Quote:
Originally Posted by Chromed
What exactly does it do?
Does it just hook up to your 'scope and tell you which way to point to get your target sighting like the tool in the Orion XT's?
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Gary Kopff here from Wildcard Innovations.
Firstly, thanks to Peter for the follow-up post.
In a nutshell, 'yes', but it does much more and it does many tasks
better than the legacy Digital Setting Circle systems.
In some more detail, you interface a pair of devices known as optical encoders
to each axis of your scope.
These optical encoders in turn are interfaced to Argo Navis via a cable.
When you rotate the mount around one of its axis, it transmits a series of
electrical pulses to the Argo Navis. In this way, Argo Navis can keep track
of where your scope is.
One then aligns Argo Navis by pointing the scope to any two objects you
know, typically a couple of bright stars.
After that alignment process, when the scope moves, Argo Navis then
'knows' where it is pointing in the sky.
The unit has a display, two buttons and a dial. You can then access an
object from its in-built catalog (30,000 objects and you can add your own)
and Argo Navis will then 'guide' you to it. The display shows two numbers which
are the angles by which you move the mount in each axis in order to acquire the
target. The display updates in real-time so as you move the scope, when both
numbers read zero, you look through the eyepiece and there is the object.
Argo Navis also has detailed information about the objects, including what type
of object it is, its magnitude, for example, in the case of a galaxy, what class of
galaxy it is, in the case of objects such as double stars, the brightness of each
star, their separation and position angle and lots, lots more.
With all this information placed at your finger tips you are then in a better position to
appreciate more what it is you are actually observing.
Argo Navis also works in an 'inverse' mode whereby you point to an object
and can ask it what it thinks it is.
You can even tour objects in various ways.
Its primary purpose is to make your observing time more productive and
as we say, "find more stuff".
Since many of us live in towns and cities where the sky is hampered by
light pollution, Argo Navis can help you 'blind point' to objects that might
be difficult to find otherwise.
It operates with a large variety of mounts including equatorial and
Alt/Az and we have encoders and encoder installation kits
for a large range of mounts plus we can provide custom encoder installation
solutions. See
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com...._describe.html
It also has some highly advanced modes of operation and this is what differentiates
from older devices known as Digital Setting Circles (DSC's). Instead, Argo Navis
is a new class of device we call a Digital Telescope Computer (DTC).
Unlike a DSC, a DTC can analyze and potentially compensate for many of
the common systematic fabrication errors that exist in all mounts that might
otherwise degrade their pointing performance. For example, if the primary axes
of the mount aren't exactly square, it can analyze and potentially compensate for it.
It has a lot of additional features and I would recommend you browse
a copy of the User Manual which you can find here -
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com....mentation.html
It can even interface to some third party motor controller systems and then
provide full motorized slew and track.
The unit is extremely popular with thousands of deployments around the world
on all types of scopes, from small refractors to the the largest of Dobs.
See
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com....arbarella1.gif
The nice thing about the unit is that, like a good eyepiece, if you should
progress from one telescope to another, you can often take the Argo Navis
computer and encoders with you. So it doesn't matter if you are just starting
out or are a veteran observer.
Argo Navis is designed and manufactured in Sydney and the Wildcard Innovations
team are active observers ourselves and have been a sponsor of the
IceInSpace AstroCamps and several other star parties over the years
By the way, there is also an Argo Navis User's Group at -
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/argo_navis_dtc/
so feel free to join.
Best Regards
Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Phone +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au
Argo Navis - what does it do
Argo Navis available for all Sky-Watcher Dobs
