Index

Settings

Connection

Press the Connect button on the app’s top toolbar to establish connection between app and mount. If the mount supports being used in either alt-azimuth mode or equatorial mode, you will be prompted to choose one. You must re-connect if you wish to change mode. After connecting, you can disconnect by pressing the text on the top toolbar. The simplest way to connect a mount is by the mount’s built-in or external SynScan Wi-Fi adapter, as described in [Connect by Network].

The Settings > Connect Settings menu lets you specify how app tries to connect when the Connect button is pressed:

Network Connection

Connect by IP network.

If Find Device is enabled, the app searches the network for mount when connecting. If it finds multiple mounts in the same network, it will list all of them and the user should choose the right one by refereeing to the IP addresses.

If Find Device is disabled, you must specify the IP address of the mount in the network in the Fixed IP field. This way of connecting is quicker compared to search.

Network troubleshooting

Emulator Connection

Connects to a virtual mount. This is useful for testing features in the app without a physical mount.

Serial Connection

Connect to a mount that (directly, or indirectly through an adapter) presents a serial interface to the app.

USB Port on Mount

Some mounts are equipped with a USB port. Connect it to a USB host (Windows and some Android devices) and the host would detect the mount as a serial device.

Android devices must support USB On-The-Go (OTG) in order to act as a USB host. To see if your device is capable, search your device’s app store for “USB OTG” checking tool.

HC Port on Mount

All mounts are equipped with a HC (Hand Control) port. On equatorial mounts it is a 8-pin RJ-45 port. On alt-azimuth mounts it is a 6-pin RJ-12 port.

The options to connect mount by HC port to a USB host are:

Connecting RS-232 signal directly to HC port, without appropriate electrical level conversion, risks damaging the mount.

Communication Parameters

If you connect by network or serial, you can fine tune communication parameters:

The default values assume an unreliable communication channel (such as over an unreliable Wi-Fi connection) so has many retries and long read timeout. If you know the communication channel is reliable and you wish to have the app report an error quicker, you can reduce retries and read timeout values.

SynScan Wi-Fi Settings

The Settings > SynScan Wi-Fi page configures the internal or external SynScan Wi-Fi adapter. Here you can edit settings like AP/STA mode, SSID, or password.

You must be connected to mount through the SynScan Wi-Fi adapter to configure it. That is, you cannot configure a mount’s built-in SynScan Wi-Fi when you are connecting to the mount by serial.

SynScan Wi-Fi Parameters

SynScan Wi-Fi adapter can works in Access Point (AP) Mode and/or Station (STA) Mode.

Access Point mode

Station mode

Reset SynScan Wi-Fi adapter

If you cannot connect to the SynScan Wi-Fi adapter (for example, you have forgotten its password), you can reset it to the default Access Point mode. To do that just leave the adapter powered on for an hour without accessing it.

Backlash

Backlash is the mechanical slack in the mount’s gears. To observe the amount of backlash in a mount axis, move the axis in one direction for a few seconds. When you reverse movement direction at low speed, there will be a noticeable time delay between when the axis motor starts moving, and when the object in the field of view starts moving.

You can set an amount of backlash for the app to compensate in Settings > Backlash. When backlash compensation is enabled, whenever an axis reverses direction, app turns the axis quickly for the specified backlash amount to quickly re-engage the gears, thereby shortening the above mentioned time delay.

Altitude Limit

In Settings > Altitude Limit, you can set an altitude range, outside of which GOTO is disabled. It is useful to prevent accidental GOTO to a position that results in the telescope tube bumping into obstructions.

When the Catalog Filter option is turned on, sky objects that exceed the limits will not appear in catalog lists.

Regardless of the setting, app does not restrict you from pointing the telescope beyond the altitude limits using the slew direction buttons.

User Interface (UI) Settings

In Settings > User Interface you can adjust: