Nexus User Manual, revision 1.8
Contents
1. NSW 2224 AUSTRALIA ABN 75 270 616 917 E Mail support astrodevices com Website http www astrodevices com Thank you Thank you for purchasing Nexus WiFi electronic telescope interface We hope you enjoy it This user manual will get you started and help you make the most of your Nexus Introduction Nexus is a computerised WiFi wireless adapter for your telescope It works with most popular telescopes on equatorial or Alt Azimuth mounts Nexus can be configured to function as a DSC and or RS232 to WiFi adapter Nexus a 9V battery two optical encoders cable and a tablet or computer will transform your telescope into a computerised telescope making locating all those hard to find objects an easy task Also Nexus communicates wirelessly with your tablet or personal computer so you will find no wires to trip over in the darkness You will need planetarium software in order to use Nexus Product Features Below is a short outline of main features of your Nexus e Supports extended Ouranos Bbox Sky Commander and ServoCAT communication protocols e Handles TTL quadrature optical encoders with practically unlimited number of pulses per second e Dual power source internal 9V battery or external 9 25V DC e Operating temperature range from 20 C to 50 C 5 F to 120 F e Humidity 10 90 non condensing e FCC CE IC certified 2 4GHz IEEE 802 11b g transceiver e Supports Access Point and infrastructure WiFi2. 1 2009 A1 2010 Supplementary Information This unit is a battery operated appliance Date of issue January 20 2013 Nexus User Manual fers 16 Communication Protocols Astro Devices Protocol The following table lists the main command set supported communication protocol by Nexus DSC Command Description Example of input Returns y Return the firmware version or V Astro Devices Nexus v1 0 lt CR gt v information Set encoders resolution R lt CR gt Please note that the values set or are not saved into flash R10000 lt tab gt 9000 lt CR gt R R lt tab gt lt CR gt memory and will be reset upon a power cycle Set encoders resolution Z lt CR gt Please note that the values set or are not saved into flash Z10000 9000 lt CR gt Z lt tab gt lt CR gt memory and will be reset upon a power cycle l or Set initial encoders positions 0 lt tab gt 0 lt CR gt R l lt tab gt lt CR gt Q Query encoders positions Q 1888 2190 lt CR gt H or Query encoders resolutions H 8192 8192 lt CR gt r Align on an object Please note A lt 0 1 gt _ lt RA gt _ lt Dec gt lt cr gt that the coordinates should be AO_45 123_78 245 lt cr gt Y success using epoch 2000 if Nexus is E error used with ServoCat Initial telescope alignment at 0 Y ssiceess T_ lt 0 90 gt lt cr gt degrees horizontal or at 90 Al_0 lt cr gt E error degrees ver
3. Orion IntelliScope Mounts ASCOM platform http www deepsky2000 net Hallo northern sky Windows Orion IntelliScope Mounts ASCOM platform http www hnsky org Megastar Windows Bbox Sky Wizard CTI http www willbell com SkySafari Plus Pro Android Basic Encoder System http www southernstars com iOS MacOS X Starry Night Windows Orion Intelliscope Mounts http www starrynightstore com ASCOM platform TheSky 6 Windows BBox http www bisque com Voyager 4 5 Windows Basic Encoder System http www carinasoft com MacOS X 11 Nexus User Manual FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FAQ Q have a ServoCAT installed on my telescope Do need any additional devices cables A You only need two extra cables to connect Nexus to ServoCAT for a full wireless control of ServoCAT In case of using non USB version of ServoCAT you need two serial cables In case of using USB version of ServoCAT you need one serial cable and one USB cable You do not need any additional DSC You will also need a laptop or a tablet to perform a two star alignment Q How long does the battery last A That depends on a number of different factors type of encoders used operating temperature the type of the battery It also depends on the mode Nexus is running in For example the 9V Duracell Coppertop battery will last 4 5 hours with Nexus operating as a Serial to WiFi adapt
4. USER MANUAL Ilm DEVICES PORT PORT II ON OFF 00000000 q q q 9 25V DC www astrodevices com astro DEVICES User Guide for Nexus Version 1 8 Firmware version 2 x x Last revised on March 12 2013 Printed in Australia Copyright Copyright 2012 2013 Astro Devices All rights reserved No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form for any purpose other than the purchaser s personal use without the express written permission of Astro Devices Astro Devices reserves the right to make changes and improvements to its product without providing a notice Precautions and Safety Electricity Do not handle power plug and adapter with wet hands Electrical shock may result Immediately power off the product and unplug the DC adapter and or batteries if smoke or odours emit from the product Immediately power off the product and unplug the DC adapter and or batteries if water or other liquids are present Product Do not drop or subject the device to impact Keep it away from harsh environments including humid dusty and smoky areas Do not use excessive force on the connectors or attempt to disassemble the device Do not place heavy objects on the product Damage to your products may result from improper use Technical Support Astro Devices 198 The Esplanade SYLVANIA
5. adapter In this mode only the USB port is used The USB port is connected using a standard USB cable to a telescope with a USB interface Nexus supports a number of telescopes with a USB interface based on FT232x ServoCAT SiTech CP210x iOptron and PL2303 iOptron Meade chips Nexus User Manual astro mm DEVICES o PORTI PORTII Telescope other device UON oO Moy USB ENCODERS www astrodevices com Ports Pin Descriptions Encoders Nexus has a standard RJ 45 connector to connect it to rotary encoders of your telescope The pins are numbered according to the following diagram PIN 1 PIN 8 q q q q USB ENCODERS The pin descriptions are in the following table 5 Description Channel B of Azimuth or RA encoder 5 V Channel A of Azimuth or RA encoder Ground Channel B of Altitude or Declination encoder 5V Channel A of Altitude or Declination encoder Ground WARNING Nexus s encoders inputs do NOT have input protection care must be taken not to exceed the maximum input voltage of 5V DC on any input and the inputs should never be driven to negative voltages below GROUND This will cause permanent damage to the internal circuits of Nexus Nexus only works with TTL Transistor Transistor Logic rotary encoders with quadrature o
6. ation protocol 2 ServoCat communication protocol stopbits 1 2 Specifies the number of stop bits set PORTI stopbits 8 lt cr gt get PORTII stopbits lt cr gt Nexus User Manual 18 19 Parameter 1 Parameter 2 Value Description Examples Port Routing PORT 0 5 1024 65535 Sets the TCP IP port number to be used with virtual port 0 5 set PORT 0 4060 lt cr gt get PORT 5 lt cr gt PORTCONNECT 0 5 0 7 Specifies the connection type for the virtual port 0 5 The connection type can be equal to one of the following values 0 Astro Devices communication protocol 1 SkyCommander communication protocol 2 ServoCat communication protocol 3 Configuration communication protocol 4 Connect to Portl 5 Connect to Portll 6 Connect to USB 7 no connection Digital Setting Circles AZENCRES 128 4294967296 Specifies the azimuth RA encoder resolution The default value set AZENCRES 10000 lt cr gt RAENCRES is set to 10000 The value specified is in ticks per revolution get RAENCRES lt cr gt Please note that both commands AZENCRES and RAENCRES set the same value ALTENCRES 128 4294967296 Specifies the altitude declination encoder resolution The default set DECENCRES 8192 lt cr gt DECENCRES value is set to 10000 The value specified is in ticks per get ALTENCRES lt cr gt revolution The value specified is in ticks per revolution Please note that bot
7. bled set DHCP O lt cr gt get DHCP lt cr gt IPADDRESS XXX XXX XXX XXX Specifies the IP address to be used The IP address will only be set IPADDRESS 169 254 1 1 lt cr gt used when DHCP is disabled IPMASK XXX XXX XXX XXX Specifies the IP mask set IPMASK 255 255 0 0 lt cr gt NTYPE O infrastructure Specifies the network mode to be used by Nexus 7 Access Point PASSWORD up to 32 bytes Specifies the password to be used to connect to a WiFi network set PASSWORD Pass123 lt cr gt get PASWORD lt cr gt SSID up to 64 bytes Specifies SSID set SSID MyNexus lt cr gt get SSID lt cr gt TRANSPOWER 1 12 Specifies the transmission power to be used by the WiFi module Please note that the value of 1 specifies the minimum power and the battery will last longer at that level Physical Port baudrate 9600 230400 Sets the baud rate to be used on the port specified The value set PORTI baudrate 19200 lt cr gt PORTI specified is in bits per second get PORTII baudrate lt cr gt PORTII databits 8 9 Sets the number of data bits set PORTII databits 8 lt cr gt USB get PORTI databits lt cr gt parity 0 1 2 Sets the parity to be used on the ports specified set PORTII parity O lt cr gt 0 none get PORTI parity lt cr gt 1 odd 2 even protocol 0 2 Specifies the communication protocol to be connected to the set PORTI protocol 1 lt cr gt physical port get PORTI protocol lt cr gt 0 Astro Devices communication protocol 1 SkyCommander communic
8. connected when used together with a USB version of ServoCAT papm T DD Ob DEVICES PORTI PORT II Encoders PC port www astrodevices com Where DSC and PC Port are the names of the ports on ServoCAT Please note that a two star alignment should be performed before ServoCAT can track and execute goto commands Nexus User Manual Wireless DSC and Serial USB to WiFi adapter Nexus can be used as a wireless DSC and serial to WIFi adapter In this mode Nexus is used for a push to DSC on a telescope while Port I Port Il and USB can be connected to other telescopes devices Telescope N22 other device Telescope N 3 other device asro JU MINT DEVICES Encoders Telescope N21 PORTI PORTII l AUX use a 25V DC www astrodevices com Telescope N24 other device Serial to WiFi adapter In this mode the Encoders port is not used Port and Port Il can be connected to telescope s other device s and Nexus functions as a serial to WiFi adapter Telescope N 1 other device Telescope N 2 other device astro hmmm DEVICES PORTI PORTII m f USB ENCODERS Nexus www astrodevices com USB Serial to WiFi
9. e Azimuth Encoder cable Nexus constantly detects pulses sent by the encoders and translates them into absolute angular positions Planetarium software periodically depending on the settings requests current encoders position and converts it to real sky coordinates Then the position of the telescope is usually reflected on the screen by a cross hair An alignment procedure needs to be performed before the planetarium software can start showing where the telescope is pointing Please refer to the user manual of the planetarium software for details on performing the alignment procedure Nexus User Manual Please note that the connection to a telescope mounted on equatorial mount is the same except the Azimuth cable is connected to the RA right ascension encoder while the Altitude cable is connected to the Declination encoder Wireless DSC with non USB ServoCAT The following diagram shows how Nexus should be connected when used together with ServoCAT DSC PC port astro DEVICES PORT PORT Il TH Encoders usa ENCODERS www astrodevices com Where DSC and PC Port are the names of the ports on ServoCAT Please note that a two star alignment should be performed before ServoCAT can track and execute goto commands Wireless DSC with USB ServoCAT The following diagram shows how Nexus should be
10. energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver 15 gt VE Nexus User Manual DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY We Astro Devices ABN 75 270 616 917 198 The Esplanade SYLVANIA NSW 2224 AUSTRALIA E mail info astrodevices com As manufacturer producer declare that Product Name Nexus Product Series NXW12 Product Description Wireless digital setting circles multifunctional adapter for telescopes conforms to the following directives and standards therein Directives WEEE Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment 2002 96 EC Radio Equipment amp Telecommunications Terminal Equipment R amp TTE 1999 5 EC RoHS Restriction of use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment 2002 95 EC Standards EMC EN 55022 EN 301 489 1 V1 8 1 2008 04 EN 301 489 17 V2 1 1 2009 05 RADIO EN 300 328 V1 7 1 2006 10 Immunity EN 55024 EN 61000 4 2 2001 EN 61000 4 3 2002 Safety EN 60950 1 2006 A1
11. er However the same battery will last only two hours when Nexus is used as a wireless DSC with S2 optical encoders each encoder draws up to 57mA from 5V source Q Can use a rechargeable battery A Yes Nexus will operate with rechargeable 9V batteries the actual voltage for them is usually 8 4V Q What type of batteries is recommended for operating in cold conditions A The most economical type of batteries is 12V SLA sealed lead acid Lithium batteries have very good performance in cold conditions but they are quite expensive Rechargeable Lithium batteries Li Poly without over discharge protection are not recommended as Nexus does not have a low voltage cut out level and they can be discharged below the recommended level Q Can use non optical encoders A Yes the firmware processes pulses from standard quadrature encoders They can be optical capacitive or magnetic encoders Any of them can be used as long as they provide TTL level quadrature output Q Does Nexus use external power when both external power and the battery are inserted A Nexus uses only external power source if the 2 1mm DC plug is inserted into the external power connector Q Does Nexus have a built in charger for the installed battery A No Nexus does not charge the battery when the external power is connected to it Q How can determine the resolution of my encoder A Just multiply the CPR counts pe
12. h commands ALTENCRES and DECENCRES set the same value MOUNTERR Z1 Z2 Z3 Specifies the mount fabrication errors in degrees set MOUNTERR 0 12 0 3 0 1 lt cr gt get MOUNTERR lt cr gt MOUNTTYPE 0 Alt Az set MOUNTTYPE 0 lt cr gt 1 Equatorial get MOUNTTYPE lt cr gt CONFIGURE Saves the configuration into flash memory set CONFIGURE lt cr gt Nexus User Manual Nexus User Manual 20 Glossary CPR stands for Counts Per Revolution PC is a personal computer It includes computers running Windows Linux or Mac OS SSID Service Set Identifier is the name of a wireless local area network WLAN Standby mode is when the Nexus is passively waiting for a connection with a Tablet PC TTL stands for Transistor Transistor Logic WPS stands for WiFi Protected Setup 21 Nexus User Manual Printed in Australia
13. networks e Supports WPS WiFi Protected Setup e Secure Wi Fi authentication schemes WEP WPA WPA2 e Class WiFi device up to 150 meters e Uses 2412 2484MHz Unlicensed ISM band channels 1 14 e Two RS232 ports e USB providing up to 1A 5V power e Uses a 32 bit MIPS CPU e Power consumption without encoders connected 55 mA from 9V batteries or 45 mA from 12V DC external power e Reverse polarity protection e RoHS compliant System Requirements Nexus uses a WiFi communication module and requires one of the following to be connected to e iOS devices iPhone iPad iPod touch running OS 3 0 e Android devices with WiFi support e PC with WiFi support running Windows XP or Windows 7 e Apple computers with WiFi support running Mac OS X oO nN m Nexus User Manual Please also refer to the system requirements for your favourite planetarium software Package Content The package contains Nexus User manual Wall mount panel with screws RJ45 to DB9 converter RJ45 to RJ12 cable DC 2 1mm to cigarette lighter power cable For using Nexus in the field we advise on using rechargeable batteries or external power source Controls All controls are situated on front panel of Nexus 3 4 astro DEVICES PORT USB ENCODERS Nexus www astrodevices com PORT II STATUS WARNING Do n
14. ol 4062 ServoCAT communication protocol 4070 Configuration protocol Port Sky Commander 19200 8 1 no communication protocol Port Il ServoCAT communication 19200 8 1 no protocol USB ServoCAT communication 19200 8 1 no protocol DSC Serial to WiFi 4060 Astro Devices communication protocol 4061 Port 9600 8 1 no 4062 Port II 9600 8 1 no 4063 USB 9600 8 1 no 4070 Configuration protocol Nexus is operating in Access Point mode by default The default SSID of Nexus is AD_Nexus_XXXXX where XXXXX is the serial number of your Nexus The serial number is printed of the back of your Nexus The SSID can be changed using the configuration utility The default IP address of your Nexus is 10 0 0 1 Note The WiFi Configuration setup may differ based on the brand of the computer used and on the OS running on that device Please refer to the user manual of the devices and the OS The TCP IP port used for configuration is always 4070 and cannot be changed Please refer to the user manual of your planetarium software for the explanation on setting up the communications with telescope Some software is designed to operate a telescope directly through a serial port You can use a special utility 9 gt VE Nexus User Manual virtual serial port driver for you computer A number of utilities of this type is available with many of them free COM2TCP with a 45 day free trial by AstroGeeks HW VSP 3 Free for
15. ot connect Nexus to an external power source that is not within the specified voltage range Nexus has internal over current protection but it is safer to use it with the power source specified The USB port can be used to charge your portable computing device and Nexus can provide up to 1A Do not charge your portable device from the USB port while Nexus is powered by 9V internal battery oe AND q 1 USB 2 Encoders RJ45 connector 3 RS232 RJ12 with 3 3V connector 4 RS232 RJ12 connector 5 Factory settings WPS button 6 Status LED 7 ON OFF push button 8 2 1mm DC connector 9 auxiliary 3 5mm port remote shutter control Nexus User Manual The status LED reports different states of Nexus Blinking type Description Fast pulsating blinking A computing device is connected to Nexus or once a second Nexus is connected to a WLAN Slow pulsating blinking Nexus is not connected once every two seconds ON Updating firmware Flashing Error Change Mode once a second Connecting Nexus to Your Telescope Other Devices Nexus can operate in various modes e Wireless DSC e Wireless DSC connected to ServoCat e Wireless DSC and Serial USB to WiFi adapter e Serial to WiFi adapter Wireless DSC The following diagram illustrates how Nexus is connected to a telescope f WIRELESS aT CONNECTION 4 4 TO TABLET PC MAC N Exige Altitude Encoder cabl
16. personal use Operating Nexus Updating Firmware Nexus s firmware can be updated using a USB memory stick Please download the latest firmware from the support section of our website and copy it to the root folder of the USB memory stick Please follow these steps e Turn Nexus OFF e Insert the USB memory stick into USB connector of Nexus e Press and hold the Factory Setting button e Turn Nexus ON e Wait for two seconds e Release the Factory Setting button e The firmware will be updated Once the update is complete the Status LED will start pulsating blinking e Turn Nexus OFF e Remove the USB memory stick Please note that Nexus will reset all settings with every firmware update Restoring WiFi factory settings From time to time you may need to restore the WiFi settings of your Nexus The following steps will allow you to reset them e Turn Nexus OFF e Press and hold the Factory Setting button e Turn Nexus ON the status LED will start flashing e Release the button e The WiFi settings are restored as soon as the status LED will start pulsating blinking HHHH Note Please make sure that no device is connected joined to Nexus s WiFi network when restoring WiFi factory settings Nexus User Manual e ve 10 73 Connecting Nexus to a WLAN using WPS You may connect Nexus to a WLAN using WPS It simplifies connection of Nexus to your WLAN significantly there is no need to specif
17. r revolution of your encoder by four and then multiply the result by the ratio of the gears it is connected to your telescope if you have any Q Does Nexus work with a standard Android based device without any modifications to the device s firmware Nexus User Manual 12 A Yes Nexus works with any recent Android based phone tablet without any need to modify the firmware on that device Nexus is working as a WiFi access point Suppliers of Encoders Telescope Encoder kits Nexus is compatible with most quadrature rotary encoders with TTL level outputs and powered with 5V The following table lists just some of suppliers selling encoders or telescope encoder kits Supplier Hardware Country Website Wildcard Encoders Telescope Australia http www wildcard innovations com au Innovations encoder kits Telescope SUPRA Praha encoder kits Czech Republic http www celestron cz Intercon Encoders Telescope Germany http www intercon spacetec de Spacetec 3 encoder kits Equatorial ie UK http www equatorial platforms Platforms UK encoder kits uk co uk JMI Encoders Telescope USA http www jmitelescopes com Telescopes encoder kits Sky Encoders Engineering Telescope USA http skyeng com Inc encoder kits US Digital Encoders USA http www usdigital com 13 Nexus User Manual Warranty Nexus is covered by a one year limited warrant
18. tical O Release shutter O lt cr gt o Close shutter o lt cr gt F Activate focus F lt cr gt f Deactivate focus f lt cr gt Query the current position The lt CR gt current position will be valid lt CR gt 12 345_67 890 lt CR gt only once the star alignment is performed Where lt CR gt carriage return or Enter character with a decimal value of 13 lt tab gt tab character with a decimal value of 9 Space character with a decimal value of 32 Nexus Configuration Protocol Nexus can be configured to operate in different modes The configuration is performed by communicating with Nexus using TCP IP port number 4070 Each command has the following syntax lt set get gt _ lt parameter 1 gt _ lt parameter 2 gt _ lt value gt lt CR gt Nexus will send back the value requested or OK in case of a set command The returned packet will be equal ERR in case of invalid requests The return packets are always terminated with lt CR gt The following table lists all command parameters 17 Nexus User Manual Parameter 1 Parameter 2 Value Description Examples WiFi configuration CHANNEL 0 14 Specifies the WiFi channel to be used Please note that the set CHANNEL 7 lt cr gt value of O should only be used when Nexus is setup to operate get CHANNEL lt cr gt in infrastructure mode DHCP 0 1 Specifies whether to use DHCP 0 disabled 1 ena
19. utput Nexus User Manual RS232 ports Port I and Port Il Nexus has two RS 232 ports It uses a standard RJ 12 connector The pins are numbered according to the following diagram PORT PORT Il The pins description is as follows Port Pin Description Ground TxD transmitted data output RxD received data input Ground Ground 3 3V up to 500mA Port Ground TxD transmitted data output RxD received data input Ground Ground No connection Port II 9 0 GO NO 9 01 P GO N gt Auxiliary Port The port can be used to control the shutter release of DSLRs The port uses a standard 3 5mm TRS jack The following diagram shows the pin numbering for the 3 5mm TRS plug to be used with the port 3 2 1 The pins description to shutter control is as follows Pin Description 1 Ground 2 Focus 3 Shutter release Nexus User Manual ers Connecting To Tablet PC Mac Nexus communicates with planetarium software using one or more TCP IP ports Nexus s default TCP IP ports configuration is described in the following table TCP IP Port Connection Serial port parameters port baudrate data bits stop bits parity DSC mode 4060 Astro Devices communication protocol 4061 Sky Commander communication protoc
20. y Please refer to the enclosed warranty certificate for full details Technical Support You can find the latest version of the manual and firmware in the support section of our website Please feel free to e mail us should you require further technical assistance Technical Support You can find software updates and user documentation on the Astro Devices website http www astrodevices com e mail mailto support astrodevices com subject Nexus support Nexus User Manual FCC Statement for Nexus Contains FCC ID YOPGS1011MIPS IC ID 9154A GS1011MIPS This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 this device may not cause harmful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation NOTE To comply with FCC RF exposure compliance requirements the antenna used for this transmitter must be installed to provide a separation distance of at least 20 cm from all persons and must not be co located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter NOTE This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 ofthe FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency
21. y SSID password etc Your WLAN router access point must support WPS Please follow these steps e Turn Nexus ON e Press the WPS button on your network router or consult the user manual on how to activate WPS on your router e Press and hold Factory Setting WPS button for at least 2 seconds e The status LED will start flashing e Release Factory Setting WPS button e Press and release Factory Setting WPS button again e Wait until the status LED will start pulsating blinking Please consult the user manual of your network router access point on how to determine the IP address it assigned to Nexus In most cases the router access point will list all devices with their assigned IP addresses on one of the status pages Your Nexus will appear on that page as AD_Nexus_XXXXX where XXXXX is the serial number of your Nexus List of Compatible Planetarium Software Nexus is compatible with most planetarium software packages that support Ouranos or Bbox protocols You can also use planetarium software that supports ASCOM platform http ascom standards org The table below lists just a few software packages that Nexus was tested with Software Name Platform Protocol Website Deep Sky Browser iOS Astro Devices Nexus http www astrodevices com Cartes du Ciel Windows Orion IntelliScope Mounts ASCOM platform http sourceforge net projects skychart DeepSky Windows
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