This is how you connect the interface to a Synta HEQ5 / EQ6 handpad. You need 5 wires to connect the corresponding characters.
Thanks to Matthias Bäumler for the picture and some more investigations of the EQ5 board and Luca Zaggia for more information.
SkyWatcher SynScan (Thanks to Martin Nelson)
This is how to connect the interface to the autoguider port of the SynScan.
Celestron Celestar 8 and Ultima 11
This is how to connect a Celestron Celestar 8. You need 5 wires to connect it to the interface. The easiest way is to find a female 6 pin connector like the one in the handpad and connect it to the interface. That way you can substitute the interface for the handpad. Take care not to connect the rightmost pin of the connector, it carries + 5V! The red markings are around the four switches of the handpad.
The picture is taken from a document about connecting a Pictor Autoguider to a Celestar by Philip Hart and was sent to me by Bruce MacLeod. Thanks!
Thanks to Fernando Britto for informing me the Ultima is connected in the same way as the Celestar, the handpads are the same! The small image on the right is Fernando's Ultima11 handpad. Thanks!
The following description was sent by Bruce MacLeod as well:
The serial port connection from the computer to the LX200 emulator
was accomplished with a simple 9pin female to male RS232 cable.
For the LX200 emulator to telescope connection, I cut an RJ12 cable
in the middle and connected the jack end into the Celestron base. The
RJ12 jack going into the Celestron base has the following color sequence
with the order given from left to right, with the viewer looking into the
socket with the contacts at the top:
colors (white, black, red, green, yellow, blue)
For that color sequence, I attached five of the six wires from the RJ12
cable to your emulator as indicated in the following picture:
Boxdoerfer MTS3
Thanks to Erik Kimpel for sharing his connections to a MTS3 drive. Again, you need 5 wires. The picture speaks for itself.
Meade LX50
Meade LX10 (Thanks to Gordon Train)
Meade LX5 (Thanks to Joe Perulero)
You will also need this PDF from SBIG to see how to modify your LX5 handpad.
Meade LX6
You will also need this PDF from SBIG to see how to modify your LX6 handpad.
Losmandy G8 / G11
Dynostar (Thanks to Bernd Kruse)
There is also a very nice article (in German) at this link. There are lots of pictures. Thanks Bernd!
Vixen GP (DD-1 controller)
Pictures of the Vixen GP connections by Augusti Ortiz, thanks! You can mail Augusti if you need more information.
Pictures of the Mel Bartels Scope Drive connections by Roger Artigas, thanks!
Electrical Focuser
This is a simple schematic that shows how to connect the focus board to the main board and the electrical focuser to the focus board.
You can use one battery for both focus speeds, use two potentiometers to set the desired voltages.
If you know how to connect other mounts, please let me know so I can put it on this page to help others connect their interface.
Last update of this page: 23rd of February 2006
Use of the information on this page is at your own risk. If you don't know about electronics, please ask someone who does know to help you. Don't blame us for smoke signals!
