Testreport Pulsar
Operating voltage:
12-24 volts
As a power source, e.g. a 12 volts car-battery can serve very well. however in order to operate at full goto speed (7°/second), an internal 12 to 24 volt converter then is required.Gemini provides this as an option.
User interface of the handbox:
LCD display has (only) 3 lights steps and, however, is readable well at darkness and in great brightness like daylight as well. it has a 2-line screen.
The mini-joy-stick is very handy and reacts very reliably to every command. However, one would wish that one can move both axes at the same time...
The hot key buttons are most convenient and serve beautifully all requested functions which are asked for in astronomy. opening up menus and listing them and scrolling them down is not necessary since these hotkey button functions cover this satisfyingly.
0 for picking the required drive speed
5 parking position
7 tracking speed rate (sidereal, terrestrial, moon, sun)
8 PEC
4 N/S declination direction choice
1 E/W for swapping the scope tube to the other side on east/west side of the meridian
2 progressive speed
3 guidespeed
9 recalibration
6 entrance into the menu
top right: initialisation and time menu
The recalibrationfunction is a most intelligent facility; first - after a Goto manover is completed, one compensates the misalignment which might occasionally be there, meaning that U center the object right in your field of view and then, by pressing this button, the correct data of RA and Decl. are recalibrated to the current position of the sky, where the scope is pointing at.
Initializing:
Taken care of within 2 minutes.
One can enter gps coordinates or just connect Pulsar to a GPS device.
Now just perform another "one star alignment" and Pulsar is all set to operate.
Pulsar is a full scale Goto drive system even if the system has been switched off and switched on again.
having reached the parking position - which is freely programmable - is taken granted BEFORE switching it off of course!
Home position:
Tthe scope is driven into a convenient postion one likes (0° declination and meridian excepted) and the "6" button is to be hit to enter the menu. now U scroll down until "homeposition" is displayed and enter "yes". the current parking postion is stored and will be assumed when U hit the "5" button.
Autostop Global/local:
When a german mount is used e.g. there are at least 2 dangerous position of the scope - one in the west one in the east. this where one runs the risk of a crash between the pier and the tube! So these positions can be programmed and excluded from any Goto manover which is desired after programming. Pulsar will recognize potential collision courses and avoid them by stopping to track! no crash can happen!
Autostop Global means a general avoidance programme in east- and west- alignment of the scope . Autostop local can be programmed additionally for each and every desired riskprone position. (one at a time)
The autostop programming prevents a collision positions generally. E.g. let us assume one wants to image in a very high declination on the east side. The telescope now is supposed to be moved closely to the near collision point and then the Auto Stop local position is entered and stored. Then one proceeds the Goto manover to object which is to be imaged and one can let Pulsar be in charge. Pulsar will deactivate the drive system and the motors just before the collision might occur!
Auto Stop function was established because Pulsar is suitable also for a complete "remote" business. That is the remotely controlled operation of the observatory!
E.g. one can sit in the house, have a cup of tea and let Pulsar do the guiding and watch for incident free operation.
Pole Crossing:
This is supposed for close to north pole Goto manovers (on the Northern side). Particularly Goto close to the north Pole could usually take a long time to be perfomed. this function avoids this loss of time by making a Goto across the pole.
PEC:
PEC programming is best done with CCD autoguide function.
With PEC Mountegra runs with a precision of about 2-3 arc seconds.
Pulsar announces every successful registered PEC signal acustically.
There is the option to do the programming for RA and Decl as well! but when U change position of the scope U have to reprogramme Decl. PEC again.
Goto:
A Goto can be made to any object of the internal database, that is reference stars, Messier and NGC objects. Also there is plenty of storage in the main ROM to hold Your self programmed lists (user, user1)
It is even more comfortable if Pulsar is connected to the PC and run with Guide8 e.g. Pulsar is compatible with LX200 routines. Guide 8 is compatible with Pulsar software and functions together most harmoniously and reliably.
Set-up:
the menu is entered by hitting hot key button "6".
here one can change the sytem and motor parameters and the user parameters as well.
mount parameters:
the trackcurrent, the stop current as well as the Goto currents can be adjusted and be changed at any time.
The tracking direction is to be chosen here.
user parameters:
Enter the coordinates of Your observation position
Backlashrates as well as the amount of the acceleration in RA and Dekl. (ramp) can be entered here.
One should consider to use a very low numbered acceleration (ramp 3) in both axis in order to preserve
the worm and gear surface and therefore keep those surfaces long living.
The Goto speed can be bumped up to 9999, which corresponds to 7°/secd.. However, to reach this, it is required to work with a higher voltage (24 volts).
The Home position also can be adjusted here.
Furthermore the freely programmeable center-slew-goto and guidespeeds can be chosen and confirmed here.
As a most innovative feature of Pulsar, the athmospheric correction shall be mentioned here:
Pulsar knows the absolute horizontal height of the telescope according to the coordinates and corrects this particular misalignment which is due to athmospheric refraction automatically. This is interesting in hunting very faint ccd objects and it makes goto manovers even more precise!
This is unique under amateur controls.
In the system control
The voltage which is applyed to Pulsar can be checked and the internal temperature is held steadily by Pulsar by means of an internal heating device which protects the temperature sensitive CPU from running cold!
If the tracking runs too fast or too slowly, this might simply be determined by a deviation of the internal pulsar clock. One can enter the time error in seconds / 10 days. Just measure the time dealy and correct it.
One would want an internal receiving station of an atomic radio clock as a luxury option,...
Connecting Pulsar to the laptop/PC:
Pulsar data banks are freely downloaded from Gemini homepage. Gemini provides it`s customres with upgrades of the Pulsar software which becomes regularly improved. The PC can be connected to Pulsar via a Com port (or by means of USB-Com adapters).
All parameters are adjustable from the pc then.
In addition, one can create his own data bank or download new data banks.
The data banks are written as a Xcel file.
Mr Wechselberger so e.g. has written the planetary data into a xcel file and holds them at free disposal on his webpage (free of charge) (see Gemini HP under References)
Operator and userfriendly Pulsar:
summed up, one can describe the pulsar as a very mature control which quite obviously was created by the hands of astronomy experienced designers which exactly knew of the needs of an astronomer at the outline of the feature programs.
The described smart functions prove this. they make this guidecontrol system the most superior among otheres in the free market.
It is in particular pointed out it that pulsar has been made especially for the Gemini 41 mount and all Gemini mounts. there will be no knocking in the motors as it has already partly been detected repeatedly with other controls.
Menu control is simple: Data input is kept very simple, as parameter arrangement is too.
The handbox has an ergonomic design which makes the usage easy even in the dark. the background of the hot keybuttons is illuminated but respectfully does not disturb one’s dark-adaptation.
Pulsar can therefore be recommended for all serious high demanding astronomers who are looking for a semi professional Guiding system that provides it`s user with lot more features than the usual products include...
