AUTOSTAR INFORMATION Last updated: 24 October 2003

patch kit for LX200gps, v1.7ka

Sent:	Friday, October 24, 2003 17:43:30
From:	rseymour@wolfenet.com (Richard Seymour)
18-Oct-2003  v1p7k  Dick Seymour's Patch Kit for LX200gps
What this kit gives you:

  ** Displays PEC values during Update/Training **
  Display and Editing of Drive Training Values 
  Automatic Satellite Track starting at down-count=zero  (optional, see below)
  Guiderate range expansion to +25,700% (from 100%).
  Version number change from 1.7k  to 1p7K (lowercase p, uppercase K )
  adds :gpr# serial command to return all GPS receiver sentences

How to use the features:

During a PEC Training or Update session, will display the previous
 segment's correction value beside the index number.
If you wish to just -view- the numbers, start a PEC Update run,
 and simply do not touch the slew keys.
Due to the way Meade does the Train/Update, the index number may change
 from run to run, but the sequence order of the data will be the same.
---
If you choose to include the automatic satellite tracking patch, then the scope 
 will start to track a satellite when the timing count-down hits zero.
Unlike the "normal" firmware, the beep will NOT sound when tracking starts.
----
The Settings > Telescope > Guide Rate [enter]  will now accept up to 200%
---
Under Settings > Telescope > Drive Train  are added two more submenus:
  Edit > Az Train   and  Edit > Alt Train
 If you press [enter], the Autostar will display the results of your last
  Drive Training session.  The numbers also allow -input-, so you can investigate
  the effects of more or less aggressive training results.   
 If the numbers get totally out-of-whack, remember that a "for real" Training
  session will re-establish them, as will a Setup > RESET [enter]
 The factory default settings are +30 for both axes.

"Az Train" is the same as "RA Train", "Alt Train" is the same as "Dec Train"

To provide room for the Edit Az Train and Edit Alt Train in the menus,
 i have removed/disabled the Owner's Info street address items.

For those of you familiar with my previous patch kits, i have removed the
items (satellite AOS time display and Temperature display) which Meade has
now implemented as part of their offical release.  And they did them better.

--- Enhanced GPS readback:
 If you send the rs232 port a :g+#  command, it turns on the GPS receiver.
 Then if you send it :gpr#  commands, it will return whatever string the
  GPS receiver is willing to provide.  I have seen:
*   $GPGGA - Global Positioning System Fix Data
*   $GPGLL - Geographic position, latitude / longitude
*   $GPGSA - GPS DOP and active satellites
*   $GPGSV - GPS Satellites in view
*   $GPRMC - Recommended minimum specific GPS Coordinates (above)
*   $GPVTG - Track made good and ground speed
*   $GPZDA - Date & Time

 The kit includes a "GPSdecode.txt" file describes how to interpret the 
GPS receiver strings.

How the patch process works: This kit modifies the Meade firmware ROM file on your
PC,
then you transfer it to the Autostar II with Meade's Autostar Updater (ASU).
You can start with -any- version of firmware in your Autostar,
but you must first copy a BuildLX1.7k.rom file to your PC
(or BuildLX.rom, if you have the ASU fetch it for you).

This kit will bring you up to 1.7k, plus the additions shown above.
See the included Readme1p7k.txt file for the "how to install" instructions.

have fun
--Dick Seymour  rseymour@wolfenet.com  
(c) 18-October-2003 ; Free Distribution permitted with all accompanying files

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