Celestron hand control help needed please.

[dafed]

Hi guys can anyone help, following advice from my dealer I did a factory reset on my handset after this was done I could not access the utilities menu system , anyone have any ideas .?

The hand control is for the CPC 800 edge hd.

David

[ronin]

Does it display CPC Ready at power on?

Do you mean the "9" does nothing and the remainder operate ?

[ronin]

Looking at the manual "Utilities" is one option under Menu.

Is Tracking, View Time/Site, Scope Setup, User Objects, Get RA/Dec. Goto RA/Dec, Identify and Precise Goto present.

These are at the same level as Utilities.

In effect is it just Utilities that is unavailable ot all the options under Menu ?

Wondering if you have to supply data for one (Tracking/Mode/Rate) before the scope will do anything.

Hitting Reset could have erased everything and there may be no default.

Software could check and if Null then Do Nothing.

Equally there appears nothing in "Utilities" that would care about data being present, the handset brightness has no relevance and same for most of the other options.

Horrible feeling that you will need to download and reload the firmware.

[MrFinster]

I also agree that sounds like you may have to download the CFM software which is Celestrons free firmware manager then connect the scope to your pc / laptop and update the firmware.

[dafed]

I also agree that sounds like you may have to download the CFM software which is Celestrons free firmware manager then connect the scope to your pc / laptop and update the firmware.

Thanks I had a nasty feeling that I would Have to do something like that.

david 

[dafed]

I also agree that sounds like you may have to download the CFM software which is Celestrons free firmware manager then connect the scope to your pc / laptop and update the firmware.

I also agree that sounds like you may have to download the CFM software which is Celestrons free firmware manager then connect the scope to your pc / laptop and update the firmware.

Does it display CPC Ready at power on?

Do you mean the "9" does nothing and the remainder operate ?

Yes thats correct 9 does nothing, methinks another word with my dealer.

david

[dafed]

Looking at the manual "Utilities" is one option under Menu.

Is Tracking, View Time/Site, Scope Setup, User Objects, Get RA/Dec. Goto RA/Dec, Identify and Precise Goto present.

These are at the same level as Utilities.

In effect is it just Utilities that is unavailable ot all the options under Menu ?

Wondering if you have to supply data for one (Tracking/Mode/Rate) before the scope will do anything.

Hitting Reset could have erased everything and there may be no default.

Software could check and if Null then Do Nothing.

Equally there appears nothing in "Utilities" that would care about data being present, the handset brightness has no relevance and same for most of the other options.

Horrible feeling that you will need to download and reload the firmware.

Is this a big thing to download and reload the firmware ? feeling sick.

[dafed]

Does it display CPC Ready at power on?

Do you mean the "9" does nothing and the remainder operate ?

It says Initialising Packages , then asks me to go on and pick which sort of alignment. 

[MrFinster]

Is this a big thing to download and reload the firmware ? feeling sick.

The scope comes with a cable to hook it up to the pc/ laptop, one end connects into the bottom of the handset, the other to your pc/ laptop. The scope needs to be on and the handset plugged in to the scope.

However, Celestron assume that everyone's computer still has an RS232 port so You will have to get an RS232 to USB lead to connect the two. Its not a hugely painful experience, I had to update the firmware on my 800 after a near disaster due to the

anti cord wrap option not working when selected due to a bug in the already installed firmware.

[Chris Rowland]

Isn't that what is should do?

Try following the guidance the HC gives you.  Do an alignment (any sort will do), you should then be able to get to the CPC Ready message and be able to press the menu button and find the Utilities option.

This seems to be a NS+ HC and the buttons and menu options are different to the original HC.

Chris

[dafed]

Isn't that what is should do?

Try following the guidance the HC gives you.  Do an alignment (any sort will do), you should then be able to get to the CPC Ready message and be able to press the menu button and find the Utilities option.

This seems to be a NS+ HC and the buttons and menu options are different to the original HC.

Chris

Thanks Chris, I will have a chat with my dealer see what he says, But i shall try an alignment as well and see what happens.

david 

[ronin]

First my apologies I was refering to "9" as the Menu selection button, it is actually "3".

The manual has a bubble with a 9 in it pointing to the actual button marked 3, then the text says:

9. Menu: Displays the many setup and utilities functions such as tracking rate and user defined objects and many other

So I assumed 9 was also the button on the handset.

They don't help much.

I cannot see how doing the align will help, one of the options under the Menu is Scope Setup - Setup Time and Site.

Without a Site you cannot do a meaningful alignment.

Also the vast majority of items under Menu do not impact on an alignment, slew rate, brightness of handset, goto approach and nearly everything else are independant of being aligned.

I think that under menu you have to define the mount as Alt/Az. EQ North, EQ South and Off that has to be done before alignment. So I think Menu has to be available.

You haven't done the same as me and got the wrong button ?

Also press and hold it a little longer, my handset (not Celestron) need the buttons holding down for longer then I would expect.

The other thing is are you recalling the buttons etc from memory (yours) or are you sat with the manual.

I have had my Meades for years but still need the manual and menu tree page in order to navigate my way through them.

[Chris Rowland]

The NS+ HC has the menu option on a different button, it's labelled as such.

The usual way of operating the Celestron HCs is to go through the Align process, the mount should ask for data it doesn't know, such as time, if it doesn't know it.

Chris

[dafed]

First my apologies I was refering to "9" as the Menu selection button, it is actually "3".

The manual has a bubble with a 9 in it pointing to the actual button marked 3, then the text says:

9. Menu: Displays the many setup and utilities functions such as tracking rate and user defined objects and many other

So I assumed 9 was also the button on the handset.

They don't help much.

I cannot see how doing the align will help, one of the options under the Menu is Scope Setup - Setup Time and Site.

Without a Site you cannot do a meaningful alignment.

Also the vast majority of items under Menu do not impact on an alignment, slew rate, brightness of handset, goto approach and nearly everything else are independant of being aligned.

I think that under menu you have to define the mount as Alt/Az. EQ North, EQ South and Off that has to be done before alignment. So I think Menu has to be available.

You haven't done the same as me and got the wrong button ?

Also press and hold it a little longer, my handset (not Celestron) need the buttons holding down for longer then I would expect.

The other thing is are you recalling the buttons etc from memory (yours) or are you sat with the manual.

I have had my Meades for years but still need the manual and menu tree page in order to navigate my way through them.

Thanks Ronin, no I always use the manual, as my memory is Rubbish, but I shall be reinstalling the firmware in the next day or so, I shall keep you all informed of the outcome.

[dafed]

The NS+ HC has the menu option on a different button, it's labelled as such.

The usual way of operating the Celestron HCs is to go through the Align process, the mount should ask for data it doesn't know, such as time, if it doesn't know it.

Chris

Chris hi, before the factory reset, the time showing in the handset was way out, and when i did the reset i could not get the menu system to operate, so its a firmware reinstall ime afraid.

[Chris Rowland]

One thing to bear in mind is that when you do a factory reset the mount is set back to the factory - in Torrance CA - with the appropriate time zone.

if you ignore this and just do an alignment using the GPS then the position and time are set from the GPS and allowing for the time zone but none the less the scope should align.  Reading the time will produce what appears to be an incorrect value but compensating for the various time zones should show that the time is actually correct.

If you then use the Set Date and Time option to set the date, time, time zone and DST the time should be correct although it may take a power cycle and reacquiring the GPS data to show this.

It should be possible to get to the menu and set the time zone and DST setting before doing the alignment by pressing the Menu button.  Set all the  location/time values and press undo to get back to the Press Enter to begin alignment prompt.  Your location and time values will be overwritten by the GPS but the time zone and DST setting will be preserved.

Don't let me stop you reinstalling the firmware if you want to but it may not be neccessary.

Chris

[ronin]

If you do go for the reinstall then ask on here which USB to Serial lead is best, think there are 2 and one is better then the other.

Get the firmware and the loader, and whatever instructions - I assume there are some on the Celestron support.

Have read that by lowering the speed of the USB port/transfer that it improves things.

They were a serial port and so the USB can be too fast.

Not sure there is much else to offer in the way of information.

Someone that has done it may have more information.

[dafed]

Chris hi, many thanks for your help it is very much appreciated. the thoughtfulness and concern that you and other members in the group show twards trying to help me with my problem is truly appreciated so thank you very much.

i have tried every combination possible on my handset but i still cannot reach the utilities settingsso for the reason i will do i reinstall and yes i am very much aware that the different serial adaptor sets out there i have ordered a prolific chipset and also there is another 1 i saw that was used successfully by another member of this group i cannot think of the name but it comes with a driver disc so hopefully between the two of them it should do the trick i will of course keep you informed of the outcome so once again thank you very much

david

[dafed]

Ronin hi, thank you for your help and concern in trying to help a newbie it is very much appreciated i have taken advice and looked on this site amongst other places for the serial chipset to be used when reinstalling the firmware, so fingers crossed i hope everything goes alright and as i said to chris i shall keep you informed of how it goes if it all goes down toilet you will probably see a cpc 800 advertised for sale shortly

david

[Chris Rowland]

My experience with the Prolific USB to serial adaptors is that they are unreliable.  Their performance seems to vary depending on the application, operating system, serial cable length and if connected through a hub or not.  I find that the FTDI based adaptors are really reliable and just work.

Chris

[Mark-V]

Just used a prolific one to update my CPC 1100  with starsense controller - the first time  I have ever tried and worked ok for me (using windows 7 netbook )

[Monty]

Which buttons do you press to put the starsense HC into firmware upgrade mode? I've forgotten how.