Help with Skywatcher GOTO System

[BRUN]

I have a Skywatcher 250px flextube, and ive aligned it a few times and it works pretty well, but when i do the alignment, the controller says i can use the arrow keys to move the scope, but when i press those nothing happens ? At the movement ive had to move it by hand.

Once its aligned all the motors move fine and its generally quite good at going to the next object, have I got a setting on 0 such as a speed or something like that, would it be worth doing a factory reset or updating the firmware. AFAIK its the Synscan 3

Also, the book mentions, autotracking, i dont have anything in my menu that says autotracking, i do have tracking, and i think it had 4 options, one of which was tracking off or something like that, and it had arrows next to it as though that was the chosen option, which of the other 3 options should i choose to try it out, i had lunar, solar, and another i think

[Tinker1947]

It sounds like you want to increase the slewing speed, press 2 on the handset then any number up to 9, the higher the number the faster it will slew.....

[Owmuchonomy]

As Tinker says or it might sound daft but are you using the 4 arrow keys in the centre of the handset not the ones at the bottom?  If you are aligning ok with the handset then the scope will track the object in view automatically.  The default is Sidereal and is fine for everything over a short session. If you are Moon observing for a long period change Sidereal to Lunar.

[ronin]

The handset rate will default to sidereal and that is (usually the 0) it is very slow. Quite often people do not realise that the scope is moving but they can hear the motors turn.

9 is the fastest but it is also the coarsest, I tend to set mine to 5 or 6, moves quick enough and small changes are possible to get the object centered.

[BRUN]

I'll try and check my speed settings then, thanks, I must have something set to 0

[Ger]

Hi brun

I am new at this and I have a goto system. I had the same problem and as daft as it might sound check it is plugged in correctly. Even though it is turned on and you can work the menu I noticed that it was not plugged in 100%. Make sure you hear that distinctive clicking sound. This happened me but it solved the problem

 

Ger

[BRUN]

do you mean the DC power connector or one of the motor connections, or even the controller ?

once alignment is done it all moves by itself fine, just not from my controls on the keypad

[Ger]

The controller itself, once the power is there just double check the controller is fully plugged in. It seems that if not plugged in correctly the controller has power, the menus work but the direction keys don't. I have also in past just disconnected the controller at both ends and started again. Both methods work although frustrating as it took an age for me to figure something so trivial out. Hope this works.

[BRUN]

Thanks ill give that a go

[happy-kat]

Unless looking through an eyepiece you won't actually see the telescope move on quite a few of the slew speeds, so do check rate button and then give it a high number like 8 to see it slew then use your directional buttons if you don't think it is moving.

[Aikidoamigo]

Always worth pressing 'rate' and then choose a higher number if you're jumping around the sky a bit... The. Press 'rate' again and maybe number 4 for small adjustment.

Sidereal tracking works great on mine, even when using my strongest EP on something like the Trapezium of Orion Nebula, the scope follows by itself and very rarely needs small amendment from me.

good luck

 

ps. I always keep the manual close to hand, opened at the summary page; it shows the easy way through all the manus and makes life more simple when trying to work through the route to a particular function needed. Without this page I can never remember how to get to stuff I need!

[BRUN]

Thanks guys, yup I had a setting too low, excellent now