Handset feedback

[skybadger]

I received the hand controller finally in may and I've been using it since.
These are some of my observations.
Theres no manual. At least provide a key and menu map.
While I think I've worked everything out for myself, where's the stop button ? Where's the alternate focus control key combo that onstep provides ? Where's the remote wireless handset control that onstep provides ?

The spiral cord is too short and it's a spiral. Spiral cord puts a lot of tension on the rj11 socket so that will eventually fail.

I can't read the display in the daytime. I have contrast set to max and still it's invisible. I use my mount for solar during the day.

The date/time setting is ponderously slow. It's one of those ' keep the button pressed and it will accelerate ' things that suffers from drastic overshoot and fumbling. Much easier to change day, month, year separately

I finally got to try the 3 star equipment align function the other night. It's was relatively easy to achieve success. First subsequent slew was ok, second was pointing to the ground. Is this a 'wrong atan solution selected' error ? It repeated several times. I even waited for one to complete and then slewed to the same star again and it went straight to it. Something distinctly odd there.

The slew speed settings are inconsistent between handset and unity and reflect it's onstep heritage. The handset shows max, max/2, 48x and so on while unity shows 2x, 16x up to 5 Deg/sec which is quite different.

The mount lost park position twice while I was out the other day, requiring a power down and reset, something I had experienced using the phone app but was hoping use of a direct wired handset might avoid.

ASo overall, some pros and some co s, some of which are more mount related but some basic stuff still needs improving. I wait with baited breath. How do I load the handset firmware when it turns up if there is no manual ?

Mike

[rodolgo]

Hi Mike,
Interesting feedback.
I didn’t try the star alignment procedure yet, but I will do urgently when safe at home to avoid problems in the field.
What I find missing:
- a way to remove custom limits; I have no idea how these were set, most probably by inadvertence in Unity, but I faced the situation at a star party and couldn’t resolve it until I got back home and connected the mount to my imaging PC. Quite embarrassing.
- a simpler way to set date and time; current implementation is awkward
- a better way to find alignment stars suitable for current location and time

Currently I cannot qualify it for AP, until features become more robust. But OK for pure observation.

You will find the manual on the Pegasus web site, at the bottom of the bottom of the hand controller page. It will answer most of your questions.

Also Pegasus support is great, do not hesitate asking them.

My. 2 cents,
Rodolphe

[rimcrazy]

So I picked up the handset as I really needed it to work with my solar telescope. Now I find out that I cannot use my Hinode solar guider as it requires the ST4 port and the handset uses that. Is there ANY way to use the hand controller without that? I'm guessing no. What a PITA. I guess I can connect it initially to find then sun and for visual use only and when I want to take photographs I have to quickly center and then go back to my Hinode so I can track and guide.