model data APPM 1 2 Version History Version 1 0 3 4 5 27 2015 Release APCC BUG FIX releasing any of the Status View move buttons would trigger the Emergency Stop window because the StopMove function used by the Emergency stop button was also used by the mouse up events for all of the Status View s move buttons Version 1 0 3 3 5 27 2015 Release Candidate APCC Redesigned 3D Scope syncing logic to fix potential boundary conditions where the 3D scope view might incorrectly show the mount s orientation APPM Internal changes preparing for additional plate solving Version 1 0 3 0 4 20 2015 Beta APCC To prevent confusion on the use ofthe refra
28. Universal time of the loaded Ephemeris data set End UT The end time and date in Universal time of the loaded Ephemeris data set Interval the interval between data elements in Hours Minutes Seconds lt is O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 174 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File recommended that a1 minute interval 00 01 00 be used for highest accuracy Lat Lon The latitude and longitude of the site for which the ephemeris data applies Make sure it corresponds to the location of the telescope Current Alt Az the target s current Altitude and Azimuth Current Hr Ang the target s current Hour Angle This will be negative if it is East of the meridian Current RA the target s current Right Ascension Current Dec the target s current Declination Mount Information This section contains information retrieved from the mount s i Mount Information Disconnect LST 12 09 02 21 Hour Angle 04 58 47 81 RA Dec RA Rate a s s Dec Rate a s s 07 10 14 40 10 31 22 00 0 00000 0 00000 LST The current Local Sidereal Time LST is defined to be the Right Ascension value currently at the meridian Hour Angle The current hour angle A negative value means the scope is pointing east of the meridian RA The Right Ascension coordinate that the scope is currently pointing to Dec The Declination coordinate that the scope is currently pointing to RA Rate the rate relative to si
29. and it is used by the Show Points window to properly display the location of the mapping model points You must have connected to the mount once for the latitude to show in this box Camera Select the camera type Maxlm DL CCDSoft MeadeDSI or AstroArt support for more cameras will be coming later then press the Connect button Dome If you have a dome click the Select Dome button and select the ASCOM driver for your dome Then click Connect to connect to the dome When using a dome APPM will slew both the mount and the dome to each target and wait for both to complete their slews before starting an exposure Environment Group Box Get Clicking this button will update the Latitude Longitude and Elevation from the AP V2 ASCOM Driver Temp The temperature returned from APCC If a THUM Temperature sensor is attached to the computer the temperature will be displayed If a THUM sensor is not connected be sure that you have entered the current temperature into the box on the Pointing Model tab in APCC Main Area Plate Solve Takes an image and tries to plate solve the image s center RA Dec coordinates The plate solved RA Dec coordinates are converted to JNOW Plate Solve and Recal Takes an image and tries to plate solve it The plate solved RA Dec coordinates are converted to JNOW If successful the scope is recalibrated to the RA Dec coordinates This can be used whether APCC s Pointing and or Tracking corrections are enabled o
30. as minor changes occur in upcoming releases however you may find some outdated screen shots that look slightly different Please bear with minor differences However if you find screen shots that are confusing and require immediate updating please let us know Instructional Videos We have prepared some instructional videos at this link The instructional vdeos are a work in progress and will be continuously updated and improved over time Please note that some of the videos are already a bit dated and may show screen shots that are no longer current The basic information contained in the videos however should still all be correct O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Getting Started 31 Help in Corner of Group Boxes In the upper right corner of almost every group box in APCC you ll find a round button with a Clicking this button will open the help for the group box Tabs Tabs provide a quick means to access key areas of the program You can rearrange the order of the tabs to suit your needs however the order will not be saved for the next session at this time All tabs are visible for all mounts and all versions of APCC with the following exceptions e Pointing Model Tab Only visible for the APCC Pro version e ELS Tab Only visible for 3600GTO e AE Tab Only visible for 1100GTO and 1600GTO Not currently available in the first APCC release Use the APAE Utility instead Group Boxes Closely related items are subdivided int
31. box e 3D View This button will bring up a new window that provides a graphical representation of your mount and telescope based on the data that you provide in the 3D Scope Editor and position data Note that dimensions of the mount itself cannot be edited at this time However critical dimensions of the telescope dewcap focuser camera counterweights and pier can be specified Refer to the 3D Scope Editor section for specific details O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 3D Scope Window 137 __ Astro Physics 3D Scope View G Documents and Settings All Users Applicati E E File Sync Perspectives Select the perspective that you wish to view Top North South East West or Trimetric Examples are shown below 2015 Astro Physics Inc 138 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File File Sync Top View J Astro Physics 3D Scope View C Documents and Settings All Users Applicati 23 File Sync North View 2015 Astro Physics Inc 3D Scope Window 139 Astro Physics 3D Scope View C Documents and Settings All Users Applicati gt 23 File Sync South View _ Astro Physics 3D Scope View C Documents and Settings All Users Applicates Of x East View 2015 Astro Physics Inc 140 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Astro Physics 3D Scope View C Documents and Settings All Users Applicat Of xj File Sync
32. button on the lower right side of the Explorer Window will open up the Add Meridian Tracking Limit window This will be detailed in the Manually Add Meridian Tracking Limit Points sub section below 4 Edit the Table Manually You can go into the actual interpolated data table of an existing Meridian Tracking Limits curve and edit the values at each meridian inclination This is also recommended only for advanced users In addition please note the following e There are some instances and situations where you may wish to combine the methods above The simplest example is tweaking a mapping done with the Explorer using the draw feature e The two Reflect buttons can be a HUGE time saver e The screen shot below is provided to further explain the graphical representation of the limits shown in the Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer labeled as Step 3 Define Meridian Tracking Limit Points It shows the graph as it would look part way through a typical meridian limit mapping run using the Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window lore Meridian Limit Mapping in Progress Telescope Target Declination Boxes checked to show both East and West Limits East Limits not yet mapped Hour Angle Magnified to show 5 hours Note the Hour Angle scale on top and bottom the Meridian Inclination scale on the left and the Dec scale on the right 5 12 2 Using the Meridian T
33. configured and employed slews to targets within the east limits will automatically be made using meridian advance and APCC s safety slew logic to place the system ina counterweight up position with the scope on the east for uninterrupted imaging through the meridian The safety slew logic ensures that all mount movement with the counterweight up is with the RA only Using the East Limits the scope can image through the meridian and on for another 6 hours before the telescope reaches the horizon See CW Up Slews within East Limits below li B Astro Physics Command Center Pro File Settings Tools Help Flip Mount E Reset Limit Trigger Setup 4 Site Park g GoTo ReCalg Rate Settings Horizon Meridian 4 Virtual Ports A Pointing Model PEM Other g GPS The ability to work past the meridian into the west or to start ahead of the meridian in the east has always been a hallmark of Astro Physics mounts Both the keypad and the earlier PulseGuide program provided the ability to work beyond the meridian However with both of these control methods the user would want to be present at the mount for safety APCC creates meridian limits that can allow the user to safely exceed the meridian without hovering over the mount to protect the scope and imaging equipment from a potential crash Remotely controlled observatories can now also safely image through the meridian where declination permits it Enable Meridian Tracking Limi
34. deal with suggested procedures and methods of operation in your normal night to night observing and imaging after your system is all set up 1 Get familiar with your mount If you are new to Astro Physics mounts spend some time simply using the mount with the keypad Learn how your mount behaves Become familiar with the mechanics of the mount 2 Make sure that you are familiar with the other software programs that you plan to use with APCC If you try to learn TheSkyX Starry Night Maxim DL CCDStack ACP CCDAutoPilot and APCC all at the same time you will probably be doomed to failure 3 Become familiar with the AP V2 ASCOM Driver before you begin using APCC Since most of the software you will use with APCC will work through the AP V2 ASCOM Driver it is best to first become proficient with operations with the driver If you have been using a program like TheSkyXwith its native driver make the switch to using it with the AP V2 ASCOM Driver before combining it with APCC Confirm that you meet all of the Hardware Software Requirements in the next section Follow the instructions in the section that follows to Install APCC Start APCC and enter your license key information if you have not already done so N O oO A You will be prompted to enter your site information for your primary site You can also enter information for any other sites you wish at this time For getting started you only need the first site you will use so
35. degrees The checkbox MUST be checked for this limit to take effect Right Ascension Group Box Reset to defaults Resets the Right Ascension group box settings to the defaults Right Ascension Spacing The spacing in degrees between Right Ascension mapping points Note that this spacing is in degrees not in units of right ascension Right Ascension Offset The offset in degrees relative to the meridian for which Right Ascension mapping points will be created Min Hour Angle The minimum hour angle at which mapping points will be created Remember that hour angles extend below 6 hours when below the pole The checkbox MUST be checked for this limit to take effect Max Hour Angle The maximum hour angle at which mapping points will be created Remember that hour angles extend above 6 hours when below the pole The checkbox MUST be checked for this limit to take effect Altitude Group Box Min Altitude when enabled no points below the minimum altitude are created The checkbox MUST be checked for this limit to take effect O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 170 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 13 8 Progress Point Map 4 Q O APPM Point Map AX Show Order V Show East Points V Show Counterweight Down Points V Show East Meridian Limits Show Safe Slews Points 253 V Show West Points V Show Counterweight UP Points V Show West Meridian Limits This window shows either 1 The points to
36. don t worry if you don t have the information for every site you will eventually enter You can add sites later 8 Set up your Primary Virtual Port DO NOT check the check box to Auto connect to ASCOM driver on first Virtual Port yet You will do that AFTER the next two steps 2015 Astro Physics Inc Getting Started 15 9 Set up the AP V2 ASCOM Driver 10 In APCC s Connections Group Box select your Primary COM Port to your PC and then connect to your mount 11 Configure the rest of the Virtual Ports Tab for the way you plan to use your system Many users will only need the first Virtual Port for the AP V2 ASCOM Driver Add extra virtual ports if you need them i e for a non ASCOM app like PulseGuide but don t add them unless you actually will use them NOW you can check the box to Auto connect to ASCOM driver on first Virtual Port Most users will want to check both check boxes as shown here Do not check the Auto connect to ASCOM driver on first Virtual Port if you plan to start APCC by connecting first with an ASCOM client This is explained further in the Virtual Ports Tab section a Astro Physics Command Center Pro 5 ae BS es on HERE y 5 co o 7 a 7 Setup 4 Site 4 Park GoTo ReCal Check brizon 4 Meridian y Virtual F 2 12 Set your desired Park position in the Park Tab Set the Unpark option in the dropdown list to Last Parked This is the normal Unpark setting for ALL permanent setups If y
37. eS ee A Oo IMPORTANT This window will NOT appear if you have already initialized the mount with another source like the keypad Also bear in mind that the mount remains initialized until it is power cycled Remote observatories that leave power on to the mount not recommended for safety reasons will maintain an initialized state in the mount and will also not see this window upon startup of APCC At any time you can access this window under the Settings Menu to adjust the settings BE CAREFUL Re initializing an already initialized mount with new information can result in changes to the mount s knowledge of where it is pointed 2015 Astro Physics Inc s Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File APCC Initialize Astro Physics Mount Astro Physics Observatory Last Parked x 1200x 0 0 00 Y Enable PEM El z El z zi z z gt amp 7 J Initialization Select Site Selects the site that will be used to initialize the mount APCC will use the site s latitude longitude time zone elevation default temperature and pressure To edit or create new sites click the Manage Sites button Manage Sites Click this button to bring up the Manage Sites Dialog Unpark from This selects the park position from which APCC will unpark Usually you will want to select Last Parked This is true even if you park to a defined park position The only time you would normally unpark from a defined position is of
38. further details in preparing a model Model Opens the pointing model window In this window you can view and change the pointing model APPM Runs the Astro Physics Point Mapper APPM utility which is included with APCC Pro APPM is what is used to create pointing models used for pointing and tracking rate correction Temp If no supported temperature sensor is present then in this field you can enter the temperature in Celsius Temperature is used in the refraction calculations If a supported temperature sensor THUM is attached to the computer then the temperature from the sensor will not be editable The temperature field will change color to indicate this Hovering the mouse over the temperature field will give additional information NOTE When using a THUM temperature humidity sensor do not install or run the THUM service Only one application at a time can connect to the THUM so if the THUM service is running APCC cannot read data from the THUM nor can it connect to the THUM sence app O 2015 Astro Physics Inc ma Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Pressure Here you can enter the approximate atmospheric pressure This is used for refraction calculations The atmospheric pressure varies based on two principal factors the weather and your altitude above sea level Note that this differs from typical weather forecast barometric pressure which is the atmospheric pressure normalized to sea level D
39. have been communications errors like timeouts or servo errors like low power or motor stall Clicking the button will open a viewer to the list of errors For the 1100 1600 and 3600 mounts a V command timeout might get registered as a COM event This is normal and it can be ignored That command is simply being sent to try to determine if the AE box is present 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window s APCC Communications Events z Time Date 8 6 2014 9 14 02 PM Sent SVH Error The operation has timed out Click the Clear Errors button to clear the screen When you close the window the COM Events button will be grayed out again 5 2 Move Scope Group Box Controls to move the mount are in this group box You can select the move button rate and also swap North South and East West directions When you press and hold a button RA Delta will display the approximate movement of the mount When you let go of the button the calculations will continue to be updated as polls to the mount are completed N S E W NE NW SE SW When pressed the mount will move in the direction that the button indicates The rate of movement will be defined in the Move Button Rate drop down combo box STOP Stops any mount movement initiated by a button press This might be necessary if the serial port command gets corrupted or doesn t make it to the control box Usually tapping one of the direction buttons will stop movement as well because a
40. is advisable to have your horizon limits established before you try to set your meridian limits You will want to take note of the altitude value for the horizon limit opposite your pole Az 180 for the northern hemisphere Az 0 360 for those down under Note that the altitude at these azimuth values will be equivalent to the meridian inclination o NOTE Although you want to have set your horizon limits be sure you have disabled them by unchecking the Enable Horizon Tracking Limits check box in the horizons tab before you begin your Explorer mapping Make sure that your equipment is fully installed and oriented as it will be for usage If you have a rotator for imaging equipment be aware that you will want to always rotate the imaging system into its worst case position with respect to the pier Make sure that you do NOT have a meridian delay in effect 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 99 Click to Clear Click the Clear button e Uncheck the Tracking check box in the lower left corner of the Explorer window if it is checked Unchecked is the default Your First Point on a Side Your first point on each side of the mount will be handled a bit differently from the subsequent points on that side 1 Begin by deciding which side of the mount you wish to map first Click the appropriate button in the upper left of the Step 1 Box It does not matter which side you do first Many people will start with
41. not an important parameter of your setup Color The drop down box allows you to change colors Demo Tab APCC 3D Scope Editor 2015 Astro Physics Inc 3D Scope Window 147 This Demo window allows you to experiment with latitude RA and Dec values to create a graphic model without actually moving the scope to a particular position This feature has been useful for us to create graphics Override mount and allow local adjustments Check this box to ignore the input from the mount position data and activate the entry fields When you are ready to resume your observing session remember to uncheck this box to resume the input of actual position data Latitude Right Ascension Axis Declination Axis Adjust values with slider arrows or number entry 6 2 Menu Items __ Astro Physics 3D Scope View G Documents and Settings All Users Applicat PTE Open Save Save AS View Edit Reset Scope Close File Open Allows you to open sdef file that you created previously for particular telescope and camera setup Save Save the parameters that you have set using the 3D Scope Editor so that you can retrieve it at a later date Save As Save the parameters that you have set using the 3D Scope Editor so that you can retrieve it at 2015 Astro Physics A 1 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File a later date View Two choices give you different view Perspective Includes grid lines
42. of declination so that RA sky spacing remains the same at each declination o Hour Angle For Dome Setups points are mapped at one hour angle at a time This reduces the amount of movement a dome slit might need to do o Custom You can provide your own set of mapping points For an example of the mapping points use the menu option to export points to see the latest format This should only be attempted by advanced users Declination Group Box Reset to defaults Resets the Declination group box settings to the defaults Declination Spacing The spacing in degrees between Declination mapping points Declination Offset The offset in degrees relative to the celestial equator for Declination mapping points will be created Min Declination The minimum Declination at which mapping points will be created This is primarily useful for southern hemisphere users who do not wish to map points too close to their pole Since errors near the pole can be problematic some people will get better overall results if they set this limit above the default of 85 degrees The checkbox MUST be checked for this limit to take effect Max Declination The maximum Declination at which mapping points will be created This is primarily useful for northern hemisphere users who do not wish to map points too close to their pole Since errors near the pole can be problematic some people will get better overall results if they set this limit below the default of 85
43. other short term setup with the keypad and this window in a very short time The First Point 1 Start with a cleared Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer window by pressing the Reset All Limits button 2 Slew to a spot above the horizon away from your pole that you consider your horizon limit A very easy way to do this is to go to the Horizons Tab and double click the approximate point on the horizon graph where you wish to go 3 As long as you are close to the meridian and on the correct side simply adjust the declination to your acceptable horizon height Don t worry about RA if you are relatively close 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 107 UNCHECK THE INTERPOLATE CHECKBOX IN THE STEP 3 PANE Click the Read Mount Position button Enter 0 0 as the hour angle in the Step 2 Pane to overwrite the hour angle read from the mount Click Add Point oN DO gn A RE CHECK THE INTERPOLATE CHECKBOX IN THE STEP 3 PANE Subse quent Points 9 Slew to the next point you wish to add Move in both RA and Dec 10 Click the Read Mount Position button 11 Click Add Point 12 Return to step 9 and repeat until you are done or have reached the pole The Last Point on a Side Remember that you cannot cross the pole 13 Adjust the RA and Dec while watching the hour angle values in the Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer window If you pass the pole the hour angle value will change sign and jump 12 hours for exampl
44. pane to 89 9 Northern Hemisphere 89 9 in the south O oo N DOD a hh 0 DN Set the Hour Angle to 0 0 in the Step 2 pane 10 Click Add Point This will finish the side See screen shot above Unless you have a very lopsided camera setup or pier you can probably simply reflect this limit for the other side Otherwise repeat the procedure STARTING WITH STEP 2 NOT STEP 1 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 109 Editing Part of an Existing Curve to Reflect a Change The trick to using the Add Meridian Tracking Limit Point window to edit an existing set of Meridian Tracking Limits is to get into the limit mapping and then out of the mapping without creating a problem 1 Load the Limit file that you wish to edit or modify 2 UNCHECK THE INTERPOLATE CHECKBOX IN THE STEP 3 PANE 3 On the graph for the limit in the Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer window hover the mouse over the exact spot where you wish to START your edit A white data box will appear with the coordinates for that spot Note the Hour Angle and Dec or Meridian Inclination for the spot Enter these values in the Step 1 and Step 2 panes Click Add Point A blinking square dot will appear on the graph to show you where you are RE CHECK THE INTERPOLATE CHECKBOX IN THE STEP 3 PANE Make your edits and changes After the last change proceed to Step 9 below oO ON DO a Ff On the graph for the limit in the Meridian Tracking Limits
45. positive value greater or equal to zero Negative values except for HA Expected and Dec Expected have a dark red background with white text 12 1 2013 10 51 28 PM UT Elapsed 9 13 seconds HA Last 04 25 33 03 Dec Last 39 57 23 00 HA Expected 04 25 30 88 Dec Expected 39 57 21 94 HA Delta 00 00 02 15 Dec Delta 00 00 01 06 RA Average 9 02 Dec Average 1 93 arc secs RA Rate 0 00831 arc sec sec 343 771 arc sec hr Cos D Dec Rate arc sec sec MEURE arc sec nr Other options Invert Dec Move Direction check box used for debug Will reverse declination move direction Invert Dec Corrections check box also used for debug Check this box if you experience a Declination runaway in the closed loop logic Disable closed loop corrections check box Horizons uses closed loop tracking which means that it checks and adjusts the RA and Dec to make sure it matches the RA Dec coordinates of the object After checking this option Horizons will still constantly adjust tracking rate to match the target s rate but it will not recenter the target You could then place the target anywhere in the field of view without Horizons trying to recenter the target RA Fine Tune arc sec hr If you are not using APCC Pro or not using an APPM pointing model then tracking might not be perfect because of polar misalignment flexure refraction etc You can fine tune the RA tracking rate with this setting in uni
46. quit move command is always sent when a button is released 2015 Astro Physics Inc a Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Move Button Rate Select the rate that will be applied when you press one of the directional move buttons Swap N S Reverses the direction of North and South button commands This is useful to adjust the action of the button pushes to make them more intuitive and instinctual For instance if the star moves down when you push the N button click on the Swap N S button Now the star will move up when you push the N button which will make subsequent adjustments easier You can make the same adjustment with the E and W buttons When properly set up the direction buttons will cause the object to move according to your orientation Swap E W Reverses the direction of the East and West button commands Refer to the Swap N S section above IMPORTANT NOTE The background color of Swap N S and or Swap E W will turn yellow if APCC detects that the mount has the direction reversed When reversed this can cause autoguider calibration failures so it should NOT be left this way if you are attempting to do imaging Auto fix N S E W Movements When checked APCC will monitor and correct the mount direction if reversed If you plan to autoguide through the AP V2 ASCOM Driver it is recommended that you keep this checked Itis important to understand that the direction buttons can NOT be swa
47. rate model can significantly increase the maximum duration that the scope can go unguided Pointing Model Astro Physics mounts are extremely accurate so one might ask why is a pointing model needed The answer may not be obvious because pointing errors can come from many sources other than the mount itself including Polar misalignment Telescope and focuser flexure Sagging or tilted camera to telescope interface Sagging or tilting optics Index errors improperly synched to the current RA Dec coordinates Refraction Dragging cables or moving optics To create a pointing model you must use APPM the Astro Physics Point Mapping software application APPM will slew about the sky taking pictures and plate solving them to extract pointing errors for many different points in the sky Each plate solved image is considered a measurement point for correcting pointing and tracking rates in that part of the sky Having many measurement points allows APCC to best fit a set of standard mechanical and environmental formulas to compensate for most errors It s very important to note that APCC s modeling can only correct repeatable errors That is pointing errors that reoccur with about the same magnitude every time the scope is slewed to any arbitrary position in the sky Errors that usually do not repeat such as dragging cables or moving optics cannot be modeled with APCC s modeling scheme because they can occur randomly and with differen
48. the Horizon Tracking Limits Editor be aware of the points where there would normally be a meridian flip 0 360 and 180 If you try to click exactly on the line you may or may not go to the side you wish because of the limits of your screen resolution Instead at 0 and 360 click just inside the line barely inside the graph window For the 180 point entry do one just to the left and then do one just to the right of the line e When clicking on the graph in the Horizon Tracking Limits Editor keep your sky glow in mind There is no sense in outlining a detailed horizon in a direction where light pollution effectively raises the usable horizon above all the trees buildings etc that you so carefully outlined This is an easy error to make if preparing the horizon limits during daylight File Controls Manage your Horizon Tracking Limits e Click the Save As button to save the newly drawn or edited limit Multiple horizon limits can be saved for different locations Please be sure to double check that the path for your saved horizon limit is correct Horizon Limit files will have the suffix hrz We have found it advantageous to give all settings files for a given location the same or a similar name e Click Load to bring up a previously saved horizon limit e Click OK to place the newly drawn limit into APCC for immediate use 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window es e Click Cancel to close the window without saving
49. the program from this APCC Download Link Installation To install the program double click on the APCC_Setup_1 x x exe or the APCC_Pro_Setup_1 x x exe file that you have downloaded Follow the instructions on the installer You may need to disable some anti virus or firewall software before installing You should NOT need to Run as Administrator However YOU must have administrator privileges for your current logon These are not the same thing Obtaining a license key When you run APCC for the first time and until you enter a license key you will be presented with the Trial Registration Information Dialog when APCC starts APCC Pro Trial Registration vL0 0 7 a Y To enable your 30 day trial of APCC you must first obtain a license key The key will only work on the current computer so please be sure this is the PC on which you want to evaluate APCC Your email address will not be used for any other purpose except to email your registration key If you have purchased APCC and have a LICENSE key you can COPY and PASTE it below O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Getting Started 19 Confirming you have the proper firmware If you are not sure that your mount has the proper firmware installed then you can check it by clicking Check for Valid Firmware For this to work you must have the AP V2 ASCOM Driver installed and configured for normal pre APCC operation The serial cable must be connected from the computer to the mount a
50. to give you a sense of your mount scope in space Orthograpic Does not include the grid lines Edit Brings up the 3D Scope Editor Reset Scope Resets parameters Close Closes 3D Scope View window Sync Re Sync 3D View 7 Emergency Stop Window This window will be activated during slews if the Show Emergency Stop Window box is checked on the Setup Tab El El Y El m The Emergency Stop Window gives you a quick way to stop a slew in an emergency and lock out further slews It is actually a big button that stops any GoTo or Park slews in progress and prevents any further GoTo or Park slews until the mount is unlocked It does NOT prevent button moves nor does it stop tracking It differs from the normal Slewing stop button in that it cannot be overridden by client software which may simply resend the slew command if it detects that a slew has been interrupted It was originally designed for our extreme beta testing especially those tests that featured the mount going well beyond the meridian We liked the feature well enough to leave it in as an added safety option It is of primary value when setting up the meridian limits and running the APPM point mapping with points beyond the meridian CW up points included Once you get to normal everyday everynight usage you may wish to disable the feature 2015 Astro Physics Inc Emergency Stop Window 1 The Emergency Stop Window initially flashes up large and obv
51. use the Home function if you have caused your mount to become lost The Home function should not be thought of as an alternative method of parking the mount 2015 Astro Physics Inc 134 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 1 Select the ELS Tab 2 Click the Find Home button The following dialog box will appear Find Home will slew the mount to its Home Position Are you sure you want to do this 3 Click OK to proceed 4 Wait while the mount slews to the home position IT WILL SLEW TO THE HOME POSITION TWICE The first slew will be at your normal slew rate Then the mount will slew the short distance to the Custom Slew Coordinates before Homing And finally the mount will slew back to the Home position at the slower rate that you selected in the Home Settings window When it has settled the following dialog box will appear N Your mount should now be at the Home position Press OK to exit or CANCEL to retry the Find Home operation Se s 5 Click OK to recalibrate the mount at the Home coordinates 6 Go to ad star or coordinates center and recalibrate or simply use APPM again for another 5 17 1 Home Settings 5 18 GPS Tab APCC has the ability to read a GPS device that is connected to your computer APCC s GPS parser looks for a specific NEMA message GPGGA which contains time latitude longitude and altitude 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 135 values Once it find
52. wall NNE Savers Za E o 3rd point due east o 4th point where east wall met southern roof segment SSE o 5th point due south at peak of southern roof segment o 6th point where roof meets west wall SSW o 7th point due west o 8th point where west wall meets north roof segment NNW o 9th point back to peak of north roof segment Note that this particular test setup was not centered in the observatory This is the reason for the minor asymmetry in the horizon graph O 2015 Astro Physics Inc MUS Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File e You may find it easiest to move to a spot with the keypad s direction buttons Then click the Load Alt Az e Another really good trick is to double click your best guess as to the next point on the graph The mount will slew to the Alt Az of the clicked point Then adjust the position with your keypad The keypad is handy because it allows you to sight along your OTA as you make the fine adjustments When you are happy with the point location go back to the Horizon Tracking Limits Editor and a Click the Load Alt Az button b Click the Add Current Alt Az Point button c Go to the next point This can be especially useful for getting the azimuth of an obstruction right Once the scope is pointing to the correct azimuth load the Alt Az coordinates and then adjust the altitude using the incremental moves described above e When double clicking on the graph in
53. west of the meridian Negative hour angles are east The hour angle at any point in time is simply the meridian coordinate minus the RA coordinate HA LST RA Hour angles are especially useful if you are not tracking If the mount is tracking RA remains constant while the hour angle and the meridian keep changing with time If you are stopped not tracking your hour angle remains constant but the RA value will keep changing with time Park positions for example are ideal candidates for coordinates expressed in HA and Dec Hour angle values can range from 12 00 00 to 12 00 00 Lagoon Nebula RA 18h 03m47s DEC 24 23 00 GoTo Clicking this will slew the mount to the RA Dec position you have entered A confirmation dialog box will appear Click OK to initiate the slew Are you sure you want to slew to RA 1h 13m 41s Dec 37d 06m 00s The Emergency Stop Window will appear if you have clicked the appropriate check box on the Setup 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window e Tab You can disable the Emergency Stop Window using the check box if you wish Note that when the mount is slewing the values in the Telescope Position group box will change as the slew progresses and the word SLEW will flash Note that the E and W in the upper corners of the graphic indicate the pier side Click on 3D View to watch a representation of your telescope as it moves ReCal Clicking this will Recal the mount to the RA Dec p
54. will allow you to reinitialize 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window the mount Refer to Initialization Window for additional information Manage Sites This will open the Manage Sites dialog window which will allow you to add new sites or modify existing sites Resize to original Window Size This will resize APCC to its original size Refer to Known Issues for additional information regarding Windows XP and Vista Save Window Positions When this is selected APCC s window positions will be saved when APCC exits The next time APCC starts the Windows will open in the same position that they were last closed in If you are using Windows XP and possibly Vista though this has not been tested to date and have resized the window the screen may not load correctly Please refer to Known Issues for additional information Close Main Window when opening Status Window As the name implies having this checked will cause the main window to close any time the Status Window is opened Advanced Settings This will open the Advanced Settings Window the same as pressing the Advanced Settings Button in the Program Operation Group Box See Setup Tab gt Advanced Settings for more information 5 5 3 Tools Menu Help Terminal Interface Log Window Open Explorer Instance In Logs Directory Log Zipper Launch APPM Launch Horizons El Terminal interface This opens the Terminal Interface window which allows you to
55. wish to use at the start This is the number of degrees delta in declination to slew with each click of the Next Position button For most people the limits starting out can be rather coarse in the 5 to 10 degree range The max is 20 You may want to tighten this up as you get closer to the pier 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window tot APCC Meridian Tracking Limits Explo 2 Click the Next Position button Once you click the Next Position button a The mount will begin to slew b The Meridian Inclination will update c And the Target Dec will also update 3 During the slew to the Next Position the direction buttons will be grayed out Once they become available move the mount east or west depending on the side you are mapping until you either reach the pier or point to the horizon You can use any button control that you have available but the most convenient are usually either the buttons right there in the Step 2 Explore Limit box or else the buttons on the keypad We have found that it is often quickest and easiest to use the direction buttons in the Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer at higher speed 600x or 1200x to get close and then to finish with the keypad at 64x The keypad allows you to stand where you can see the scope and pier more clearly Allow yourself a bit of safety margin but since these are tracking limits you don t need a lot Add Point 4 Decide on next Dec I
56. you let APCC handle all primary control operations like initialization In other words we recommend that this box be checked Some people with permanent setups will want a value of 0 or 1 second Choose a low time value like this if you never need to change any of the initialization 2015 Astro Physics Inc 52 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File settings Users who are portable or who operate hands on may want to set the time delay higher This gives you a chance to stop the auto initialization to change locations or other parameters The Initialization Window was discussed earlier in these instructions Auto Shutdown Checking this option will cause APCC to shut down after the last ASCOM driver client disconnects It allows easier automation by removing the requirement that you manually close APCC at the end of your observing session Hint You may wish to consider a longer value for this feature depending on your circumstances For people who occasionally switch software it is a good idea to give a time cushion so that APCC doesn t shut down before you are up and running with the next client program Some automated remote observers on the other hand may want the auto shutdown to occur immediately to facilitate full system shutdown Enable Logging to disk Check this option if you want to enable logging to disk The resulting log file will be saved to your hard drive It is not possible to uncheck the box at this time We want t
57. 15 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 51 directly to the mount Please see the Terminal Interface Window section for more details Log Window Click this button to open the Command Log window The log window shows commands being sent to and from the mount Please refer to the Log Window information Log Directory Clicking this button will open an instance of Windows Explorer into the directory where log files are stored If you need to report a bug use the Log Zipper Window Firmware When the mount is connected the firmware version of the mount will display 5 6 1 Advanced_Settings BM APCC Advanced Settings Auto select first virtual COM Port if not defined recommended Checking this will cause APCC to create a virtual port in the first position if you have failed to define one or if your defined port number has been hijacked by another Windows operation We still recommend that you follow the instructions in the Setting up your primary Virtual Port section found earlier in the Getting Started section of this manual Consider this a safeguard if your system uses a large number of serial devices Auto Initialize secs If you check this option and then set a value APCC will initialize an uninitialized mount automatically If you do not check this option then APCC will wait for you to either tell it to commence with initialization or else for the mount to indicate that it has already been initialized We strongly recommend that
58. 171 O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Contents 5 Part XIV Horizons 171 1 Retrieving data from the JPL Horizons Web Side cccceeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeneees 175 2 Test Trackin iii ir 182 3 Tracking A Target i ii A A aia 184 Index 189 O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 6 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 1 Welcome to APCC Welcome to the instruction manual and help file for the Astro Physics Command Center APCC This is a working document that will be updated frequently based on user feedback Please check back often to obtain the most recent version The topics in this Welcome section provide information about the features of APCC Standard and Pro versions version history and the license agreement We hope you find this information useful and easy to understand File Settings Tools Help Unparked AP Tracking Sidereal Guide Rate 1 00x PEM On RARate 0 00000 DEC Rate 0 00000 The Astro Physics Command Center APCC Main Window 1 1 Features Astro Physics Command Center APCC is available in two versions APCC Standard and APCC Pro Please review the feature list below regarding each version APCC Standard Features e Editable 3D telescope view shows the current orientation of your telescope e Editable horizon tracking limits to stop tracking or park the mount once a horizon limit is reached 2015 Astro Physics Inc Welcome to APCC 7 Editable meri
59. 2 Troubleshooting Tools Enter topic text here 2015 Astro Physics Inc 156 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 12 2 1 Log Window Enter topic text here 12 2 2 Log Zipper Window Enter topic text here 13 APPM The Astro Physics Point Mapper G O Astro Physics Point Mapper Points 560 File Settings Tools Help Run E Connect Site Latitude Scape Duc Dres Ca o Cs Camera Disconnect MaximDL CCO m Elevation m _ Temp C Dome Plate Solve Plate Solve and Recal Recal near Zenith at start Skip Plate Solves for Testing Solve All Sky requires PinPoint v6 and Intemet Precess J2000 to JNow Pause after each Slew Verify Pointing Model After Complete Measurement Good Bad Solves Start Stop Stop Tracking Start at specific point 0 Num Time Side CW Hour Angle RA Dec Status 13 1 Overview APPM or Astro Physics Point Mapper is a tool used to measure across the sky the telescope s actual pointing position vs the mount s targeted position The difference between the targeted and actual positions is the pointing error By systematically capturing the pointing errors throughout a set of points in the sky a pointing correction model can be created And then from the pointing model a tracking rate correction model can be created 2015 Astro Physics Inc APPM The
60. 3 4 02 00 PM 11 27 2013 12 02 00 AM 13 8312389 42 609972 476 51780 42 15270 309 14 19 70 0 00 4 11 26 2013 4 03 00 PM_ 11 27 2013 12 03 00 AM 13 831489 42 609778 476 51780 42 16690 309 25 19 55 0 00 5 11 26 2013 4 04 00 PM 11 27 2013 12 04 00 AM 13 831689 42 609583 476 51780 42 18110 309 36 19 40 0 00 6 11 26 2013 4 05 00 PM 11 27 2013 12 05 00 AM 13 831889 42 609389 476 51780 42 19520 309 46 19 24 0 00 7 11 26 2013 4 06 00 PM_ 11 27 2013 12 06 00 AM 13 832089 42 609194 476 51770 42 20930 309 57 19 09 0 00 8 11 26 2013 4 07 00 PM___ 11 27 2013 12 07 00 AM___13 832289 42 609000 476 51770 42 22330 309 68 18 94 0 00 z This table contains relevant entries from the target s Ephemeris data The table contains Index line number in the table Local Time local time for the entry in the table UTC universal time for the entry in the table RA the target s Right Ascension value Dec the target s Declination value RA Rate the instantaneous RA rate of the target at the time Dec Rate the instantaneous Dec rate of the target at the time Azimuth azimuth of the target at the time Altitude altitude of the target at the time Magnitude if magnitude is available the estimated magnitude of the target at the time O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 186 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Status Information This shows the the tracking status of the target Values with light green backgrounds signify a
61. 39 ReCal to Alt Az position 64 ReCal to RA Dec position 61 35 120 35 120 120 122 O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Recalibrate 61 64 Recalibrate compared with sync 65 Reset horizon tracking limit trigger 73 Reset limit trigger 85 Reset tracking to sidereal 70 Resizing windows 31 47 154 Reticle brightness adjust 124 Su Safe zone 85 Save settings as 46 Save window positions 47 Saving resized windows 154 Select site set 53 Set backlash 35 124 Set Dec backlash 35 124 Set focus motor speed 124 Set GoTo slew rate 35 Set guide rate 35 Set move button rate 35 Set PEM 35 Set RA backlash 35 124 Set tracking rate 35 Set tracking rate buttons 37 Set trim rate 3600GTOPE R A precision encoder 126 Set up site information 54 Show east limits 87 Show west limits 87 Site description enter 54 Site information group box 53 Site latitude display 34 Site longitude display 34 Site name enter 54 Site tab 52 Slew rate set 35 70 Software requirements 16 Status 3600GTOPE R A precision encoder 127 Status bar 45 Status window 36 Fault status 40 Mount position status 38 Quick access controls 37 Rate status 39 Time status 39 Status window enable 50 Stop auto initialization button 32 192 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Stop button 43 Stop Slew 148 Swap E W button 37 43 Swap N S button 37 43 Sync compared with recalibrate 65 Sync to Alt Az position 64 65 Sync to RA Dec position 61 65 SYNC gt R
62. A RELE eo PARK 2 Northern Hemisphere The scope is level on top of the mount facing the eastern horizon The counterweight shaft is pointing down Both Hemispheres RA axis is vertical Dec 0 The southern hemisphere is mirror reversed The scope still points 0 y to the eastern horizon but east is to the left when facing the southern pole A Southern Hemisphere 2015 Astro Physics Inc eo Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File PARK 3 Northern Hemisphere amp Southern Hemisphere The scope is pointing to the pole The counterweight shaft is pointing down RA axis is vertical Dec 90 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window st Northern Hemisphere The scope is level on the east side of the mount facing the southern horizon The counterweight Shaft is also level and pointing due west This position is the New Reference Park Position Both Hemispheres RA is horizontal North Dec 90 Latitude South Dec 90 Latitude The southern hemisphere is mirror reversed The scope is still level on the east side of the mount but gt is facing the northern horizon The counter weight shaft is also still level and pointing due west Southern Hemisphere 5 9 GoTo Recal Tab GoTo ReCal to RA Dec The GoTo ReCal to RA Dec allows you to enter your own coordinates for a slew Coordinates can also be loaded from previously saved coordinates on the dropdown li
63. APCC Home Settiings 2015 Astro Physics Inc 130 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Iterations This is the number of homing slews that will be used to create the average value in the Establish Home routine Five iterations is a good value to use with three being the minimum number of iterations that we would recommend This setting does NOT apply to the Find Home routine Slew Rate In sidereal units Because the homing function involves the closing of mechanical switches precision is improved by using slower slew rates than you might for normal GoTo operation We have found 200Xto be a good compromise between accuracy and speed for this procedure This rate will be used in BOTH the Establish Home routine and in the Find Home routine if you get the mount lost at a later time This slower rate ONLY applies to the final short slews into the home position Slew Settle Time Set a value to allow the mount to settle at its position before the next action is undertaken For the Establish Home routine this is the settle time before coordinates are read into memory for averaging For the Find Home routine it is the settle time before the saved average home coordinates are used to calibrate the GTO Servo Control Box s pointing position Custom Slew Coordinates before Homing APCC uses these coordinates as the jumping off point for going home They are used as the coordinates to which the mount slews between iterations in the
64. APCC does not have internet access you can click the Get Trial Key Manually button A window like below will appear 2015 Astro Physics Inc 22 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File MM APCC Get Trial License Key Manually E z Email the number below to support astro physics com Make sure to include your first and last name in the e mail After emailing the request you should receive a Trial License Key via email within 1 business day but probably within a few hours if during business hours 1793588304 Close Write down the number and from a computer with internet access e mail it to Astro Physics The staff of Astro Physics will manually generate the license key for you and send via a return e mail This could take 2 3 days since the license key won t be generated over the weekend or holidays After you have entered the license key information select the Start APCC button Clearing the license key If for some reason you need to reenter your license key you can click the Clear License Key button You will then be able to enter a new trial license key the next time you start APCC 2 4 Setting up your primary Virtual Port What is a virtual port Real serial ports are single unique point to point communication contacts between two and ONLY two devices Serial ports by their nature cannot be shared Virtual serial ports are software based rather than physical Through the Virtual port softw
65. As a final step to the mount testing process we optimize performance even further using a special version of Ray Gralak s PEMPro developed specifically for our test equipment We generate a unique PE curve for each mount that we program into each GTOCP3 Control Box Simply use the Keypad or your Astro Physics software ASCOM V2 driver PulseGuide or APCC to turn the PE Correction on and you will see results significantly better than our published 5 or 7 arc second spec depending on the mount without additional PEMPro runs However you may use PEMPro to further refine your PE if you chose to do so Use PEMPro by Sirius Imaging to Record PEM PEMPro Periodic Error Management Professional Version 2 by Sirius Imaging is a very powerful Windows software application that allows you to correct your mount s periodic error polar alignment and backlash using your CCD Camera or Webcam to dramatically improve tracking and guiding As mentioned previously our extensive testing procedures include several PEMPFro runs so that your new mount will perform with optimum PE correction out of the box Although you will not need to use PEMPro when you receive your mount you may wish to do a PEMPro run at a later date after the worm gear has run in Depending on usage re measuring error and re loading periodic error correction from one to four times a year is a good practice especially if you do some unguided images from time to time The corrections have been st
66. Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File APCC Pro Version 1 0 3 4 O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 6 3 2015 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File O 2015 Astro Physics Inc All rights reserved No parts of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means graphic electronic or mechanical including photocopying recording taping or information storage and retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher Products that are referred to in this document may be either trademarks and or registered trademarks of the respective owners The publisher and the author make no claim to these trademarks While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document the publisher and the author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions or for damages resulting from the use of information contained in this documentor from the use of programs and source code that may accompany it In no event shall the publisher and the author be liable for anyloss of profit or any other commercial damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this document Printed June 2015 in Machesney Park IL Special thanks to Publisher Ray Gralak software author and Howard Hedlund technical support at Astro Physics for persevering with this project The many hours of collaboration code writing and testing have now culminated in mount control software that will enhance your observing o
67. CAL translation 109 iTe Tabs 31 Telescope position 61 Telescope position group box 44 Terminal interface 47 50 Terminal interface window 150 Time status 39 Time zone offset set 54 Time zone display 34 Timeout set 41 Tools group box Log directory 50 Log window 50 Terminal 50 Tracking rate set 35 70 Trimetric 3D scope view 137 Us Unpark 34 56 Unpark from selected park position 34 56 Unpark now button 34 User defined park position 56 sWe Version history 8 Virtual port management 109 Virtual ports tab 109 W west limit 85 West meridian limit 85 Windows Net framework 17 Windows XP issues 154 2015 Astro Physics Inc
68. Dome Settings Dome Control Method O Active Issue slews to Dome Passive Monitor Dome Slewing until done Delay before starting dome slew checking Settle time after dome stops slewing Active When selected APPM will send slew commands to the dome s ASCOM driver Passive When selected APPM will not issue commands to slew the dome but will wait for the dome to stop slewing This option should be used when connected to some third party applications that slew the dome automatically when the telescope slews APPM periodically checks if the dome is slewing Delay before starting dome check slewing the amount of time in seconds before APPM starts checking if th edome is slewing The delay is used to give the telescope driver to start the dome slew in the background Settle Time after dome stops slewing Extra time in seconds to wait after the slewing flag clears Plate Solved Images This determines what happens to plate solved images after they are used o Don t save after each image is used it is deleted o Save Failed Solves Only all images except those that fail are deleted potentially to be use for later diagnosis of why plate solves were failing o Save All all images are saved o Delete all FITS Files Immediately deletes all FITS images that were previously not deleted in the images directory Reset all Parameters to Defaults resets all parameters to the defaults Refresh Meridian Horizon limits
69. ER Target Body change Comet C 2012 S1 ISON Observer Location change San Jose CA 121 53 24 0 W 37 20 16 1 N Time Span change Start 2013 11 24 Stop 2013 12 04 Step 1 m Table Settings change QUANTITIES 1 4 7 9 20 23 24 Display Output change plain text Target Body select from 3 matching bodies Select Indicated Body Cancel ABOUTSSD___ __CREDITS AWARDS _ GLOSSARY LINKS Fi GO 2013 Nov 25 13 43 UT Site Manager Donald K Yeomans FIRSTGOV server date time Webmaster Alan B Chamberlin Observer Location Once there you can configure your geographic position by clicking the change link for Observer Location Current Settings Ephemeris Type change OBSERVER Target Body change Mars 499 Observer Location Geocentric 500 Time Span change Start 2013 11 24 Stop 2013 12 24 Step 1 d Table Settings change defaults Display Output change default formatted HTML O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 178 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Time Span Next you should change the time span to the time range you are interested in To do this click the change link for Time Span The fields you need to edit are marked with red boxes below 1 Set the Start Time and Stop Time fields or click one of the buttons 10 day 30 day or 60 day 2 For the best accuracy be sure to set the time interval to 1 minute so that APCC can more
70. Establish Home routine and they are the coordinates used before the final approach to home in the Find Home routine The recommended Custom Slew coordinates are in the table below Northern Northern Southern Southern Hemisphere Hemisphere Hemisphere Hemisphere Conventional Side by side Conventional Side by side Establish Home If you have home and limit switches installed with GTOELS support clicking this button will perform multiple same direction slews to the home position Before using this procedure make sure that you are accurately polar aligned and have recently re calibrated or synched You only need to perform the establish home routine once unless you subsequently move the mount via the clutches or move the mount physically as in redoing the polar alignment Changing the positions of the actuators will also necessitate redoing the Establish Home routine However you may repeat the procedure as often as you like it simply isn t necessary unless the system has been moved manually When you click the Establish Home button the mount performs a number of pairs of slews into and out of the home position These short slews always come from the same position and are done at the same rate to improve consistency By having an accurate calibration before you start and then by averaging the celestial coordinates of the home positions an extremely accurate mapping can be made between the physical position of the mount wh
71. Explorer window hover the mouse over the exact spot where you wish to END your edit A white data box will appear with the coordinates for that spot 10 Note the Hour Angle and Dec or Meridian Inclination for the spot 11 Enter these values in the Step 1 and Step 2 panes 12 Click Add Point You are done 13 Save the edited limit if you wish 5 13 Virtual Ports Tab An unfortunate aspect of serial ports is that they create unique point to point connections which exclude more than one application at a time from connecting to the mount This limitation is more than outweighed by the robustness and dependability of serial connections and these qualities are why serial connections are still the preferred method of control in industrial applications The Astro Physics V2 ASCOM driver allows multiple ASCOM applications to connect but it does not allow multiple non ASCOM applications to communicate to the mount using the mount s native protocol To allow APCC to talk to multiple applications APCC provides 4 virtual COM ports that allow up to 4 applications to use the mount s native command protocol simultaneously Such applications may include the AP V2 ASCOM Driver PulseGuide and Software Bisque s TheSky6 X or other non ASCOM programs The normal configuration is to devote the first Virtual Port to the AP V2 ASCOM Driver This was explained in the Getting Started Section We highly recommend that you follow this practice As mentioned in the G
72. IMIATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES SO THIS EXLUSION AND LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU IN NO CASE SHALL ASTRO PHYSICS LIABILITY IF ANY EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE PAID BY LICENSEE FOR THE SOFTWARE PRODUCT 7 Export Laws The Software Product and related technology are subject to U S export control laws and may be subject to export or import regulations in other countries You agree to strictly comply with all such laws and regulations and acknowledge that you have the responsibility to obtain such licenses to export re export or import as may be required 8 U S Government Licenses The Software Product is a commercial item as that term is defined in 48 C F R 2 101 consisting of commercial computer software and commercial computer software documentation as such terms are used in 48 C F R 12 212 Consistent with 48 C F R 12 212 and 48 C F R 227 7202 1 through 227 7202 4 all U S Government Licensees acquire the Software with only those rights set forth therein 9 Jurisdiction This License Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Illinois excluding its conflict of laws principles Each of the parties hereby consent to jurisdiction and venue in the state and federal courts sitting in Winnebego County Illinois In any such dispute the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover its reasonable attorneys fees and expenses from the other party in addition to any other remedy said party may be
73. O system please read the PEM Recording Options section By default PEM is disabled when the mount is powered on PEM can be setup to automatically initialize each session in the Initialization Window a Astro Physics Command Center Standard ol xj Fie Settings Tools Help Periodic Error Correction Group Box Enable PEM Enables PEM periodic error correction Disable PEM Disables PEM periodic error correction PEM Record Starts the mount s PEM recording feature Last Sent The last sent command on this tab The current PEM state is always shown in the Status Bar PEM Record Countdown Shows the countdown in seconds after PEM Record is pressed The amount of time required for the PEM cycle varies depending on the mount model and will display accordingly Refer to the Use APCC to Record PEM section for instructions Periodic Error Correction in Encoder Equipped Mounts 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 121 The question often arises Should have my PEM enabled on my mount with Absolute Encoders The answer is YES There is no conflict between having BOTH PE correction and Absolute Encoder correction occurring at the same time In fact you end up with a situation that is similar to autoguiding with PEM enabled The PE corrections occur in anticipation of PE based on the historical curve you have stored in the GTOCP3 servo control box With these anticipatory corrections actual error will be reduced The absolute
74. PCC if it is not still open from your installation You do not need to be connected to the mount File Settings Tools Help 3 Click on the Virtual Ports tab in APCC 4 Click on the Port Selection Dropdown list for the first top virtual port The default is None but all of the available choices will be listed 5 Select the COM Port that you decided on in step 1 from the dropdown list 6 YOU MUST click the Create button to create the port in your system This isn t simply an APCC option but goes to the heart of the PC s operating system 2015 Astro Physics Inc z Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 2 5 A Astro Physics Command Center Pro Administrator File Settings Tools Help 7 DO NOT check the checkbox to Auto Connect to the ASCOM driver on the first Virtual Port yet 8 Remember the COM port number you just created and proceed to the next step in these instructions Setting up the AP V2 ASCOM Driver 9 More information on using the Virtual Ports can be found under the Main Window gt Virtual Ports Tab Setting up the AP V2 ASCOM Driver Make sure you have v5 06 00 or later of the AP V2 ASCOM driver installed We encourage you to check the AP V2 ASCOM website frequently for updates http www gralak com apdriver in addition to making sure that you have the most recent version of APCC installed 1 In the ASCOM Driver s Telescope Setup check the APCC Virtual Port option ch
75. Physics Command Center Standard APCC ST Astro Physics Command Center Pro APCC PRO Astro Physics Horizons APH and Astro Physics Absolute Encoder Utility APAE APCC ST APCC PRO APH and APAE are each referred to herein as either Software ora Software Product and are collectively referred to herein as the Software Products IMPORTANT This is a legal agreement between you the Licensee and Astro Physics the Licensor By installing copying or otherwise using a Software Product you are agreeing unconditionally to be bound by the terms of this License Agreement If you do not agree to the terms of this License Agreement do not install or use the Software Products For the purposes of this Agreement Software or Software Product refers not only to the computer software identified above but also to all associated media printed materials online or electronic documentation including any and all executable files tutorials help files utilities and other files that accompany any of the Software Products 2015 Astro Physics Inc 12 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 1 License Subjectto the terms of this License Agreement you are permitted to install and use the Software on no more than two 2 computers per copy of the Software purchased solely for your personal and nonmilitary use provided that only one 1 copyis in use at any given time You may make one copy of the
76. Physics may terminate this License Agreement at its discretion Upon termination you must return or destroy all copies of the Software including all of its component parts Your obligation to return or destroy all copies of the Software upon termination shall not be deemed to restrict the rights of the Licensor and shall be in addition to any and all other remedies available to Licensor 2015 Astro Physics Inc Welcome to APCC 13 5 Warranty Disclaimer ASTRO PHYSICS DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL BE DEFECT FREE OR MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS THE SOFTWARE PRODUCT IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON INFRINGEMENT 6 Limitation of Liability IN NO EVENT SHALL ASTRO PHYSICS ITS OFFICERS DIRECTORS EMPLOYEES CONTRACTORS OR RESELLERS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES INCLUDING ANY GENERAL SPECIAL INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE PRODUCT INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE WORK STOPPAGE COMPUTER FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION FAILURE OF THE SOFTWARE PRODUCT TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER SOFTWARE PRODUCTS OR OTHER LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES REGARDLESS IF THE LICENSOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXLUSION OR L
77. Quantities 2 3 4 7 9 others ok Display Output as plain text 2 JPL Horizons Ephemeris Start UT Stop UT Interval Lat Lon Current RA JPL HORIZONS Rec 903976 COV Ephemeris Values Target Name Current Alt Az Current Hr Ang Current Dec Lovejoy C 2013 R1 Soln date 2013 Nov 25_10 17 18 238 110 24 060 2013 Nov 27 07 48 59 obs 1707 79 days FKS J2000 0 helio ecliptic osc elements au days deg period Julian yrs Lovejoy C 2013 R1 a 11 27 2013 12 00 00 AM 12 7 2013 12 00 00 AM 00 01 00 37 338 84 432 00 12 16 89 14 02 11 15 42 23 00 23 Save to save data to ephemeris data to disk for later use Load to load previous data Test to run a simulated run Track Object immediately or delays until a time issues a GOTO and starts tracking Ephemeris Values Ephemens Values Target Name Start UT Stop UT Interval Lat Lon Current Alt Az Current Hr Ang Current RA Current Dec II II wea 2 View Ephemeris Data Lovejoy C 2013 R1 a 11 27 2013 12 00 00 AM 12 7 2013 12 00 00 AM 00 01 00 37 338 68 486 01 49 30 84 14 01 04 17 42 24 27 80 238 110 67 805 Once data has been loaded the following information is displayed about it Target Name The name of the target Double check this to be sure you have the correct target loaded 173 Start UT The start time and date in
78. Rate Enter the RA rate and click Set to set the rate You can either use the up down arrows or enter the desired number Dec Rate Enter the Dec rate and click Set to set the rate You can either use the up down arrows or enter the desired number Set Both Now Sets both the RA and Dec rates simultaneously RA Drift This is the current rate read back from the mount using the setting for RA Rate Relative To Dec Drift This is the current rate read back from the mount Reset Tracking to Sidereal Resets tracking back to sidereal rate and the Dec rate back to zero 5 11 Horizon Tab Overview The Horizon Tab opens the Horizon Tracking Limits Window Horizon Tracking Limits are limits that you set to represent your actual horizon at your observing location With Horizon Limits activated you can leave an imaging setup running unattended with the knowledge that the mount will take the action you have selected when the scope reaches your defined horizon The horizon limits act upon a mount that is tracking They do NOT prevent slews that will point the scope below your defined horizon However a slew into an area below the defined horizon limit will cause the mount to take your chosen action once the slew is completed and tracking commences The horizon limits will NOT however save you from an errant slew command See Notes at bottom of this page Use the Horizon Tracking Limits in conjunction with the Meridian Tracking Limits to define
79. The version of firmware in the GTOELS box Mechanical Position g C soo MT Right Ascension Axis The internal mechanical angle degrees of the Right Ascension Axis The 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 1 mechanical position is relative to the established home position Declination Axis The internal mechanical angle degrees of the Declination Axis This mechanical position is also relative to the established home position Home Position Overview The Home position is a mechanical position that roughly mimics the Astro Physics Park 2 position for conventional scope orientations Park 3 for side by side setups Its precise position can be adjusted by a small amount via the actuators on the mount and we have developed a routine to establish a precise mapping to celestial coordinates The general work flow description will be provided below the information for each of the individual components in the home position box Config Drop down Box This selection tells APCC whether your telescope is set up in the conventional orientation Home roughly equivalent to the AP Park 2 position or in a side by side setup Home roughly equivalent to Park 3 A third Custom setting is also available This configuration then provides you with default values for the settings described immediately below Settings The settings defined in this window determine how the mount will perform its Establish Home and Find Home routines
80. accurately interpolate position 3 Be sure to click Use Specified Times If you don t the time values will NOT be used HORIZONS Web Interface This tool provides a web based limited interface to JPL s HORIZONS system which can be used to generate ephemerides for solar system bodies Full access to HORIZONS features is available via the primary telnet interface HORIZONS system news shows recent changes and improvements A web interface tutorial is available to assist new users Current Settings Ephemeris Type change OBSERVER Target Body change Mars 499 Observer Location change San Jose CA 121 53 24 0 W 37 20 16 1 N Time Span change Start 2013 11 24 Stop 2013 12 24 Step 1 d Table Settings change defaults Display Output change default formatted HTML Time Span switch to discrete times form Available time span for currently selected target body Preset 10day 30day 60day 1900 01 04 to 2100 01 03 TT Start Time 2013 11 24 Times may be specified as calendar dates and optionally times Stop Time 2013 12 04 e g YYYY BC AD MMM DD hh mm UT TT or Julian dates e g JD DDDDDDD DDDD where items in curly braces are Step Size optional For years earlier than 1000 be sure to append AD or BC as appropriate Unless otherwise specified UT is assumed for OBSERVER tables Use Specified Times Cancel See the HORIZONS documentation for acc
81. ach spring backward each fall Each hour is equivalent to 15 of sky Therefore a simple mistake in the entered value off or on for daylight savings will throw the calculated meridian off by a whopping 15 The next illustration shows this 2015 Astro Physics Inc e Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Scope at 10 East Calculated z of Meridian due a vertical to Daylight Savings Time Error 15 East The telescope is 10 east of the true meridian If syncing on a star with the telescope in this position you would and it should be on 1 the calculated meridian will be 5 too far to the east to sync Likewise just entering the wrong location i e your back yard location number instead of your dark site location number can throw you off by enough to make any sync close to the meridian worth reconsidering Sync is a very important handy and powerful command Don t be scared to use it just follow these safe guidelines now that you understand how it works 1 Your mount MUST be polar aligned Since sync establishes the mount s orientation with respect to the telescope counterweight shaft and pier polar alignment is a prerequisite 2 NEVER sync if your counterweight shaft is pointing up Avoid syncing if your counterweight shaft is close to horizontal Remember that the sync object and the telescope must be on opposite sides of the mount meridian 3 Do not use sync if your meridian delay featu
82. action are properly being accounted for In the upper left section is the Model Properties Group Box These are are the most important model terms You can check uncheck them to see how well the model fits the data by looking at how the average and maximum errors and graph points change Usually you will want all terms selected NOTE in the terms the Index Dec Error Non perp Dec OTA and Flex Cantilever Axis usually have inverted signs between the axes Also the quality of the Polar alignment numbers can be judged by how well they match in each of the dual models If they are close you can be confident that the numbers are modeled well the Azimuth is most important Site Parameters for the model are shown in the small group box between the Model Properties and the scatter diagrams Depending on your screen size you may need to enlarge the window to see this group box The last large section in the upper right the table simple shows the raw data points collected for the 2015 Astro Physics Inc 120 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File model You can uncheck specific data points ifthey seem to be bad data points 5 15 PEM Tab Astrophotography and CCD Imaging demand the highest tracking accuracy to obtain pinpoint star images throughout your photographic exposure You do not need PEM unless you are engaged in one of these activities If you are not familiar with PEM Periodic Error Memory in the Astro Physics GT
83. al Port Managemen 6 When everything is set you can use the Check Port button if you are connected to the mount with APCC The mount MUST be powered up and connected to APCC for this button to work You can always check this later A successful connection will open a small window that says Mount Found Firmware V A failure will result in a small window that says Mount NOT Found O 2015 Astro Physics Inc z Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File COM Port Details 45 APCC Virtual Port Y Check Port Serial Object Default Park Unpark ll 7 Open the expanded Advanced section of the AP V2 ASCOM Driver s Setup window by clicking the button in the lower right corner Advanced gt gt gt gt gt gt 8 At the bottom of the Initialization Setup pane is a checkbox to Allow connect if mount not present Most users will want to check this box It will allow APCC the extra time that may be required to complete initialization of the mount without causing a timeout in the driver 2015 Astro Physics Inc Getting Started Allow connect if mount not present y Other Options You now have your AP V2 ASCOM Driver and your APCC Virtual Ports configured to work together Additional details and options can be found in the section on the Virtual Ports Tab under the Main Window and in the documentation for the AP ASCOM V2 Driver 2 6 Operational Work Flow Basics Introduction The earlie
84. alid entries for altitude are from 90 to 90 degrees although it is very unlikely that you will ever use negative altitude values 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window e Azimuth values can range from 0 to 359 59 59 Az 0 is always due north regardless of your hemisphere Az 90 is due east Az 180 is due south And Az 270 is due west All of the actions and buttons below are like the ones above where they are explained in greater detail Ese toma Se GoTo Clicking this will slew the mount to the Alt Az position you have entered ReCal Clicking this will recalibrate the mount to the Alt Az position you have entered Sync Clicking this will sync the mount to the Alt Az position you have entered Be very careful that the mount is not in a counterweight up position when using this Save This will save the Alt Az coordinates to the drop down list You will be prompted for a title to be put in the list The procedure is the same as described above for the GoTo ReCal to RA Dec group box Load This will load the Alt Az coordinates with the selected values in the Alt Az fields Select the desired target from the drop down box Load Current RA Dec Loads the Alt Az fields with the displayed coordinates Sync Explained in Detail and Compared to Recalibrate Sync and Recalibrate are often used as synonyms in everyday use but to APCC and the GTO Control Box directing the movements of your mount they are different an
85. all of the allowable sky at which your scope can be pointed Note that you should use the meridian limits to O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File define the horizon in situations where the scope is past the meridian Because these counterweight up scope past the meridian positions will have higher usable horizons you will not want the same limits as you will when the scope is in a traditional position For users with the Pro version of APCC the Horizon and Meridian Tracking Limits are also extremely useful in point mapping for the pointing and tracking correction functions Northern Hemisphere On Off Astro Physics Command Center Standard Checkbox File Settings Tools Help e 0 each North Pole Zero Tracking g Countdown Timer Telescope Pointing Here NN etup Times Site 4 Park g GoTo ReCal4Rate Settings Horizon Meri Mp4 Virtual Pogg PEM 4 Other GPS Reset Button e e el NE pias cow Refresh LE Your Custom Horizon Line Opens Horizon Put Limit Editor SE SSW Dia Unparked AP Tracking Sidereal Guide Rate 1 00x PEM On RA Rate 0 00000 DEC Rate 0 00000 O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window Southern Hemisphere On Off Checkbox WW Astro Physics Command Center Pro File Settings Tools Help Action to take a at Limit Park Mount
86. allows you to immediately go to the targets actual position or to delay to a certain time before going to it Once tracking has been started it will continue until stopped 14 1 Retrieving data from the JPL Horizons Web Side To use Horizons you just need to follow some simple steps 1 Click the link in the Horizons program that opens a web browser to the JPL Horizons Ephemerides site JPL Horizons Ephemeris O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 176 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File The top level web page should look something like this ES HORIZONS Web Interface A ssd jpl nasa gov horizons cgi top Most Visited Getting Started Latest Headlines California Institute of Technology Near Earth Object NEO Program moue am E o S Jet Propulsion Laboratory View the NASA Portal Search JPL HORIZONS Web Interface This tool provides a web based limited interface to JPL s HORIZONS system which can be used to generate ephemerides for solar system bodies Full access to HORIZONS features is available via the primary telnet interface HORIZONS system news shows recent changes and improvements A web interface tutorial is available to assist new users Current Settings Ephemeris Type change OBSERVER Target Body change Mars 499 Observer Location change Geocentric 500 Time Span change Start 2013 11 24 Stop 2013 12 24 Step 1 d Table Settings change defaults Display Output ch
87. an Delay to 0 before unparking APCC BUG FIX Fix excessive CPU utilization when Automatic Shutdown is selected APCC BUG FIX Improve some of ELS homing functionality Version 1 0 1 0 1 1 2015 Beta APCC Allow APCC to be connected to a COM Port waiting for mount to be turned on APCC BUG FIX Fixed arithmetic overflow that sometimes happened when calculating CRCs Version 1 0 0 9 12 20 2014 Release APCC BUG FIX Fixed start up issue with Windows XP APCC BUG FIX Fixed homing issue with 3600 mounts Homing feature Version 1 0 0 8 11 30 2014 Beta 8 11 APCC BUG FIX Fixed extra slew that was happening sometimes when slewing from Park 1 APCC BUG FIX Main window s position should now be restored if the Save windows positions option is set Also other window positions should be saved when closing the main window to exit APCC Previously the windows had to be closed first to be remembered APCC BUG FIX Not all COMM timeouts were being reported in the COM Timeouts window APCC Improved detection of mount disconnects and reconnects LST RA Dec Alt Az fields will now flash when mount connection is lost APCC Made improvements to logging Version 1 0 0 8 11 22 2014 Beta 1 7 APCC Meridian Limits Changed entry value precision to 2 decimal places APCC Improved robustness of Connect to Port logic APCC Improved the look and feel of the COM Port warning error dialog Removed pop up warning me
88. ange default formatted HTML Generate Ephemeris Special Options e set default ephemeris settings preserves only the selected target body and ephemeris type e reset all settings to their defaults caution all previously stored selected settings will be lost e show batch file data for use by the E mail interface 2013 Nov 24 20 12 UT Site Manager Donald K Yeomans F RSTGOV server date time Webmaster Alan B Chamberlin Your First Click to the U S Government Target Body You can select the target by clicking the change link for Target Body Enter the target by its full or partial designation and click the Search button If the match is exact it will automatically used Otherwise you will have to select the target from the list and click Select Indicted Body 2015 Astro Physics Inc Horizons 177 Jet Propulsion Laboratory View the NASA Portal California Institute of Technology Near Earth Object NEO Program JPL HOME EARTH SOLARSYSTEM STARS amp GALAXIES TECHNOLOGY HORIZONS Web Interface This tool provides a web based limited interface to JPL s HORIZONS system which can be used to generate ephemerides for solar system bodies Full access to HORIZONS features is available via the primary telnet interface HORIZONS system news shows recent changes and improvements A web interface tutorial is available to assist new users Current Settings Ephemeris Type change OBSERV
89. are you can effectively create multiple ports that can all be merged into a single entity that can then communicate as a single device to your GTOCP3 servo control box APCC can create up to four of these virtual ports The primary port is normally used for the AP V2 ASCOM Driver To integrate the AP V2 ASCOM Driver into APCC for seamless operation you will need to first set up your primary Virtual Port in APCC This only takes a few moments 1 Decide on Port Numbers Your first task is to determine which ports are already in use on your computer and to make a good guess at which additional ports may be added You will certainly have a port reserved for APCC and you may have additional ports reserved for such things as a focuser rotator dew heater controller weather station smart UPS or other serial devices Remember that at setup you may not have all of these devices connected and that they therefore may not show up on your system Use Windows Device Manager to see your current COM Ports If you use Keyspan USB to Serial converters the Keyspan Serial Assistant will show you all of the currently connected converters and their assigned port numbers As a general rule most people will reserve port s 1 through 10 for normal real ports whether native O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Getting Started 23 or v a a USB to serial converter like the Keyspan units COM 11 is often a good place to start with your primary virtual port 2 Open A
90. at 4 4 4 24 would overshoot the pole by 42 After the Last Point on a Side When you have added your last point for the side there are several options e If this is the first side of the mapping return to step 1 of the Your First Point on a Side section o At step 1 choose the other side and then proceed with the rest of the Your First Point on a Side instructions Continue as before e If this is the first side of the mapping you can map the other side by reflection Reflecting will precisely copy the mirror image of the mapping you just completed onto the other side Reflects West Limit to East side Reflects East Limit to West side O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 104 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Reflected Limit uoneuljoeq c be E oO E k y y 1 0 1 Hour Angle Press left mouse and drag to draw limit Note that the button is for the side being reflected not the side to which you are reflecting Also Note Reflected mappings can be edited and tweaked using any of the methods for mapping described in these instructions e Save the Meridian Limits File mlm The mapping you create will automatically be kept in a file named Default mlm You will not lose it but any changes you make to a limit mapping will overwrite the Default mlm file with the changed data Default mlm is always the currently loaded limit file in whatever edit condition you have
91. ate e g via a plate solve Non perpendicularity HA Dec This is the non perpendicularity between the Declination axis and the Right Ascension axis There are RA and Dec components to this error but they are both combined in the value shown Non perpendicularity Dec OTA This is the non perpendicularity between the Declination axis and the OTA There are RA and Dec components to this error but they are both combined in the value shown Polar Axis Elevation This is the polar alignment error in Altitude A positive value means the axis is pointing higher than the true pole Refraction is not included Polar Axis Azimuth This is the polar alignment error in Azimuth A positive value means the axis is pointing to the West of the pole when facing the pole Tube Flexure 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 117 This is the amount of flexure in the tube There are RA and Dec components to the flexure but the value shown combines both Flexure in Cantilever Axis A cantilevered beam is one that is anchored at one end only In the case of the telescope it is the flexure of the RA and Dec axes caused by gravity There are RA and Dec components to the flexure but the value shown combines both 5 14 1 Advanced Pointing Model The pointing model tab provides control and status of APCC s Pointing and Tracking Rate correction models Using a pointing model can greatly improve the pointing accuracy of the mount Using the tracking
92. ates you will have to enter them yourself Double Duration if too few stars If a plate solve fails because of too few stars found this option will double the duration in an attempt to image more stars Settings Tips 2015 Astro Physics Inc APPM The Astro Physics Point Mapper 1 In star rich parts of the sky the star catalog may have too many stars for PinPoint to solve You can reduce the chance of this error by lowering the Catalog Max Magnitude or using a 1 2 or 1 4 camera subframe 2 If plate solves are failing because you have a long focal length scope smaller CCD sensor camera or solving in star sparse areas of the sky you might need to a use full frame images even though image downloads will take longer b increase camera exposure time so more stars can be used c increase the Catalog Max Magnitude d Use a catalog with more stars 13 7 Measurement Points Tab Doremi rana ron A File Settings Tools Help Run General information Camera Settings PinPoint Settings Measurement Points Measurement Settings Mapping Point Creation Strat Slew Settle Time secs _ i pr Safety degs V Create East Points Use APCC Meridian Limits ES Show Points Points 253 Y Create West Points Use APCC Horizon Limits 02 44 24 Point Ordering Strategy Declination y Declination Right Ascension Hour Angle Altitude Min Altitude Declination Spacing Degrees Right Ascension Spacing 4 60
93. atitude and Longitude fields with the mount s current Latitude and Longitude if that is appropriate Latitude This group box contains the values for latitude in degrees minutes and seconds as well as a North South selection Refer to the tip below to enter decimal values Do NOT enter negative numbers O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 55 Instead use the North or South button Longitude This group box contains the values for longitude in degrees minutes and seconds as well as a East West selection Refer to the tip below to enter decimal values Do NOT enter negative numbers Again use the East or West button instead Other In this group box you can set default values including Time Offset i e Time Zone Elevation Temperature and Pressure You may have noticed that there is no way to enter your clock time APCC uses your computer time when sending time information to the mount You may wish to utilize time server software to keep your computer time as accurate as possible if that is important to your operation New Click this to create a new site Be sure to edit the Name field to reflect the site When you click it a new site will be added to the Site table Save Click this to make permanent the changes you have made to any of the site parameters Delete This will delete the selected row in the table To select a row click it with your mouse Close This will close the window If site information is not sav
94. be mapped as you make adjustments on the Measurements Tab 2 The current telescope position and plate solve status of each point Points are either yellow East side or orange West side When APPM is running a model any point that has been successfully plate solved the point will turn greens If a point failed to solve it will turn a pinkish red Show Order When checked the Animate button will be enabled which will allow you to play the order of the mapping points Additionally a large green dot indicates the start point and the large pink dot the end point Each point shows an arrow to the next point Animate When clicked the mapping point sequence is played out at about 3 points per second This button is only enabled when Show Order is checked It also becomes hidden when a mapping run is in progress 2015 Astro Physics Inc APPM The Astro Physics Point Mapper Show East Points Shows East points Show West Points Shows West points Show Counterweight Down Points Shows all counterweight down points normal telescope higher than counterweights Show Counterweight Up Points Shows all counterweight up points telescope lower than counterweights These points are all square in shape to differentiate them from counterweight down points which are all round Show East Meridian Limits Shows transparent region depicting East meridian limits Show West Meridian Limits Shows a transparent region depicting West meridian limits
95. ber entry Center Allows you to simulate the position of the dew shield relative to the tube i e whether it is retracted or not Visible Check the box to indicate whether or not the dew shield should be visible Color The drop down box allows you to change colors Alas there is no good representation of Astro Physics cream white Camera Tab 2015 Astro Physics Inc 3D Scope Window as APCC 3D Scope Editor x Thickness Diameter Adjust dimensions with slider arrows or number entry Camera Shape Select the closest option from the drop down list Camera x Offset and Camera Y Offset Use these controls to adjust the camera position Visible Check the box to indicate whether or not the camera should be visible Color The drop down box allows you to change colors CW Counterweights Tab APCC 3D Scope Editor xt Thickness Diameter Adjust dimensions with slider arrows or number entry Center Adjust the position of the counterweights on the shaft 2015 Astro Physics Inc 146 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Count Specify the number of counterweights on the shaft Color The drop down box allows you to change colors Pier Tab Height Diameter Adjust dimensions with slider arrows or number entry Consider entering a lower pier height since entry of larger numbers may push the scope out of the view Unless your telescope is so long it might strike the floor this is
96. blishing your Home Coordinates 3 32 Hex 1 Adjust your Home Switch Actuators using a 3 32 hex wrench For best results adjust the R A actuator all the way to the east in its fine tuning adjustment slots regardless of the hemisphere you are in Note that the hemispheres are opposite in terms of left right but are consistent in terms of the cardinal direction EAST In the northern hemisphere adjust the Dec actuator as far clockwise when viewed from above the axis as possible In the southern hemisphere move the actuator as far counter clockwise as possible These settings will ensure that the home position Declination Home Switch 8 Actuator is at a positive altitude and a small distance away from a quadrant boundary O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 132 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Northern Hemisphere Southern Hemisphere 2 Make sure you are fully polar aligned If you refine your polar alignment in the future you may wish to repeat the Establish Home routine 3 Your system should be completely assembled and balanced with the clutches tightened to their operational level If you move the mount via the clutches at a later time you will need to repeat the Establish Home routine 4 Calibrate on a star just on the east side of the meridian and just on the celestial equator side of your zenith For best results use the Plate Solve and ReCal feature in APPM if you are using the Pro version of APCC
97. bottom COM port of the GTOCP3 control box Ideally this should be a physically separate serial port from the primary port If you simply use another port on a single multi port USB to serial converter and the converter or USB connection fails you will lose both ports and gain nothing If you use a second USB to serial converter that is attached to a different USB port on the computer you are much more likely to survive a COMs problem Timeout Here you can set the timeout in milliseconds for responses from the mount Usually 100 or 200 ms is good enough However sometimes it may be necessary to increase this value to 300 400 or even 500 ms Note the difference between this recommended setting and the longer recommendation for the AP V2 ASCOM Driver when it is used through APCC s Virtual Ports Connect to Port Disconnect Port To connect APCC to your mount press this button Note that if an ASCOM application invokes the driver and the driver cannot connect to APCC on its virtual port then the driver will try to start a new instance of APCC and wait until the connection has been established On the Virtual Ports tab you will want to have Auto connect COM port and create virtual ports when started checked Refresh Ports Button As its name implies clicking this button will refresh the list of COM ports available on the PC The updated list will then appear in the COM port selection drop downs COM Events Button This button enables when there
98. c Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Astro Physics C d i I Astro Physics Comman Operation Controls File Settings Tools Park Mount Seur 4 Timea Ste 4 Parka Coto ReCalf Rate Settings y Ho Action when limit is reached Choices are Zero Tracking or Park Mount If Park Mount is selected APCC will park to the park position selected on the Park tab When the limit is reached the RA and Dec display in the Telescope Position section ofthe main window will begin to flash alternatively between the coordinates and the following screen FF RA Rate 15 04111 DEC Rate 0 00000 Time before limit reached Shows the estimated time before the Horizon limit is reached This box is only active if the limits are enabled See Operation Controls screen above O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window Reset Limit Trigger Resets the limit trigger and starts tracking ifthe option for zero tracking has been chosen as the Action when limit is reached This button is normally grayed out but becomes active after a limit has been reached and the mount has had the tracking stopped Pressing this button will also cause the coordinate display in the Telescope Position section of the main window to return to its normal display It is not used if the option to park the mount is selected See Operation Controls screen above Horizon Tracking Limits Altitude Azimuth The Altitude Azimuth box on the Horizon Tab gives y
99. ck a target now or at a future time In order to track an object the ephemeris data must have time entries available for the time during which you want to track it Sidereal Tum Mount Start Tracking Now 9 50 18 AM Ey Start tracking at F stop after hours 100 E Rate Tracking Off a 2 Local Time 11 26 2013 4 00 00 PM 11 26 2013 4 01 00 PM 11 26 2013 4 02 00 PM 11 26 2013 4 03 00 PM 11 26 2013 4 04 00 PM 11 26 2013 4 05 00 PM 11 26 2013 4 06 00 PM ADO amp WH UTC 11 27 2013 12 00 00 AM 11 27 2013 12 01 00 AM 11 27 2013 12 02 00 AM 11 27 2013 12 03 00 AM 11 27 2013 12 04 00 AM 11 27 2013 12 05 00 AM 11 27 2013 12 06 00 AM m RA 13 830889 13 831089 13 831289 13 831489 13 831689 13 831889 13 832089 Dec 42 610361 42 610167 42 609972 42 609778 42 609583 42 609389 42 609194 RA rate a s hr cos Dec 476 51770 476 51780 476 51780 476 51780 476 51780 476 51780 476 51770 Dec rate a s hr 42 12410 42 13840 42 15270 42 16690 42 18110 42 19520 42 20930 Status information RA Fine Tune 1 100 arc sec sec Dec Fine Tune 1 100 arc sec sec E Invert Dec Move Direction T Invert Dec Corrections E Disable closed loop corrections Offset Target at current Position Tracking Gah Start Tracking Now button Click to immediately start tracking the target The mount will slew the telescope to the target perf
100. cted See the AP V2 ASCOM Driver s help file AP V2 ASCO Ea O ASCOM The first value in the above case a 1 tells you how many client programs are still connected to the mount The second value tells you how many DC synchronous focusers are connected Note Digital focusers and focusers requiring drivers cannot use the simple AP focus controls and are O 2015 Astro Physics Inc s Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File NOT included in this count For most of you the second value will always be a zero When the client count gets down to 1 all the programs have been disconnected The remaining 1 is APCC If you have chosen the Auto Shutdown feature in the Advanced Settings window the shutdown timer will start when the last client apart from APCC is disconnected 6 Close APCC If you did not choose Auto Shutdown as mentioned above close APCC in one of the conventional ways When APCC closes it will also close the last instance of the AP V2 ASCOM Driver APCC and the driver should be shut down before proceeding to the next step 7 Power off the mount 8 Finish closing down your imager and shut down the observatory 2 7 Tips to Get the Most from APCC Using the Help Files and Manual We have tried to make this information as complete and well organized as possible If you have suggestions for improving the documentation please let us know This information is available in many formats to suit you
101. ction checkboxes they have been removed Fixed display issues with the 3D Scope View Added Create Virtual Ports First option to Advanced settings which when enabled will always create the virtual ports even ifthe mount is off or not connected This will allow the ASCOM driver to attach to a virtual port and potentially wait for the mount to be powered on Fixed extra flip when scope is in a counterweight up position and the meridian limit set such that scope should slew directly to the target position Fixed similar to the above when meridian limits are set up Fixed rounding error in longitude latitude Park 2 and Park 3 used a hour angle of exactly 6 which caused some anomalies Added additional commands for external programs to use APCCVERSION returns Pro or Standard LIMITREACHED returns if a limit has been reached Meridian or Horizon SETTEMP GETTEMP SETPRESSURE GETPRESSURE SETHUMIDITY GETHUMIDITY APPM Added missing DLL for AstroArt Added new camera option to select SkyXPro Camera Horizons Allow steps to be used in calculations for fast moving satellites like ISS When clicking Stop tracking button tracking was completely stopped instead of returning to sidereal Added option to display Native tracking rates Version 1 0 2 0 1 16 2015 Release O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Welcome to APCC 9 APCC BUG FIX Fixed link in Horizons to APCC s help file APCC BUG FIX Set Meridi
102. cus star will also not result in a pier flip but they WILL result in a safety slew in most instances This is a necessary safety feature West Limits When the scope is already pointing West slews to coordinates between the meridian and West limit values will result in the scope ending up in a counterweight up position pointing West This will avoid a meridian flip until the West limit is reached However if the mount is already on the East side pointing West and within the West limits the mount will not flip This can be considered a dynamic meridian delay because the delay automatically changes based on declination The primary use of this feature is to facilitate small slews for focusing while the mount has tracked past the meridian without instigating a pier flip Time before limit reached This is a countdown timer It gives the time remaining until the meridian tracking limit is reached It is only enabled when meridian tracking limits are enabled Reset Limit Trigger Once the limit has been reached it can be reset by clicking this button Meridian Tracking Limits Hour Angle Meridian Inclination The Meridian Inclination is the angle measured along the meridian line from the Southern horizon to the Northern horizon in the Northern hemisphere and from the Northern horizon to the Southern horizon in the Southern hemisphere Meridian Inclination O at the horizon opposite your pole ignoring the effects of refraction and Meridian Incl
103. d Center APCC Help File APCC Log Files Check to include these files It is checked by default when the Log File Zipper window is opened ASCOM Log Files Check to include these files It is checked by default when the Log File Zipper window is opened APPM PNT Files Check to include these files It is checked by default when the Log File Zipper window is opened APPM Log Files Check to include these files It is checked by default when the Log File Zipper window is opened Show Full Filename Checking the Show Full Filename box will reveal the full path to the file so that you may easily trace the location of a given file Zip Files The Zip Files button will zip and ready the files that you have chosen for sending for review and analysis It will allow you to save them in the location of your choice 11 Known Issues Saving Resized Windows Problem If you are using Windows XP and possibly Vista we have not verified this issue with Vista as of this writing you may not be able to utilize the Save Window Positions if you resize the window We have found that windows that have been resized and saved do not open up correctly in the next APCC session Typically the window will reload at the correct saved size however the contents will not load properly For instance a large blank space may appear above the Status Bar or alternatively the lower portion of the window contents may be missing This problem cannot be fixed using the Re
104. d distinct Understanding this distinction will aid you in enjoying your Astro Physics GoTo system The Sync command is typically used at the beginning of an observing or imaging session Sync tells the mount where it is pointing and defines which is the telescope side and which is the counterweight side lt is a powerful command in that it disregards earlier slewing commands and starts over lt does not take the last entered position into account but tells the mount You are here based on the object actually the coordinates displayed on the keypad or computer screen It assumes that the telescope is correctly pointed with the sync object and the telescope on opposite sides of the meridian Each time you use sync you redefine the orientation of the telescope and counterweight to the mount If used in the wrong way the sync command will cause the mount to slew incorrectly and possibly cause damage to equipment It should therefore be used with caution Why is the Sync command a potential problem if used incorrectly There are two main reasons The first reason comes from the fact that both axes of the mount are full 360 circles that are not restricted in their motion The second comes from the fact that the mount must rely on the information it is given in particular the date time daylight savings and location data to know where the meridian is As smart and sophisticated as these systems are they cannot see the sky or their own orie
105. del adjust the GoTo coordinates to increase pointing accuracy and how should adjust the tracking rate to achieve more accurate tracking No model can adequately predict random events If it isn t repeatable it can t be modeled Flopping shifting cable jerks and even strong wind gusts that are not identically repeatable will spoil an otherwise good model So make sure that everything is tight Make sure your cables are free to follow the system throughout its entire range of motion and make sure that they don t impose a heaw weight burden on the end of the scope Be sure that you have minimized mechanical backlash but DO NOT set any backlash compensation in the software or in the keypad e In general you will want to begin by running a point mapping in APPM to create a model in APCC For your first try we suggest that you run a smaller mapping on the order of 50 or so points Then run a small verify run of around 30 points to see how much the pointing has improved Begin the process by setting up each of the tabs in APPM They are described in detail in the sections that follow It is important to get the settings right so invest some time in doing a good job on this e Make sure that you have set up your Meridian Limits and Horizon Limits in APCC if you wish them to be included in the point mapping e Spend some time changing the parameters in the Measurement Points Tab to see how they affect the point mapping Run your point mapping
106. dereal that the mount is tracking at in Right Ascension in arc secs second Dec Rate the rate relative to O that the mount is tracking at in Declination in arc secs second Actions O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Horizons 175 Current RA Current Dec 14 01 03 12 42 24 29 07 Ephemeris Values 2 _ View Ephemers Data Mount Information Connec Target Name Lovejoy C 2013 R1 A LST 12 10 11 35 A Start UT 11 27 2013 12 00 00 AM Hour Angle 04 58 47 85 Stop UT 12 7 2013 12 00 00 AM RA 07 11 23 50 Interval 00 01 00 Dec 10 31 22 00 Lat Lon 37 338 238 110 RA Rate a s s 0 00000 Current Alt Az 68 209 67 860 Dec Rate a s s 0 00000 Current Hr Ang 01 51 01 31 Save to save data to ephemeris data to disk for later use Load to load previous data Test to run a simulated run Track Object immediately or delays until a time issues a GOTO and starts tracking Save Saves the currently loaded Ephemeris data to a disk file Once saved to disk you do not need an internet connection to use Horizons Simply load a previously saved data set and start using it Load Loads a previously saved Ephemeris data set Test Tracking Using the loaded Ephemeris data set you can test tracking an object of any date and time that s in the data set s time span This allows you to check in advance that there won t be any obstructions during an actual event Track Target
107. dian tracking limits to protect your telescope from pier collisions and yet allow safe tracking past the meridian Slew to counterweight up positions with dynamic meridian delay feature tied to meridian tracking limits Safety slews for going into and out of counterweight up positions All declination movement occurs while counterweight is safely pointing down Multiple virtual ports to allow easy connection of applications that do not require ASCOM support like PulseGuide or TheSky6 X Site management allows easily changeable setup for multiple sites Display and change time zone settings Support for reading latitude longitude elevation from third party GPS devices GoTo ReCal on RA Dec and Alt Az coordinates Access to backlash reticle focus and PEM settings Set custom RA Dec tracking rates Can save recall multiple RA Dec and Alt Az slew coordinates Park to editable alt az position Available safety timer will cause the mount to park after a settable interval if a controlling computer crashes or loses COMs Enables auto park on power down Easy to read status window summarizes mount status of critical parameters Logging of all commands for debugging if a problem occurs Convenient log zipper function to bundle relevant log files should problems occur and you need support from AP s world class support team Can be configured to utilize a secondary serial port to prevent communication loss if a serial port to
108. e from 2 to 10 hours a Adjust the Dec to be as close to 90 as you care to make it does NOT need to be real close without jumping to the below the pole hour angle b Adjust the RA to your limit 14 Click the Read Mount Position button 15 Click Add Point 16 Set the Declination value in the Step 1 pane to 89 9 Northern Hemisphere 89 9 in the south 17 Set the Hour Angle to 0 0 in the Step 2 pane 18 Click Add Point This will finish the side O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 108 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File APCC Add Meridian Tracking Limit Point Last Point Unless you have a very lopsided camera setup or pier you can probably simply reflect this limit for the other side Otherwise repeat the procedure STARTING WITH STEP 2 NOT STEP 1 Entering Data from an Existing Table If you created a table or list of data that gave the safe and unsafe declinations for your system you can copy that information into the Add Meridian Tracking Limit Point window 1 UNCHECK THE INTERPOLATE CHECKBOX IN THE STEP 3 PANE Enter an hour angle of 0 0 and a Dec or Meridian Inclination for your horizon away from the pole Click Add Point RE CHECK THE INTERPOLATE CHECKBOX IN THE STEP 3 PANE Enter the next values of hour angle and Dec from your data Click Add Point Return to step 5 and repeat until you are done or have reached the pole Set the Declination value in the Step 1
109. e ELS tab Consult the user manual for the limit homing switch system for operational instructions The GTOELS Control Box is available as an option and can be purchased separately and installed by the user Contact Astro Physics for details This mount does not have the R A precision encoder so the Encoder and Encoder Trim functions are not available 3600GTO without optional Limit Homing Switch System The GTOELS Tab is not useful for this mount The limit homing switch system and GTOELS Control Box are available as an option and can be purchased separately and installed by the user Contact Astro Physics for details Bb Astro Physics Comme aa ELS Tab for 3600GTO Mounts File Settings Tools Help O 2 0 Bounce RA and Park sa Bounce Ra and Park NotHomea EE Y E Enable F nates nora o E E 3 rotores EE E os E AT Setup Time 4 Site 4 Park GoTo ReCal Rate Settings 4 Horizon 4 Meridian 4 Virtual Ports 4 Pointing Model 4 PEM Other ELSA GPS O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 126 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File TIP Be sure to look at the General work flow for pre recovery using the Home Position section at the bottom of this Configure The Configure box is basically where you turn the ELS features on and off 3 ECONO sa Limit switches This drop down list box has several options Ignored The limit switches will be ignored Zero RA RA tracking will stop when
110. e delay is no longer accomplished by fooling the clock in the servo It is now an independent function with associated commands that does not change the mount s time 2015 Astro Physics Inc 9 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File iol Current The current meridian delay as polled from the mount Note how this value changes at different declinations if APCC s Meridian Limits are enabled This is the manifestation of the dynamic meridian delay described earlier Clear Clears the meridian delay back to zero Hours The meridian delay value to use when Set is clicked Positive values move the local meridian to the east for meridian advance This allows you to start an image from the wrong side and then track through the meridian into a normal orientation without a flip Negative values move the logical meridian to the west and allow you to delay the flip point of the mount Set Sets the meridian delay to the value in the Hours field Clear Meridian Delay on Exit This will restore the meridian delay to 0 when exiting so that the mount s flip point is not in an unexpected position It is recommended that you keep this checked Override ASCOM APCC will override the ASCOM Driver s meridian delay setting This will allow the more precise meridian adjustments that are possible with APCC s Meridian Limits If you have set good Meridian Limits in APCC you should let it handle the meridian and keep this box chec
111. e top of the graphic represents the compass points and the scale at the bottom is in degrees of azimuth It is conventional in astronomy to always set the 0 360 azimuth point as due north with the circle going around to the east regardless of the hemisphere you are in Vertical Axis The vertical axis represents the altitude from zero to the zenith O unobstructed horizon 90 zenith e R A and Declination lines The curyw lines are the R A and Declination lines as they are mapped onto the rectangular Alt Az grid e The Horizon Controls and File Controls that are identified in the images above are explained below Setting up Your Limits Simplest Method Draw approximate horizon on Horizon Tracking Limits Editor Window of APCC This may be the preferred method for star parties and portable setups You can have a workable result in a minute or less To draw your horizon start by noting the horizon surrounding your mount Take note of the average horizon level you will wish to use and also the possible differences in sky glow in different 2015 Astro Physics Inc MON Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File directions Use the old astronomer s trick of using fingers on an outstretched hand to estimate the height of the usable horizon 5 1 20 ei gt e A Finally note any obstructions like buildings or trees that will create bumps in your horizon Then simply follow these steps A APCC Horizon Tracking L
112. e will appear indicating that the specified file cannot be found Launch Horizons this will open Horizons O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 5 5 4 Help Menu gt Astro Phy SICS Comm File Settings Tools Help Clear License Check for updates About SESE lat cnn LO L a li Site 4 Park 4 GoTo ReCal4 Rate Settings Horizon 4 Meridian 4 Virtual Ports 4 Pointing Model 4 Help This opens this Help file You can look through the table of contents or search on a topic Save topics that you are likely to need on a regular basis to the Favorites tab Clear License Clears the license key You might use this if you do not plan to use APCC on a particular computer again Note All of APCC s settings can be found in this folder on Vista Windows 7 and 8 C ProgramData Astro Physics APCC If you want to completely remove all traces of APCC you can delete the above folder and its contents Check for updates If you are connected to the internet selecting this will search for a more recent version of APCC About This opens the About dialog which shows the version number of APCC 5 6 Setup Tab There are four different group boxes on the Setup tab Program Operation Mount Type Tools and Firmware 2015 Astro Physics Inc so Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File la Astro Physics Comma nd Center Pro File Settings Tools Help
113. ea of the sky that is underperforming compared to the rest you may have a mechanical issue that should be addressed Your initial model will probably NOT be dense enough for serious unguided work but see what kind of results you can get e When you feel you are ready go ahead and run a larger denser point mapping e For additional tips and unique ways to use the Astro Physics Point Mapper see the Advanced Topics section Menus File Menu Open Settings File allows you to open a previously saved settings file Settings files end with a appm file extension the default settings file is Settings appm Save Settings File saves a settings file Import Custom Mapping Points allows you to load a custom mapping point file Export Mapping Points saves the current mapping points to a file Logs Directory Opens an instance of Windows Explorer in the directory where log files are saved Exit exits APPM O 2015 Astro Physics Inc APPM The Astro Physics Point Mapper 159 Settings Menu Keep on Top When checked the APPM window will stay on top of most other windows Disconnect Camera on Disconnect When checked when you disconnect the camera in APPM the camera will also be disconnected in the camera control application e g Maxim DL Edit Driver Settings This opens the AP V2 ASCOM Driver s setup window Edit Dome Settings This opens the settings options for Dome a _ AP Point Mapper
114. eck box 2 Make sure that the port number selected matches the top port in APCC s virtual ports 3 Increase the Timeout to 1000 2000 or even 3000 ms if you experience issues when starting directly from ASCOM client software 2000 is probably a good place to start If using the driver by itself without APCC would normally use a much shorter timeout value maybe 200 to 500ms However since APCC is in primary control of the mount the AP driver may need to wait at times for APCC to do its job before responding This is especially true at startup where a whole lot of serial traffic is happening all at once This way the driver will give APCC time to get the virtual ports started and initialization completed 4 Set the Retry Count to 0 5 The Use ASCOM Serial Object option check box is checked by default If you experience communication problems try unchecking it and then a C COMs library will be used In particular be aware that one or the other may work better during shutdown and or startup This preference seems to vary with different computers and USB to serial devices See the picture below 2015 Astro Physics Inc Getting Started 25 Be sure to check this Lam COM Port Detai s Ej APCC Virtual Port Timeout al Retry Count y v EE heck Port heck Port la Serial Object Note that COM 11 in the AP V2 Driver Setup matches COM 11 in APCC s Virtual Port Tab File Setting Tools Virtu
115. ed Alt Az position via the Alt and Az fields Simply click the up down arrows or enter the number directly into the field Note that Alt must be positive This is a useful feature if you must park your mount in a certain position so that your observatory roof will close without striking your telescope It is also useful for aiming the scope at a Flatfielding box Set User Park as Current Alt Az Clicking this button will set the mount s current Alt Az position as the User Defined Alt Az Special Note for TheSkyX Users If parking from TheSkyX you will need to set up the park position in BOTH TheSkyX and the two Astro Physics programs APCC and the Driver 1 In TheSkyX first clear the park position 2 Using APCC or the driver park to your chosen park position 3 In TheSkyX set park position You should now be able to park from TheSkyX Note that the mount will appear to park twice although there should hopefully only be one slew Auto Park Automatically Park if Power is Lost This feature has been added to APCC as a mandatory safety feature It will assure that if power is lost to the mount and your computer the mount will automatically enter a parked state at its current position If power resumes the mount will not start tracking Park Positions Defined In the past Astro Physics always had three defined park positions cleverly named Park 1 Park 2 and Park 3 We have now added a fourth defined park position Park 4 and ha
116. ed a pop up window will give you the option to save the site not save the site or cancel the close window operation Site Table Click a row in the table to select a site It s values will be loaded into the Latitude Longitude and Other group boxes You can then edit the values if you desire O 2015 Astro Physics Inc ss Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 5 8 Park Tab gt AAA SS Spark Bm Last Parked z Important If you unpark your mount with APCC you must park it with APCC or through the AP V2 ASCOM Driver Do not try to park it with your Keypad or any other non ASCOM program DO NOT use the Keypad to unpark the mount if using APCC Tip We advise you to use the same Park to and Unpark positions in both APCC and the AP V2 ASCOM Driver For normal operation Unpark should always be set to Last Parked Unpark This group box allows you to unpark the mount Clicking Unpark will unpark from the position specified The park positions include Last Parked Park 1 Park 2 Park3 Park 4 and User Defined Alt Az Refer to the illustrations and explanation of the four predefined park positions 1 2 3 and 4 below Note This feature is very useful for a modified version Astro Physics Daytime Polar Alignment Routine that is outlined on page 23 of the GTO Keypad Version 4 12 manual PDF format Use Unpark from Last Parked for all normal operations Park Park Parks the mount to the park position
117. elescope Position Group BOX ecoiocionenioncconnniconncninn conan ciencia dni ini 44 4 Status Bara A ii 45 A MUS A asaavcesdaiedsiesvnees tvetesdeeeadoeeneee 46 El MA A A a isis 46 AAA O EAT 46 TOONS Menu ini iii A LIA Ti at aiiis 47 eI MTU scecetsceissccevesecseesssoxescuccezvecsssszecehsueshaneebecvisusatesicescetesvesscsueddsouetceduedsdctsssneviaeb sdasetes E 49 O Setup E o EE E A a dadas 49 AdVance d SEH INMOS a E A E E E ainia 51 Sl A A NOTO 52 Manage Sites Dialog AA na aa eraa aa Oa EE Aaaa rna a danaa ereraa aa aaaeaii aaae E nEn 54 Park Tab comico oa aaa 56 9 GoTolRe Call Tab a a eat 61 10 Rate Settings Tabo pica eaten cp 70 44 orizaba 71 Horizon Limits Editor iii ride 77 12 Meridian Tal aa a fost cans cae ta 85 2015 Astro Physics Inc 4 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Meridian Limits Explorer Introduction oomoconncnnnnnnnniccnnsennscrnnccnn rre 90 Using the Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer cccs cccseceeseeeeseeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeesaesesaeeeeseeeesaeeesaaeeeseeeeseeeeenaeee 97 Manually Add Meridian Tracking Limit Points ooonnccconocacicocnncnonanoncnann cnn cnc cnn cnn rca 105 13 Virtual Ports Tab iii dai cls stews O a ides ius 109 14 POMtNg Mod l Tab ad id 113 Advanced Pointing Model sicicecicccscscsssessscssseacscsstecsscvecsctveietivecetesecesecvinesssuansedsouvaietcstsuacersuetactedsendebsebetvectereseress 117 Pointing Model WiIndOW iaiccccscsccsccssssaveicevcsares
118. en 3 Start at Azimuth zero and estimate your horizon altitude at that point 4 Adjust altitude incrementally until you find the horizon Since R A and Dec do not move conveniently in Alt Az it is often easiest to use the increment feature in the horizon editor With this feature you can simply click a single button to point the telescope up or down by the chosen incremental value in degrees Your altitude increments will probably be smaller than the azimuth increments you will use probably in the 1 5 degree range Both R A and Dec will move so that the azimuth will be maintained as the altitude is adjusted 2015 Astro Physics Inc Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File As an alternative you can also simply enter the altitude in the box to the left of the increment box The value can be typed in or adjusted via the up down arrows 5 When you are satisfied with the pointing position add the current point to your limits Simply click Add Current Alt Az Point the button at the bottom center of the window The Horizon Editor will draw a line connecting this new point to the previously added point once you are past the first point at azimuth 0 6 Increment to next azimuth and repeat This is done in the same manner as the altitude increments described above except of course that you will use the lower set of Azimuth controls Azimuth increments can be quite large especially if there is a regi
119. en homed by the switches and the sky These 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 131 averaged coordinates are stored in APCC for future use if you ever get your mount lost and need to use the Find Home routine The Establish Home routine should be considered as one of the final parts of your system setup It is something you perform after the mount is fully polar aligned and the system is fully loaded and balanced Once completed it seldom needs repeating Find Home If you have home and limit switches installed with GTOELS support clicking this button will move the mount to the Home position Before you can do this you must have previously defined the Home position by using the Establish Home routine Clicking this button will cause the mount to slew to the home position at the normal slew rate APCC will then perform a full Sync on the saved coordinates and then slew out to the Custom Slew Coordinates before Homing Finally APCC will slow to the slew rate selected in the Home Settings Window and make a final slew into the home switches The mount will be allowed to settle and then it will be re calibrated on the saved average home coordinates from the Establish Home routine In testing first GoTos after intentionally getting totally lost and then running this routine have resulted in pointing that was within a few arc minutes General work flow for precise recovery using the Home Position Fine Tuning wg Slots Y Part 1 Esta
120. encoders make corrections to actual error in near real time The smaller the actual error the less correction the encoder loop has to make One final reason to keep PEM enabled We all know that in complex systems problems can arise If for some reason you lose the function of your Absolute Encoders or Precision Encoders in the 3600GTOPE during an imaging run an enabled PE curve will stil keep your PE at minimal levels probably saving the night s folder of images 5 15 1 PEM Recording Options What is PEM PEM is the term used by Astro Physics for periodic error correction When it was first introduced we chose PEM Permanent Error Memory rather than PEC Periodic Error Correction which was in common use at the time by other manufacturers At the time mounts with PEC had to be retrained each observing session a real drawback We chose PEM to indicate that our mounts retained the error correction in memory so that the process of correcting it did not have to be repeated each session Later mounts on the market unitized the acronym PPEC Permanent Periodic Error Correction We have chosen to continue using PEM for consistency although it can be confusing at first The servo drive electronics contain a very sophisticated permanent periodic error compensation circuit Because a majority of the periodic error is due to the RA drive worm and is quite predictable it is possible to significantly reduce it by simply having the controller
121. ent favorite among OS choices Required Run Windows Update to apply all updates Required You must have the Net Framework 4 0 with all patches installed Windows 7 and later ships with Net 4 0 installed You can confirm that it is enabled in Control Panel gt Programs and Features gt Turn Windows Features On or Off o Required The latest ASCOM Platform currently 6 1 SP1 installed http www ascom standards org o Required The latest AP V2 ASCOM Driver currently v5 06 00 installed http www gralak com apdriver o We recommend that you update your browser to the latest version o We recommend that you install Adobe Acrobat Reader may be needed to read APCC and ASCOM PDF documentation Additional Requirement for APCC Pro s APPM Point Mapping Program o The FULL version of DC3 Dreams PinPoint application v5 or later v6 is highly recommended 2 3 Installation and Licensing Preparation In order to install and run APCC please ensure following 1 Make sure that you meet ALL of the requirements in the Hardware Software Requirements section as described earlier in the Welcome to APCC 2 You must register a specific e mail address with Astro Physics for APCC This will be the official e 2015 Astro Physics Ine a Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File mail address that is associated with your license This is required to obtain a trial license key or make a purchase 3 Download
122. ent sets of coordinates corrected and uncorrected Because APCC sits between the ASCOM driver and the mount all planetarium and other ASCOM compliant programs automatically get the benefit of the pointing model Also any application that connects to one of APCC s virtual ports will get the benefit of the pointing model Tracking Rate Model Because of flexure polar misalignment refraction and other effects the apparent tracking rate of stars and deep sky objects in the sky is not exactly equal to the sidereal rate The reason is that the magnitude of these pointing errors change slightly as the position of the telescope changes This causes the target to drift in the telescope s view over time To help keep a target centered APCC Pro uses a Tracking Rate Model Tracking rate correction is very important if you want to e Reduce required autoguider movements which will result in sharper images e Do long exposure unguided images e Do long duration autoguider cycles through a narrowband filter e Accurately track comets and or asteroids The tracking rate model uses the pointing model to calculate the necessary adjustments to the tracking rate to keep a target centered The adjustments are made to both the Right Ascension and Declination tracking rates once every second Near the Poles Near the celestial poles APCC will automatically turn off the pointing and tracking rate corrections to eliminate the possibility of fast RA Dec cor
123. entitled You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations arising under this License Agreement to any third party and any such attempted assignment or transfer shall be void and without effect This License Agreement may not be modified except upon mutual written agreement of the parties The waiver by either party of a breach of any provision of this License Agreement will not operate or be interpreted as a waiver of any other or subsequent breach If any provision of this License Agreement is deemed unenforceable such provision will be changed and interpreted to accomplish the objectives of such provision to the greatest extent possible under applicable law and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect This License Agreement sets forth the entire understanding of the parties and supersedes any and all prior oral and written agreements or understandings between the parties regarding the subject matter of this License Agreement Nothing contained in any correspondence purchase order order confirmation form invoice or similar documents submitted by you to Astro Physics or Astro Physics distributors shall in any way modify or add to the terms and conditions contained in this License Agreement have read and agree to the terms of this License Agreement as set forth above Copyright 2014 by Astro Physics Inc 11250 Forest Hills Road Machesney Park IL 61115 U S A 2015 Astro Physics Inc ta Astro Ph
124. epted formats and advanced capabilities Allowable time spans for all bodies are available on a separate page Table Settings In order for Horizons to operate correctly it needs to have certain table fields selected 2015 Astro Physics Inc Horizons 179 The picture below shows the options that must be selected lt is ok to include other fields Make certain to click Use Selected Settings after changing any fields HORIZONS Web Interface This tool provides a web based limited interface to JPL s HORIZONS system which can be used to generate ephemerides for solar system bodies Full access to HORIZONS features is available via the primary telnet interface HORIZONS system news shows recent changes and improvements A web interface tutorial is available to assist new users Current Settings Ephemeris Type change OBSERVER Target Body change Mars 499 Observer Location change San Jose CA 121 53 24 0 W 37 20 16 1 N Time Span change Start 2013 11 24 Stop 2013 12 04 Step 1 m Table Settings change defaults Display Output change default formatted HTML Table Settings Select observer quantities from table below switch to manual entry list of numbers form Use Settings Below Cancel Optionally preset observer quantities selection using one of the following planets satellites small bodies default all none 1 Y Astrometr
125. eris 2 weed Pca Chet Cibo tabi re ne ee Ephemeris Values View Ephemeris Data Save to save data to ephemeris data to disk for later use Load to load previous data Test to run a simulated run Track Object immediately or delays until a time issues a GOTO and starts tracking NOTE you don t need to be online to the internet when you actually track the object as you can pre download and save as many targets as you want Connect to the mount to either immediately track the target or test tracking Test tracking allows you to pick a time in the time span of the Ephemeris data set and the mount will slew the scope to where the target will be at that time It is useful to confirm in advance that there are no obstructions like trees and buildings at the time you intend to image your target Track Target allows you to immediately slew to the object and start tracking or alternatively start tracking at a future time NOTE the three smaller windows on the main application can be resized by clicking the edge and dragging to size the windows The edges are highlighted in yellow in this image 2015 Astro Physics Inc Horizons 6B Astro Physics Horizons v1 0 0 5 File Ephemeris Data Mount Track Help Step 1 Click link and configure target date and time Step 2 Copy and Paste Object Ephemeris data below Note In Table Settings select
126. esh button Refresh Clicking this button will refresh the latitude and longitude from the mount Site Information The information in this group box comes from the selected site data saved in APCC Note that you can select a site in this group box WITHOUT sending its information to the mount Site information is only sent to the mount during initialization Select Site This drop down list box allows you to select a site which includes Latitude Longitude Elevation information You can create or edit a site by clicking Manage Sites Latitude The selected site s latitude value Longitude The selected site s longitude value Elevation The selected site s elevation value if the data was entered Meters If checked elevation is shown in meters Otherwise elevation is in feet Manage Sites Clicking this will open the Manage Sites Dialog From that dialog you can create and edit sites 2015 Astro Physics Inc sa Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 5 7 1 Manage Sites Dialog APC Mana g Astro Physics Astro Physics Observatory Machesney Park IL Get From Mount MENS ENE Site Name Latitude Longitude Time Zone Hev t Temp F Pressure VVO 47 21 14 89 21 00 5 0 810 37 32 00 1010 Site Name Enter a name for the site This would be the name you normally use when referring to the site Description Enter an optional description of the site Get From Mount Click this button to fill the L
127. etting Started Section selection of COM numbers for your virtual ports should not be done without some thought and planning We have found that it is a good idea to reserve the lower port numbers for real serial ports These include actual serial ports in the computer as well as all of your 2015 Astro Physics Inc no Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File USB to serial adapter ports As a suggestion start your virtual port numbering with COM11 or even COM21 if you have many serial devices This prevents conflicts if you need to change a USB to serial adapter and don t want to fight with the Windows port assignments e It is fine to define all of your ports ahead of time but only create the ports that you will actually be using during a session e If you plan to use PulseGuide through a virtual port note that it only allows COM numbers up to COM 10 APCC s virtual ports communicate with the mount in an intelligent way routing commands from each virtual COM port to the mount and back out to the originating virtual port This prevents the commands from different virtual ports from getting mixed up The status of the COM port and the wirtual ports is displayed near the bottom left of the main window You can select a virtual port to be potentially created from the drop down list next to each Create button Once you define a virtual port you will see the port name appear in gray letters on a black background If no virtual por
128. from APCC Reads the current horizon and meridian limits from APCC s settings If you change the horizons limits or meridian limits in APCC while APPM is active you O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 160 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File must use this feature to pull in the updated limits Tools Menu Log Zipper Opens the logs zipper utility You can use this to zip all of your log files into a single file if you have a support issue 13 3 Run Tab Astro Physics Point File Settings Tools Help EEE cs iG Camera Disconnect MaximDL CCO z Elevation m Temp C Dome a Plate Solve Plate Solve and Recal V Recal near Zenith at start E Skip Plate Solves for Testing E Solve All Sky requires PinPoint v6 and Intemet Y Precess J2000 to JNow E Pause after each Slew Verify Pointing Model After Complete Measurement Good Bad Solves Gad se Sop Teckna Ceras Start at specific point 0 El Num Time Side CW Hour Angle RA Dec Status Connect Group Box Scope Press the Connect button to connect to the AP V2 ASCOM Driver If you need to reconfigure the ASCOM AP V2 Driver click the Driver Settings button Site Latitude Shows the site latitude last retrieved from the AP V2 ASCOM Driver This is available 2015 Astro Physics Inc APPM The Astro Physics Point Mapper 161 even when not connected to the mount
129. g software to the mount if you normally do that This was added as a separate instruction because we advised you to start your imaging software earlier to cool the camera and we don t want you to forget 5 Start and connect other software Start up each additional piece of software that you will be using and connect that software to the mount and to any other relevant devices Refer to the other software and hardware documentation for advice on the order in which you power other devices like focusers and start the various other programs 6 DO YOUR ASTRO THING Note Many of you with remote operations will have a scripting program like ACP or CCD Auto Pilot that 2015 Astro Physics Inc Getting Started will do this for you If this is the case we still recommend this basic sequence except that the first thing activated will be the scripting software Your scripts should include sufficient time waits for each element to be completed before proceeding to the next Shutdown The shutdown sequence is very much the reverse of the Order of Operations listed above with a couple exceptions Here is the recommended sequence 1 Start the imager s cooler warm up Again this is listed first as a time saver For cameras that require a warm up this might as well be going on while the rest of the shutdown is taking place 2 Park the mount Most of you will choose to park the mount to a predefined park position even though this is no
130. he Current field will change to reflect your choice Tracking Rate Sets the tracking rate to the selected value when you click the Set Now button Guide Rate Sets the guide rate to the selected value when you click the Set Now button Slew Rate Sets the slew rate to the selected value when you click the Set Now button Button Rate Sets the move button rate to the selected value when you click the Set Now button Note that for older 400GTO and 600EGTO mounts the slew rates and the faster button rates may be a bit slower than what is displayed depending on the gear heads that were used in your mount All current mounts as well as all 900GTO and 1200GTO mounts will move at the rates that are displayed Set All Now Sets all of the above rates with one click Custom Tracking Rates O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window Rate Units Choices are Sidereal Arc Secs Sec and Arc Sec Hour RA Rate Relative to Choices are Sidereal and Zero Rate It is normal in astronomical thinking to treat sidereal as the basic default condition of a tracking mount with regard to RA Therefore RA tracking rates are generally relative to sidereal As such with sidereal being the null condition an RA rate of zero is in fact the sidereal rate when the rates are relative to sidereal Relative to sidereal a stopped mount has a tracking rate of 1 00 x sidereal Relative to zero is as its name implies and relates the rate to a stopped mount RA
131. he Connect to Port button is pressed If you have a GTOCP3 you want this port to be the one connected to the top RS 232 port on 2015 Astro Physics Inc 42 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File the GTOCP3 control box For 1600GTO and 1100GTO owners with the optional Absolute Encoders and the GTOAE box there are two options If you will NOT be using your keypad use the port that connects through the Keypad receptacle of the GTOCP3 If you wish to have the keypad available for use then connect APCC directly to the GTOAE box If you find at some point during your session that you need to use the APAE Utility simply disconnect APCC by clicking the button as described below Use the APAE Utility and when you are finished close it down and then reconnect with APCC Note that to complete your configuration you will need to set up at least one virtual COM port through which the ASCOM driver can communicate to APCC and the mount See Setting up your primary Virtual Port for more details Additional information can be found in the Virtual Ports Tab section Backup COM Port If you choose to you can select a secondary COM port for APCC to try if the primary COM port has a problem for any reason To use this feature you will need to use both ports on the control box and will need a second USB serial port converter This adds an extra layer of reliability in case the primary USB serial port converter fails The backup port will be the
132. hes will be O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 128 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File PS 7 Zero RA RA tracking will stop when on Switch the switch is reached The R A axis will only move in the direction of the home position The motion that caused the limit switch to activate will be stopped and a short slew or bounce in the opposite direction will be made to disengage the limit switch RA tracking will stop and the mount will be in a parked state RA Home Status Either Homed or Not Homed The Homed response will be given whenever the home switches are activated This does not necessarily imply that the mount is precisely at the home position that you will define below with the Establish Home routine It simply means that the respective Home Switch has been closed Encoder Config Either Enabled or Disabled RA Limit Status Either Limit or Not at Limit Trim The currently set encoder trim value in arc sec hour Please note that a returned value that is different from the entered value by one or two arc seconds per hour is not uncommon The value internal to the encoder system will be correct Dec Home Status Either Homed or Not Homed As with the R A Home Status above the Homed response will be given whenever the home switches are activated This does not necessarily imply that the mount is precisely at the home position that you will define below with the Establish Home routine ELS Firmware Version
133. his assumes your browser supports file downloads Use Selection Above Cancel 2013 Nov 24 21 48 UT Site Manager Donald K Yeomans FirstGov server date time Webmaster Alan B Chamberlin Your First Click to the U S Government All of this information should be remembered by the JPL site the next time you return Generate Ephemeris To create the ephemeris data click Generate Ephemeris The web page should look something like that below 1 Click anywhere inside the web page 2 Press the Control and A keys simultaneously The entire text should highlight because those keys selects the entire text on the page 3 Press the Control and C keys simultaneously This copies the entire selected text into Windows copy paste buffer 4 Click on the top text box area in Horizons and press the Control and V keys 2015 Astro Physics Inc simultaneously This will paste the ephemeris into Horizons OR RR RH HH RARA AAA JPL HORIZONS ISON C 2012 S1 2013 Nov 25 05 50 52 Rec 903913 COV Soln date 2013 Nov 22 11 31 18 obs 6412 2011 2013 FK5 J2000 0 helio ecliptic osc elements au days deg period Julian yrs EPOCH 2456600 5 2013 Nov 04 0000000 CT RMSW n a EC 9999977109551716 QR 01244458990370468 TP 2456625 276256775 OM 295 6518674211646 W 345 5656814210583 IN 62 40492457949657 A 5436 58636544252 MA 359 99993908134 ADIST 10873 16028629514 PER 400864 5501433 N 2 459E 6 ANGMOM
134. hysics Point Mapper Points 560 1111 File Settings Tools Help Camera Settings ae Duration Secs Pees a Ca mS Subframe Binning Select your camera binning here Camera binning groups pixels together to provide greater signal to noise 1x1 binning doesn t do any grouping 2x binning groups four pixels 2x2 into one large pixel If your image scale when binned in less than 3 arc seconds binned pixel then plate solve accuracy will not be affected For more information on binning see this link http www ccd com ccd103 html O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 164 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 13 6 Duration the exposure duration Typically 5 seconds is enough Auto Dark Subtract when checked if your camera supports dark frames APPM will take a dark frame and automatically subtract it from each image before plate solving This will remove most of the noise from dark current in the images Subframe this selects the fraction of the camera to use If you have a wide field telescope or a very large sensor you might want to select 1 2x1 2 or 1 4x1 4 This will reduce the download time from the camera and the number of stars in the image If there are too many stars a plate solve might fail Camera Settings Tips 1 Use binning or a 1 2 or 1 4 subframe size to reduce image download time unless you are using a small chip 2 PinPoint s plate solving likes to have around 1 2 arc sec pixel resolution so y
135. ic RA amp DEC 16 L Sub Sun position angle amp distance 31 Observer ecliptic lon amp lat 17 North Pole position angle amp distance 32 North pole RA amp DEC 18 Heliocentric ecliptic lon amp lat 33 C Galactic longitude amp latitude a 19 FJ Heliocentric range amp range rate 34 Local apparent SOLAR time 5 Rates AZ 8 EL 20 Y Observer range amp range rate 35 C Earth gt 0bs site light time 6 Satellite X 8 Y pos angle 21 L One way down leg light time gt 36 IRA amp DEC uncertainty 22 Speed wrt Sun amp observer gt 37 Plane of sky error ellipse 8 _ Airmass 23 Y Sun Observer Target ELONG angle gt 38 POS uncertainty RSS 9 M Visual mag amp Surface Brght 24 Y Sun Target Observer PHASE angle gt 39 Range amp range rate 3 sigmas 10 Illuminated fraction 25 Target Observer IB IB_Illum gt 40 Doppler amp delay 3 sigmas 11 Defect of illumination 26 Observer Primary Target angle 41 True anomaly angle 12 Satellite anglular separ vis 27 7 Sun Target radial amp vel pos angle 42 Local apparent hour angle 13 Target angular diameter 28 C Orbit plane angle 43 PHASE angle amp bisector 14 Observer sub lon amp sub lat 29 C Constellation ID 15 C Sun sub longitude amp sub latitude 30 C Delta T CT UT Notes affected by optional atmos gt statistical value that uses Observer quantities are describ
136. imit wy Q f Ny Lt nom Soun Eat west f trimeric E The Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer helps you setup custom meridian tracking limits for each declination You record a series of limit values and the Explorer interpolates a full curve from these points to give you defined limits throughout the sky The Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer Window is shown below O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 96 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Hour Angle 02h 17m 31s E fa oS E E 5 E Declination 20 19 13 Meridi o Inclination 67 57 59 6 0 Hour Angle Press left mouse and drag to draw limit There are four ways to build your meridian limits curve with the Explorer 1 Use the Explorer s semi automated method for drawing the limit curves This method is detailed in the Using the Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer sub section next section of this Help file and involves steps 1 through 3 as shown in the screen shot above 2 Draw a limit This is performed just like drawing a custom Horizon Limit by clicking and holding the left mouse button while you trace out your limit This is NOT recommended unless you are very familiar with meridian limits and how they should look Itis really most useful as a way to quickly modify an existing limit curve to reflect a minor change in the limit determining factors 3 Manually Add Points Clicking on the Manually Add Points
137. imits Editor Se NW Mouse Pointer Coordinates 135 Az 148 0 Alt 23 0 HA 2 06 Dec 18 ERE Move 1 Place the mouse pointer at a point that will be on your horizon 2 Click and hold down the left mouse button and start drawing 3 Edit or change what you ve drawn by simply clicking on or near your drawn horizon line and redrawing You can erase your results by dragging the mouse along the O line on the bottom 4 You may find it easiest to draw the primary line first and then go back and edit to deal with trees O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window at buildings or other obstructions 5 If you wish to save the horizon limits click the Save As button on the right side of the controls 6 If you simply wish to use the limits for the one night then just click the OK button without saving It is probably advisable to go ahead and save anything that you have invested some time in even as a temporary file just in case your computer crashes during the night 7 You can always go back and edit the active horizon limits whether you have saved them or not by simply clicking the Edit button from the Horizon tab of the main APCC window Horizon Controls a more precise method Use the Horizon Controls or keypad or both to move around and add points 1 Temporarily turn OFF meridian limits and pointing and tracking corrections if applicable 2 Click the Zero Tracking button in the lower left of the horizon editor scre
138. in the confirmation window that will appear The PEM Record Countdown display box will show the amount of time remaining for the recording The length of time may vary depending on the mount model You cannot cancel the recording session once it begins 4 If you are not satisfied with your results record again using the same procedure A Astro Physics Command Center Standard NN lol x Fie Settings Tools Help Use the Keypad to Record PEM If you plan to use a crosshair eyepiece this is the best choice since you can use the keypad as you stand at the eyepiece Follow instructions in the Tools Menu section of the Keypad Manual The corrections will be stored in the GTOCP3 Control box and can be enabled via the Keypad the ASCOM driver or APCC in subsequent sessions Like the APCC Recording method above this should not be used to replace a perfectly good PEMPro model O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 1 4 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 5 16 Other Tab 5 17 Li Astro Physics Command Center Standard File Settings Tools Help Backlash Backlash compensation is normally set to 0 This is especially important if you are auto guiding Backlash compensation can be useful for manual work with crosshair eyepieces Set Dec Sets the Dec axis backlash value The value is in arc seconds Set RA Sets the RA axis backlash value The value is in arc seconds Reticle Clicking the and buttons will adjust
139. ination 180 at the horizon below your pole Use of Meridian Inclination gets around the ambiguity of some declination values underneath the pole compared to those above the pole For example in the northern hemisphere at 50 degrees latitude 85 degrees declination meets the meridian at two positions one above the north celestial pole and one below the north celestial pole The Celestial pole is always at Meridian Inclination 180 latitude At this 50 degree latitude the pole is at a meridian inclination of 180 50 130 And 85 degrees declination occurs at meridian inclinations of both 125 above pole and 135 below pole Edit Allows you to configure the East West Meridian limits Clicking will bring up the Meridian Tracking 2015 Astro Physics Inc Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Limits Explorer Show East Limits When checked shows the East Limits Pro o ReCalg Rate Settings Horizon Show West Limits When checked shows the West Limits Pro wWReCal Hour Angle Scale Allows you to magnify the hour angle values 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window s Pro Meridian Delay The ability to advance or delay the meridian to avoid a meridian flip has been a hallmark of the Astro Physics GTO system since its initial development Starting with APCC and the Rev S firmware in 2012 the method for employing this feature has been changed in the GTO Servo Control Box Th
140. ious so that you won t miss it A normal procedure if you will be keeping it active is then to grab a corner and shrink it to a more manageable size and drag it off into a corner of the desktop where it is out of the way and yet immediately accessible if something goes awry As long as you don t actually close the window it will remain small and in the comer until that evening s session is done Grab Corner to Re size You will notice that when you mouse over the window the color will change from red to yellow If you click the window to stop a slew the text inside will change and the button will flash between red and pink Tracking is not stopped immediately so that any client applications connected through the ASCOM driver won t start to throw exceptions or quit This might happen if tracking has been setto an unexpected state turned off However as a safety feature tracking will stop after about two minutes if you take no action A countdown timer at the bottom see picture below will indicate how long before tracking will be stopped If you need to stop tracking immediately you can conveniently click the countdown text and it will toggle tracking If you restart tracking you will have another two minutes before tracking will automatically stop We feel this is the best compromise of safety and ASCOM client application compatibility O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 150 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Once y
141. is pointing and the actual position is the pointing error for each telescope position PinPoint by DC3 Dreams http pinpoint dc3 com is the initially the only plate solving program supported by APPM Note that you must purchase the full version of PinPoint if you do not already have a licensed copy The PinPoint LE version that comes with Maxim DL is not supported In the future we plan to provide plate solving capabilities through other applications and Astrometry net If you are interested in having a particular plate solving solution work with APPM please let us know PinPoint Settings The parameters on this screen are parameters specific to PinPoint That is they are used by functions and properties in the PinPoint library when APPM plate solves an image Note Pinpoint has EXCELLENT documentation of its own The following is NOT intended as a substitute for reading and understanding the documentation that comes with PinPoint Please take advantage of Bob Denny s efforts on your behalf You will save time in the long run and eliminate much frustration Catalog The default value for this is the GSC 1 1 Corrected 3 Use of this catalog results in excellent plate solving with modest disk space requirements 330 MB Unless you have reasons to do otherwise narrow field of view this catalog is a good choice For plate solving with a narrow field of view you should use the USNO A2 0 catalog 6 GB This catalog has no proper motio
142. is used for each You may also wish to refer to this document on the Astro Physics website for further information and ordering instructions Limit Homing Switch System for the 3600GTO and 3600GTOPE 3600GTOPE without optional Limit Homing Switch System The ELS Control Box was included with the 3600GTOPE mounts to enable control of the R A precision encoder which was installed in these mounts during initial manufacture the R A precision encoder cannot be purchased as an upgrade The Configure group box of the ELS tab allows the R A encoder to be enabled or disabled and allows a trim rate to be set The remaining functions related to the Limit Homing Switches cannot be utilized unless these components are purchased as an optional upgrade and installed by the user 3600GTOPE with optional Limit Homing Switch System In addition to the control of the R A precision encoder described above the ELS Tab enables full control of the limit homing switch system including activation of the software limits 3600GTO with optional Limit Homing Switch System and with GTOELS Control Box This mount can utilize all functions related to limits and home position available on the ELS Tab Since the mount does not have the R A precision encoder the Encoder and Encoder Trim functions are not available 3600GTO with optional Limit Homing Switch System without GTOELS Control Box Since this mount does not have the GTOELS Control box it cannot take advantage of th
143. ject in your eyepiece or initiate a stop command in an emergency It also provides a quick link back to to other windows The Status View Window can be resized to fit your screen O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Status View Window E Status View Astro Physics Command Center STO Rate RA 14h32m 14h 32m 302s Tracking Sidereal Dec 47 37 28 Guide 1 00x Alt 00 41 49 Slew 600x Az 08 28 41 Custom RA 0 00000 LI CwUp TE 0 00000 Time 6 10 00 PM Latitude 42 22 54 Offset 6 00 00 Longitude 89 01 05 LST 03h22m544s PEM Playback HA 11h 09m 278s Faults None HOR Park Status Unparked MER Opening the Status View Window Show Status View Window When Starting If you want the Status View Window to display instead of the Main Window each time you start APCC check the appropriate box on the Setup Tab of the Main Window Status Window Button Click on the button located on the Main Window under the Telescope Position group box Quick Access Controls 2015 Astro Physics Inc ss Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Connect to Port Disconnect Port To connect APCC to your mount press this button Note that if an ASCOM application invokes the driver and the driver cannot connect to APCC on its virtual port then the driver will try to start a new instance of APCC and wait until the connection has been established On the Virtual Ports tab you will want to have Auto connect COM port and create
144. ked so that an ASCOM client doesn t set an incorrect meridian delay value 5 12 1 Meridian Limits Explorer Introduction 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window at The Need for Many Limits A single meridian limit is not usually optimal because while it may provide the maximum meridian travel at a single declination it might be limited at another declination For example when declination is near 0 degrees the scope can usually pass underneath the mount without any possibility of collision However as the scope s declination moves further away from 0 the telescope can start to protrude enough that it can strike the pier under certain circumstances 2015 Astro Physics Inc 92 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 93 Meridian Limits and the Horizon In situations where the scope will not hit the pier the limiting factor becomes the horizon Take note that in observatory settings this horizon can differ significantly in its Alt and Az values from the horizon values you established earlier with the Horizon Limits Editor The following two screens both identical views and both at a declination of 10 degrees show this difference O 2015 Astro Physics Inc o Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File File Sync Normal Horizon Limit D A o O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window as n File Sync CW Up Horizon L
145. king Horizons uses closed loop tracking which means that it checks and adjusts the RA and Dec to make sure it matches the RA Dec coordinates of the object You can disable this be clicking Disable closed loop corrections If you do this the tracking rate will still be constantly adjusted to match the target s rate but you can then recenter the scope without Horizons interfering and recentering the target Double click line to start test from grayed out lines are below Horizon and cannot be selected Index 7381 7382 7383 7384 7385 7386 Local Time 12 1 2013 7 00 00 PM 12 1 2013 7 01 00 PM 12 1 2013 7 02 00 PM 12 1 2013 7 03 00 PM 12 1 2013 7 04 00 PM UTC 12 2 2013 3 00 00 AM 12 2 2013 3 01 00 AM 12 2 2013 3 02 00 AM 12 2 2013 3 03 00 AM 12 2 2013 3 04 00 AM RA 15 071358 15 071497 en Dec 39 829250 39 828750 39 828222 39 827194 39 826694 29 29519 RA rate a s hr cos Dec 343 18990 343 18500 Eai 1801 0 243 17020 Dec rate a s hr 110 37800 110 37600 ao 37400 110 26900 110 36700 Azimuth Altitude Magnitude 322 85 0 64 0 00 323 00 gt 323 15 323 45 0 17 0 05 0 00 12 2 2013 3 05 00 AM 343 16510 0 00 AN IO 007 a0 0 19 0 30 0 42 Disable closed loop corrections Status information 12 2 2013 3 03 45 AM UT 45 629 seconds 0 00828 arc sec sec 343 171 arc sec hr Cos D 0 03066 arc sec sec 110 369 arc sec hr HA Expected 08 36 23 70 HA Las
146. l move in RA until the mount enters a normal counterweight down orientation It will then slew in both axes until the RA reaches the meridian and the Dec fully completes its slew Finally with the Dec having arrived at its safe position it will then complete the slew in RA only to the starting point east of the meridian with the counterweight up The feature that allows windows to be resized and saved does not seem to be working properly Please refer to the explanation Saving Resized Windows am having problems when I shut down APCC or alternatively when I start up APCC with the AP V2 ASCOM Driver The driver appears to lock up and stops responding Open the AP V2 ASCOM Driver s Telescope Setup Window In the COM Port Details group box you will find a setting to Use ASCOM Serial Object If this is checked uncheck it If it is not checked try checking it The driver has two low level serial DLL drivers one from ASCOM and one that is native to our driver that is written in C Some computers and USB serial adapters seem to prefer one over the other APCC Pro Version Questions Do need the full version of PinPoint or can I use the version that comes with Maxim DL To do plate solving you need the full version of PinPoint This is only required if you plan to use APCC Pro You do not need PinPoint for the standard version of APCC Can TheSkyX be used in place of the full PinPoint No for now only PinPoint is supported 12
147. l within a few minutes with your trial license key Just copy and paste all 5 lines of the license key into the text box at the bottom of the window If successful the window will now tell you that you have 30 days remaining in your trial This window will come up every time you start APCC so you ll know how many days remaining you have To begin using APCC click Start APCC 2015 Astro Physics Inc z Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File r Ray Gralak Product APCC Trial Name Ray Gralak Email ray zzz com Date 2012 10 01 RegCode RZE _Jlihikt FPF 12345 Clicking the PURCHASE LICENSE button will take you to the Astro Physics e commerce page for APCC From there you can click the appropriate Buy now button for the version you wish to purchase Follow the instructions to complete the purchase Upon completion of the purchase you will be sent an e mail with your full license key Enter it in the same manner as the trial license described above Ifyou are really smart a successful registration of a full license will give a message like the following O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Getting Started 21 APCC Pro Trial Registration v1 0 0 7 Product APCC Pro Name Albert Einstein Email Big_A E mc 2 com Date 2014 10 22 RegCode m E4X lt T0p SeCr t gt 1038 Obtaining a trial license key if your computer does not have internet access If the computer on which you intend to use
148. lick button to create all defined virtual ports Delete All Click button to delete all created virtual ports Auto Connect COM port and create Virtual Ports when started If you are planning to use APCC with the AP V2 ASCOM Driver you will have to either manually run APCC before connecting an application through the driver or check this option When checked the AP V2 ASCOM Driver will automatically launch APCC and connect to the mount Auto connect to ASCOM driver on first Virtual port Check this option if you plan to start APCC first before using any ASCOM client applications This will allow ASCOM clients to connect more quickly the first time they try to access the ASCOM driver Uncheck this option if you want to have the driver start APCC when the first ASCOM client tries connecting to the mount Bytes Received This is the number of bytes received on the virtual port from an application You can use this field as an indicator that an application is communicating correctly 2015 Astro Physics Inc 112 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Bytes Sent This is the number of bytes sent out the virtual port to an application connected on the virtual port You can also use this and Bytes Received to verify that an application has successfully disconnected and is no longer communicating When an application disconnects the values will no longer be changing SYNC gt RCAL Translation Use this option to convert SYNC commands to
149. limits and provides a unique and powerful tool for safely starting images in the east from the east side counterweight up using the meridian advance e Instead of just a single meridian limit for all declinations you can configure an arbitrary number of different limits at different declinations This is useful because at each declination there can be a different hour angle at which the telescope will touch the pier In declination regions where the telescope can theoretically go the full 6 hours past in the west the meridian limits can establish horizon tracking limits for the practical distance past the meridian where you can reasonably continue O 2015 Astro Physics Inc s Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File to work Likewise in the east they can set the practical horizon ahead of the meridian where you can reasonably start an image e When a meridian tracking limit is reached tracking can be automatically stopped the scope can be flipped or the scope can be parked Meridian tracking limits can also be used to create a safe zone around your pier if it interferes with even reaching the zenith similar in a way to the safe zone in the Astro Physics GTO keypad The keypad s safe zone however is a GoTo slew limit rather than a tracking limit Remember that an APCC Meridian Limits safe zone that does not allow the scope to reach the Meridian must be stopped or parked It cannot be flipped When east limits are properly
150. man Equatorial mounts with GTO Servo System Parallax Instruments or Mathis Instruments o GTOCP3 Control Box with revision V or later firmware Revision V began shipping with all mounts starting at the end of July 2014 Refer to this information from the Technical Support section of our website http www astro physics com tech_support mounts servo cp3 chipupgrade htm Minimum Recommended Computer Hardware Requirements The whole idea of minimum computer requirements for a single application is really no longer valid in today s computer world Any computer that can run any of the modern software packages that you will be using with APCC will be adequate to run APCC The issue in today s environment is whether your computer can run ALL of the required software SIMULTANEOUSLY to achieve your desired goals APCC is unlikely to ever be run as a stand alone piece of software When you consider your computer hardware aim for a system that can handle all of the observing and imaging software that you plan to use and that can handle all of it running together That being said here are some general tips and recommendations and a few specific requirements o RAM is generally more critical to adequate performance than processing power If budgeting for a computer system spend the money on more RAM instead of the latest and fastest processors with the most cores 8GB of RAM is probably adequate for an imaging system but 16GB or more is even better
151. mand Center APCC Help File NOTE All coordinates are in JNOW In APPM plate solves involving catalogs with J2000 0 coordinates are precessed to JNOW for the purpose of creating pointing models This said you may find these terms useful for evaluating certain mechanical aspects of your setup There are two columns for the terms The left column contains the East model s term values The right column contains the West model s term values HOWEVER do not treat these values as absolute APCC s sophisticated modeling uses a best fit approach The values may tell you whether you have a problem with orthogonality or with your polar alignment but the exact values from the model are not appropriate guides for making precise polar alignment adjustments or for shimming an OTA Offset Error Hour Angle This is the index error in the Right Ascension axis For instance in a perfect telescope system if the scope is pointing at exactly RA 10h 00m 00s but the telescope coordinates show RA 10h 02m 04s then the error is OOh 02m 04s This type of error can usually be fixed by syncing to a known RA Dec coordinate e g via a plate solve Offset Error Declination This is an index error in declination For instance in a perfect telescope system if the scope is pointing at exactly Dec 35d 00m 00s but the telescope coordinates show Dec 35h 04m 07s then the error is 00h 04m 07s This type of error can usually be fixed by syncing to a known RA Dec coordin
152. manually send commands directly to the mount Please see the Terminal Interface Window section for more details The Terminal Interface Window can also be accessed from a button on the Setup Tab Log window This opens the Log window which allows you to see the commands sent by APCC to the mount and the mount s responses Note the following options within the window When the mount is connected a continual stream of commands and responses will display Please see the Log Window section for additional information The Log Window can also be accessed from a button on the Setup Tab O 2015 Astro Physics Inc as Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File W Apcc Command Log lo amp ss Options Y Always show lastne V Show GOS Queries Y Show Other Y Show RA Dec Queres V Show Side of Mount Queries 2 Open Explorer Instance In Logs Directory This opens a Windows Explorer instance with the folder set to the logs directory This allows you to conveniently open log files should you need to The Log Directory can also be reached from a button on the Setup Tab Log Zipper This opens the Log Zipper window which allows you to package log files and configuration files in case you have a problem or software bug to report Please see the Log Zipper Window section for more details Launch APPM If APCC Pro is installed this will open APPM the Astro Physics Point Mapper utility If you have APCC Standard an error messag
153. mpleted the mount is parked to the park position selected in the AP V2 ASCOM Driver o Model 5x and Park This option runs 5 consecutive individual mapping runs It is primarily used with the Verify Pointing Model option described above Measurement Indicates the current measurement point when active If you are running Windows 7 or later the Task Bar icon will also indicate progress with a green progress overlay Good Bad Solves Indicates the number of good and bad plate solves Current State Indicates the current state machine state Table This table provides feedback for each measured point 13 4 General Information Tab You can enter information about your scope camera mount and other things here These values get saved with the point model raw data that is created O 2015 Astro Physics Inc APPM The Astro Physics Point Mapper 163 File Settings Tools Help General ematon PnPont Sens General Information Mount Type 1600GTO z Name Sir Isaac Newton Site Location Asttro Physics Observatory Machesney Park IL earn AP 160EDFf 7 5 on 1600GTO AE p Camera QSI 683wsg Mount Type Select your mount type from the drop down list box Name Enter your name in this box Site Location Enter a descriptive name of the site here Telescope Description Enter a description of the telescope you are using Camera Enter the model of camera that you are using 13 5 Camera Settings Tab O Astro P
154. ncrement in the Step 1 Slew to Meridian box Change if necessary 5 Return to step 2 Next Position above 2015 Astro Physics Inc 12 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Some Hints e In general the North and South buttons are not used but they can come in handy if an obstruction is just narrowly missed at a given point The subsequent Dec Increment will be calculated from the new adjusted Dec value not from the original value to which the mount slewed e f you are taking your limit mapping all the way to the pole be sure to compare the current declination to the declination increment This is explained further in the next heading Finishing at the Pole Finishing at the Pole Meridian Tracking Limits are not currently defined below the pole in APCC Future releases may add this feature if it is demanded Because the program cannot define the limits below the pole you must stop your mapping just before the pole See the screen shot below APCC Meridian Tracking Limits Explo Dec Increment 5 degrees Less than 5 degrees to the pole There are two options at this point 1 You can skip this last small increment and go to the other side or finish if this is the second side already See Below 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 103 2 You can enter a last adjusted increment In the example from the screen shot above would enter an increment of 4 3 4 18 Note th
155. nd the mount must be powered on If you can successfully use the Check Port button in the AP V2 ASCOM Driver s Telescope Setup window then you are set up correctly for this test If you don t have the correct firmware installed for this mount you can click the Order Firmware button for more information on how to obtain it Obtaining a trial license key if your computer has internet access You can try APCC for up to 30 days before purchasing To do so you will need to make sure your e mail is authorized to receive a trial license key Authorization is required to ensure that you have the correct firmware and control box which will help minimize support questions To get an authorized e mail you should contact Astro Physics via phone or e mail Support at Astro Physics dot com requesting that your e mail be authorized for the trial In order to be authorized you will have to purchase the upgraded firmware revision V or later if you do not already have this firmware installed in your GTOCP3 Mach1GTO 1100GTO and 1600GTO mounts shipped beginning July 22 2014 and later will have the upgraded firmware Owners of these more recent mounts must still get an e mail address authorized for the licensing process Once your e mail address has been authorized enter your Name and E mail address twice and click the Get Trial Key Via Internet button Make sure that you run APCC on the computer you intend to run it from You should receive an e mai
156. night there may be a significant change from the night the Pointing Model was created APPM and APCC can account for the difference in temperature between nights to provide the greatest pointing and tracking rate correction accuracy possible Pointing Correction Status If Enable Pointing Correction is checked this group box shows the RA and Declination adjustments in arc minutes that are currently applied to the mount They are updated approximately once per second 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 115 Es Under certain circumstances the boxes will read with other values Not Tracking The mount is not tracking Tracking Correction Status If Enable Tracking Correction is checked this group box shows the RA and Declination rate adjustments in arc seconds second that are currently applied to the mount They are updated approximately once per second E Under certain circumstances the boxes will read with other values Not Tracking The mount is not tracking Pointing Model This group box shows some of the major terms extracted from the pointing model It is not all inclusive of all terms and properties used in the pointing model The pointing model will also take into account refraction and interpolation of residual pointing terms to provide greater accuracy than just these major terms With time refinements and additional terms may be made visible O 2015 Astro Physics Inc ne Astro Physics Com
157. ns however so it is not recommended for astrometry but for pointing it is the best choice To quote Bob Denny of DC3 Dreams regarding the USNO A2 0 Catalog For the ultimate in accuracy and coverage use the USNO B1 0 catalog It is really large 80 GB so you ll have to get it by sending a hard drive to someone who has it Alternatively if you can tolerate increased plate solution times you can use B1 0 va internet access Bottom Line Use either the 3 GSC 1 1 Corrected or the 5 USNO A2 0 catalog unless you have a compelling reason not to Catalog Path This is the directory in which the selected catalog is located Click the button to Navigate to the catalog directory on your computer Most of you will have the Catalog folder s in the root directory of your C drive Sigma above Mean This is considered an advanced parameter in PinPoint and the user is cautioned to check other parameters before changing this one Bob Denny s excellent PinPoint documentation 2015 Astro Physics Inc 166 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File describes it as The minimum brightness ratio sigmas above background for a star to be detected and it lists a value of 3 0 to be the default and the best place to start Legal values are from 1 0 to 20 0 Higher values reject dimmer stars that are not sufficiently brighter than the background For our purposes in APPM we have set the default at 4 0 If you are in light poll
158. nsfer into the Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer 2 You want to move the mount with the keypad to quickly put together a rough set of limits for a star party or portable setup In general we recommend using the conventional method in the previous section Using the Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer This method is primarily for advanced users and for those who prefer keypad operations with their mount Clicking the Manually Add Points button will open the following window O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 106 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File APCC Add Meridian Tracking Limit Point Manually enter value in one or the other The second field will update automatically Enter HA value and choose a side UNcheck for first point on aside Check for subsequent points on that side 05 i Adds the point as displayed in Steps 1 amp 2 above Enters the current mount position into the fields in Steps 1 amp 2 above We will look at three procedures for making use of the Add Meridian Tracking Limit Point window 1 Making a quick set of limits with the keypad or similar button control 2 Entering data from an existing table 3 Editing part of an existing curve to reflect a change Making a quick set of limits with the keypad or similar button control You can make a surprisingly effective set of meridian limits for a star party or
159. ntation and must rely on the operator to give them their proper start 2015 Astro Physics Inc Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Let s examine the first issue Why would the full circular nature of the axes create a problem potential First if you loosen your clutches and then remove your telescope mounting hardware and counterweight shaft you can simply turn both axes round and round to your heart s content Since the clutches were disengaged the servo drive system can not possibly have any idea where the axes are pointing before you tell it by syncing the mount This is a critical problem because of the fact that for any location in the sky there would be two possible ways to point at it if there were no obstructions like a pier in the way See the illustration below E Ww Meridian Moridian lt N S Center line IN S Centerdine WRONG Both images show a telescope pointing at the same object The image on the right is obviously wrong and no experienced astronomer would position his or her mount like this but the mount cannot know which alternative has been chosen The software was therefore written to subsequently slew the mount assuming the sync position was correct as shown on the left lt bases its assumption of where the meridian is and where the pier is on the correct orientation of the system when it is synced Well you might ask if no one would be dumb enough to sync with their mount posi
160. o Group Boxes enclosed within a yellow box and given a title to describe their relationship Some of the group boxes like the Move Scope group box shown below are always visible on the Main Window Others are organized within the various tabs or windows Resizing Windows For your convenience the various windows can be resized to suit your needs Simply grab the lower right corner of the window or the sides and move it to fit the desired space Note that the text and graphics will adjust proportionally to the width or length that you specify This will allow you to optimize the monitor placement of all of the programs you typically use to enhance your work flow When you resize APCC the controls will scale as well The scaling of controls and fonts is not always perfect but is usually good enough for most purposes For instance you can maximize APCC so that the controls are easily visible from a distance or shrink APCC so that other Windows are also visible 2015 Astro Physics Inc 32 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File If you wish to save the location of the windows when you exit APCC refer to Settings Menu Please refer to Known Issues if you are using Windows XP or Vista Limit Primary Control of Your Mount to One Input Device Your mount can be controlled by a variety of input devices including the Keypad iPad iPhone or computer Although the devices can work together very well to command the movement of your mount
161. o assure that log files are created so that we can better assist you if you encounter any issues Refer to Log Window for further information Show Status Window when starting If this option is checked when APCC starts the Status Window instead of the APCC s main window will display Windows Priority For almost everyone leave this at the default Above Normal setting This gives your mount control higher priority than other software so if iTunes suddenly decides it s time for an update it shouldn t disturb your autoguiding signals getting sent to the mount Enable Tracking Rate Tweak Window Pro version only This feature allows the user to access a small window from the Pointing Model Tab that allows tweaking of the model s calculated tracking rates if minor adjustment is needed This feature should only be used by the most advanced users 5 7 Site Tab A Astro Physics Command Center Pro File Settings Tools Help eN AE RN Mount Location The information in this group box is information that is polled from the mount O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 53 Latitude The current latitude value last read from the mount This value is refreshed when you switch to the Site tab or click the Refresh button Longitude The current longitude read from the mount Note that longitudes west of the meridian will display as positive values This value is refreshed when you switch to the Site tab or click the Refr
162. o not use barometric pressure values Light is being refracted by the actual air mass above your telescope not the equivalent normalized sea level air mass As an example mean sea level atmospheric pressure average barometric pressure 1013 mB The Astro Physics observatory is at an altitude of about 228 meters above sea level none too high The sea level value of 1013 mB is equivalent to about 987 mB of actual atmospheric pressure here at AP At a remote observatory in Chile at an altitude of 2295 meters that same sea level value is equivalent to about 770 mB For any given altitude the atmospheric pressure will have a certain range of variability that can be expected Within the range at your observing spot s altitude you will find that higher pressure corresponds with nights where it is clear enough to actually use the telescope and lower pressure corresponds with cloudy or even stormy weather When manually entering a value here enter one that corresponds with the high pressure value for your altitude that you would be likely to find on a good clear night Ina future release APCC will add support for weather station software so that this value can be kept updated in real time A Note about Temperature and Pressure Even a modest temperature change can make a measurable impact on refraction APPM will record the temperature at each plate solve for later use Even though there may not be a significant change in temperature on any given
163. on Switch the switch is reached The R A axis will only move in the direction of the home position Bounce The motion that caused RA and the limit switch to activate Park will be stopped and a short slew or bounce in the opposite direction will be made to disengage the 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 127 limit switch RA tracking will stop and the mount will be in a parked state Encoder This drop down list box configures the encoder operation There are two options Enabled and Disabled Encoder Trim You can adjust the encoder based trim rate with this setting Encoder trim can be set to adjust for the apparent non sidereal tracking rate of objects due to atmospheric refraction polar misalignment flexure and other causes Encoder trim is entered in arc seconds per hour and will trim the R A tracking rate without affecting the R A coordinates in the servo DO NOT use any encoder trim if you are also using the APCC pointing model Use the tracking correction in the Pointing Model instead See your 3600 LSS PE instructions for more details Set For all of the above configuration settings you need to click the appropriate tcs button to save the change You must press the set button after selection for the changes to take place Status The Status box is where information is read directly from the mount Limit Switch Config This is the read back of the limit switch setting The limit switc
164. on of your horizon that is relatively straight The line that the Horizon Editor will draw can slope up or down so the important thing is that the horizon forms a straight not necessarily flat line without bumps or dips 7 Continue with this process until the azimuth circle has been completed Hints and Tricks Skip large chunks of azimuth where the horizon is flat or has a straight line i e roof line by either entering an azimuth manually followed by clicking the GoTo Az Alt button or by double clicking a spot on the graph at the approximate azimuth where the horizon changes This is especially useful for the long straight walls of roll off roof observatories As an example built a very accurate horizon limit model for inside AP s roll off roof observatory with only 9 well placed points The observatory is a double roll off that divides in the middle with the roof halves rolling off to the north and the south respectively The following should be considered an example only The exact sequence of steps will probably not be ideal for your situation 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window s o 1st point was at Azimuth 0 and was the peak of the north roof segment T B APCC Horizon Tracking Limits Editor y Horizon Tracking Limits S SW A NW l ant NE E SE AP Observatory Horizon Press left mouse and drag to draw Horizon Double click to GoTo 0 3 Ee os MS IS TT ie o 2nd point where roof met east
165. on the east side of the pier Use APCC Meridian Limits When checked APPM will use the meridian limits points from APCC to create additional mapping points for counterweight up telescope positions You may need to click the option in the Settings Menu to update the APCC Meridian Limits into APPM Use APCC Horizon Limits When checked APPM will use the horizon limits points from APCC to limit mapping points to positions above the defined horizon Points below your APCC Horizon Limits will not be included in the point mapping You may need to click the option in the Settings Menu to update the APCC Meridian Limits into APPM Safety degs This allows you to specify an extra number of degrees before the meridian or the meridian limit if Use APCC Meridian Limits is checked for which mapping points will not be created In most cases you can leave this set to O degrees Point Ordering Strategy This determines the order that the mapping points will be executed The two declination strategies reduce slew times and place priority towards a higher accuracy RA tracking model The options are o Declination points are mapped at one declination at a time As declination moves away from the celestial equator the actual sky distance between points decreases O 2015 Astro Physics Inc APPM The Astro Physics Point Mapper 169 o Declination Equal RA Density points are mapped at one declination at a time RA Spacing increases inversely to Cosine
166. operation RA This shows the right ascension position of the mount DEC This shows declination position of the mount ALT This shows the altitude position of the mount AZ This shows the azimuth position of the mount 5 4 Status Bar The status bar is always visible at the very bottom of the main window Unparked Tracking Sidereal Guide Rate 1 00x PEM On RA Rate 0 00000 DEC Rate 0 00000 E The Status Bar provides the following information e Park State Valid states include Unparked Parked Parking and Unparked AP The last state indicates that the mount will auto park if power is removed and the mount is not officially parked e RA Tracking State Valid states include Stopped Sidereal Lunar Solar and Custom Guide Rate State Valid rates include 0 25x 0 50x and 1 00x e PEM State Valid states include On Off Recording Encoder e RA Tracking Rate State Rate in arc seconds per second There will only be values here if you have set a custom rate or are set to the Lunar or Solar rate Otherwise the rate will show as zeros if you are set to sidereal Dec Tracking Rate State The rate in arc seconds per second There will only be values here if you have set a custom rate Otherwise the rate will show as zeros All of the above values are polled from the mount every few seconds O 2015 Astro Physics Inc s Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 5 5 Menus 5 5 1 File Menu
167. option is not checked the default is zero Remember that backlash settings are generally NOT recommended for most users and are DEFINITELY NOT recommended if you are autoguiding They are generally useful only for visual observing or manual guiding with a crosshair eyepiece Set PEM If this option is checked periodic error correction can be forcibly enabled or disabled during initialization If this option is not checked PEM will remain disabled Command buttons Stop Auto Init Stops the auto initialization process This button is not present in the Initialization window accessed through Settings since it is not needed there 2015 Astro Physics Inc Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Initialize Clicking this button will initialize the mount with whatever parameters you have defined above If you have stopped the Auto Initialization to make changes to your settings this will then complete the initialization process The rates on the Rate Settings tab will update Cancel Clicking this button will cancel the initialization and any changes you have made to the settings will not be saved You may wish to do this if you will be initializing later after downloading new GPS site information 4 Status View Window The Status View Window provides a convenient way to view information regarding your mount s position rates time and other information all in one window You can initiate button rate commands to center an ob
168. ored in the GTOCP3 Control box and can be enabled via the Keypad the ASCOM driver or APCC in subsequent sessions Use APCC to Record PEM NOTE Like the Keypad method below using APCC to record PEM will use the GTOCP3 s servo recording capabilities and will only record a single worm cycle DO NOT replace a good PEMPro O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 123 correction model with this single cycle model Think of this as an emergency tool for getting a quick PE curve into the mount NOT as an ideal way to program your PEM or as a way to improve on a PEMPro model Polar align your mount so that you have minimum R A and Dec drift Be sure that the night is steady enough with minimum atmospheric motion and pick a star near the zenith refer to the LST value in the Telescope Position group box to minimize atmospheric refraction errors You must use a CCD camera or webcam which will faithfully remember each error correction that it makes These cameras can respond quickly to changes so they are extremely accurate and will place into memory a very smooth correction of the gear error The corrections will be stored in the GTOCP3 Control box and can be enabled via the Keypad the ASCOM driver or APCC in subsequent sessions 1 Select 1x response rate for N S E W buttons on the Rate Settings tab 2 Go to PEM tab of APCC Refer to PEM Tab for a discussion regarding the other functions on this tab 3 Choose PEM Record button and click OK
169. orm a short calibration slew one more time O 2015 Astro Physics Inc then start tracking The Status Information field will indicate status as this happens Stop Tracking button Click to stop tracking It is only active when tracking is active Start tracking at button Click to start tracking at a specific time The time and date can be set in the field directly under this button Stop after hours check box if checked mount tracking will be completely stopped after the interval in hours in the field below this check box This field applies both to the Start Tracking Now and Start Tracking at buttons The time is measured from when tracking actually begins This field is live meaning you can turn it on or off or change the hours value while tracking Be careful if you lower the value while tracking as you can trigger a stop tracking event Sidereal Rate button click to set the mount to Sidereal tracking rate Best used when tracking is off as Horizons can change the rate while tracking Turn Mount Tracking Off button turns tracking completely off Park button parks the telescope Tracking Table Index Local Time UTC RA Dec RA rate s hrcos Dec Dec rate a s hr Azimuth Altitude Magnitude 1 11 26 2013 4 00 00 PM_ 11 27 2013 12 00 00 AM 13 830889 42 610361 476 51770 42 12410 308 93 20 01 0 00 2 11 26 2013 4 01 00 PM_ 11 27 2013 12 01 00 AM 13 831089 42 610167 476 51780 42 13840 309 04 19 85 0 00 3 11 26 201
170. osition you have entered In most circumstances you will want to ReCal rather than Sync ReCal is used to recalibrate the position of the mount ifan object does not appear in the center of the field Recalibrate can be used even when the object is past the meridian and the telescope is below the mount ReCal recalibrates on the last object to which the telescope was sent NOTE You can only use the ReCal option if APCC has the target object in its memory i e you just gave a slew command and APCC already knows it should be at a particular position You cannot use the ReCal option if you manually move the telescope to another position since APCC has no way of knowing the position of that object In this situation use Sync as described below For more detailed discussion refer to the section below entitled Sync Explained in Detail and Compared to Recalibrate Sync Clicking this will Sync the mount to the RA Dec position you have entered Since misusing Sync is a common occurrence a warning will display when you make this selection In particular be very careful that the mount is not in a counterweight up position when syncing as it might be if you are using the Meridian Delay feature For more detailed discussion refer to the section below entitled Sync Explained in Detail and Compared to Recalibrate Please read the warning think carefully and make the appropriate selection APCC Sync to RCAL Warning B 2015 Astro Physics Inc
171. otally accurate model If you are operating your telescope in an observatory and you cannot see it directly from your computer we recommend that you install a web cam to monitor your instruments Open the 3D Scope Editor The 3D Scope Editor can be accessed by selecting Edit from the File drop down menu as shown For an explanation of other selections in the drop down menu refer to the Menu Items section __ Astro Physics 3D Scope View G Documents and Settings All Users Applicat Me x Telescope Tab 2015 Astro Physics Inc 3D Scope Window s APCC 3D Scope Editor x Diameter Length Adjust dimensions with slider arrows or number entry Center Allows you to simulate a balance point of the telescope on the mount by moving the graphical telescope forward or back in relation to the mount Color The drop down box allows you to change colors Alas there is no good representation of Astro Physics cream white Focuser Tab APCC 3D Scope Editor Diameter Length Drawtube Extension Adjust dimensions with slider arrows or number entry Camera Visible You can specify whether or not the camera should be visible in your graphic This will impact how your focuser displays 2015 Astro Physics Inc 144 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Color The drop down box allows you to change colors Dew Shield Tab Outside Diameter Length Adjust dimensions with slider arrows or num
172. ou a graphical representation of the sky with your horizon limits It shows the telescope position a rectangular Alt Az grid and the corresponding R A and Dec lines Useful Tip A very useful feature of both the main tab graph and the Horizon Limits Editor graph is that you can double click on a spot on the graph to slew to that position 2015 Astro Physics Inc Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Northern Hemisphere aM Slew destination selected by double clicking graph f g 05 19 34 j aH i i idi i wReCalg Rate Settings orizon Meridian 4 Virtual Ports 4 Poi Scope at aval Edit This button to the lower right of the Alt Az box opens the Horizon limits editor Note You can double click a point in the graph to slew to that position as shown in the northern hemisphere view above 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 5 11 1 Horizon Limits Editor Overview The window shown below under 3 is where you will actually describe your horizon graphically and save it for APCC to use There are several ways to create your horizon from a simple drawing which can be done in under a minute for a one time portable setup to a detailed mapping with precisely accurate horizons for a permanent observatory The detailed mapping will of course take a bit longer Instructions for creating and or editing your horizon 1 Click on Horizon tab in APCC main window 2 Click on Edit button to lowe
173. ou are portable and must reestablish your position at each startup set this to Park 4 If you just need to reestablish your position this one time in a permanent setup select Park 4 and then switch back to Last Parked once pointing is established To resume from Park 4 you will of course need to place the mount into the Park 4 position 13 Create your Horizon Tracking Limits if you will be using them 14 Create your Meridian Tracking Limits if you will be using them 15 If you have APCC Pro version we recommend the following a Establish your Horizon and Meridian Tracking Limits BEFORE doing anything in the Pointing Model Tab b If time permits operate your mount normally for a few nights to be sure that you have everything else working the way you want it to c When you feel ready or if you simply cannot wait open the Pointing Model Tab and then click on the APPM button to get started with a pointing model If you follow these steps in order you will have everything set up in a way that most users will find ideal There are of course many additional options and settings in APCC that you can work with but start with the basics and try to get a good understanding of the program before attempting to use the more advanced features 2015 Astro Physics Inc 16 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 2 2 Hardware Software Requirements Mount Hardware Requirements o Astro Physics GTO mounts OEM Ger
174. ou can bin 2x or higher with impunity if your image scale is less than 1 arc second 3 In star rich parts of the sky the star catalog may have too many stars for PinPoint to solve You can reduce the chance of this error by using a a 1 2 or 1 4 subframe 4 In star sparse areas of the sky you might need to use full frame images even though image downloads will take longer PinPoint Settings Tab y a Astro Physics Point Mapper Points 560 File Settings Tools Help Run _ General Information Camera Settings PinPoint Settings Measurement Points PinPoint Settings Catalog 5 USNO A2 0 x Catalog Path C USNO A2 0 Y Double Duration if too few stars Sigma above Mean 3 0 Catalog Max Mag 16 0 Catalog Expansion 05 E Max Solve Time sec 45 Xarc sec pixel 1 85 Refine image Y scale from next Y arc sec pixel 1 85 solved image Image Scale 5 z Tolerance y O 2015 Astro Physics Inc APPM The Astro Physics Point Mapper 165 Introduction In order to correct pointing and tracking it is necessary to exactly measure pointing errors To do this APPM slews a telescope to a number of positions in the sky takes pictures and plate solves each image Plate solving is the process of analyzing and comparing the positions of stars in an image to a catalog of stars The exact center of each image is calculated in the process The difference between where the telescope thinks it
175. ou click the main part of the window to unlock the slews again you will need to restart the slew unless the client software that originally sent the command is very persistent 8 Terminal Interface Window Terminal Interface Window There are times when using a direct connection to the mount is beneficial This feature will allow you to make specific tests of the mount or to check commands when writing your own mount control software Terminal interface is found under the Tools drop down menu on the main APCC window When you select this function you are provided with a clean slate on which to write your commands It is necessary to know the Astro Physics command language found in the keypad manual Appendix B commands apply to microcontroller chip versions G through Q O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Terminal Interface Window 151 B APCC Terminal Interface o JO e Options Command pS v Send Num Transmit Time Received 1 GAR 0 041 00 16 104 2 GZH 0 039 90 16 28H 3 GSH 0 023 00 15 01 8 4 Sr03 29 43 5H 0 323 1 5 Sd 86 21 06H 0 322 1 6 MSH 0 323 0 4 WW p Options Click on Options to reveal the following choices Clear Display Removes the commands that have been sent to the mount from the display window Always on Top Provides the choice to hold the window in the foreground over other applications or to let it drop behind them It can be toggled on and off Command This is the space in which one type
176. pe is long or your pier is tall and you wish to fit your model within the box to its best advantage As you move the model up and down the perspective will shift slightly To return your model to the default position select the Zoom Fit icon Rotate Allows you to freely rotate your 3D model to suit your needs Note that the arrows that designate zenith north and east will move in a corresponding manner In this case the Zoom Fit icon will center the mount within the frame however does not return the position to your starting position We suggest that you select one of the Top North South East West or Trimetric buttons to return to their default orientation Zoom Fit Typically this selection will undo the changes that were made by one of the other icon selection Menu Selections Refer to the separate Menu Items section for information regarding the File and Sync drop down selections 2015 Astro Physics Inc 12 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 6 1 3D Scope Editor The 3D Scope Editor allows you to create an approximate representation your telescope and imaging system on your Astro Physics mount lt will give you a good idea of where and how the telescope is slewing and its relationship to the pier However DO NOT rely on the 3D model to determine how close to the pier you can slew safely We do not provide all of the parameters i e specific mount model and mounting plates so it is not possible to create a t
177. per Window section 2015 Astro Physics Inc Log Zipper Window 153 10 Log Zipper Window Log Zipper Window The APCC Log File Zipper provides a convenient access to all related log files It allows you to selectively zip files of specific types if it becomes necessary to forward them for analysis The Log Zipper Window can be accessed from the Menu Tools gt Log Zipper Window W APCC Log File Zipper fo le lis Zp fiesfromthis Z APCC LOG Ries 12 23 Y APPM PNT Files many previous days 1 ASCOM Log Files APPM Log Files 0 File Name File Type Date Size Settings apec APCC Settings 2 18 2013 2 41 46 PM 16K Ej SiteList xml Site list 2 18 2013 2 55 15 PM 469 Mer Test 4 mlm Meridian Limits 2 21 2013 5 15 19 PM 7K Mer Test 3 mlm Meridian Limits 2 21 2013 4 34 01 PM TK Mer Test 2 mlm Meridian Limits 2 19 2013 5 23 52 PM 9K Mer Test 1 mlm Meridian Limits 2 19 2013 4 57 48 PM 7K Default mim Meridian Limits 2 19 2013 4 56 54 PM 7K ap ini ASCOM INI 2 22 2013 11 54 57 AM 2K APCC 2013 03 13 134017 bet APCC Log 3 13 2013 1 40 17 PM 1410K APCC 2013 03 13 133440 bd APCC Log 3 13 2013 1 34 40 PM 8K APCC 2013 03 12 150713 be APCC Log 3 12 2013 3 07 13 PM 18796K 3 12 2013 12 10 32 PM 371 Zip files from this many previous days This allows you to show a range of dated files so that one day or many days of files can be selected 2015 Astro Physics Inc 154 Astro Physics Comman
178. placed it If you have invested the time to do a detailed mapping take the time to save it so that you can retrieve it later Saved files can always be loaded and edited or changed later and re saved Some additional notes o There is no requirement that you start at the horizon away from your pole and then work your way poleward You can even set negative increments to go backwards However we have found that after trying various methods of setting up these limits starting at the horizon away from the pole has become the method we prefer ourselves o You do not need to carry your limits all the way to the pole Remember however that zero limit values will not allow you any tracking past the meridian at those declinations An easy and quick O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 105 way around this is to simply carry the worst case value at the pier the rest of the way poleward in one jump 5 12 3 Manually Add Meridian Tracking Limit Points The Manually Add Points button on the right side of the Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer opens a new window for adding points to your limit mapping APCC Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer WBR 4 3 Ri Limit Points Opens the Add Meridian Tracking Limit Point Window ji q E There are two primary situations where the manual method may be more appropriate 1 You have already created a data set perhaps on a spreadsheet that you would like to easily tra
179. pped if this box is checked This includes attempts to swap directions from the AP V2 ASCOM Driver and the keypad If you wish to do some manual movements with the direction swaps in effect temporarily uncheck this box and then recheck it when you are ready to start imaging Itis important for calibration and guiding to all be done with the direction moves in their normal state RA Delta Dec Delta Shows the approximate amount of movement since the start of the last button press Clear Clears the RA and DEC Delta values 5 3 Telescope Position Group Box This box shows all of the position information for the mount 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window as When APCC is connected to the mount the scope s position is shown by a red square in the virtual Sky window view The pier side is shown in the upper left and right with either an E or W within a yellow box The 3 D telescope view can be opened by clicking the 3D View button When slewing the word SLEW will flash in the bottom left of this window LST This shows the current local sidereal time Clicking the LST text will swap to show the hour angle HA which is the time distance of the scope from the Meridian You may have noticed that there is no way to enter your clock time APCC uses your computer time when sending time information to the mount You may wish to utilize time server software to keep your computer time as accurate as possible if that is important to your
180. r disabled Recal near Zenith at Start If checked then when starting a new point mapping run the scope will be slewed to near the zenith and an attempt made to recalibrate to a plate solved image s RA Dec coordinates It is recommended that you keep this checked Verify Pointing Model This option is used to test the quality of a model that you have already installed into APCC If checked a new pointing model is NOT generated Instead the currently loaded model is turned on in both pointing and tracking correction and APPM will slew to the mapped points and check the pointing error at each point This is often done on a much smaller less dense point mapping than you would use to create a model It is often also a good place to use the Model 5X and Park option in the After Complete dropdown as described below For example you might want to run a 200 or 300 point mapping to create your actual model and then test it by running 5 consecutive Verify mappings of 30 or 40 points each Running the same verify mapping 5 times will show the repeatability of the model s corrections 2015 Astro Physics Inc 162 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Skip Plate Solves for Testing If checked images will be taken but not plate solved This option would be used to check telescope operations This option is not saved between invocations of APPM Pause after each Slew The purpose of this is to allow you to do some action s before pla
181. r imaging Astro Physics Inc Software Author Ray Gralak sessions for years to come Editors Very special thanks to our beta testers who found bugs offered Howard Hedand valuable suggestions and provided useful pointing data We thank you for graciously offering your valuable time to assist with George Whitney development Ray Gralak Marjorie Christen Table of Contents Foreword Part Welcome to APCC 6 A ous eee Roos eects ace seve ecracas Sued E A T T A TE 6 2 Nersi n HIS Y did 8 3 License Agreement niaaa aaa ada 11 Part Il Getting Started 14 1 Getting Started Work FlOW ccooonnccccconnniccnonnnccnnnnnnnnnnnananennnnncrcnnnnncrennnnnrrnnnnnnrrernnnnerernnananes 14 2 Hardware Software RequireMentS coonccconncconnnnenncenonncinnnnnnnnennnnnnnnnrrnnnncrnnnrrnnnernnnnrranerennnes 16 3 Installation and Licensing iaa 17 4 Setting up your primary Virtual POrL ooonnccccnnncccnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnonnncrnnn cnn rr rro nnnrrrrnnnrrnnnn 22 5 Setting up the AP V2 ASCOM DTivel cccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaeeeeeeeaaeeeeeseaeeeeesaaeeeeeeaaeeeeenas 24 6 Operational Work Flow BasicS 00icooonioiaiiin lcd di e 27 7 Tipsto Get the Most from APCC oocconncconnccconncenonncinnnnnnnnccnnnncnnncnnnnnnnnnnrnnnnernnnrrnnnernnnnrrnerenanes 30 Part Ill Initialization Window 32 PartIV Status View Window 36 Part V Main Window 40 1 Connection Group Box ii is 41 2 Move Scope Group BOX iii a Peda iaa ai 43 3 T
182. r right of horizon limit graphical representation This opens the Horizon Tracking Limits Editor Window 10 x File Settings Tools Help a Setup Site Park GoTo ReCalg Rate Settings Meridian Virtual Ports PEM Other A GPS AE Note View shown above is from a Southern Hemisphere installation 3 The Horizon Tracking Limits Editor Window Your custom horizon will be created and displayed in the Horizon Tracking Limits Graph Graphs for each hemisphere are shown below 2015 Astro Physics Inc Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Northern Hemisphere E APCC Horizon Tracking Limits Editor Compass Points HORIZONTAL AXIS Azimuth Degrees N 0 360 North Pole North Pole Horizon Limit File Controls 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window Southern Hemisphere Bj APCC Horizon Tracking Limits Editor South Pole Compass Points HORIZONTAL SCALE Azimuth in Degrees N 0 360 VERTICAL SCALE Altitude in Degrees MET Q 0 MES uE E A ESE MS MS NES a E E Horizon Control e The top view is for our location at Astro Physics near Rockford Illinois the second is for Santiago Chile Note the different positions on the graph of the poles The red target shows where the telescope is pointing Horizontal Axis The horizontal axis of the Horizon Tracking Limits Editor represents the full circle panorama of your observing location The scale at th
183. r section on Getting Started Work Flow was designed to help you get the system up and running This section will guide you through normal operations as you use APCC with other software to achieve your observing or imaging goals The steps below are not hard and fast rules They are guides that if followed will present the easiest and most trouble free way of operating your system as a whole O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 28 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Use the AP V2 ASCOM Driver First off the question often arises If have a choice between using an extemal program s native driver as in TheSkyX or connecting the software through the AP V2 ASCOM Driver which should choose We strongly advise using the AP V2 ASCOM Driver Here are some reasons 1 The AP V2 ASCOM Driver is a full fledged hub It will accommodate a very large number of programs all connected at the same time and will do so without any problems As a single hub the driver will minimize the serial traffic between the software and the mount by eliminating redundancy 2 The AP V2 ASCOM Driver takes advantage of the full set of Astro Physics servo commands many of which were developed specifically for either the driver or for APCC Since these new commands are not being published the native drivers found in other software will be limited to the older set of published commands 3 The AP V2 ASCOM Driver can create log files for troubleshooting any issue
184. r situation We encourage you to refer to these help files first before posting to the forum or calling for support Please let us know how we can improve the information or presentation to make it easier for all to use Help icons The Help icons available throughout APCC are likely to be the most handy method for gaining access to information when you need it Each icon links to the specific part of this manual that explains the feature or function This puts pertinent information at your fingertips for immediate reference There are frequent links to other information for further clarification APCC Toolbar The APCC toolbar includes a Help selection that will open the entire manual for your review in html format This version includes a search function and allows you to designate sections of the manual as favorites for quick reference at a later date Adobe PDF If you plan to review the manual at times when APCC is not active the cross platform PDF format will be handy Download it to your computer print it for reference or upload it to your portable device If you use it in conjunction with an App like Annotate you can highlight information that you want to remember or make additional notes for future reference Apple Books ePub format This handy version can sit on the bookshelf on your iPad or even your Phone Naturally other e readers in ePub format can be used as well We will make an effort to keep the screen shots updated
185. racking After pasting the data you should see the Ephemeris values displayed in the bottom left text box They will be dynamically updating 14 2 TestTracking The Test Tracking feature is extremely easy to use The window has one line per each line Lines that are grayed out are below the horizon and cannot be used Double click any line that is not grayed out to test out tracking of the target at that time O 2015 Astro Physics Inc Double click line to start test from grayed out lines are below Horizon and cannot be selected Index 7381 7382 7383 7384 7385 7386 Local Time 12 1 2013 7 00 00 PM 12 1 2013 7 01 00 PM 12 1 2013 7 02 00 PM 12 1 2013 7 03 00 PM 12 1 2013 7 04 00 PM 12 1208 F 00 UTC 12 2 2013 3 00 00 AM 12 2 2013 3 01 00 AM 12 2 2013 3 02 00 AM 12 2 2013 3 03 00 AM 12 2 2013 3 04 00 AM 12 2 2013 3 05 00 AM RA 15 071358 15 071497 15 071633 15 071772 15 071911 Dec 39 829250 39 828750 39 828222 39 827722 39 827194 39 826694 RA rate a s hr cos Dec 343 18990 343 18500 343 18010 343 17520 343 17020 3 16510 Dec rate a s hr 110 37800 110 37600 110 37400 110 37100 110 36900 110 36700 7387 013 3 06 00 AM 5 0 3 94 600 110 36400 0 36200 110 35900 0 35700 Status information When you double click a line you will be prompted for with a confirmation dialog If you click OK the scope will slew to the target position and start trac
186. racking Limits Explorer 2015 Astro Physics Inc os Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Getting Started The Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer allows you to create a detailed limits curve using relatively simple steps The idea is to slowly slew the scope while watching it at each declination value until it is about to hit the pier The hour angle at which pier collision is about to occur is saved for each declination value that you try The Meridian limit between sampled declination values is interpolated between measured values If there is no measured value or a declination higher or lower than a measure declination then it is assumed to be zero that is the Meridian Take note of the following The Meridian Tracking Limits employ the concept of the Meridian Inclination Meridian inclination is a universal concept that is not affected by a persons s latitude Meridian inclinations as one might expect are measured along the meridian With meridian inclination the zero point is the horizon directly opposite the pole and a meridian inclination of 180 is the horizon point directly below the pole o In the north the zero meridian angle has a declination of 90 Latitude In the south it is 90 Latitude o The zenith has a meridian inclination of 90 The 90 degree meridian inclination has a declination equal to your latitude o Currently the meridian limits can only be defined up to your pole It
187. re is turned on Meridian delay overrides the mount s orientation clock information and can lead to the same problem as syncing when the mount is improperly oriented 4 Compare the current LST value the R A value for the star you will be syncing on Remember that the LST value changes along with time you can t use the LST value you remember from several hours ago If the R A number is larger than the LST value the star is east of the mount s calculated meridian and the scope should be on the west side of the mount If the R A value is smaller the star is west of the calculated meridian and the scope should be on the east This is an especially good way to check since it uses the mount s calculated meridian and therefore bypasses any errors in time or location data 5 To verify that everything is set correctly once you have synced go to the RA and Dec entry screens on this GoTo ReCal tab and enter the current LST value For the DEC value enter your latitude Press GOTO After slewing your counterweight shaft should be perfectly horizontal and the scope will be 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 9 pointing straight up as well This is a good test because it also indicates whether your time and location data are correct 6 Your sync will result in greater pointing accuracy if you sync to a single star that is close to the celestial equator rather than close to your pole This has nothing to do with the sync command i
188. rections near the celestial pole So in this case APCC will display a message Near Pole in the Pointing and Tracking Rate status boxes Pointing and tracking rate correction may not be as well corrected in these areas 5 14 2 Pointing Model Window The pointing model window shows some of the physical properties for the Astro Physics dual model The properties are explained here To open a model select the menu File gt Open and navigate to the APPM model that you want to load 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window no il AP Pointing Model C ProgramData Astro Physics APCC Models ApPointData 2014 07 09 212143 pnt 7 eX File Star RA Star Dec Scope RA Scope Dec LST Uncor RAEr Unc 15 50 16 7 42 22 54 0 1550 16 6 42 22 54 0 15 38 30 2 0 40 17 43 10 3 15 02 13 6 17 4254 8 15 00 00 0 15 39 06 7 224 77 15 170222 7 15 02 06 7 17 02 08 1 15 00 00 0 1539326 212 05 1 162121 5 15 02 10 4 16 2107 9 15 00 00 0 15 3957 5 197 34 1540 19 7 1502 17 8 15 40 07 6 15 00 00 0 1540229 175 59 18 2129 2 05 01 39 1 1821 15 7 05 00 00 0 15 40 59 4 200 48 17 41 49 2 050132 2 174136 5 05 00 00 0 1541246 190 16 1702 05 4 0501 33 8 1701 53 0 05 00 00 0 1541 50 2 185 05 16 2220 9 0501 40 3 16 22 09 4 05 00 00 0 15 42 16 8 172 35 15 42 37 1 05 01 48 6 15 42 26 8 05 00 00 0 1542 41 8 154 65 19 44 06 8 04 58 28 2 1943 53 4 05 00 00 0 15 4322 8 201 31 19 04 33 5 04 58 44 9 1904215 05 00 00 0 1543478 178
189. s one of these records it will fill in the information in the GPS Status group box GPS Connection COM Port For APCC to read a GPS device the GPS device must have a virtual COM port assigned to it Usually the driver for the GPS device will automatically create such a virtual COM port so you just need to select the proper port Baud The typical baud rate for GPS devices is 4800 baud Connect Click this button to try to connect to the virtual port of the GPS Once connected the button will say Disconnect NOTE If the GPS data cannot be read ensure that your GPS device is set to NEMA mode GPS Status Displays information obtained through your GPS device Actions Create New Site Click this button to create a new site with the current latitude longitude and elevation last acquired from the GPS This will open the Manage Sites dialog window 2015 Astro Physics Inc 136 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 6 3D Scope Window There are several ways to monitor the position of your telescope via the Telescope Position Group Box which is always visible on the Main Window e Altitude and azimuth position values These values are dynamic and change as your mount moves e Virtual Sky Window View When APCC is connected to the mount the scope s position is shown by a red square in the Virtual Sky Window view The pier side is shown in the upper left and right with either an E or W within a yellow
190. s that you may have 4 We can provide a certain amount of support if you encounter issues with a program that uses the AP V2 ASCOM Driver We of course cannot fix a problem that is in someone else s software but we may be able to figure out what is happening to cause the problem If you use a native driver you will be limited to the support that the software provider can give you We can t support someone else s driver Order of Operations While there are several ways that you can start up and run your system we recommend the following order of operations 1 Power up your imaging camera s and software and start the cooler s This is simply a time saver The cameras might as well be cooling while the rest of the system is being activated 2 Power up your mount Since APCC automatically sets the Auto Park feature in the servo the mount will not start default sidereal tracking even ifit was not properly shut down at the end of the previous session The mount will quietly wait in place until it is initialized and unparked by APCC with NO loss of pointing accuracy 3 Start APCC If you have checked the boxes in the Virtual Ports Tab as described in the Getting Started Work Flow section APCC will connect automatically to the mount and initialize it It will then create all of the virtual ports that you have defined Finally it will start up the AP V2 ASCOM Driver and connect to it through the first virtual port 4 Connect the imagin
191. s the commands that one wishes to send to the mount Once the command is written click the Send button to send it to the mount The command will then appear listed below The drop down arrow allows you to choose an entered command and resend it Send Clicking the Send button will send the command to the mount Command Window Number Refers chronologically to the sent commands Transmit Displays the command that was sent Time Displays the duration of sending and receiving the command Received Displays the response from the mount 9 Log_Window Command Log Window This window displays a running log of the communications to and from the mount It shows commands and inquiries issued to the mount indicated by the gt symbol and the mount s response indicated by the lt symbol Maintaining a log is vital when troubleshooting and or providing a record of events The Log Window can be accessed from the Menu Tools gt Log Window 2015 Astro Physics Inc 152 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File The Setup Tab includes a checkbox to Enable Logging to disk It is not possible to uncheck the box at this time We want to assure that log files are created so that we can better assist you if you encounter any issues W APcc Command Log lo amp z Options Y Always show lastline V Show GOS Queries Y Show Other Y Show RA Dec Que es V Show Side of Mount Queres 2 DHDIDIZU 19 10 L1 D3 3031 7
192. s to everyone for Read write access for logs and settings directories Version 1 0 0 7 Official Release 10 12 2014 APCC FEATURE Added an option to the Log window to only show telescope move commands which can be useful for debugging autoguider issues Version 1 0 0 6 10 06 2014 APCC Fixed issue with reading settings file Version 1 0 0 5 8 25 2014 APCC Declination degrees was being set to 0 after a save if the field was a negative value APCC Restored West Limits check box and finished implementing corresponding functionality see help section on Meridian Limits Version 1 0 0 4 8 15 2014 APCC Now requires firmware version V or later to run APCC Changed out of date references to U firmware to save V firmware APCC APPM Further updates to the documentation Version 1 0 0 3 8 10 2014 APCC BUG FIX ASCOM driver would lock up if Check for Valid Firmware was clicked and the driver was already setup to talk to APCC Version 1 0 0 2 8 8 2014 APPM BUG FIX Changing how Image FIT files were saved in an APPM run did not change immediately required a restart 2015 Astro Physics Inc Welcome to APCC 11 APCC BUG FIX When start with Status View Window was selected and the Main window brought up from the Status View the Status View Window would minimize if the main window was minimized Now the Main Window will only Minimize and optionally hide itself if the appropriate set
193. size to original Window Size setting This problem is likely due to a net configuration issue We will review this issue in the future to determine if it can be resolved Note that if you do not resize the window the Save Windows Positions feature can be used successfully Solution Deactivate the Save Window Positions setting exit and reopen APCC 12 Troubleshooting 12 1 FAQ Questions for All Versions of APCC How can find out if have the OpenGL 1 5 or later version OpenGL support is usually determined by the graphics card in your system There are probably 2015 Astro Physics Inc Troubleshooting 155 many ways to find out but here is one free utility you can use http www geeks3d com 20120927 gpu caps viewer 1 17 2 released APCC has a sophisticated meridian limits mechanism that will allow you to define the limit the mount can track past the meridian at multiple declination values Will this also prevent slews to these positions will often be starting imaging east of meridian but would like reasurance that GOTOs with a negative meridian delay won t hit anything APCC and also the ASCOM driver have safe slews built into them to prevent slews that cause collisions in counterweight up conditions The slews occur in multiple stages If you are starting a slew from a counterweight up position i e you have tracked past the meridian the first part of the slew will be in right ascension only The mount wil
194. specified The park positions include Current Position Park 1 Park 2 Park3 Park 4 and User Defined Alt Az 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window Safety Park mins When checked APCC sends a special command to the mount approximately every 10 seconds The special command resets a watchdog timer internal to the mount s servo control box The mount will be auto parked after the time interval if the special command is not sent to the mount during that time period This watchdog timer feature will prevent the mount from tracking your telescope into the pier should the computer freeze or crash or even if the serial connection is broken or fails This is just one of many of the safety features built into APCC and the latest firmware Revision U or later in Astro Physics mounts When active the current time countdown before the mount is auto parked is shown above the numeric input box for the minutes Park to this Position The park positions include Current Position Park 1 Park 2 Park3 Park 4 and User Defined Alt Az The next time you initialize the mount this selection will be remembered and automatically used If your situation changes before your next session you can alter your selection in the Initialize Mount window at the time you initialize Note that Park 4 is now the recommended reference park position and that Park 1 is considered obsolete see below User Park Position You can manually set park position to a User Defin
195. ssages replaced by aforementioned dialog APCC Changed Administrator to Elevated to more accurately describe APCC s privilege level Implemented a different way to check for elevation APCC BUG FIX Main window s position should now be restored if the Save windows positions option is set APCC BUG FIX Port status colors were sometimes incorrect APCC Tweaked Park 1 3 and 4 s positions APCC Added Always on top option to Scope 3D View window 2015 Astro Physics Inc 10 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File APCC BUG FIX If the THUM service is running queries to the THUM would fail after 10 seconds but would hold up APCC during that time so querying the THUM has been moved to a separate thread WARNING users should NOT install and or enable the THUM serice application software because then APCC will not be able to communicate with the THUM APCC BUG FIX Added separate checks for updates for the Standard and Pro editions APCC Added various information to the log files APPM New Feature Pro Only For dome users added new passive method for checking for dome move completion Instead of actively moving the dome via the ASCOM dome slewing commands APPM will assume that another program e g DC3 dreams ACP software will issue the slew APPM just passively waits for the slew to complete This option is setable va a new dome settings window in APPM s settings menu Installer Give permission
196. sssesseresescesssscessarevecasesesrsneresencesenseansscesscusesusrensetenensevensvecarevectensneis 118 PEN DAD seine ites Bat eles ee ites A ie ee AS Ae ice ee es 120 PEM Re Cording Options iisiccciscecccsscscsseseacctestsesseteusieciectesveneeiobecdsotcvadesssceessectececsecnsticisctscescesssbecdtedecbeaesiebishcotsnscer 121 16 Other Tab A A N a AD dada 124 17 EEES TA a a aa 124 HOM SQ LEIA S ii aiii 134 18 GPS Taba A Shion faethe baie actdiveess 134 Part VI 3D Scope Window 136 1 3D Sc p EMO iii de 142 2 Menu OMS iii suse cetds cvs tacdencontsdeaveiaca sees ierCeevsuscsieveaksdeacddasscedes 147 Part VIl Emergency Stop Window 148 Part VIII Terminal Interface Window 150 Part IX Log Window 151 Part X Log Zipper Window 153 Part XI Known Issues 154 Part XII Troubleshooting 154 PAG iii a A A A A Al adas 154 2 Troubleshooting Tool Sic cocida fe ceesicscwec ada c cteistcdeceusdcdeusiscegpelasdds cuubecateccaseceeuseceaseees 155 EXA EN 156 A A AAN 156 Part XIII APPM The Astro Physics Point Mapper 156 A A AN 156 P ETR T A ios 158 JA RUN Taba A A A A a e a 160 A General Information Ta Disisccsccses sceecaes soteveascevccava iii 162 5 Camera Settings Tab oi Ri 163 6 PinPoint Settings Tab iii ia 164 T Measurement Points Tabvictsicccisicceceicticetccedssacateccdeveiscdieceaaiasecevescaxtedtesfascaarsaneeipsideveustecndoe 167 8 Progress Pont Map devavesenduveted EA ENNE 170 9 Advanced Topics ivonne a id
197. st or the your current coordinates can be loaded directly from the mount for saving These features are especially useful for a number of imaging 2015 Astro Physics Inc 62 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File tasks e If you have framed an object at coordinates that are not quite those that are from a catalog simply load the current framed coordinates and save them Future GoTos to the saved coordinates will place the object in your framing e Do you have the perfect focus star for your object Go to the star center it and then load and save the star s coordinates for subsequent focus runs Coordinates can be entered manually into the coordinate fields either in sexagesimal HH MM SS or DD MM SS form or in decimal HH hhhhhh or DD dddddd form If you enter in decimal form you will see a small warning exclamation point next to the field The warning is simply to get your attention to be sure you intend the decimal entry Simply press enter or click into the next field to see the decimal converted to sexagesimal If entering in normal sexagesimal form you can use your computers Tab key to progress through the fields Declination values can range from 90 to 90 RA values can range from O to 23 59 59 The RA field can also be converted to an hour angle field by checking the Hour Angle checkbox The hour angle is most easily thought of as the distance from the meridian meridian LST in RA Positive hour angles are
198. t 08 36 23 70 HA Delta oo 00 00 01 0 01 secs RA Ave Dec Expected 39 49 38 36 Dec Last 39 49 38 00 Dec Delta 00 00 00 36 0 36 arc secs Ave Test Time Elapsed RA Rate Dec Rate 0 04 arc secs 0 63 arc secs To stop tracking click the Stop button The Status Information window shows the following information Test Time the simulated time at which the target will be located at the current RA Dec scope position O 2015 Astro Physics Inc 184 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File Elapsed Elapsed time since start of the simulation RA Rate the scope s current RA Rate Dec Rate the scope s current Dec Rate HA Expected the expected hour angle position of the target HA Delta the difference between actual and expected position This can vary slightly because the mount s position cannot be continuously and instantaneously polled Dec Expected the expected declination of the target Dec Delta the difference between actual and expected declination This can vary slightly because the mount s position cannot be continuously and instantaneously polled 14 3 Tracking a Target To track a target you need to 1 Be connected to the mount by clicking the Connect button on the main window 2 Have loaded a target s ephemeris data into the main windows from the JPL Horizons web site Alternatively you could also load a previously saved data set From this window you can tra
199. t in order to have the Software registered in their name e You maynotdisclose the license key provided by the Licensor for your use to a third party Such disclosure shall be considered a transfer of the Software itself and subject to the terms and conditions contained herein regarding transfers f You maynot bypass any facilities used by the Software to provide limited time trial demo operation of the Software g You maynotreverse engineer decompile disassemble modify alter translate or create derivative works from the Software or make any attempt to discover the source code to the Software Product h The Software may not be copied redistributed retransmitted published sold rented leased marketed sublicensed or assigned other than as specifically permitted hereunder and subject to the terms of this License Agreement 3 Title The Software Productis owned by Astro Physics and is protected by all applicable United States copyright laws international copyright treaties and all other applicable national laws rules and regulations Title ownership rights and intellectual property rights in and to the Software shall remain with Astro Physics The Software Product is licensed not sold There is no transfer to you of any title to or ownership of the Software and this License Agreement shall not be construed as a sale of any right in the Software 4 Termination If you fail to comply with the terms of this Agreement Astro
200. t magnitudes APCC cannot foretell the future It s best to try to remove the random errors by locking optics if needed and securing cables so they cannot randomly slide around APCC s pointing model is different from most other pointing models because 1 It actually consists of two separate models one for the East side and one for the West side of the pier The dual model scheme is automatic You do not need to do anything extra to get the dual models 2 Modeling can be done for telescope positions where the counterweight is up This is a critical feature not found in any other point modeling software that we are aware of at the time of this writing 2015 Astro Physics Inc ns Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 3 Modeling records for each measurement point the current temperature humidity and pressure if they are available at the time of the measurement This can be very important ifthe temperature changes by 15 or more degrees when the scope is in use because of changes in refraction It should be noted that from the AP V2 ASCOM Driver that the pointing corrections are transparent That is the driver doesn t know that APCC is making corrections If APCC is commanded by the driver to go to a specific RA Dec coordinate it will appear to the driver that the scope is at those coordinates when in fact the mount may be at slightly different coordinates Toggling Enable Pointing Correction will display the two differ
201. t is defined the Create button will be disabled and the label will say None in the virtual port status labels Here is a table showing the different color states No virtual port is defined Virtual port defined but not created Virtual port defined and created but not opened by any application i i Virtual port defined created and an application is connected to it com 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 111 File Settings Tools Help rs ee E oe O EIC lt lt lt o jjaja o oo EI MT ET Setup 4 Site Park 4 Go p ReCalg Rate Settings JHorizon 4 Meridian Mi xs 4 Pointing Model 4 PEM 4 Other A GPS Virtual Port Created and the AP V2 Driver is Connected Defined but Not Created Unparked AP Tracking Sidereal Guide Rate 1 00x PEM _ LL 0 00000 Create Creates a virtual port when clicked You must have an available port selected from the corresponding Virtual Port dropdown list Once a virtual port is created it s color changes to a dim yellow with black letters and this button changes to Delete YOU MUST click the Create button to create the port in your system This isn t simply an APCC option but goes to the heart of the PC s operating system Delete Click button to delete the virtual port Virtual Port The drop down list from which to select a virtual port Don t choose a port the same as another port or that already exists on your computer Create All C
202. t strictly necessary with an Astro Physics mount For many the park position is dictated by the observatory architecture or by the positioning of a flat screen See the Park Tab section for more details If you are using TheSkyX to park the mount be sure to see the special note 3 Disconnect the imaging software from the mount Once more we provide this as a separate instruction so that it is not forgotten Since the warm up of the cooler can take a while the imaging software is often the last piece of software to be closed down before shutting off the computer You will want to disconnect the imaging software from the mount before closing APCC 4 Disconnect and shut down other software Disconnect each piece of software from the mount and any other devices that it controls and then shut that piece of software down 5 Verify that everything is disconnected There are 2 steps to this a If you have connected to the mount with one or more NON ASCOM programs go to the Virtual Ports tab and make sure that the only active virtual port is the top one the AP V2 ASCOM Driver s port You do not need to delete the other ports that you may have Just make sure that no further data is being transmitted or received over the lower three virtual ports If you only connect to the mount through ASCOM clients you can skip this step b The AP V2 ASCOM Driver has an indicator at the top of the Handbox Window that tells you how many clients are conne
203. te solving such as manually moving a dome into position before proceeding After each slew the status table will show a state of Paused allowing you to do actions To continue you must click the Restart button This is the same button as Start but it s name will have been changed to Restart when paused When restarted APPM will start off with a very short re slew to the current mapping point do the plate solve and then slew to the next point At that time it will pause again Note that if you need to use the Pause after each Slew option it must be checked every time you run APPM The Pause after each Slew option is not saved Start Starts a mapping run Once clicked the button changes to Pause which will allow you to pause the scope as needed When paused the button will read Restart Stop Stops a mapping run This permanently aborts the mapping run After Complete this setting determines what happens after the modeling run completes Choices include No Action Stop Tracking Park and Model 5x and Park o No Action When the mapping run is completed the scope remains pointed at the last RA Dec coordinate from the mapping run Sidereal tracking continues DO NOT choose this option if you plan to leave a mapping run unattended o Stop Tracking When the mapping run is completed the scope remains pointed at the last Alt Az coordinate from the mapping run Sidereal tracking is stopped o Park When the mapping run is co
204. the West limits since the tracking direction is westward However don t simply forget about the East limits As described earlier in the Meridian Tab section you can allow the mount to automatically start in safe positions in the east with the CW up for flip free imaging through the meridian 2 Enter the altitude value from your horizon limits as described above into the Meridian Inclination field Observe that the Target Declination will change to reflect the newly entered Meridian Inclination value Please note that this value does NOT yet include the Dec Increment 3 Click the Go to Meridian button The mount will slew to the meridian on the chosen pier side at the entered meridian inclination 2015 Astro Physics Inc 100 Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File 1 Choose the side on which you will start 2 Enter Horizon Limit Delta in degrees value opposite the for the NEXT pole for first Meridian Meridian Inclination Inclination Target Declination corresponds to the Meridian Inclination 3 Go to Meridian 4 For this first point DO NOT move the mount further with the E W buttons Instead simply click the Add Point button at the bottom of the Step 2 box Subsequent Points on a Side Now that you have set your starting point at the horizon opposite your pole you are ready to map your meridian limits in earnest 1 Select the declination increment you
205. the brightness up or down You can also adjust the brightness via the slider Clicking Re apply will issue commands to reset the brightness to the set value Focus Clicking the and buttons will adjust the focus if you have a DC powered focuser attached to the focus connector on the GTOCP3 controller While these buttons are pressed a signal will be applied out the port When released the signal will be stopped The Fast and Slow selection controls the speed Special note Mounts shipped to the European Union from mid 2007 until sometime in 2008 will not have the ability to adjust the the speed of DC synchronous focus motors During that time we were unable to procure a lead free driver for the DC synchronous focus motors that worked at the slow speed This is unfortunately not an upgradable part for those affected control boxes ELS Tab The ELS tab is only for the 3600GTO and 3600GTOPE mounts which utilize the functions of the GTOELS secondary control box The ELS Tab allows you to configure the limit and home switches as well as the R A precision encoder settings if your mount has these features It also has a provision for making extremely accurate home position determinations This allows pointing recovery from the home position to be within a few arc minutes 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window 125 3600GTO and 3600GTOPE Models Review the following information regarding these mount models and how the ELS Control Box
206. the limit or placing it into APCC 5 12 Meridian Tab Introduction The Meridian Limits are one ofthe most powerful and useful features of Astro Physics mounts when used in conjunction with the Astro Physics Command Center APCC They open up the possibility of imaging on both sides of the meridian WITHOUT wasting time on a pier flip at declinations where the scope will not strike the pier The limits when properly configured allow you to track safely past the meridian up to the limits you set based on your unique instrument package In addition they allow you to begin an image ahead of the meridian by safely slewing you into a counterweight up position to start an imaging series that can then simply continue through the meridian However like any powerful feature you MUST understand how the meridian limits work It is vital that you understand what they CANNOT do as well as understanding what they can do Operation PulseGuide the AP V2 ASCOM Driver and the mount s keypad each have the ability to set a meridian delay which controls the flip point of the mount APCC adds some powerful new capabilities Three of these new features apply to West Meridian Limit points The West limits come into play when a scope s counterweight is in the up position scope under the mount and the scope is pointing West of the meridian This normally occurs when the scope is allowed to track past the meridian The fourth feature below applies to east meridian
207. tings are enabled APCC BUG FIX Clicking a button to show a window from the Status View would not show the window if the window was previously opened but minimized APCC BUG FIX Horizon Limits check box was purposely cleared whenever parking or initializing the mount Now it is not cleared but not armed until the scope if first slewed into an area that is within the horizon limits Also when clearing the Horizon limits trigger which starts tracking it won t actually be armed again until the mount is again within the Horizon limits APCC Made visible the Correct for refraction check box Version 1 0 0 1 7 16 2014 APPM fixed bug reading Horizon limits from APCC s settings file Version 1 0 0 0 7 14 2014 APCC added a triangulator class for future use APCC automatically force the ASCOM driver to enable chkAllowConnectifMountNotPresent APCC Updated the Help file with Howard s changes APPM Improved performance of APPM when adjusting Point map and connected to APCC Driver Version 0 99 99 73 Release Candidate 6 25 2014 Minor changes to try to fix an issue found in RC72 13 License Agreement Astro Physics Inc Software End User License Agreement This Astro Physics Inc Software End User License Agreement License Agreement must be read and agreed to before you are authorized to install and utilize any of the following software products from Astro Physics Inc Astro Physics Astro
208. tioned like the one on the right in the illustration above why even bring it up The reason is that things aren t always as easy as the above illustration it was designed to make the point obvious Take a look at the next illustration Is it OK to use sync in either of these situations The answer is maybe but wouldn t really advise it 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window Which one o7 _ a Meridian Meridian N_S Center line N_S Center tine fi This brings us to the second main reason that sync can be a problem if used incorrectly The illustration above shows that it can be difficult to tell which side of the meridian you are pointing at when pointing near the meridian This assumes that the meridian is where it s supposed to be Now wait a minute you say We all know that the meridian is the north south line that is straight up directly overhead It goes through the zenith It has to be where it s supposed to be That is true but the mount can t see like you and can lt can t look up and see the meridian it has to calculate the meridian based on the data we give it That data is the location the date the time and whether or not daylight savings is in effect Errors in this data will result in errors in the calculated position of the meridian with respect to the object being synced p o Daylight savings is an easy example to understand lt changes our clocks by one hour forward e
209. ts This check box enables the meridian tracking limit functionality allowing tracking to safely continue beyond the meridian until the west limit is reached Action when limit reached This defines the action taken when the mount tracks into the West limit The choices are to o Park the scope at the park position defined on the Park tab o Flip the scope The mount will perform a safety slew into a CW down position and then a normal slew back to the target but in the conventional CW down position o Stop tracking The mount simply stops where it is and waits for user input In their traditional role the meridian limits just act as a safety stop when tracking and the East limits 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window effectively are not used However you can elect to use the east limits to safely slew the mount into a counterweight up position to maximize imaging time of a single target as it tracks past the meridian To do that you would use this CW Up Slews within East Limits Slews to coordinates between the meridian and East limit values will result in the mount ending up in a counterweight up position pointing East This will allow the target to be tracked through the meridian into a conventional counterweight down mode without needing to be flipped This is the automated way to start your image ahead of the meridian and is a classic technique for many experienced Astro Physics imagers Short focus slews to a nearby fo
210. ts of arc seconds per hour In order to use this option you must have Disable closed loop corrections checked Dec Fine Tune arc sec hr If you are not using APCC Pro or not using an APPM pointing model then tracking might not be perfect because of polar misalignment flexure refraction etc You can fine tune the Dec tracking rate with this setting in units of arc seconds per hour In order to use this option you must have Disable closed loop corrections checked Offset Target at Current Position button This option is only available with APCC Pro It allows you to use closed loop feedback and offset a target for better image composition To use it do the folloing 1 Check the Disable closed loop corrections check box 2015 Astro Physics Inc Horizons 187 2 Reposition your target 3 Click the Offset Target at Current Position button 4 Uncheck the Disable closed loop corrections check box To exit this mode you need to stop and restart tracking the target Tracking Graph button available only with APCC Pro This opens a graph showing the tracking delta values over time O 2015 Astro Physics Inc tes E Index 3 3600GTO limit homing switch system 124 3600GTOPE limit homing switch system 124 3600GTOPE R A precision encoder 124 3D Camera tab 144 3D Counterweights tab 145 3D Demo tab 146 3D Dew shield tab 144 3D Focuser tab 143 3D Pan action 141 3D Pier tab 146 3D Rotate action 141 3D Scope editor
211. tself but instead is because of the geometry of the celestial sphere Think of the longitude lines on a globe how they are widest at the equator but converge at the poles A small error in centering a star near the pole would translate into a larger R A error than the same centering error on a star near the celestial equator E lt __ gt W Meridian Meridian Meridian N S Center line gt x N S Center line N S Center line In summary you use the sync command once in an observing or imaging session unless the telescope gets physically moved by hand or by accident as opposed to moved with the N S E W buttons While it can be used to tweak pointing accuracy we prefer to use recalibrate for that We also recommend that you Sync on objects that are at least 15 deg 1 hour from the meridian This will help safeguard you from a potential clock related problem i e you forgot about daylight savings time and it makes it easier to see that the object and telescope are on opposite sides of the meridian If you are permanently mounted and do not disturb the scope position you do not need to use it after the very first setup Recalibrate is the tweak command It is quick and easy and is perfect for fine tuning your pointing accuracy during your observing or imaging session Rather than telling the mount where it is pointing recalibrate corrects its minor pointing inaccuracies Recalibrate works on the object in memory that the
212. uted or hazy skies you may need to lower this value Catalog Max Magnitude The maximum fainter magnitude for selection of stars from the reference catalog In certain sections ofthe sky with lots of stars you may need to lower the maximum magnitude so that the star limit is not reached which would cause a plate solve failure There is also absolutely NO reason to go deeper than what your imaging system will capture in the allotted exposure time set in the Camera Settings Tab Catalog Expansion This parameter determines the the area outside the expected image area from which the catalog stars will be drawn Again to quote the PP documetnation By default PinPoint retrieves catalog stars to cover the image area plus a 30 expansion along each border of the image Thus with 30 expansion the area over which the catalog stars are retrieved is 1 0 3 0 3 squared or 2 56 times the image area As the catalog expansion is increased the number of stars retrieved from the catalog increases exponentially The effect of increasing the number of catalog stars is to slow the plate solution process Too small a mask however risks missing the mark The default in APPM is 50 which results in 4 times the image area If your GoTos have been pretty accurate already you can probably reduce this to the PinPoint default of 30 If your GoTos have been off leave it at 50 Max Solve Time sec This is the total amount of time allowed to solve the image
213. ve relegated Park 1 to obsolete status It is our intent that Park 4 should replace Park 1 Park 4 is a reference park position 2015 Astro Physics Inc s Astro Physics Command Center APCC Help File like Park 1 was However while retaining all of those benefits it eliminates the problems that existed with Park 1 Park 4 is on the east side of the mount and the commencement of sidereal tracking will therefore not immediately put the mount into a counterweight up position Slews out of the Park 4 position will almost never swing the scope below the horizontal as they often would do when slewing from Park 1 to positions west of the meridian Park 4 is safer and equally useful If you have your heart set on still using Park 1 it can be used but please use caution and heed our warnings Park 1 2 3 and 4 are described below Northern Hemisphere The scope is level amp on the west side of the mount facing the northern horizon The counterweight Shaft is also level and pointing due east This position is also called the Reference Park Position Both Hemispheres RA is horizontal North Dec 90 Latitude South Dec 90 Latitude The southern hemisphere is mirror reversed The scope is still level on the west side of the mount but is facing the southern horizon The counterweight shaft is also still level and pointing due east Southern Hemisphere 2015 Astro Physics Inc Main Window MES 0 BL
214. virtual ports when started checked Refer to Connection Group Box for more information Park Parks the mount to the park position selected on the Park Tab EMERGENCY STOPI Press this button to stop the mount Tracking Rate The symbols represent various tracking rates The yellow line above the symbol indicates which rate is active You can change the rate by selecting the appropriate symbol with the exception of the variable rate This rate must be set on the Rate Settings Tab NOTE You can move the scope wth the move buttons and the rate will still be maintained Doing a slew usually means you want to look at a different target so tracking is reset to sidereal because almost every other target s tracking rate is sidereal N S E W NE NW SE SW When pressed the mount will move in the direction that the button indicates The rate of movement will be defined by the number in the center box which shows the rate the mount moves in sidereal rate units when the button is pressed This number can be changed with the arrows or simply type the value in the field Swap N S Swaps the direction of North and South button commands Swap E W Swaps the direction of the East and West button commands Buttons for quick link to other windows Any of the remaining eight buttons at the far right can be clicked to open the corresponding tab or window Mount Position Displays information obtained from the mount control box 2015 Astro Physics Inc
215. you are setting up the mount or if you have moved the mount via the clutches Note that you can also select Dont Unpark from the drop down list in case you don t want to unpark when initializing Refer to the Park 1 2 3 and 4 Positions Defined section if you are unsure of the various options 2015 Astro Physics Inc Initialization Window 35 Unpark Now Clicking this button will allow you to unpark the mount from one of the Park positions You cannot use this button if you have Last Parked selected You typically would use this button to unpark after you have physically moved the telescope to one of the Park positions Refer to the Park 1 2 3 and 4 Positions Defined section if you are unsure of the various options Optional Initialization A basic initialization will give the mount the necessary information to calculate its position time and location data and will unpark the mount to either its calculated pointing position or to a user selected pre defined Park position You may however wish to set other operating parameters as part of your general start up initialization process These other parameters can be set automatically at initialization by checking the boxes and selecting the values in the options listed below Note that the AP V2 ASCOM driver the keypad or any other software can set its own parameters which can override the parameters you set here at initialization The GTO Servo will always act on the last parameter that it
216. ysics Command Center APCC Help File 2 Getting Started The information in this section will guide you through the APCC installation process and show you how to set it up with the Virtual Port for the Astro Physics V2 ASCOM driver Two detailed work flow sections have been prepared 1 The first Getting Started Work Flow outlines the work flow for getting the program set up for your system The tasks in this section are performed when you first start using APCC and are performed much less frequently afterward 2 The second work flow section Operational Work Flow Basics gives you an outline of the general work flow you will use in your night to night astronomy endeavors To get the most from your observing session with APCC be sure to review the Tips to Get the Most from APCC In addition to this manual there are some instructional videos at this link that you may find helpful 2 1 Getting Started Work Flow There are basically two work flow descriptions that should be helpful to you as you work with APCC First you need to understand how to get the program set up to work with your mount your observatory and other software This section provides a step by step outline of this work flow but it is an outline Be sure to follow the more detailed steps in the next three sections to actually set up your system with APCC Later in this Getting Started section we will provide the second section on operational work flow This will

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