Check for the latest Meade driver on the ASCOM Downloads page.The Meade LX200 GPS and Classic are two very different systems. The Meade ASCOM driver(s) handle those differences, hiding them from ACP. The Meade ASCOM driver is compatible with all Meade scopes except the RCX-400. A separate ASCOM driver for the RCX-400 is currently undergoing testing (August 2006).
Check for the latest Meade driver on the ASCOM Downloads page.The Meade driver is actually two drivers in one. It contains both a Telescope driver as well as a Focuser driver (since the scope and focuser controls share the same serial port). The telescope and focuser drivers both conform to the ASCOM Telescope V2 specifications. For more information about ASCOM, see the ASCOM web site.
You may have noticed that there are two Meade drivers listed in the Telescope Chooser: Meade LX200 and Autostar and Meade Telescope and Focuser. If you are a new user, it's suggested that you use the Meade Telescope and Focuser selection, as this provides independent access to the telescope and focuser by different programs. The other one is provided for backwards compatibility.
The setup window (which is probably open now) allows you to adjust settings for your scope and your needs. There are two mandatory settings:
Additional settings:
Autostar II firmware versions 3.0i and later are supported. The Autostar II cannot be unparked by the driver. After a Park command is completed, the software must be disconnected. It is possible, however, to (re)connect to a parked (and optionally power-cycled) LX200GPS and bring it back online without interaction with the handbox. See Using the LX200GPS below. The Auto Unpark/Track option controls the initial state of tracking; the Autostar II cannot be unparked by the driver. GuideRateDeclination and GuideRateRightAscension are tied together, and can be no larger than 15.0417 "/sec.
NOTE: When you upgrade from firmware 3.0i to 4.0h, you must power-on, align, then park the scope using the handbox one time. This firmware upgrade alters the Smart Drive behavior, and existing PEC data must be converted to the new format. You should see a special "fingerprinting" phase on the handbox during this initial power-up.
The Classic LX200 (except the 16") can have a park position remembered when used in the Northern hemisphere. Defects in the Meade firmware prevent other cases from working at this time. Firmware 3.34 or later (4.34 in the 12") are supported. Earlier firmware versions will likely not work at all. If you have an older LX200 Classic, try the Generic LX200 driver and set the encoder resolution to 0.5 arc minutes.
The arbitrary park position is not supported due to firmware limitations. The 16" checkbox must be turned on in the setup window or slewing will not work properly.
The Autostar I must be powered-up and completely aligned (using the handbox) before connecting from the software. The Autostar I cannot be unparked. After a Park command is completed, the software must be disconnected and telescope power must be cycled before normal operation can continue. Tracking state (on/off) cannot be controlled. The scope is always tracking when connected.
The Meade driver supports tracking on/off control and hands-off startup of the LX200GPS. The latter feature is vital for remote imaging, and very handy for any permanently mounted LX200GPS. If you park your scope after each use, you will never have to hand-slew to a star and sync again. Upon connecting from your software, the scope will be aligned and ready for use. The Auto Reboot/Init option in the driver's setup window must be activated for this feature to work!
If you move your scope or disengage the RA or Dec clutches, then you must power up and align your scope with the handbox before connecting from your software.
If your scope is permanently mounted on a pier, and if you never release the RA or Dec clutches, then you can avoid the need for manual alignment and/or hand-syncing.
The following procedure was developed via extensive experimentation and testing. The LX200GPS was not specifically designed by Meade to be hands-off startable without interacting with the Autostar handbox. However, thanks to the research and contributions of several people, a procedure was found that would allow this. Please follow the procedure given below to the letter or risk having pointing problems.This driver has special features that allow it to initialize a parked LX200GPS from a cold-start (park, power-cycle, connect) or a warm-restart (park and reconnect without power-down). Again, the scope must be parked for auto-startup to work! In order for this to work, there are a few Autostar II handbox settings that must be made once:
In addition, the Auto Reboot/Init option in the driver's setup window must be activated for this feature to work!
Once you have done the above, or any time you park the scope, you may power it down or leave it powered up with the "Scope parked..." message showing. In the latter state, all motors are off and the scope will not respond to commands from the handbox or the serial line. Thus you can safely leave the scope powered up without wear on the motors or the risk of tracking into the pier, cord wrap, etc.
When you want to use the scope again, depending on whether you left it powered up or not, do one of the following:
The purpose of parking a scope is to allow a stationary scope to be powered up at a later time and not have to be synced or otherwise aligned. This does not apply to the Autostar I (#495/#497) which must always be aligned using the handbox before connecting the software.
For polar aligned scopes there is a default/natural Park Position. depending on the model (Classic or GPS). The LX200 Classic scopes can be set up for other park positions. See the applicable section below.
You can park the scope from the software or the Autostar II handbox. The park position can be changed using the Autostar II handbox only. It is not necessary to power down the scope after parking; the driver can warm-reboot the Autostar II resulting in a ready-to-use aligned scope.
The driver allows the Park Position to be changed. Once it is set, it is remembered across sessions. You don't have to set it again, unless you want to change to a new Park Position. If you don't explicitly set the Park Position, the driver will assume the default wake up position (previous paragraph). If you power-up the scope from a different position (say from manually moving the scope axis while off), then the scope will be lost, and manual sync to the sky will be required.
Set park has a few quirks: