LX200 Remote / Computer Control
including LAN (Cable & Wireless)
and Dome Automation

       
 

Subject: Simple Laptop to LX200 Connection --part 1 of 2

From: John Mahony <jmmahonyhotmail.com> Date: Nov 2003

>From: David Olmstead
>After owning my LX200 Classic for about six years I am finally getting around to
>hooking up a laptop to it. I have looked at the Archives and must confess
>that I am overwhelmed by the amount of information regarding cables, etc.
>Perhaps some of you could comment on how I should connect my new Dell
>Inspiron to my LX200 Classic. I would like to run astro software and
>control the scope through the laptop.
>Currently the only software I have is Cartes du Ciel. Cables and software
>recommendations would be much appreciated.

The connection is very simple, just three wires involved in a single cable. If you've seen a lot of complicated messages in the Archives about remote control, those are for controlling a scope (and CCD camera, etc.) from a larger distance, where you have two computers, one at the scope, another in your comfortable living room, and want to operate everything from there.

For simple computer control, all you need is a single cable from the serial port on your computer to the scope's RS-232 socket. Only three wires are connected in the cable. You can get the parts at Radio Shack. Details are in the manual, or in the archives, or you can buy the complete cable from scopestuff.com. If your laptop doesn't have a serial port, you'll need a USB-to-serial converter. Cartes du Ciel is excellent software.

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Subject: Simple Laptop to LX200 Connection --part 2 of 2

From: Dave Schanz <dave23schvalleytranscription.com>

I would like to second John's assessment that it's actually quite easy to connect your laptop to your scope by following his advice. I made a cable, but that was before Scopestuff.com started selling them. That's the route I would have taken.

I would like to add a word of caution though. When you get your cable and are ready to connect it to your scope, make darn sure your scope is off before you plug the cable into the RS232 port. Plugging it in while the scope is on (called "hot plugging") can permanently damage the scope's RS232 port and you'll be back at MAPUG looking for a cure (and it ain't pretty).

Get into the habit out of making all of your connections and only THEN turning on your laptop, THEN the scope. Do the reverse when you are done for the night.

LX200 Remote Control Software Recommendations --part 1 of 11  

From: Tim Long <Timlong-family.com> Date: Apr 2002

Starry Night Pro (SNP) includes Astronomer's Control Program (ACP) on the CD. You don't need to download anything. You do need to do a small amount of installation work to get SNP to talk to ACP properly, but the documentation is all in the box. One thing that annoyed me when I bought SNP was that the bundled ACP turned out to be the trial version. Although it stays operational after the trial period, the marketing claims did not make this clear. I was very upset when I discovered I had to shell out more money for an ACP license to keep the full features. This is no fault of ACP - and I ended up buying a license because I thought it was a neat program. What annoyed me is that SNP is a lot more expensive than the backyard version, and one of the features is telescope control. Well it turns out that you can download the telescope control bit (ACP) for free! So it felt like I was paying a lot of money for nothing.

Someone else mentioned TheSky and that is certainly a good package, but for different reasons. I'll try to elaborate...

SNP is very good visually. The goal of the program is realism and it does a very good job of rendering the display, views of planets, etc. SNP is WYSIWYG - the sky on the screen looks like the sky outside. One nice thing about this program is that images of objects show up in the sky at the correct scale and as you zoom in, the image gets bigger too. You can grab images from the Digital Sky Survey over the internet or you can take your own images and add them to the database and then they will show up just like the built-in ones. It's very slick. I just love the user interface, its obvious that a lot of careful design went into it.

TheSky is geared more towards what I shall call 'serious' astronomy, for want of a better word. It is not as nice to look at as SNP. You'll see things on the display represented by symbols, rather than photo-realistic images. In my opinion, it has a clumsier user interface than SNP. Many of the features and settings are not too obvious, but this is partly because it is a very powerful program. It gives the impression of software that has evolved, rather than been designed. It makes up for this in other ways, though. It is designed to work with other programs in the Software Bisque suite so that you can extend its functionality as your experience grows. For example, it cooperates with CCDSoft camera control software to enable you to do astrometric plate solutions, minor planet and supernova searches. You can use a product called TPoint to produce a mathematical model of your telescope and improve the pointing accuracy significantly (great if you do a lot of CCD imaging). You can add the Orchestrate scripting engine to allow you to control everything from scripts. One of the most fun things to do with a telescope is to bring all of these programs (Orchestrate, TPoint, TheSky and CCDSoft) together to do a completely automated TPoint mapping run. Under the control of Orchestrate, the telescope slews all over the sky taking images. The images are passed to TheSky which does an 'image link' to very accurately detect the telescopes true position. Information about the true position vs. the intended position is then passed to TPoint, which builds a mathematical model of the imperfections in your scope. At the end of this procedure, you will have very accurate pointing even on a mediocre mount. It's great fun to start the script then watch it run for an hour or more.

If money is no object, then I think there is room for both programs in an astronomer's software library. If it's one or the other, then what you get depends on where you want to go. For visual astronomers I think SNP is a good option. If you plan to do CCD imaging or any kind of sky survey, you'll almost certainly end up with TheSky eventually.

This represents my experience as an owner of both programs. There are of course other programs on the market, but I haven't tried those.

--------------------------------------------------

Subject: LX200 Remote Control Software Recommendations--part 2

From: Richard Emerson <rickpinefields.com>

Currently, Cartes du Ciel (CdC is freeware) and DS 2002 both use the same interface, the interface and controls from the ASCOM Initiative: <http://www.ascom-standards.org/>.

CdC can be found at <http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/> and add-ons, also.

--------------------------------------------------

Subject: LX200 Remote Control Software Recommendations --part 3 of 11 

From: Tim Long <Timlong-family.com> Date: Feb 2003

The easiest way to remote control _anything_ is to use Windows XP Remote Desktop Connection. This requires 2 computers running Windows XP (at least one must be the Professional edition). To be honest, the most difficult part of the process is establishing the link between the computers. It can be done either over the internet or by dial up

networking and Windows XP Pro has wizards for both those options.

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Subject: LX200 Remote Control Software Recommendations --part 4

From: Nigel Bannister <npbstar.le.ac.uk>

------<snip>--------
The easiest way to remote control _anything_ is to use Windows XP Remote
Desktop Connection. This requires 2 computers running Windows XP (at
least one must be the Professional edition).
------<snip>---------

A minor addendum to this, as I found out last night: the windows XP disk includes a client which enables the XP remote desktop link to be established between an XP and a Win-98 box. To use this, you should look at the "other programs" feature which appears on the Win XP CD.

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Subject: LX200 Remote Control Software Recommendations --part 5 

From: Tim Long <Timlong-family.com>

That's interesting, I didn't know that. It's good to know because it means you only need to buy one copy of XP (which must be the Professional version). Note that only the Pro version contains the _server_ part of the remote control. Both Pro and Home (and, now we know, 98) are capable of running as the client. Actually, Microsoft have a terminal services client that runs as an ActiveX control, so _theoretically_ you can do remote control from anything that runs Internet Explorer. However, the complexities and system requirements mean that this is not a viable option for the majority.

It is with remembering that before attempting anything fancy like remote control, you first have to have a working network connection between the two computers. There are many ways of achieving this, including ethernet, wireless ethernet, dial up, direct cable connection (serial, parallel, infrared). "To generalize is to be foolish," as I always say, but, in general, the later your version of Windows, the more options you have and the easier it is to make it work.

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Subject: LX200 Remote Control Software Recommendations --part 6

From: Gregg Ruppel <ruppelglSLU.EDU>

Nigel and others: I use MS NetMeeting 3.0 to remotely control my LX200 via standard Ethernet. I share the desktop of my observatory computer (Win98) with my home computer (WinXP Pro). Screen updates are pretty fast using 10/100 network cards. NetMeeting works with WinXP, Win95 and Win98. The XP Remote Desktop functions pretty much the same way as far as I can tell (except you need XP). Visit my astronomy site at:

<http://www.biz1.net/~ruppelgl/>

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Subject: LX200 Remote Control Software Recommendations --part 7

From: Michael Cook <michaeljcookrogers.com>

Another implementation uses VNC. The beauty is that VNC has a "built-in" web server. So you can view any screen over an Internet connection in any web browser that supports JAVA. No clients or other hardware/software to install. Just VNC "server" on the PC to which the LX200 is being controlled. And VNC is free. This "flavour" of VNC is better: <http://www.tightvnc.com/> Also available at: <http://www.realvnc.com/download.html>

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Subject: LX200 Remote Control Software Recommendations --part 8 

From: Scot Oates <SOates4616aol.com>

You might also give Remote Administrator or Radmin a try. 30-day free trial then its $35 for the licence for two computers. I dumped PCAnywhere in favor of it. It is simple to use, faster and it works! The link is: <http://www.famatech.com/>

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Subject: LX200 Remote Control Software Recommendations --part 9

From: Gene Chimahusky <lynol1000yahoo.com>

I have tried PCAnywhere, VNC and Radmin. I found Radmin to be the best choice from a performance point of view, far faster than VNC including the add-ons for a compressed link via VNC. I ran the scope remote over an old tech 50k bytes/second wireless link and was doing 'real time' (well as fast as possible) screen updates of a webcam imager located the remote scope. I have since buried conduit containing a 10base2 coax network cable to Greenbox.

I think PCAnywhere is an OK app that is quite bloated for what it offers and still did not offer the performance of Radmin.

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Subject: LX200 Remote Control Software Recommendations --part 10

From: Don Tabbutt <dontabbutt.com>

I agree completely. Remote Administrator (Radmin) is by far the most stable, unobtrusive, and easy to use of these programs. I've tried NetMeeting, LapLink, and PCAnywhere, and they have a lot to learn from Radmin. At $35, Radmin is a steal.

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Subject: LX200 Remote Control Software Recommendations --part 11 of 11 

From: Gene Chimahusky <lynol1000yahoo.com>

> From: Peter Erdman
> I just recently started monitoring/controlling my telescope remotely, using
> PCAnywhere. I haven't tried any of the other possibilities, so I'm always
> interested in their advantages. You mentioned increased performance from
> Radmin. The only quantitative number I have for PCAnywhere's performance is
> the file transfer rate at the end of the night when I dump all the images
> accumulated by the remote computer onto my office computer over my home LAN.
> It seem to be limited to about 13MB/sec transfer rate, but don't know where the
> limitation might be. Have you experienced better with Radmin?

Peter, I think we are comparing apples and oranges. To transfer files does not require anything more than connectivity, i.e. windows NetworkNeighborhood if the two machines are inside a secure ring. If they are not inside a secure ring then the file transfer capabilities come into play and all the associated log-ins and permissions.

The primary use of VNC/PCAnywhere/Radmin allows remote console operation, where the screen of the remote machine is available as a virtual desktop on the local machine, as if you were sitting at the remote machine. How fast do the screens update? If I grab a window and attempt to resize/move it on the virtual desktop what do you see? If I have an app on the remote painting the screen, how quickly is it being reflected on the local machine? How many screens can be painted a second (or how many seconds to paint the screen)?

There are sophisticated algorithms at play, the whole screen is not transferred just the parts that change. How does the app figure out what sections of the screen changed, how does it compress it for transfer, how much compression is applied, is the compression loss less or lossy, how long does it take the app to do these things?

If you are on a slow link these things really matter. The ultimate performance is governed by the speed of the link and the speed of the machines, I just found Radmin to be most efficient at doing the above things when it comes to interacting with the virtual desktop.

Subject: A Library for Control of the LX200  

From: Mike Stute <mstuteglobaldataguard.com>

liblx200 v0.8.1 A Library for Controlling the Meade LX200 Series Telescopes
Copyright (C) 1999, Mike Stut

liblx200 is a library for controlling the Meade LX200 telescope. This is version 0.8.1. This contains code necessary to create a linkable library that can be used to control a Meade LX200 telescope. By using this library a programmer can use simple routines to write an an application without having any knowledge of how the Meade telescope works. To download a .tar.gz file, click here.
A few notes: This library was designed for my use in writing the GTCCS modules (Generic Telescope and Camera Control System). This contains both low and high level services using a module block library, that is a library of bottom-up functions where small low-level are combined to create high-level calls, thus allowing the application access to both high- and low-level services. This yielded the Base Library Functions, the Main Library Functions, and the Support Library Functions. This means more stack frames and a little more overhead, but in addition to providing both kinds of services, it also makes the code extremely easy to maintain and read.
Inlcuded is an example application that lets Xephem from Clear Sky Institute (www.clearskyinstitute.com) control an LX200.

Mike Stute, Director of Technology, Global DataGuard
5068 W. Plano Parkway, Plano TX 75093
Phone: 972-738-8513, Fax: 972-738-8514

Subject: Remote Control of LX200 and ST-7  

From: Steve Webb Date: April, 1998

I've been working on controlling my LX200 and ST-7 from the warmth of the House. I thought MAPUG might like to hear of my experiences and offer any advice.

My initial approach was to have Windows 95 installed in both the PC in the House and the Remote PC in the Observatory. (Both are currently sat in my Work space in the House for convenience) I installed Ethernet cards in both PCs, and almost immediately had both communicating.

The next step was to configure what is to be the Remote PC with nothing but the Astronomical software I need to control The LX200 and ST-7. I installed the Sky (v4) from Software Bisque and CCDOps for Windows. I was able to execute both programs from the PC which is to be kept in the House. I found however that when the software was running it accessed the Ports on the PC the program was running on NOT the remote PC.I spoke to colleagues at work, so called experts. I was told that Windows 95 was not capable of carrying out the function I required and that I would have to use Windows NT.

I bought NT and installed it and found I was still unable to control the software in the manner I wanted, and to make matters worst the download time of ST-7 images in the 2x2 binned mode was over 2 minutes running on a 200MhHz Pentium. Which is why I originally asked the question of the SBIG Forum. That slow download has not been solved and I have returned to Windows 95 on the Remote PC.

I asked at my local Astronomical Society in Bristol (UK) if anyone knew of a software package that could do what I wanted. At the time no-one did. However a few days later I had a call from a Member of the Society who said he had been at work that day when someone had remote taken control of his PC. He made inquiries at his IT coordinators who said they could take control, share or monitor any PC on the Network with a software package called PC-DUO, although they were unsure of the source.

That evening I searched the Internet and found that the software is distributed in the UK by a company called OPTIMUS, the full postal address is:

Optimus

The Kenilworth Business Centre,

131 Warwick Road, Kenilworth,

Warwickshire, CV8 1HY, England

Tel +44 (0)1926 852352

Fax +44 (0)1926 855204

Website: <http://www.optimus.co.uk/> Note: should open a new window over this one.

At the Website their is a 30 day demonstration version of the software. I downloaded it immediately and began installation. I understand there is another software package called PCAnywhere, but I haven't been able to find a retailer in UK. I also understand it's a lot cheaper than PC-Duo. (But then I'd have to spend the money on something else.)

The PC in the House I configured as a Control PC and the remote PC as a Client. I rebooted both PCs. The Client software automatically ran at boot-up, and I ran the TCP/IP on the Control manually. I asked for the Control program to search for Clients, and it responded with the Observatory PC's name. I told the Control software to connect to the client and then to take full control of the Remote PC.

The Desktop window of the Remote PC appeared on the Control PC, and moving the Control PC's mouse was able to run The Sky and CCDops on the Remote PC. At this time the Remote PC's keyboard and mouse when fully locked out, and the Control PC did real have full control.

Next step was to establish the link to the ST-7 through the Remote PC's printer port from the Control PC, and bugger me if it didn't work first time.....linked and downloading images. I was like a pig in its own muck!

Next established the link to the LX200 through the Remote PC's serial port......First time, absolutely no messing about!!!

Just to make sure I moved the Remote PC, LX200 and ST-7 down to the Living Room. By now it was 0200. (I'm not married....so no grief there!!). Established the link to the Remote PC (The Client) from The Control PC, and then the links to the LX200 and ST-7. Estimated cable length 50m, although this does not signify I live in a large House! The cost of PC-Duo is 74-50 per PC it runs on, so you have to pay for two copies which is 149-00 and don't forget the VAT.

The next step is to install the LX200 and Remote PC in an observatory in the next few weeks, and I will have almost a fully remote observational capability. I am now working out how 'park' the LX200 in a known position at the end of the observing session. I almost have it cracked, I think. No dongles or anything complex, other than a piece of software I wrote the other night. I'll keep you posted if you want.

Subject: LX200 Classic Software to set Time & Park for Download   

From: Bill Ezell <wjegateway.sii-nh.com>

I've added an additional program to my 'lxtime' and 'lxpark' suite. The new one, 'lxset', combines the features of 'lxtime' (set the time on the LX200) and 'lxpark' (move the LX200 to its (polar) home position).

I've also made a minor addition to lxpark. Now, after slewing to HA 0, DEC 0, a 'guide-east' command is given. This stops the RA motor, so the scope stays parked.

Also, all three programs now give an initial message, so you know that they're actually running. Previously, they waited for the LX200 to respond to an inquiry, so if the scope wasn't turned on, they would appear to hang. Programs and sources are freely available from my Astro page:

<http://www.mv.com/users/wje/astro.html> Note: should open a new browser window over this one.

Subject: Astronomer's Control Panel SW Now Supports TheSky V5   

From: Bob Denny <rdennydc3.com>

News Release
Astronomer's Control Panel Supports TheSky V5
New plug-in for TheSky converts Bisque API to ASCOM object standard.
Mesa, Arizona, February 17, 1998 -- DC-3 Dreams today announced the release of its Astronomy Common Object Model (ASCOM) plug-in for Software Bisque's TheSky V5 planetarium program. The new component permits TheSky to use DC-3's Astronomer's Control Panel (ACP) to control Meade LX200 type telescopes rather than connecting directly to the telescope. When using ACP, TheSky gains the benefits of ACP's visual telescope controls, voice, and scripting features.

Voice and Scripting-------------------
When connected to an LX200 type telescope through ACP, TheSky users enjoy the benefits of ACP's voice command and response. As the user slews from object to object with TheSky, ACP's voice response announces the slews. If the destination object is in the LX200 internal catalog, ACP will voice-announce the name of the object. In addition, the TheSky user can speak commands to the telescope via ACP, and see the results reflected in TheSky's display. Finally, automated observing runs using ACP's scripting features can make use of TheSky's display for monitoring the progress of the run.

Price, Availability & Requirements ----------------------------------
The new plug-in is free of charge. It may be obtained from the DC-3 Support Center download area at:
   <http://support.dc3.com/downloads.html> Note should open a new browser window.
The plug-in requires ACP V1.1 SP2 and TheSky V5.00.0002 update. This update to TheSky has adjustments to the Bisque Telescope API, and the new ACP/ASCOM plug-in uses this latter version of their API. The 5.00.0002 update to TheSky is available free of charge from Software Bisque's web site at:
   <http://www.bisque.com/Support/Downloads/>
     Note should open a new browser window over this one.
Astronomer's Control Panel itself is available for free evaluation at the ACP web site:
   <http://acp.dc3.com/> Note should open a new browser window.

From: Bob Denny <rdennydc3.com>

This note is to announce the production release V1.1 of the LX200 Astronomer's Control Panel for Windows 95/98/NT4. The program adds voice command/response and scripting capabilities to the Meade LX200 series telescopes and works with Deepsky 99, Starry Night Deluxe 2.1, The_Sky V5, and SkyMap Pro 4.

Version 1.1 updates voice command and response to the newly released Microsoft Agent V2 technology. It also fixes some bugs and adds features. The Release notes describe the changes in V1.1 at:
  <http://acp.dc3.com/dl/ReviewersGuide.zip>

Major ACP features:

• Voice command and response features including voice "GoTo". Scripts can add user-defined voice commands and/or render text to speech.
• End-user programming by exposing COM objects with which you can very easily control the scope and do astro-type calculations from Excel, Visual Basic, etc. The objects have high-level properties and methods, you never see the raw scope data!
• Built-in scripting capabilities that have access to the exposed COM objects and a special console device. No need for a special "astronomical language", this scripting system supports VBScript, JavaScript, Perl, Python and any other ActiveX scripting engine. And you can use the standard Microsoft Script Debugger for interactive symbolic degugging.
• Integration with Sienna Software's Starry Night Deluxe 2.1, Chris Marriott's SkyMap Pro 4, The_Sky V5, and Steve Tuma's Deepsky 99.
• Downloadable software will run full-function for a 30 day evaluation period, after which its advanced features will be disabled. It may still be used as an interface from Starry Night or SkyMap. Full function licenses may be purchased from the online store, and will remove the evaluation time limit from the existing installation.

For details, on-line documentation, and download, go to the Astronomer's Control Panel web site at:
   <http://acp.dc3.com/> Note: should open new browser window over this one.
Please be patient, the above web site is on a low-speed line. The site design is optimized for limited bandwidth. The program download comes from a separate high-speed site, so that won't be a problem to you as you download, or to others as they visit my site here.

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Subject: ACP Observatory Control Software Update

From: Bob Denny, Date: Jan 2005

Astronomy Automation is really starting to take hold. More and more astro-photographers and science-oriented astronomers are automating their observatories. The benefits are many -- for example:

* More observing time
* More observable objects
* More images per night
* Fewer late night mistakes
* Enjoyment from seeing your instruments work together quickly and smoothly without micro-managing them

DC-3 Dreams has released its latest Astronomy Automation software package, ACP Observatory Control Software Version 4.1. ACP handles all aspects of MULTIPLE-TARGET astro-photography and science-oriented observing automatically, yet it's easy and fun to use. It was awarded a Sky and Telescope Hot Product of 2005.

One of the most demanding uses for automation is variable star monitoring. From ACP customer John Blackwell:

"Well, I must admit, I am blown away by ACP. I got it all up and running then played with the simulator for a couple of days. Tonight was clear, so I gave it a whirl on 37 variable stars on my hit list. It did it, and it did it swiftly - the accuracy was astounding. My mount is an older G-11 (back in the Celestron era) with Gemini retrofit. ACP nailed the astrometric solutions for each 2x2 binned integration then re-centered the star and took the final images. Wow. No more hassle there! All the stars were dead center. This is a time saver. Thank you!"

The best way to learn about ACP is to WATCH THE VIDEOS, click the items in the feature grid, and see how ACP stacks up against the competition, all at the ACP web site: <http://acp4.dc3.com/index2.html>

Subject: ACP (Astronomer's Control Panel) with TheSky 

From: Wesley Erickson <twesleytwesley.com>

As usual, in an attempt to be brief, Bob Denny is doing his product a disservice... The ACP is such a powerful and versatile program that it is difficult to categorize - people tend to see the voice recognition and say, "That's cool", and not realize just how powerful and flexible it is. Some of the features are as follows:

Keypad functions: the ACP provides access to LX200 keypad functions (e.g. slew rate, movement, and a particularly well-done GoTo dialog).
Alignment Wizard: Mr. Denny has done an excellent job on the startup and alignment procedures for either AltAz or Equatorial mode; each step is explained, with check lists. The iterative method used for attaining polar alignment works very well. If you set up your LX200 at a variety of sites, you will particularly appreciate the ability to enter as many sites as you like; a simple mouse click synchronizes the LX200 clock to your PC.

Smart Search: the LX200 has a FIND feature, which searches the database for nearby objects (i.e. near to where the telescope is pointed). The user can specify a range of parameters to limit the search. It also has a FIELD function, which displays a list of objects currently in the field of view. These features appear to be seldom used, even by experienced LX200 users. The ACP provides a simple interface to perform these searches. Release of the ACP last year helped to identify a bug in the LX200 firmware (the so-called "Bermuda Triangle" bug): if a FIELD command is issued when the RA is greater than about 23 1/2 hours, some LX200's crash, requiring a complete reset. Until Mr. Denny released the ACP, very few LX200's had ever responded to a FIELD command. For those LX200's that exhibit this behavior, Mr. Denny has included a check box to turn this option off.
Voice recognition: the program not only responds to user voice commands (e.g. "Go to Mars" or "Go to M-101"), it also announces objects visible in the eyepiece based on the current field of view (e.g. telescope/eyepiece combination). This is, needless to say, a big hit at star parties.

Interfacing to other software: the ACP currently interfaces directly to a variety of astronomy programs, including TheSky, DeepSky 99, Starry Night, and SkyMap Pro. (Starry Night will even display the field of view for the optics currently set in the ACP). I use the ACP in conjunction with TheSky; for star parties, I use the Smart Search, toggling over to TheSky for more information about a potential target. Guests are always impressed when the telescope not only slews to your selected target, but announces the object when the slew is completed!

What I find most impressive is that Mr. Denny has created an object that encapsulates the functionality of the LX200. Users can now write anything from simple scripts to extensive programs that access the LX200 without having to get down to the hardware level. I have been playing with some trivial scripts and am amazed at the power that resides here! Work load permitting, I will post some of these scripts here or on my web site soon.

Subject: LX200 Computer Control Commands 

From: Doc G

I have come upon a rather complete set of control commands for the LX200 telescopes. This command set is suitable for professional programmers. I have placed it on my website under the Computer Topics section.
Note should open a new browser window.

Also see "A Discussion of Control Systems used to Point Telescopes" & "LX200 Keypad Codes"

Subject: Autostar Suites Remote Control Experiences 

From: Michael Wheeler <w1vicomcast.net> Date: Jan 2004

I thought perhaps some of you might be interested in my experiences using the new Meade Autostar Suites + LPI package. I've spent some time exploring practical means by which I can remotely operate my LX200GPS telescope when the operating conditions are uncomfortable. Call me a whimp if you like except this old man finds it difficult to concentrate on observing when your hands and feet are frozen.

If you're interested in my experiences using the remote control features contained in the Autostar Suites application, please access the .pdf file I created at:
   <http://home.comcast.net/~w1vi/LX200_Remote_Control.pdf>

Subject: Remote Control of LX200    

From: Michael Cook, Date: Dec., 2000

Dez Futak wrote:
> Does anyone have experience remotely controlling their LX200 - by
> remote control, I mean via their computer in the house say, connected
> to their observatory perhaps with Ethernet cable etc.?

I have successfully performed remote astronomy over an Ethernet. You can check out the particulars at my web site:

<http://members.rogers.com/michaeljcook/> Note: should open a new browser window over this one.

Subject: LX200: Remote Control High-Precision Slew? 

From: Peter Norman <pnormangn.apc.org> Date: Mar 2002

From: Paul Goelz <pgoelzeaglequest.com>
>So does ECU, for $50. Slew to any identifiable object, center it, and hit
>SYNC and it is the same as doing an HPP slew. The closer the SYNC object
>is to your target, the more accurate the sync is. Add a video finder cam
>and you should be all set for totally remote operation even if the sync
>object misses the FOV of your prime focus camera.

I couldn't agree more with Paul Goelz about using ECU and a video camera as the finder; especially for remote control. ECU is an inexpensive program with many useful features such as very good camera control. It enables remote focussing (many other programs don't) as well as sync for the LX200 and even the ETX.

The use of a video camera as the viewfinder solved the problem of slewing accurately for me. It made possible the remote control of my LX200 in my observatory some 140' away in the back garden. I cannot stress this too strongly as it gets rid of all sorts of methods to accurate slewing, such as very accurate aligning, high precision, TPoint, flip-mirror, etc.

Subject: Hi Precision Pointing Control via Software? 

From: John Mahony, Date: Feb 2005

> While using a computer control programs, is there any way to send an
> 'ENTER' command to the classic scope? If I have the scope in high precision
> mode and do a GoTo from the computer, you have to centre the star and then
> press 'enter', for the scope to carry on with the GoTo'.
> I haven't seen any software that will allow you to do this.

There may be a program or two that specifically mimic the HPP function, but generally with charting/scope control programs you can do it yourself in a way that's just as easy, but more flexible. For example, in CdC (Cartes du Ciel) you have GoTo and "sync" buttons on a toolbar, so to do HPP, you click on a bright star near the target to select it, then click GoTo". After it slews and you center, click "sync". This can be more precise because you can select a reference star closer to the target, or you can use a 2-stage approach: select a bright, obvious star similar to the way HPP would do it, then repeat the process on another not-quite-so-bright star much closer to the target. Then the final move may be less than a degree, giving extremely high precision.

For a long slew with a camera that has a small chip, the scope may miss the HPP reference star completely, so you can also break the long slew into 2 or 3 shorter legs across the sky, hopping from one bright star to another, centering and syncing along the way.

Subject: LX200 Remote Communicating with Modem 

From: Roger Hamlett <ttelmahntlworld.com> Date: Feb 2003

----- Original Message -----
From: Mohammad Odeh <odehjas.org.jo>
> For example I connected my 10" LX200 GPS
> telescope directly to an external fax modem and I dialed to
> that modem from different location but the modem didn't
> reply! I did another test by connecting the telescope
> (in the remote location) to a computer which for sure
> has an internal fax modem. In this case the modem had replied
> but I couldn't establish a connection with the telescope.
>
> I'm interested in this feature because it seems to me that
> I can establish a connection with a remote telescope using
> the modem, but so far I couldn't know how! I did successfully
> establish a connection with a remote telescope by the
> modem using PCAnywhere, but I'm just interested to know how
> to establish the connection by the modem.

Your first test (with the modem at the other end), should have worked, _but_ you first have to program the modem to auto answer. This is done by connecting the modem to a PC, using a terminal program, and sending the following strings:

+<ent>
AT<ent> - modem should reply with 'OK'.
ATS4<ent> - again 'OK' reply
AT&W<ent> - again should get 'OK' reply.

With this done, the 'default' configuration of the modem, should be for it to answer an incoming call after 4 rings (this is the '4' in the ATS4 command).

Set like this, the 'LX200 remote' option, sends the required strings to the _local_ modem, to make it dial the other unit attached to the telescope, and the modem at the other end, handles answering the phone. The problem you had on the first attempt, was that the telescope itself has no knowledge there is a modem involved, and so sends no configuration data to the modem. Instead you have to 'prepare' the modem in advance to answer the incoming call.

----- Original Message -----
From: Mohammad Odeh
> That's great. So the telescope (in the remote location) should be
> connected directly to a modem (not to a computer), but my question
> is... How ? For example, I understand that the cable should be
> connected to the RS232 port found on the telescope but I'm
> not sure where to connect it on the modem ? Is it on the line port?
> Or should there be a special port on the modem for such a connection?

Your modem, should have an RS232 port as well. This is what normally connects it to the computer. The 'caveat', is that the cable to the LX200, will need a 'null modem' plug, or rewiring, to attach to this socket. The problem is this: The modem is wired as a 'data set', so it connects directly to the plug on the computer. The computer is wired as a 'data terminal' device. The normal LX200 lead, is also wired as a 'data set' device (it is used to connect directly to the computer). The two wiring layouts are called 'data set' (DSR), and 'data terminal' (DTR). Normally a DSR device, is attached to a DTR device. A null modem cable or plug, 'swaps' the wiring standards over (so you can attach a DSR device to another DSR device, or a DTR device to another DTR device). Normally this is used so that you can attach two DTR devices to one another without a pair of modems between (two modems serve to swap the pinouts as requires). Hence the second name of a 'null modem'. Now in your case, you have a DSR wired device, attempting to connect to another DSR wired device (the modem), so you either have to use the null modem adapter - giving the wiring as DTR, modem, modem, null-modem, DSR, or rewire the LX200 lead to turn it into a DTR device (in which case you will have to use a null-modem to connect it to a PC).

The critical line, is where I say you _first_ have to program the modem to auto answer. You attach the modem to the PC, and set the strings, so that it defaults to auto answering. Then disconnect it from the PC, and instead connect it to the LX200. The settings can be done on another site (you just take the modem to the computer), so there is no need to ever take the PC to the telescope.

Subject: Remote dome / Scope / Imager control -- IP Address? 

From: Michael Gerszewski <mgerszewvolcano.space.edu> Date: April 2005

You shouldn't need to use a router, unless you are going from one IP network to another. I don't know what networking knowledge you have, so if any of this confuses you, feel free to email me privately.

Whenever troubleshooting a wireless connection, I always start with the basics. Have you assigned IP addresses on the same network to each Wireless card (e.g. your home computer is on 192.168.0.5, your obseratory computer is on 192.168.0.6, both set with a netmask of 255.255.255.0, and a gateway of 192.168.0.1 (or the gateway of your local net). The gateway (i.e. router) shouldn't matter, because both of your IPs should be on the same subnet (192.168.0.0/24). As long as your IPs are on the same subnet, the router shouldn't care about any traffic between those IPs. (Substitue your own local net IPs and netmask if needed)

Now if that is all set up, make sure you use the same ESSID (Wireless Network Name) and Channel (use 1, 6, or 11) for both cards in Ad-Hoc mode. I wouldn't bother with WEP now, or anytime. It is almost as easy to break WEP encryption as it is to sniff the packets anyway.

Now check to see that you are getting signal between the two wireless cards. If your signal bars (a software feature) show you have signal, try pinging one system from the other. If you don't have a signal, set up (or beg/borrow) a laptop with a wireless card and see how close you have to be to your observatory/home computer before it will pick up a signal. It all depends on what your walls are made out of (if there's a lot of metal, chances are wireless won't be happy) and the antennas you are using.

Subject: Remote LAN Construction --part 1 of 11 

From: Michael Cook <michaeljcookrogers.com> Date: May 2001

Doug David wrote:
> Have you considered using VNC instead of PC Anywhere? It is free and works
> great. It takes up much less disk space than PC Anywhere. If you ask me, for
> PC control, it works better than PC Anywhere. We use it at work to control
> over 110 PCs in a simulator lab.

That's what I use (VNC). The neat thing about it is that VNC has a built-in web server so that you can use any Java enabled browser to see and control your remote computer/telescope. I find that using VNC through the browser actually
gives better performance than using the VNC client viewer. See my web site.

-------------------------------

Subject: Remote LAN Construction--part 2

From: Ed Totman <totmanhome.com>

I have a 100' CAT 5 run to my back yard from a cheap 10/100 software hub in the house. Works great! I built a semi-permanent enclosure and a computer from spare parts. I have a few pictures on my web page if you are interested. I use Timbuktu for remote control and either Bob Denny's ACP or Brian Warner's MPO Connections to control the scope.

What I would really like to see for applications like this is the ability to run the software on my main computer in the house and a remote agent on the computer at the scope. That way I wouldn't need remote control software, which can be slow to display large images even over a 100 mbps connection.

-------------------------------

Subject: Remote LAN Construction--part 3

From: Michael Cook <michaeljcookrogers.com>

I ran 3" PVC conduit that has telephone, CAT 5, and RG6, plus extra braided nylon pulling lines for future cables. I had a few hard pulls to get through about 100 feet. I think 1-1/2" PVC might be too small.

-------------------------------

Subject: Remote LAN Construction--part 4  

From: Dez Futak

FYI, Audela version 1.1 <http://software.audela.free.fr/> will be out soon - it will be fully Anglicised and has the ability to operate as client & a server process - so you can connect to Audela at the telescope end from your version of Audela on your PC in your house.

Setting it up to do this might mean some computing expertise - it just depends on how much Alain Klotz (the author of the software) has integrated this feature into the software.

Tcl-dp isn't installed by default with version 1.0 of Audela & I couldn't get it to work when I tried to manually add the package (I was working in Linux & compiling source code - so it may be easier under Windows using binaries!). As I say, version 1.1 of Audela might well have tcl-dp integrated.

I'm nominally setting myself the task of translating the Audela website into English - if I can find the time! - so come the Autumn, you might be able to view the whole thing in English.

Lastly, this link takes you to a fully-anglicised pre-release version of 1.1:

   <http://alain.klotz.free.fr/audela/>

-------------------------------

Subject: Remote LAN Construction--part 5  

From: Gregg Ruppel <ruppelglSLU.EDU>

One option not mentioned is Microsoft's Netmeeting. Version 3.0 and higher has the ability to share programs and I use this to remotely control several programs at one time. Netmeeting is free and on my small peer-peer network seemed to be slightly faster than VNC. Either Netmeeting or VNC should allow you to do what you want. Good luck

-------------------------------

Subject: Remote LAN Construction--part 6

From: Bill Arnett <billnineplanets.org>

Where do I find ' VNC:

<http://www.realvnc.com/download.html>

-------------------------------

Subject: Remote LAN Construction--part 7  

From: David Sanders <k7rgylsys.com>

If you keep it at least 6" away you should not have any problems.

-------------------------------

Subject: Remote LAN Construction--part 8

From: Dave Schanz <dave23sch22home.com>

Sounds like we're heading down the exact same path. I can speak from experience that power cable and the CAT-5 cable are not compatible when run together. A friend (honest!) tried running his CAT-5 cable in his basement through the same holes in the studs as the 120v wiring was run and it caused many problems. CAT-5 cables near fluorescent lighting is generally not a good thing either.

Like you, I am also running power at the same time. My trench is going to be a minimum of 18" deep with the power cable at the bottom. I'm then going to backfill approximately 8" of dirt, then install the PVC pipe on top of that. I'm hoping others who have done this will be able to confirm that an 8" space will be sufficient to avoid electrical interference with the CAT-5 cable. My inside CAT-5 wiring passes within 3" of the house wiring in places without any problems, but that is only for a short distance of a few feet.

It might be helpful to know from other Mapuggers what kinds of cables they run out to their scopes besides power and a CAT-5 (or other network cabling). I know there have been threads here in the past about running SCSI cables to scopes but I am not sure about anything else that might be helpful and/or need to be planned for down the line.

-------------------------------

Subject: Remote LAN Construction--part 9  

From: Frank Schwartz <fschwartzrcn.com>

Ya know what I ended up doing? Wireless. It works great, providing your observatory is within a reasonable distance from your home. You can either do what I did, which is put a wireless access point in your house, and a wireless NIC in your laptop, or if all you want to do is PC-Anywhere or peer-to-peer between two systems, just buy two wireless NICs and run in ad-hoc mode (they make wireless NICs for desktop PCs too). It works like a champ, and no need to dig a separate trench. I ran my electricity first, and considered doing communications wire about a year later, but ended up doing it this way.

-------------------------------

Subject: Remote LAN Construction--part 10

From: Mike Dodd <mdoddmindspring.com>

>My trench is going to be a minimum of 18" deep with the power cable at
>the bottom. I'm then going to backfill approximately 8" of dirt, then
>install the PVC pipe on top of that.

A reminder: Local building codes usually have a lot to say about running house power in buried conduit.

For example, I had to run a 110 VAC circuit to an above-ground swimming pool. Our county requires only a 6" (8"? Can't remember) trench for steel conduit, but a deeper trench (12" or 18") for plastic conduit.

I strongly recommend checking with the local building inspector before running power circuits underground. At minimum, you could save some work digging the trench if you use steel conduit. I don't know if there are other regulations about what can or cannot be installed above the power conduit.

One thing I learned: Outdoor circuits now require an INSULATED GROUND WIRE. That's right - that bare ground wire in your household Romex isn't code for outdoor circuits. It has to be insulated (green is the color) just like the hot (black) and neutral (white) wires.

-------------------------------

Subject: Remote LAN Construction--part 11 of 11  

From: Doc G

There is an excellent booklet available on the Technical Innovations page; it is a free download and covers all aspects of remote control. See it at:

<http://www.homedome.com/> Note: should open a new browser window.

Subject: Cables for Remote Operation--part 1 of 2 

From: Doc G, Date: Apr 2001

>I am in the process of pulling cable to my future dome
> type observatory. Eventually I intend to fully automate
>the dome and shutter.
>
>I have already pulled the power cable to the pier. Now I
>wish to pull data cable to connect the LX200 to my PC (for
>'TheSky' control). Further I wish to connect my CCD to my
>computer via a parallel cable.
>
>What type of cable do you suggest for the telescope and
>observatory controls? The distance from my observatory to
>the control room is about 50 ft.

Standard serial flat cable will work for 232 signals up to a couple of hundred feet. The distance of 50 feet is no problem at all for a parallel cable to be used with the SBIG cameras. Distances of 150 feet are common. Cat 5 is fine for either 232 or ether net signals.

See the Topical Archives at this site for detailed cable information.

----------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Cables for Remote Operation--part 2  

From: Doc G

Michael Covington wrote:
> Recall that Ethernet is basically a serial protocol with an RF carrier --
> parallel port cables have no carrier and are more demanding. For the
> parallel port you'll need the best shielded cable you can get, and even
> then, 50 feet is pushing the limit. For the serial cable, Cat 5 cable is fine.

I have to disagree with this statement. This issue has come up often on SBIG. Even SBIG has recommended that a 100 foot cable can be used. I have experimented with cables as long as 150 feet and there have been reports of cables of 200 feet working well.

Here is the exact formula for making such a cable. It is from an older version of my web site. Perhaps I should restore some of this information since it seems to be needed from time to time.

Here is the article:

I have tested this 100 foot cable with the ST-7 and in fact extended it to 160 feet by adding three commercial printer cables in series with it. It works with no attenuation of the speed of downloading from the ST-7. The cable should be made with a length of Belden cable # 8138. This is a cable consisting of 8 twisted pairs of wires within a single overall shield. The cable is notable because it has low capacitance. The shield should be connected at both ends to the shell or frames of the plugs as is usual practice.

The cable must be connected exactly as follows:

Pair 1
          Pins 2 and 3
                    To pins 2 and 3

Pair 2
          Pins 4 and 5
                    To pins 4 and 5

Pair 3
          Pins 6 and 7
                    To pins 6 and 7

Pair 4
          Pins 8 and 19
                    To pins 8 and 19

Pair 5
          Pins 10 and 11
                    To pins 10 and 11

Pair 6
          Pins 12 and 13
                    To pins 12 and 13

Pair 7
          Pins 15 and 20
                    To pins 15 and 20

Pair 8
          Pins 9 and 18
                    To pins 9 and 18

The connectors are standard DB-25, one male and one female. I do not know how long this cable can be made. I would think, from my experience, at least 160 to 200 feet. The cable is approximately $1.00 per foot on a 100 foot spool. It is available in a 500 foot length as well. I got mine from Newark Electronics.

As an added note in constructing this cable, I recommend using metal hoods on the DB connectors and very secure connection of the shield to a good ground on both ends. Grounding of the entire electronic system is very important to avoid electrical noise being introduced into the digital transfer. There are other cables which will work, of course. I have been told that Belden 9937 which has totally shielded pairs has been used up to 200 feet. It has many more conductor pairs than needed and so is a very heavy cable. A lighter weight "pigtail" must run from it to the camera to avoid strain on the camera itself. I have been told that cables of 100 feet or longer can be obtained as custom made units with the D connectors on each end. I had to pull mine through an underground conduit and so installed my own connectors.

It should also be possible to use commercial cables and extenders in series if they are of good quality. (IEEE 1284 standard is best) They should have good grounding especially where the plugs come together.

Subject: Avoiding Lightning Problems with Long Cables --part 1 of 2 

From: Ted Van Sickle <tvansicklea-sync.com> Date: Apr 2003

Jim Henson wrote:
> I have repaired two LX200 classics that had the RS232 IC burned
> out. Both were in observatories, and the cables had been left
> plugged in during a lightning storm.
> I recommend using shielded cables for any length cable, and unplug
> one end (at the scope) when not in use.
>
> Bruce wrote:
> Long cables _do_ increase the risk of induced voltages
>Another concern is this regard with long exposed cables - if you live
>in a high lightning area (like I do) the electromagnetic fluxions can
>get intense enough to induce a high enough voltage on a such a cable
>that the electronics at either end will literally go *pop*.
>You do get surge protection in various forms, this is definitely a good
>idea for all external wiring including any network cables. Also you do
>get special kit for RS-232 cable length boosting, I think RAD do it.

Hi guys, The only time that I ever lost an RS232 interface chip was when the voltage between the third wire on the power lines providing power at each end of the system was 110 volts. Bad wiring on the power line. RS232 is very robust and even though the spec says that the signal voltage range is + to -12 volts, I have used it for hundreds of hours at +5 and 0 volts at 50 to 100 foot ranges with no problem at all. My current setup to control the operation of my observatory is over an ethernet. The 10/100 Mb system provides ample speed to send photos and simultaneously run the telescope and the dome as well. The cost is modest. I think that you can get ethernet cards for a desktop computer for about $20.00 and a PCMCIA or whatever they call it today for about $40.00. That gives you 300 meter range. Make certain that you get Catagory 5 cable and connectors, and you should have no trouble with such a set-up.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Avoiding Lightning Problems with Long Cables --part 2 of 2

From: Shay Walters <shaywaltersyahoo.com>

My "day job" involves building automation systems, and I'm quite familiar with the effects of lightning. You can get a large voltage induced in any long wiring run, even from lightning that doesn't strike very close. With the building systems, we don't have the luxury of disconnecting the wiring when a storm threatens, so we have to rely on surge protectors, but I definitely agree that for home use, you should disconnect long cables when they're not in use. That way you don't have to worry when a storm comes up when you're not at home. I would recommend disconnecting both ends.

Ted, you must not live in a very lightning-prone area (at least in comparison to some of the more lightning-prone customers' sites I see.) I've seen quite a few RS-232 chips blown out. I've always replaced them with an IC socket, so the next time it happens, it'll be a lot easier to replace them.

If you are using ethernet, there are fiber-optic interfaces for ethernet that are fairly inexpensive (about $150/end) and they're completely impervious to lightning.

Subject: Use of Wireless Instead of Cable --part 1 of 4  

From: Rich Wellner <mapugobjenv.com> Date: Apr 2002

The cost of 802.11b Wireless depends on what else he's doing. But even if he's already getting a trench dug, then adding Cat 5 cable will probably be more expensive than wireless. However, wireless might also be useful around the house. Sometimes being able to surf when you're sitting on the couch is pretty nice.

In any case, for wireless you're looking at $75 for the host adapter and $125 for the access point.

For Cat 5 it's $10 for the host adapter, $50 for a spool of Cat 5 and $50 for a switch. You'll need crimpers to put plugs on the cable, the plugs themselves and whatever sockets you plan to install. All told it will be hard to get in for less than the $200 or so for wireless.

You're wireless will run at ~2-5Mb/sec and your Cat 5 will run at 100Mb/sec.

-----------------------------------------------

Subject: Use of Wireless Instead of Cable --part 2

From: Rick Richardson <Rick.Richardsonusermail.com>

PCMag just had a review of consumer wireless. D-Link got the nod. I have a D-link access port and DW650 cards. The definitely meet the specs and are easy to set up. You can get a kit with an ap and two pc-cards pretty cheaply. Just remember you don't want too many walls between you and ap. You have a minimum of two (house and observatory) already. Closet walls count as do floors.

-----------------------------------------------

Subject: Use of Wireless Instead of Cable --part 3

From: Timothy Long <Timlong-family.com>

Personally I like LinkSys stuff. I have several of their devices and have always found them to work fairly well. The one piece of non-LinkSys equipment I have is a D-Link PCMCIA wireless LAN card and it has given me a few headaches trying to get it set up correctly. At one time I had some non-LinkSys PCI 10/100 Ethernet cards and they caused problems so I swapped them out for LinkSys ones, just so everything on my net was from the same vendor. By happy coincidence, the LinkSys cards were also the cheapest, at just $9.99 after mail-in rebates.

-----------------------------------------------

Subject: Use of Wireless Instead of Cable --part 4 of 4  

From: Rich Wellner <mapugobjenv.com>

Timothy Long <Timlong-family.com> writes:
> The theoretical top speed is 11Mbps, which is just as good as 10baseT.

Just to clarify this point. I use Wi-Fi (aka 802.11b) 8-20 hours a day and find that I get an 11Mb/sec connection about half the time. Much better to bank on 2-5.

The other clarification is that it's almost hard to buy 10baseT stuff these days. The vast majority of stuff is 10/100 and therefore ten times faster than even the best that Wi-Fi can push.

Interestingly, 100Mbps stuff is sometimes faster than your PC bus. In my line of work we actually have to work to keep a 100Mbps line saturated from a single PC!

Oh, the original poster asked about brands. I run LinkSys at home (befw11s4) and we run Cisco at the lab. I've also used SMC at home with good success. I always run LinkSys PCMCIA cards (wpc11) in my laptop. As far as the PCMCIA card goes you can run LinkSys (the majority of the cards out there, running the Lucent Orinoco chipset) or the Cisco cards. Either way is fine.

The Orinoco cards are nice because they are more common and have better Linux support. The Cisco cards are nice because they often have external antenna jacks.

Subject: Remote Control Observatories Publication    

From: Paul Cox <paultheoldshop.com> Date: Feb 2001

Although I don't have personal experience of either system, I would highly recommend that you download Technical Innovation's new publication, "Remote Control Astronomy Handbook". You can download it free from their website at:

    <http://www.homedome.com/>
    Note: should open a new browser window over this one.

Subject: ATC - Advanced Telescope Control Software  

From: Salvo Massaro Date: Apr 2002

The ATC (Advanced Telescope Control) software is finally available for all the Meade LX200 owners. It offers a completely automatic management of the aim and the guide of any sky object. The numerous options will turn your LX200 into a true professional astronomical instrument! The demo version for Windows is freely downloadable at the site:

   <http://www.omegalab-atc.com/>
with also the Search software to organize a systematic research of the Supernovae and the Dos freeware Scope.

Subject: ScopeDriver for Windows and Mac  

From: Stephen Hutson <sehutsonprairieinet.net>

I am thrilled to announce the availability of ScopeDriver software for both Macs and Windows machines.

Fellow Mapugger Bill Arnett was instrumental in getting the initial release of ScopeDriver off the ground, and many list members have been testing out the Windows version. Thanks, everyone!

It is gratifying to see several universities standardize on ScopeDriver, a product that would probably not even exist today if not for MAPUG. And, now that ScopeDriver runs on Windows, I invite all list members to check out ScopeDriver at the following link:
    <http://www.adpartnership.net/ScopeDriver/>

The manual is available for download with the program, or separately. Many reviews and testimonials appear on the above site, as well as screen shots, connection information, technical details, and more.

Subject: Palm/WinCE Astro and Control Software

From: Renato Date: Sept., 2002

The group might be interested that there is a new range of Win-CE devices available like the Cassiopea 125, they have 65k colour on a TFT screen, 32MB Ram and can be upgraded with a 1GB Hard drive by IBM that fits into the flash card socket, they come with a PCMCIA adapter in the cradle,.... So in future you might not need to take a laptop to the field. Imagine you do everything on a palm PC, controlling the telescope, capturing images, browsing the web,...

Snip:
>My real question however is in regards to The Sky. I read on the net that
>there is a version of 'The Sky' for Windows CE palm computers. They also
>state that it CAN control the LX200 scope! Imaging that! No more Laptop!
>Of course, when doing CCD the laptop is still necessary. Has anyone here
>used this application at all? I'd love it if they released a version for
>the Palm.. unfort I didn't get a Win CE machine.

Subject: Palm Control of LX200 --part 1 of 3 

From: Michael Boni Date: Dec., 2002

For those of you who have a PalmOS device, a new version of Planetarium has just been released at <http://www.aho.ch/pilotplanets/> The new version includes the ability to talk to a LX200 via a serial cable.

Note: don't forget to get (and import) the list of 33 LX200 alignment stars from the Planetarium website.

------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Palm Control of LX200 --part 2  

From: Alan Jones <ajonesapexsupply.com>

> Does anyone have the schematic of how to hook the LX200
> to the PalmPilot cradle?

You can try this link for a Palm V...don't know about the Pilot:
 <www.geocities.com/daveinfopage/palm_Vcable.html>
  Note: should open a new browser window over this one.

Here's a schematic of the Palm V connector:
 <www.palmos.com/dev/tech/palmhardware/cableser.gif>
  Note: should open a new browser window over this one.

And finally, this place has serial cables for the Palm (although I can't seem to get anyone to respond to inquiries):
  <www.syncablesolutions.com>

----------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Palm Control of LX200 --part 3 of 3 

From: Donald Winspear <donwcrescentresearch.com>

The updated version of Planetarium uses a different record layout for the information on LX200 alignment stars. Just yesterday, I updated the list and uploaded it to Andreas. I don't know if he has actually posted the information on his website yet. What you should know about the new updated list for the alignment stars.

• The source for distances is SkyMap Pro 7.0. The author, Chris Marriott, has admitted that some of the distances are questionable, at best. Especially the more distant stars.
• The new list has improved RA/DEC information for each star.
• The constellation name is included in the information field.
• The default is for the alignment star object NOT to show. It's very easy to change by tapping the box by the star name.
• The "*number" that follows the star name refers to the star number in the LX200 database and corresponds to the input for the LX200 hand controller. For example, a user wanting to slew to Achenar would press "Star" and then enter 13 on the keypad.

If you are interested in this file, I can email it to you. Or to anyone who requests it.