What exactly is LX200?
The LX200 is a serial command set developed by Meade Instruments. It has been adopted by many telescope control programs as an easy method to interface a PC to a Telescope.
Only a small subset of the command set is required by the Star-Mate Interface, and to date the following commands have been implmented..
GR# Get Telescope RA (not fully implemented but needed to allow connection)
GS# Get Sidereal Time (not fully implemented but needed to allow connection)
GD# Get Telescope DEC (not fully implemented but needed to allow connection)
GVP# Get Telescope Product Name (Returns "Starmate")
GVN# Get Telescope Firmware (Returns Starmate firmware version)
F+# Focus Up
F-# Focus Down
FQ# Focus Stop
Mn# Move North
Ms# Move South
Me# Move East
Mw# Move West
Qn# Stop North
Qs# Stop South
Qe# Stop East
Qw# Stop West
Q# Stop All
Download the full LX200 command set here.
What mounts with the LX200 Interface too?
Basically any mount with an ST-4 compatible Guide or Control port will work with Star-Mate.
Some examples include...
- + Losmandy: G-8 and G-11 (with and without the Gemini box)
- + Meade: LX-200 & LX-90
- + Celestron: Nexstar i-series, Celestar 8, & Advanced Series GoTo
- + JMI NGT
- + WinCTC Goto Controllers
- + Tom O. Equatorial Platform.
What Serial Port Settings do I use with the LX200 emulator?
Baudrate: 9600
Start bits: 1
Stop bits: 1
Parity: None
Handshaking: None
What cables are provided with the Star-Mate?
Standard cables are power, and control cable.
What is the Power supply for the Control Box?
8-15VDC is required to to power the Control box. Typically the power would come from the power out port on the drive controller (if available).