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Operating our Skymax 127 MAK SupaTrack by laptop?


JPS

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I would be grateful for advice. I recently got the tracking mount all cleaned up, and running fine, thanks to advice from this forum. Whilst having problems with the mount, I was researching/considering buying a different one.

I'm new to this- but as far as I can see, the Skywatcher Skymax 127MAK which we have, with the tracking mount, looks to be identical to that supplied with the "go to" SynScan  system, except for the hand controller.

On the mount, there is just the one power inlet, and one "telephone" type socket for the handset (see pic). The handset has no inlet ports on it.

Am i right or wrong on this assumption about the mounts being the same,just  the handsets being different??

So, a GoTo handset is upwards of £180, even if I could just plug it into our mount (as i suspect) and use it instead.

Is it possible for me to just connect my laptop to the mount with a cable such as this:http:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121429040143?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

or http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201174179808?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

.....in effect doing away with a handset, then use the laptop to control the mount- and, I hope someone will point me to a programme to do so, for it to work as a GoTo rather than just to track objects once found,making life so much easier.

OR, am I completely off the correct track here? Thanks in advance.

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post-38632-0-24603900-1411225768_thumb.j

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You can't simply connect the mount to the laptop to control it, you need an interface which will allow the two devices to communicate. The first option is a Synscan handset which the most expensive. The second is this bluetooth interface http://www.365astronomy.com/bluetooth-interface-for-skywatcher-autotracking-merlin-p-2390.html which replaces the Supatrak handset and gives you full goto control of the mount through a  planetarium program such as Stellarium or Carte du Ciel. There is also a diy version for which information can be found here  https://sites.google.com/site/rwgastro/supatrakmounthacking and another version here http://www.autopano.net/wiki-fr/action/view/T%C3%AAte_astronomique_Multi-fonctions_Merlin_Interface .

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