Auxiliary encoder (aux encoder) is a sensor that keeps track of axis position while the clutch on an axis is released. When aux encoder is enabled, you can release the clutch and turn the axis independently of the gear system without losing axis position origin. Axis position origin is something required to keep previously performed alignment valid as described in [Preserving Pointing Accuracy]. Not all mounts are equipped with auxiliary encoders.
Find auxiliary encoder setting in Settings > Advanced.
Enabling auxiliary encoder lowers the resolution of axis positions. Therefore, do not enable aux encoder if you do not need to disengage the clutch.
The guiding rate setting in the app determines how fast an axis moves, when the mount or app receives an autoguiding signal (which consists of only a direction and duration). Find guiding rate setting in Settings > Advanced.
An autoguider can send autoguiding signal in two ways:
The guiding rate setting applies to both situations.
Flipping Mode (in Settings > Advanced) is the setting to determine the exact pointing pose of a German equatorial mount (GEM) when performing GOTO. For any given target in the sky, a GEM can point to in two different poses. In one pose, the counterweight rod points down, and in the other pose it points up. By default, the setting value is Auto, and the mount will always choose the pose where the counterweight rod points down, so that the telescope tube is far away from the tripod legs and the likelihood of their collision is minimized.
There may be a situation where you wish to perform a GOTO that places the GEM in a counterweight rod pointing-up pose. For example, when tracking an object past the meridian, you could start tracking with the counterweight rod point up. The setting to achieve this depends on the location of the mount and where the pointing target is.
Setting to make counterweight rod point up after GOTO:
Pointing to object in East hemisphere | Pointing to object in West hemisphere | |
---|---|---|
GEM mount located in North hemisphere | Forced | No |
GEM mount located in South hemisphere | No | Forced |
When performing such a GOTO, you should be cautious of collision.
Flipping Mode will always reset to Auto after a GOTO is completed.
Alignment Compensation (in Settings > Advanced) lets you specify known mechanical error in the mount. This is used to improve pointing accuracy as a part of pointing model.
Speed Compensation (in Settings > Advanced) is useful for correcting tracking speed error caused by inaccurate rate of mount’s internal clock. Typically, such error would be in the order of a few ppm (parts per million).
The sign of the compensation value determines direction of compensation. For example, if you measured that the tracking rate of the mount is 10ppm faster than the ideal, then enter -10ppm in Speed Compensation to counteract the error.
The resolution of the compensation value a mount accepts depends on its model. The compensation value you entered is rounded to the closest accepted value. For example, if a mount has compensation value resolution of 30ppm, then setting compensation value to 25ppm equals setting it to 30ppm.