Telescope control: Meade Magellan II
jlummel Oct 13 1:35 AM
I've been trying to find out about using a Magellan II connected to
a Starfinder 10" EQ telecope with Guide 8.0 and I'm not quite sure
where this issue sets.
I do have some information about the Meade Magellan II controller
with v2.5 software (latest on Meade's site) that could help:
1. Operates at 300 baud, 8 bits, No Parity, 1 stop bit.
2. Responds only to certain commands and the results are short mode.
While it does have motors for correction, serial operation is as a
digital setting circle only!!
3. ANY bogus commands sent over the serial port seem to lock serial
communications up. Turning serial off and then back on at the
handbox fixes this (Option 8).
4. LX200 Commands implemented:
:GR# GetRA
:GD# GetDEC
:GC# Get date - as entered into hand controller
:GL# Get local time - as entered into hand controller
:Gg# Get longitude
:Gt# Get latitude
:Gg# Get timezone - seems to be bogus returns 00
5. To use as a DSC, only the first two commands need be implemented
and then polled on a periodic basis.
I've looked at the ASCOM driver for the LX200 generic driver and
implementing Magellan support should be a piece of cake, as it
should be for Guide as well. I can do the coding, however I don't
have a Windows C++ compliler (worked mostly in Unix for past 10
years!) that I could test with.
Any feedback on being able to get something like this done?
James