Argo Navis - if you're happy and you know it clap your hands...

[gary]

Hi John,

Thank you for your kind words and we really appreciate your support.

If you have a ServoCAT we highly recommend that you obtain the
latest ServoCAT firmware Version 7.0.A which was released concurrently
by StellarCAT today.

To receive the ServoCAT firmware email rxdesign@ssvecnet.com and make a brief request.

The latest edition of the ServoCAT/Argo Navis protocol brings about some great new features. New and old Dobs alike will then be empowered
to perform new tricks with features like satellite tracking using the new Wildcard Innovations/StellarCAT SmartTrack feature.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[barx1963]

Thanks Gary!
I was just thinking the other day that December was approaching the end so checked to make sure all my cable were OK to do the update when it arrived.

Cheers

Malcolm

[gary]

Thanks Malcolm! :)

We appreciate your support.

All the best for 2015!

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
wildcard@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[barx1963]

Did the update last night, very painless and easy. Reloading my settings for the big dob and the user catalogues that I had made up.

Thanks again for a great product Gary!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Malcolm

[gary]

Thanks Malcolm,

Great to hear it all went smoothly and thanks again for your kind words.

What has been nice is that we have been receiving messages of thanks
from all over the world. We think of them as an extended family of
Argo Navis owners. :)

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[mbaddah]

Just completed the update to v3.0 and all went smoothly without a hitch :). Now time to update the Servocat... hoping it's just as easy as the AN.

Thanks Gary!

[gary]

Hi Mohammed!

Excellent! :thumbsup:

Gary Myers is always there to assist with any ServoCAT upgrade questions
you may but if you follow the instructions he provides, it should go smoothly.

Have a great weekend.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[erick]

After the big move overseas and choosing what telescope gear to bring with me and what to put into storage, I was confident I had all I needed here to do the big update to my two AN units this weekend. But, searched high and low today and - shock - no AN serial cable! :confused2: Not with the Keyspan adapter; not with the spare AN power cables and parts.

Got an order away for a new cable - thanks for making it so easy Wildcard/Gary. I shall be patient. One has to be - postal in Israel is usually SLOW.

I wonder where that cable is? :question: Strangely enough, I have a set of photos of it on my computer when someone had asked what it looks like and I obliged :) On reflection, I think I know. I suspect it worked for connecting my Synscan handsets to a computer and I bet it is stored away in Australia with my handsets and the EQ5. :sadeyes:

[mbaddah]

Hi Gary,

I'm experiencing crashes at random times with the AN. The handset displays error message "Encountered bug". I'll re-upload the firmware file see if it fixes it.

[gary]

Hi Mohammed,

Double check that your navis_app300.sgz file size is 1,310,761 bytes.
One user who downloaded the firmware had a truncated file.

Drop me an email at sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au and let me
know how you get on.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[mbaddah]

Hi Gary sent you an email, thanks.

[sn1987a]

Hi Gary,

I have downloaded the Argo update and the Servocat update and all well and working and I am in the process of fine tuning.

When I scroll through popular deep sky on the dial left or right I get an occasional bee-boop from the Argo. How to I turn it off as it's a little bit annoying?.

I'm sure I'm missing something bleedingly obvious but I can't see what it is.


cheers
Barry

[gary]

Hi Barry,

Great to hear you are fine tuning.

The ServoCAT requests Argo Navis to make a sound or not.

Gary Myers at StellarCAT is going to contact you directly with a solution
so that the sounds will not occur at the time you describe.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
wildcard@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[astroron]

Hi Gary,all downloaded and working:D
Thanks for all your help:thanx:
Cheers:thumbsup:

[gary]

Thanks Ron!

Great to chat with you again and all the best for 2015!

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
wildcard@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[gary]

Argo Navis Manuel d'utilisation Édition 11 en langue française est maintenant disponible.
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/documentation.html

Merci Michel à Nice !

Rodstar, je sais que vous apprécierez. Meilleur lire avec un verre de beaujolais.

[gary]

Some users interface planetarium programs that support ASCOM drivers to their
ServoCAT/Argo Navis systems.

The preferred cabling topology is to interface the planetarium program platform to the ServoCAT and
then the ServoCAT to the Argo Navis in the usual way (i.e. ServoCAT DSC port to Argo
Navis SERIAL1 or SERIAL 2)

Pete Eschman is not only one of our favourite Argo Navis/ServoCAT Beta testers but also the author of the
ASCOM driver for ServoCAT.

The latest (Dec 2014) Version 5.2.0 ASCOM ServoCAT driver is available from Pete's
web site here -
http://www.unm.edu/~eschman/

Price to you - free!

Pete also makes available for free his "ServoCAT Utility software" (SCU.exe) which can
report ServoCAT firmware versions and report on settings.
The program and documentation can be found by following the links on the same page.

Pete devoted a lot of time and energy into writing the driver and testing
it over the entire development and test phase of the latest version of the ServoCAT/Argo Navis protocol.
That took extraordinary patience. Thanks Pete!

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[mbaddah]

Fantastic news Gary I'm eager to try this out.

Is there any harm in connecting the Argo Navis to the laptop rather than the Servocat? Only reason I ask is that my servocat-usb cable is quite short, unlike the Serial-USB cable I have for Argo which is quite long.

[gary]

Hi Mohammed,

I had answered your question by direct email some time ago but I have
decided to follow-up here as well simply so if anyone has the same question
and stumbles on the thread, they see the advice.

The servocat protocol between the PC and the ServoCAT is slightly different than that between the
Argo Navis and the ServoCAT.

For that reason when using ASCOM you will need to go -
PC <-> ServoCAT <-> Argo Navis.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
wildcard@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[erick]

Serial cable arrived - thanks Gary.

My two AN units (aka "Castor" and "Pollux") upgraded without a problem including saving and restoring my setups.

80-85 minutes to upgrade the firmware at approx 740 bps via a Keyspan adapter.

Re "Double check that your navis_app300.sgz file size is 1,310,761 bytes.
One user who downloaded the firmware had a truncated file."

File size was 1,310,720 bytes or 1,310,628 depending which measurement I take (attached). I downloaded it twice and it was the same each time. Any problems there Gary?

Both AN units initialised fine. Yet to try them out on a telescope.

[gary]

Hi Eric,

Great to hear you performed the upgrade.

Version 3.0.0, which was in the navis_app300.sgz file, was 1,310,761 bytes.

This has been superseded by Version 3.0.1 (http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/firmware.html), which is what you have loaded
with the navis_app301.gz file and it is 1,310,628 bytes.

So your install is good. :thumbsup:

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[gary]

Wildcard Innovation's Gary Kopff, StellarCAT's Gary Myers, Obsession's Dave
Kriege and Alan Dyer will be giving presentations on the afternoon of Thurs 19th March 2015
at the 3RF Messier Marathon and Spring Break Star Party at Comanche
Springs Astronomy Campus near Crowell, Texas (http://www.3rf.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/CS-North-Texas.gif).

There will be keynote address from a NASA representative on the Saturday.

The event is a week-long star party for amateurs, under Bortle Class 2 skies
held by the Three Rivers Foundation for the Arts and Sciences (3RF).

The site is a premium dark-sky location, with complete amenities for the visiting astronomer.
These include air-conditioned and heated bunkhouses, a restroom and shower building, RV sites,
plenty of observing-field electricity, and free WiFi access.

Comanche Springs is a working observatory complex dedicated to education and outreach.
Instruments available to visitors include Argo Navis equipped 30", two 20", and two 18" Obsession Classic
Dobsonians, a motorized StarChair outfitted with 25x150mm Giant Fujinon APO binoculars,
a 15" F12 custom D&G achromat in a 28-foot Ash dome, and 90mm Coronado SolarMax
hydrogen-alpha telescopes for daytime use.

Learn more about 3RF here -
http://www.3rf.org/

Registration is limited to 100 participants on a first-come, first-served basis and is now open.
There is a USD50 registration fee, a USD10/day site-use fee, and an optional meal plan.

See here for details and for the registration form -
http://www.3rf.org/sciences-2/2015-skywatcher-telescopes3rf-messier-marathon

We would look forward to meeting you there.

Qantas operate daily non-stop direct flights from Sydney to Dallas and return using their A380's.

See ya'll in Texas!

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[erick]

Thanks for the confirmation Gary.

3RF Star Party - so tempting. One of these days :prey:

[Rick Petrie]

Have downloaded the new version 3.0.1 firmware with no known glitches yet.
Also downloaded some geostationary satellites I hope to find soon.
Hoping to get out with scope soon to give the AN a workout.
Thanks for update Gary and Mai.:)

[mbaddah]

Going to try tracking the ISS tonight for the first time. Expecting a 6minute pass at 51deg elevation :)

[gary]

Excellent. Good luck! :thumbsup:

Pages 200 to 202 of Edition 11 of the Argo Navis User's Manual provides
valuable tips on satellite tracking.

http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/downloads/documentation/argoman11.pdf

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[mbaddah]

Hi Gary,

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately i couldn't get it centered without manually overriding the tracking with handset. Looking through the telrad I'd say it was approximately 5 degrees off from where the ISS was.

I did a 2 star alignment (Betelgeuse, canopus) , sync date/time, set location, uploaded latest ISS data etc... I'm guessing that I needed to perform a TPAS? There's another pass tomorrow night so I'll give it a shot then.

Thanks :)

[mbaddah]

I recorded a short video of the ISS passover and uploaded it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYycI0kWOoU

I was only able to track the final moments as it was disappearing unfortunately. Next time i'll try it with TPAS.

[barx1963]

Mohammed
That is a pretty impressive result, at least I think so.

Malcolm

[erick]

Finally had a session out with the new AN Firmware.

Horizon Mask :thumbsup: I had dust in the sky up to some 30 deg.

[mbaddah]

Thanks Malcolm :)

[gary]

Hi Mohammed,

Thanks for the posts and the video!

Using TPAS it would be instructive to determine what your whole-sky
"raw" pointing performance is.

When syncing the time from the PC, it is important to be running an
NTP client and to check the status of that client to ensure
that it is in fact synced against one or more NTP servers.
Windows native Time Service can be out by several seconds. Microsoft
themselves recommend an NTP client for time-critical applications.

The current version of the Argo Navis/ServoCAT protocol specifies
a lock radius of 5 degrees for satellites. If you would like to do some
testing, we could experiment and extend that radius for you.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[mbaddah]

Hi Gary,

I'll give it a another try with TPAS next ISS passover. I do remember checking the NTP client was running and it syncing with the servers, but i'll double check again. If increasing the lock radius will help I'm happy to test it :)

Mohammed.

[Rick Petrie]

Whilst at Bretti recently I tested new firmware with some geostationary satellites I downloaded.
Found the Optus C1 and D3 satellites right near each other.
Having a non tracking scope, I just set on them and watched the stars streaming by. Awesome sight it was. Something different without having to track.:)

[gary]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the report and great to hear you gave this a try! When I
observe them, at times my brain will tell me that it is the scope
that is moving. :)

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[gary]

The Wildcard Innovations team anticipate that they will be largely out of email and phone contact in the period from 18 March 2015 to April 2nd 2015 inclusive.

Gary will be on the road starting from today 14th March until April 2nd.

Online orders for Bundled Special systems made during this period will ship after April 2nd.

All other orders placed after March 18th will also ship after April 2nd.

I'm waiting at the lounge at Sydney airport about to board QF7 non-stop to Dallas in order to attend the 3RF Messier Marathon.

Wherever you are, clear skies! :)

Best Regards
Gary Kopff
Wildcard Innovations

[jim_bones]

Hi all,

Last night I couldn't get AN to align and this morning I think I found the culprit: The yellow and black wires on the ALT encoder have come loose (see attached image).

I am assuming that the yellow cable goes back into slot 2 (Index) and not 1 (Ground)? My other question is how to lock the cable in place on the blue plastic bit?

Many thanks!

- Jim.

[gary]

Hi Jim,

The Yellow wire goes on the far left (Ground). Index is left no-connect.

These style of connectors use insulation displacement technology
and the wires are inserted, unstripped, using a special tool. The pins
on the connector pierce the insulation when the wire is inserted.

I would recommend you contact us and we could re-insert the wire for you.

In a pinch you could try pushing it in using a small flat-bladed jeweller's
screwdriver but it is unlikely to be successful as it is not the right tool.
It certainly won't provide for a reliable connection but might get you through
an observing session until you get it fixed properly.

See drawing below for how the locking ramp on the plug mates with the
encoder.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[jim_bones]

Hi Gary,

Thanks for the advice. I will get in touch and send back for repair.

Cheers,

James.

[MattT]

I have just recived my AN from Gary. My old pillow block mount the 'Gaunt' is going to be bought into the modern age :)

Photo's to follow in due course.

Matt

[MattT]

All done! Gone steampunk with encoder brackets....now to learn haow to use it.
I have read every post here and I'm not sure how exact the GEM exact align is. Is 1º of the pole exact enough? or is that rough align territory? On page 16 Clive seems to be the only GEM AN user.
Here is my mount with AN fitted.

[gary]

Hi Matt,

Absolutely wonderful implementation and I loved how you kept it looking antique.

What we recommend these days is to consider using the GEM EXACT ALIGN setting in conjunction with what we call
a short TPAS run. TPAS stands for Telescope Pointing Analysis System, which is an in-built feature of Argo Navis that
appears under the SETUP MNT ERROR functionality.

To use this technique, set the GEM EXACT ALIGN setting in SETUP MOUNT and set your latitude and longitude accurately in SETUP LOCATION.
Also set your time accurately either from SETUP DATE/TIME or better still via your PC running an NTPS client and using Argonaut Version 2
(see page 188 of the Edition 11 of the Argo Navis User's Manual).

Align on one star and then use TPAS to sample the position of at least four stars (see pp 122-149 for a description of how to use TPAS
in the section of SETUP MNT ERRORS).

With the press of a few buttons, one then fits a mount error model that includes the polar misalignment terms in azimuth and elevation and
and what are called the index error terms for the RA and Dec axes. The polar misalignment terms are abbreviated as MA & ME.
The Index Error terms are abbreviated as ID & IH.

In practice this takes probably less than five minutes. It then typically results in excellent pointing performance because Argo Navis
is mopping up any residual polar misalignment in its pointing model. Dropping the mount down within a degree of the pole,
using the GEM EXACT ALIGN setting and combining it with a short TPAS sampling run will typically ensure everything lands
in the FOV without having to do a FIX ALT REF step.

What is also good about this approach is that it is extensible. All mounts have a certain amount of geometric and gravitational
flexure errors that can be a detriment to their overall pointing performance.

The TPAS system allows you to analyze and potentially compensate for many of the common geometric and flexure errors
within the mount/OTA. For example, you might devote one night, perhaps when the Moon is out. to sample say 20 to 50
stars and to use the in-built TPAS to analyze the data for any likely persistent mount errors. You can then store these
parameters in the unit as a mount error model. On a subsequent observing night you can re-synchronise this model by sampling
as few as four stars and your pointing performance will typically return to as good as the night you did the long sampling run.

So you can think of TPAS a "super N-star alignment" but really it is much more than that because of its complex modelling.

Otherwise there is a little bit to take in here and I don't want to make your eyes glaze over with it all at once, but I cannot over emphasise
how quick and convenient it is to use the EXACT align setting in conjunction with a short TPAS run is in practice.

The link to a case study of an Argo Navis Telescope Pointing Analysis System (TPAS) sampling run on a G11 mount will be of interest -
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/group_post_5573/

Should you have additional questions or require clarification on any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact me.


Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[troypiggo]

Anyone have any tips on preventing the "alt encoder error"? I think it's slipping in the rubber ring on the rocker box, but I don't want to glue it or anything.

Edit: I'll try putting some tape on the encoder shaft to make a more snug fit.

[gary]

Hi Troy,

Thanks for the post.

What model Dob do you have?

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[troypiggo]

It's a 10" Black Diamond SW OTA on a custom dob base by Alex Massey. The rubber ring I'm referring to is in a 3 pronged metal bracket entered on the alt axis.

[gary]

Hi Troy,

Sounds like it is a JMI Meade Lightbridge three-pronged bracket with
a rubber O-ring that has been adapted?

We have an alternative three-pronged bracket that doesn't use an O-ring
but instead uses a rigid coupling with a set-screw.

Otherwise ensure that the center of the bracket corresponds to the exact
center of rotation around the altitude axis.

Does the tangent arm metal bracket that is fastened to the encoder employ
self-adhesive Velcro? If so, this too is a JMI bracket.

We have an alternate tangent arm and tangent arm coupler that allows the
arm to "float".

Otherwise ensure that the tangent arm is parallel to the side of the rocker
and that it is not exerting a sideways force on the encoder when the OTA
is rotated around the altitude axis.

The encoders don't "like" sideways forces and they can result in encoder
errors.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[MattT]

Hi Gary,

A question on East-West side for the tube in the initial alignment with a GEM.

I read a few threads on Yahoo group but still am confused on this :confused2:

Tried it all out for the first time last night :) and aligned on Acrux with the tube, that is myself and the focuser end was on the East side of the mount... is that right?

Got a warp factor for Acrux of 0.0 when it was in the crosshairs so I guess so far so good. Couldn't remember what to do next and stopped there, but hope to get out a few times next week to work it out.

Cheers,

Matt

[gary]

Hi Matt,

GEMs have the attribute that you can look at many specific parts of the sky
using two distinct mechanical orientations of the scope.

When the OTA flips over the meridian, the direction sense of the Dec encoder
reverses.

This is an attribute of three dimensional space rather than because of some
caveat of the Argo Navis.

Let us assume that your mount is polar aligned and you have set the SETUP MOUNT
type to GEM EXACT ALIGN.

The only thing you need to remember is that the SETUP ALT STEPS encoder
direction sense sign (the + or -) has to be set to a value that is consistent
with which of the two alternate orientations the mount is in when you perform
the star alignment.

Thus you will hear the terminology such as the tube on the East side of the
mount pointing West and vice versa.

Having the OTA on one side of the meridian and pointing to the other then
eliminates circumpolar stars. Circumpolar stars can otherwise bring about an
ambiguity depending on if they are above or below the pole.

So avoid using Acrux at your latitude because it is circumpolar. Choose
something more northerly.

What we recommend these days is to consider using the GEM EXACT ALIGN setting in
conjunction with what we call a short TPAS run. TPAS stands for Telescope
Pointing Analysis System, which is an in-built feature of Argo Navis that
appears under the SETUP MNT ERROR functionality.

To use this technique, set the GEM EXACT ALIGN setting in SETUP MOUNT and set
your latitude and longitude accurately in SETUP LOCATION. Also set your time
accurately either from SETUP DATE/TIME or better still via your PC running an
NTPS client and using Argonaut Version 2 (see page 188 of the Edition 11 of the
Argo Navis User's Manual).

Align on one star and then use TPAS to sample the position of at least four
stars (see pp 122-149 for a description of how to use TPAS in the section of
SETUP MNT ERRORS).

With the press of a few buttons, one then fits a mount error model that includes
the polar misalignment terms in azimuth and elevation and and what are called
the index error terms for the RA and Dec axes. The polar misalignment terms are
abbreviated as MA & ME. The Index Error terms are abbreviated as ID & IH.

In practice this takes probably less than five minutes. It then typically
results in excellent pointing performance because Argo Navis is mopping up any
residual polar misalignment in its pointing model. Dropping the mount down
within a degree of the pole, using the GEM EXACT ALIGN setting and combining it
with a short TPAS sampling run will typically ensure everything lands in the FOV
without having to do a FIX ALT REF step.

What is also good about this approach is that it is extensible. All mounts have
a certain amount of geometric and gravitational flexure errors that can be a
detriment to their overall pointing performance.

The TPAS system allows you to analyze and potentially compensate for many of the
common geometric and flexure errors within the mount/OTA. For example, you might
devote one night, perhaps when the Moon is out. to sample say 20 to 50 stars and
to use the in-built TPAS to analyze the data for any likely persistent mount
errors. You can then store these parameters in the unit as a mount error model.
On a subsequent observing night you can re-synchronise this model by sampling as
few as four stars and your pointing performance will typically return to as good
as the night you did the long sampling run.

That the RA and Dec axis on your mount are pretty square (NP error) and that it
is dwarfed by the optical to Dec axis non-perpendicularity (CH error) is pretty
common on GEM's. What we recommend is that rather than saving the CH term for
use as a fixed TPAS term for use on a subsequent night, just leave it to COMPUTE
and sample a few more stars on the night to then peg it.

So you can think of TPAS a "super N-star alignment" but really it is much more
than that because of its complex modelling.

Otherwise there is a little bit to take in here and I don't want to make your
eyes glaze over with it all at once, but I cannot over emphasise how quick and
convenient it is to use the EXACT align setting in conjunction with a short TPAS
run is in practice.

Should you have additional questions or require clarification on any of the
above, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[garymck]

Hi,

I've just come across for sale an old Argo Navis - is in a rectangular box rather than the current sculptured one. Has very old firmware - I think it has probably never been updated. Looks in fairly good nick...

Is this upgradeable to the latest firmware? Any functional differences?

Is there any reason not to buy it?

cheers
Gary

[gary]

Hi Gary,

As part of our commitment (http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/mission.html) to offer products that provide lasting value,
all Argo Navis units can be upgraded to the latest firmware.

Simply Register online to receive your Registration Code and then
use your Registration Code to perform the download.
See http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/firmware.html

Be sure to grab the latest Argonaut Version 2 -
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/utilities.html

Be sure to download the Argo Navis User Manual from here.
It includes information on how to perform the upgrade -
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/documentation.html

There are no functional differences.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[garymck]

cheers Gary!

Thanks for the info.....great support

regards
Garymck

[xstream]

Hi Gary,
Hope you and Mai are doing well!
I have a quick question, I am still yet to upload the new firmware update but before I do so is a firmware update needed for the servoCat for it to benefit from your update?

Cheers,
John.

[gary]

Hi John,

Long time, no hear! :)

All well here. Hope you and Anna have been well.

A firmware upgrade to the ServoCAT at the same time is highly
recommended. Wildcard Innovations originally co-developed the
ServoCAT protocol with StellarCAT and we extended and enhanced the
protocol for both products in the latest releases to support some new
features.

Having said that, if you choose only to upgrade the Argo Navis now,
we attempted to keep the protocol backward compatible so everything
should keep working.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[xstream]

Thanks for your reply Gary, it's very much appreciated.
Anna and I are extremely well thanks mate, just keeping busy with newest grand daughter. :eek:

Cheers
John.

[garymck]

Hi,
Have just obtained an old Argo Navis (rectangular boxed version).

Had to make up serial cable, and a dual cable to connect the encoders.

When testing in Mode Encoder, either of the two encoders I have work perfectly on one channel, but not on the other. The faulty channel changes between 0 and 359.86 when the encoder is moved. Since the cables have been made identically, is it likely that the Argo is faulty? Anything else I should check? This happened with the original V2 firmware, and also after I reflashed with the latest firmware.....

cheers
Gary

[gary]

Hi Gary,

Congratulations on picking up a pre-loved Argo Navis.

By way of background, each encoder has two output channels known
as A & B.

If you see the MODE ENCODER diagnostic display alternating between
two values in the way you describe, it means that one of A or B on that
particular encoder path is open circuit somewhere.

If you made your own encoder cable, use a multimeter and perform an
end-to-end continuity test from the connector at the encoder end
to the RJ-45 plug end. If your multimeter probes aren't fine enough,
use a pair of fine needles affixed to the multimeter probes with rubber
bands so you can probe into the RJ-45 contact points.

Alternatively, if at some point in the past an incorrect cable was inadvertently
plugged into the Argo Navis encoder port, it might have blown one of the
protective ferrites. If you require further assistance, please don't hesitate
to email us at sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[garymck]

Hi Gary,

thanks for replying .....

My cable measures OK - full continuity. I guess that means the old Argo is toast :-( ? Would a repair be possible? Any idea what it would cost?

cheers
Gary

[gary]

Hi Gary,

A detailed response was sent to your email inquiry at 1pm on Monday
16th. You might want to check whether it landed in your spam folder.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[michaellxv]

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap ::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::cla p::clap::clap::clap:

I took delivery of my AN last friday and installed over the weekend and finished with a stalk today. Not even an 80% moon was going to stop first light tonight. I think I saw more stuff tonight from my suburban backyard under a bright moon than I have seen from any site in one night before. Could not be happier and can't wait for some dark skies. :thumbsup:

[gary]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the post and great to hear you are finding more stuff despite the Moon.

That's the spirit! :thumbsup:

Last Quarter will be around January 3rd so there is even more to look
forward to in the New Year.

Speaking of which, all the best for 2016. :thumbsup:

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[SA_Dolphin_22]

Afternoon to All, Like all in this thread, I can not heap enough praise or blow enough smoke up Gary's proverbial in regards to his outstanding service. :bowdown::bowdown:

Picture this, It's a Friday night and the 'loaned' ARGO hand controller decides to throw it's legs in the air, :shrug: :help: Leave a post and a question , not expecting an answer until the Monday, especially as it's no moon and a Friday night around 11ish, where else should the great Gary be :astron: but an unexpected answer within 20 mins :eyepop: .

Well, after numerous attempts to bring life back into the beast, through Gary's correspondence and after having to send the controller back, providing him some head scratching moments, I had given him something to work on which I believe is now a training aid for the apprentice(possibly) as the issue could not be resolved. :confused2: End result is I now have a new controller to replace the loaned one and all is right the world..

Again I can not recommend Gary, his team and equipment highly enough, Your assistance is greatly appreciated :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Gary, I wish you and your family a very Merry :xmas: and a lot of good will for the future.

A very grateful

Tony -

[gary]

Thank you Tony!

We would like to wish you, your family and all IceInSpace readers a very Merry Christmas.

Should Argo Navis owners require assistance during the holiday period,
we are here to support you.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[Zubenel]

Hi Gary , Can you point me to a link that will show what hardware /software i need to connect the Laptop using my prefered Planetarium program as a slave to ECU via the Servocat. I have looked around but haven't had a great deal of success. i haven't got my head around the ASCOM program. Feel like i need to register for a course or something. THX for getting the help getting Argo talking after Ron updated it:thumbsup:

[gary]

Hi Wes,

I'd recommend you drop an email at Gary Myers at StellarCAT and he
will be able to assist. Email rxdesign@ssvecnet.com

ASCOM is a telescope device driver interface that can connect Windows
planetarium programs that support ASCOM with a variety of telescope
controllers.

You can grab the ASCOM Platform 6.2 from here -
http://www.ascom-standards.org/Downloads/Index.htm

Additional plugins are then available for ASCOM that provide the
telescope controller specific device driver.

Pete Eschman in Albuquerque, New Mexico has written an ASCOM ServoCAT
driver and you can download it from Pete's web site here -
http://www.unm.edu/~eschman/ServoCAT%20ReadMe.htm

You will need the specific ServoCAT cables for interfacing between your
laptop and the ServoCAT.

Within ECU, the Telescope Menu provides access to the telescope
functions.

The Enable Telescope Interface menu selection is used to
initiate or terminate communication with the telescope controller, in
this case the ServoCAT.

See the ECU User's Manual for details.

The Argo Navis will be interfaced to the ServoCAT in the usual way
and there is nothing that needs changing there.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[gary]

The 2016 OzSky event took place at Coonabarabran this past week
with 49 northern hemisphere observers attending. I was there again
as a volunteer and had transported up and back the 3RF 150mm Fujinon
binoculars and associated motorized StarChair.

In fact I had inadvertently left behind a crucial bracket and made the
11 hour round trip to Sydney and back to retrieve it shortly after just
arriving. So I ended up doing the drive there and back twice in the
space of 24 hours.

As an amusing anecdote, I am always vigilant for wildlife and cattle
on the road on that route. For example I spotted in time
a couple of cows in the dark on the Warrumbungles Way between
Binnaway and Coolah. But when I arrived back in Coonabarabran and
pulled into the Woolworth's car park I was confronted with one of
our American visitors coming on the wrong side the opposite way.
He realised his error and pulled to the left. :)

An array of eleven large aperture Dobs were made available at the event,
including a flock of 18"'s, couple of 25"'s and a 30", nine of which were
fitted with Argo Navis.

One highlight was satellite tracking using the latest Version 3.0.1
Argo Navis firmware on James Pierce's ServoCAT-equipped 14" Dob.

It's exciting to watch the satellite appear to remain stationary in the
eyepiece as the background stars go whizzing by. Some compared it to
"Star Wars".

We observed five in all before it the sun eclipsed the possibility of observers
others in low orbit.

James described it as the "highlight of his week" and issued a couple of his
rare high-fives. He is now hooked. Everyone that looked was excited.

This is something we recommend users can try even before it gets fully dark.
The Heavens Above web site can assist with planning which satellites will be
visible from your site and it can also provide orbital elements.

The real-time satellite tracking feature was a result of an close collaboration
between Wildcard Innovations and StellarCAT in developing the latest
version of the ServoCAT communications protocol.

Both companies continue to work on exciting new developments for
the future.

Also on-hand at the event was our good friend Dave Kriege of Obsession
Telescopes, now a regular visitor to Australia.

Steve Gottlieb found the Sacred Mushroom (ESO-138-IG29/30) using
Argo Navis on an 18" Obsession and invited others to see if they
could see it. A challenging pair of objects.
See http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1994ApJ...433..631W

It was great to catch with old friends such as Bob Rose, Dragan Nikin and
Alan Dyer. Plus it was wonderful to meet many people for the first time.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
wildcard@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[ausastronomer]

Hi Gary,

Good to hear you made it home safely and once again successfully survived a week of my snoring.

We had a partly cloudy night at Pilliga pottery last night with Rod, Phil and John and Anna Gerkin. We put up with patchy cloud and sucker holes until about 11:30pm when we all concurred that it was getting pretty frustrating. We had Phil's 28"/f3.3, Rod's 20"/f5 and John's 18"/f4.5. All scopes had Argo Navis on them and John and Phil's scopes also had Servocats. With only 5 of us observing I didn't even bother getting my 2 scopes out of the trailer. All 3 scopes performed flawlessly and the Argo Navis was a very welcome accessory to assist finding targets in the patchy sky.

Cheers
John B

[gary]

Thanks John,

Some pictures attached taken by Andrew Murrell during the OzSky event.

[gary]

Marco Guido has shared some images of his new 24" f/3.5 Dobsonian
which is powered by Argo Navis and ServoCAT.

Images of finished scope -
www.marcoguidihires.com/setup.html

Images of construction -
http://www.marcoguidihires.com/construction-new-telescope-24.html

Congratulations Marco!

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[Zubenel]

Great effort Marco , I am hoping to do something like this in the future:thumbsup: THX for sharing Gary.
Gary , at this years QLD Astrofest I saw Dennis's 18" ATM setup to run a planetarium program on a PC . All that is required is the Keyspan serial adaptor available from your web site . 2 star alignment with the ARGO and away you go . No ASCOM complication to contend with . Simple as. Cheers:)

[MattT]

Getting back to clapping hands....it’s only been nearly three years since I took my old Thomas Gaunt EQ mount to Gary’s place for a measuring up for gears for Argonavis.
In that three years I have built a bigger 2” shaft pillow block mount that Gary provided gears for too...the result....a Polar aligned big EQ mount with tracking and push to GOTO via Argo and iPad with skywire connection.
Just about perfect cantering on any object all over the sky my scope is capable of revealing....very happy.
Thanks Gary for a great product.
Matt

[gary]

Thank you Matt. :)

The Thomas Gaunt mount is looking even more mind bogglingly wonderful.

Congratulations on such a fantastic makeover.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[GrahamL]

Gary thanks so much for the new face plate for my argo
new scope arrived to ,, so I'll fit it soon . :)
My unit is quite old ,original shape , and still works fine .
(my viewing screen had started to get a little/lot scratched up )

No charge and you spring for postage as well speaks volumes on the service you provide , again many thanks

graham

[gary]

Thank you Graham,

You are more than welcome and we appreciate your support and kind words.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[Zubenel]

Hi Gary, I am currently dabbling in the dark art with “Zamar” and as we all know the guidance from the servocat is not astrophotography quality not even considering its alt az. My question to you is .. is a guide scope /software able to be “spliced “into the servocat argonavis system to dramatically improve the systems tracking ?
Cheers Wes

[Deeno]

Hi Gary

Congratulations on engineering such a wonderful device!
I've had my Argo since around 2006 and I'm always amazed, even after months of slumber, it still operates as it did the very first night it was pressed into service.

Quick question...
The button battery has never been replaced. If I were to change it would I lose my custom setting? Locations etc...

While I'm here...
Ever thought about doing an encoder 'kit' and 'app' for mobile devices or even laptops?

Hope you and Mai are well
Cheers
Deeno

[Deeno]

Should have looked at your website first as the answer is there..
Thanks Gary
Deeno

[QUOTE=Deeno;1353102]Hi Gary

Congratulations on engineering such a wonderful device!
I've had my Argo since around 2006 and I'm always amazed, even after months of slumber, it still operates as it did the very first night it was pressed into service.

Quick question...
The button battery has never been replaced. If I were to change it would I lose my custom setting? Locations etc...

[aworley]

Hi All
Wanted to add my applause and thanks to Gary.
Just bought an AN for my 12" dob from Gary. Great service, great product. He is so generous with his time. Very simple to use, intuitive, accurate, FUN!! Learned how to use it last night through 2 hours of murky haze and it found every object on the button! Really looking forward to using it and my scope to enjoy the sky.

Couldn't be happier!! THANKS GARY! You are so patient with my "oopses" and brain fades!!

Alex

[GrahamL]

Hi All

i'm just getting to know my new DM4 mount/mewlon 180 and plugged in the argo tonight and while both encoders are reading I'm way off on on set up i believe , I've changed the encoders to 4000 step but nothing else , i must be missing something important as everythings like in a parallel universe :Palmost opposite to this one any ideas.

[erick]

Encoder direction sense, Graham?

This from Gary's FAQs on his website:

How do I establish the encoder direction senses for my Dob?

To check the SETUP ALT STEPS sign, point the Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) to the vertical and DIAL up MODE FIX ALT REF, ALT REF=+90, AUTO ADJUST OFF and then press ENTER.

Now DIAL up MODE ENCODER. The right-hand displayed value should be close to +90 degrees.

Now push the OTA downward in Altitude toward the horizon. The right-hand displayed value should decrease, +89, +88, ... +3, +2, +1, 0 as you go from the zenith toward the horizon. If not, reverse the SETUP ALT STEPS sign and repeat the test.

To check the SETUP AZ STEPS sign, rotate the scope in Azimuth clockwise whilst observing the left-hand displayed value in MODE ENCODER. The Az angle should increase. If it does not, reverse the SETUP AZ STEPS sign.

[gary]

Thanks Eric!

Hope you have been keeping well.

Couldn't have asked for a better response to Graham's query, so thank you!

Graham, if you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff

Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[GrahamL]

Thanks i'll check next time i'm out :)

hey thanks guys thats what it was when i changed the steps i left the values the same the az value stayed the same but the alt needed reversing seems all good now , inside at least .

[troypiggo]

I don’t often do visual and my Argo Navis has been in storage pretty much since I bought it. Will be pulling the dob out soon and wanted to test the AN/encoders etc still working. Is there a way to test in daylight without having to actually align?

[gary]

Hi Troy,

You might like to perform what we refer to as the Daytime Encoder Test.

Here is the test as copied directly from the User Manual pp 123-124 :-



Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[gary]

The Wildcard Innovations web site at http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au is temporarily offline whilst we undergo a network upgrade.

Once up, we will place a notice on this thread.

As the web site will have a new static IP address associated with it, it may take a day or two for DNS servers around the globe to be updated.

In the meantime, you can still contact us by email.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[gary]

The Wildcard Innovations web site is back online with a faster network connection.

As the static IP address of the web site has changed, you may need
to refresh your browser.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[Tinderboxsky]

A heads up to thank Gary for his very prompt and helpful reply to my email request for help.
I was having a problem getting SkySafari on my IPad to communicate with my Argo Navis via a SkyFi3 wireless adaptor. The devil is in all the settings detail. All good now and it is working a treat.
My Argo Navis is guiding a TRex mount and it does a superb job. The SkySafari wireless connection will add another dimension.

Thank you Gary.

[gary]

Thank you Steve for your kind words.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[gary]

The Argo Navis Users' Forum has moved to http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/forum

It had been hosted on Yahoo Groups but Yahoo announced that in the
coming days they will not allow any user contributed data, including
messages, to be uploaded to their groups web site.

So we made the decision to move to a new forum hosted at our own web site.

If you had been a member of the Yahoo Group, you will be required to
re-register on the new forum.

If you experience any difficulty please email us at sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au

Messages, photos and files that appeared on the original Yahoo Group
have been archived by Wildcard Innovations and it is our hope in time
that treasure trove of material will appear as an archive on the new forum.

We will also continue to monitor this thread here and answer any questions you have.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[gary]

Wildcard Innovations is pleased to announce Argo Navis Firmware Version 3.0.3.

To show our appreciation of your support, Wildcard are providing a free license (subject to your acceptance of our End User Licence Agreement) to Version 3.0.3 to you as a gift.

Version 3.0.3 is now available for download -
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/firmware_download.html

The End User Licence Agreement can be found here -
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/EULA.html

To download the firmware, you will need to have registered and have a copy of your Registration Code.
If you registered in the past, you will receive a reminder of your registration code by email in due course.

If you have not registered before, you will find the registration link on this page :-
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/firmware_download.html

We highly recommend that you also download the following -

* Argo Navis User Manual Edition 11.
See http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/documentation.html
This edition of the User Manual includes a description of how to install and use the latest Argonaut Version 2.0 software utility for Windows (page 160).

* Argonaut Version 2.0 software utility for Windows.
See https://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/utilities.html
A similar utility for Linux are available from the same URL.

To perform the firmware download to your unit, you will require the following additional components -

* Argonaut for Windows or sgzload for Linux.
These can be downloaded from here -
https://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/utilities.html

* A serial cable for connection to your Argo Navis from your PC, Wildcard Innovations part number pn-ser-cbl.

If your computer does not have an RS-232 serial port, we recommend you use the serial cable in conjunction with the Keyspan USA-19HS USB Serial Adapter.
Wildcard Innovations also stock these as their part number pn-usb.

To purchase either or both of the above you can pay securely online using MasterCard, Visa or AMEX using this URL -
https://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/purchase.html

To install Argonaut Version 2.0, refer to the step-by-step instructions starting on page 161.

To determine which version of firmware your unit currently has loaded, dial up MODE STATUS, STATUS VERSION.

We recommend you use Argonaut Version 2.0 to save your existing Argo Navis setups onto your PC. See page 182 on "Transferring setups".

If you are migrating from firmware version 3.0.0 or later, Argo Navis firmware Version 3.0.3 will preserve your setups.

However, if you are migrating from an earlier version than 3.0.0, then version 3.0.3 will restore your setups to factory defaults so we highly recommend you use Argonaut to save the setups so you can restore them later.

Please note that loading Argo Navis firmware version 3.0.3 will clear any existing asteroid, comet, satellite or user catalogs you already have loaded.
You should ensure you have the original data for any catalogs you may have loaded stored on your PC so that you can reload it after performing the upgrade.

To download a firmware file from your PC to Argo Navis, please refer to page 187.

Version 3.0.3 contains the following improvements :-

* Improved solution for some comet and asteroid orbits.
* More reliable first-time power-up when real-time clock coin cell battery becomes depleted or is replaced.


Should you experience any difficulties, simply email sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au for assistance.

We thank you again for your support and we hope you enjoy Version 3.0.3.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
wildcard@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[GrahamL]

Hi


Im not going to fit my argo unit to my dob rebuild but will use it for my portable mount , I want to test the now redundant 10 k encoders are still working before moving them on but dont seem to be able to get any movement on both values , they arnt attached to a scope , and i have increased the values from 4000 k (dm 4 ) to 10000k (dob ) am i missing something ?

[gary]

Hi Graham,

Some encoder installations include short pigtail cables that include a 5
pin flat plug that mates with the 5 pins on the encoder. Make sure those
plugs are oriented the right way around. They aren't keyed.
Email sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au or phone during business
hours on 02 9457 9049 for further assistance.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[GrahamL]

Hi Gary thanx



I messed a little more with the cabling yesterday and eventually got both encoders to work ,, mostly .


I know the argo unit works fine as it runs the encoders through my DM4 without issue .


So Im back to the cabling 4 rj45 plugs and the two couplers im guessing dust and not being used for quite a while hasnt done them any favours what can i clean them with ?


I have some air flow sensor cleaner i could get a little on a cotton bud its just a non residue solvent ?

[gary]

Hi Graham,

I would certainly give them a good clean. We would normally use a good
electrical solvent like CRC-226 and a cotton bud but if you have the air
flow sensor cleaner at hand, it is worth a shot.

Have a look at the contacts under some good light and some magnification.
If there is any sign of debris on them, you might try gently prying it off
using a fine sewing needle then touch up with the solvent to clean the
remainder.

The flat plugs that mate with the gold pins on the encoders are often
of the insulation displacement type. The insulated wires are pushed down
onto crimps which break the insulation. There is a specific tool for this
but something as simple as a small flat bladed jewellers screwdriver and
a careful hand could be employed to push down any that have lost reliable
contact. Sometimes the wires are best cut and re-crimped.

If you happen to have a multimeter you can also check the end-to-end
integrity of each of the cable contacts. Fine sewing needles allow you
to probe the gold contacts on the RJ plugs.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[Gem]

Happy new owner. Worked beautifully first night (once I put on the auto adjust on). After over 30 years of star hopping, it as nice to have some help.

[gary]

Hi Grant,

Thanks for the post.

AUTO ADJUST ON is definitely the way to fly and great to hear you are up
and going.

Enjoy!

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[gary]

We think in terms of an extended family of Argo Navis owners.

We were therefore deeply saddened to learn today of the passing of
George Nikolidakis of Athens, Greece, in April this year.

George was only 59 and died after a battle with COVID-19.

President of the Hellenic Amateur Astronomical Union, I know he
will be missed by his family and friends.

Our deepest condolences.

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[garin]

My bad, been a long time since I've done a firmware update on the argo, currently loading 3.0.4, see if that fixes the issue.

Can a bad comet tle cause the Bug Encountered message ?

-------------


Help! I'm heading out to a dark site on Thursday and did a dry run to to make sure everything is ok and load some comet tle's into the Argo.
I ran up the argo, saved did a save setup and transferred the comet tle, which all seemed ok.
Then powered down the argo and disconnectedd and went to check the comets and about 2 secs later a "bug encountered' message comes up and then I can do nothing.
I believe the firmware is V3.0.0

I have replaced the coin battery but still have the same issue.

Can load firmware with being in load cat ? and the error still up ?

How can I fix this before Thursday

[gary]

Below are a couple of snapshots I took on Friday whilst at the factory
that manufactures the Argo Navis units here in Sydney.

Every single Argo Navis ever made was manufactured in Sydney.

We are particularly proud of the fact that the majority of workers
involved in its production are woman. We have always been
proud of that but even more so in 2020.

The first snapshot shows racks of Argo Navis printed circuit assemblies.
These particular units have reached the quality assurance (QA) stage
of the factory pipeline where they are awaiting testing and inspection.

The wires go to the battery terminals and the pink anti-static bubble-wrap
is taped over the displays to protect them during handling.

Once the units are housed into their enclosures, they undergo further
inspection and at least 24 hours of continual burn-in testing.

The second snapshot is a view of the testing and packaging area
of the factory.

[multiweb]

Very cool pics Gary. That place is huge. I had no idea your operation was so large. Kudos. :thumbsup:

[gary]

Hi Marc,

We employ the services of a turn-key manufacturer.

So at any one time they are manufacturing electronics for a diverse
range of customers.

The first stage of the production line is robotic reflow soldering.
This company has a large investment in the equipment required to
precisely place thousands of components at high speed.

They also have significant investments in test equipment and a
well-trained and highly skilled work force.

Using a turn-key manufacturer is something we have in common
with much larger companies such as Apple.

It frees you up from having to own your own factory and because they
are constantly putting product through the line, everyone benefits
from the incremental improvements that one only gets through doing
stuff.

However, we always have a always will manufacture in Australia.
Even prior to founding Wildcard Innovations, in previous working lifetimes
we also manufactured in Australia. That included consumer
products that we had designed in collaboration with large
Japanese and US multinationals.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
https://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/

[Allan_L]

That is certainly a good news story!
Not to mention a brilliant piece of equipment. :clap:

[Sunfish]

Thanks Gary. Great piece of equipment and software. Interesting to see the manufacturing here.

[Sconesbie]

I received mine yesterday. I am pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to set it up. I got it pretty much done within two hours. Mind you, I took my time. The weird thing is when I checked to see if it was working, the numbers were counting down on the azimuth section when I tilted the altitude (10' collapsible dob) and vice versa. This was until I realised the cables were plugged in the wrong ports. I switched them around and bang, spot on.

I am now waiting on my Bluetooth adapter to arrive so I can sync it with Sky Safari.

I know this topic around Argo has been discussed many times, but now it is my time to share my appreciation for this piece of equipment. I look forward to heading outside and putting it to the test for real as soon as I can.

[gary]

Thanks Scott,

And welcome to the extended family of Argo Navis owners.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
https://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/

[killer]

Don't think you will be disappointed. I love mine. I did find that a simple angle meter helped when setting the "fix alt ref" and having the scope sit firm against the base box.

[gary]

Hi Dave,

Recommend you hang that angle meter back on the garage peg board.
You don't need it. :)

Instead we recommend you make use of the AUTO ADJUST feature when
you do the FIX ALT REF step.

What it does is takes the roughest of estimates for the altitude reference
point - even if you are tens of degrees out - and refines it based on
your two-star alignment.

To set it up, DIAL up MODE SETUP, SETUP ALT REF and
enter a value of +090.000. Then when you perform the FIX ALT REF
STEP, DIAL up ALT REF=+090.000 AUTO ADJUST ON.

Perform your two star alignment as normal.

The WARP factor should then be 0.00 (A) where the (A) indicates the
ALT REF point was automatically adjusted.

If you see a non-zero WARP factor when AUTO ADJUST is ON or an (X)
instead of an (A), it means something is amiss, such as a misidentified
star or cable not plugged in.

Keep in mind that though a WARP factor of 0.00 is a prerequisite for
good pointing performance, it does not necessarily guarantee good
performance. The reason is that the AUTO ADJUST mechanism bends
over backwards to correct the ALT REF point so as to produce a
WARP factor of zero wherever possible, even if you have misidentified
the alignment stars.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
https://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[sn1987a]

Hi Gary,

I had a RUD when setting up for the great conjunction. The Argo fell out and bounced off the tail lift on my truck then onto a bitumen road. Is it worth sending back to you for a new housing case, some therapy, calibration and TLC?.:sadeyes:
Cheers
Barry

[gary]

Hi Barry,

We had one unit that was with a member of the US 101st Airborne Division
in Afghanistan that survived a war.

And we've seen a few survive falls from tall ladders.

This one clearly has undergone serious trauma.

Do you happen to know if it still powers on and what is the integrity of
the power jack, encoder port and serial port look like up close?

If the circuit assembly is still operational, the housing can always be
replaced.

Drop me a line at sales@wildcard-innovations.com and I can issue
you with a Return Material Authorization (RMA) number and details
on how to ship it.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
https://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[killer]

I had forgotten about that feature Gary!

[Daz_za]

Recently purchased an Argo Navis and encoders from wildcard innovations. It’s lived up to everything I thought it would be. Installation was easy and the learning curve fairly quick. It’s a brilliant device and has meant that I am now seeing so many more objects. I also was surprised that its increased my enjoyment of the planets - I tend to use a high magnification on Jupiter and Saturn in my 8 inch dobsonian and if I let it drift out of view this could be quite frustrating re-centering in my eyepiece. With the Argo Navis - I just let it guide me back to the planet with the high power in place and boom there it is!

After sales support has been fantastic - Gary has been able to guide me through any questions and also direct me to get up running quickly. His knowledge and ability to troubleshoot where I may have strayed from the manual had been invaluable. Truly stands behind his excellent product.
I am one Happy Camper! :thumbsup:

[Kaylie6132]

My Argo Navis is more accurate than my Celestron AVX. Love your work, Gary.

[gary]

Thank you Kaylie :)

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
https://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au