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Track: sets the telescope to track with the Earth's rotation (or any other rate you enter)
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Go: Leftover from the days before the telescope used The Sky. Won't need it.
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Cancel: Leftover from the days before the telescope used The Sky. Won't need it.
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RA meter: Shows current running through right ascension motor. Used to balance the telescope. The current should not go beyond -/+ 2 amps or you risk blowing the fuse. If the current is high for long periods of time, this might mean telescope is out of balance. Record this in a log and send Smutko an email
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Dec meters: Shows the current running through the declination meter. Used to balance the telescope. The current should not go beyond -/+ 2 amps or you risk blowing the fuse. If the current is high for long periods of time, this might mean telescope is out of balance. Record this in a log and send Smutko an email
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Horizon limit light: Green is good; off means that safety limit switch has been tripped
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Halt motors button: cuts power to the telescope motors. The button sticks when pressed, however, so please don't use it
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- Track/aux track: lets you quickly switch between two tracking rates. Tracking rates are entered on the DOS computer:
- Main menu -> Rates -> Set track rates.
- You should almost always use 15.041 for the R.A. rate and 0 (blank) for the other rates
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Drives: turns on the telescope's motors. The switch must be on to move the telescope
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Auto Dome: Should always be off. If you turn it on, in theory, the dome will rotate along with the telescope so that the is always lined up with the dome's slit. In reality, it is broken and the dome will continually rotate until you turn this switch back off.
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External computer: Should always be off
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Dome track: Doesn't matter since auto dome should be off
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Dim knob: adjusts the brightness of the lights on the control panel
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Paddle jack: a hand paddle can be plugged into this jack. BUT NEVER DO IT!
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East/west: select depending on the side of the pier the telescope is on when you power up the telescope. This switch reverses what happens when you press north/south on the hand paddle. Annoyingly, you must terminate the link between The Sky and the telescope, turn off the control rack, and turn off the DOS computer before changing this switch!
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system power: main power for both the DOS computer and the telescope rack
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hard limit override: turns off the safety switches that prevent the telescope from pointing below the horizon. Never use unless you have no other choice! NEVER turn this on "just in case you might might need it later."
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