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Subject: [M]: pictor 216XT / LX-200 combination
From: Yuval Ben-Haim
Reply To: mapug@shore.net
Date: Sat Jun 28 01:21:15 1997

Hi all,
I have made an interesting experiment the last day. I have connected a
PC running
a terminal software in parallel to the communication line from the
"regular" PC and
monitored the rs-232 traffic between the scope and the PC. The
configuration was the
standard configuration that i use for imaging: serial port 1 connected
to the pictor at 57,600
bps, the pictor connected to the scope via the CCD port, and serial port
4 is used for
connection to the scope.
My conclusion is: In Auto Center and Auto Mosaic modes, the PC moves the
scope
and *not* the guider port (namely, the camera). The pictor view software
reads
the align mode of the scope (AltAz, polar...) and in the case of AltAz,
it reads the
altitude and azimuth, sets new ones, and slew to these in "center"
speed. In order
to do this, they are using three un documented commands (IMHO): "Sz"
(set azimuth),
"Sa" (set altitude) and "MA" (move to AltAz).
The amount of the motion is not calculated properly; the amount of
motion and
the direction is erratic. I tried to center on a point about 60 pixels
off the center
(with the 8" f/10 lx-200 it will be 1 arc minute) in both x and y, and
the scope
moved about 2 arc minutes in altitude, and about 5 arc minutes in
azimuth, and
in the wrong direction, too. My field of view calculator was set
properly.

Any suggestions, apart from waiting for another version of pictor view
that
(maybe) will correct this problem ?

TIA,
Yuval.

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| Yuval Ben-Haim |
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