Smart keypad for LX200

The keypad of your MEADE LX200 telescope has problems ? Here is a replacement keypad software.

This software controls a LX200 through a RS232 serial port connected to a PC computer. Its written for all windows compatible platforms and and has the following appearance :

Serial port

- select the device name of the serial port connected to your LX200

Display

- as soon as serial dialog is established between your PC computer and your LX200, right ascension and declination appear in the display area

Focus

- Out starts focus out
- In starts focus in
- 1 sets focus slow
- 2 sets focus fast

Motion

- N NE E SE S W SW W move the telescopse in all directions
- Go To open a Go To dialog window (see Go To below)
- 1 sets the motion rate to guide
- 2 sets the motion rate to center
- 3 sets the motion rate to find
- 4 sets the motion rate to slew
- N key can adapt direction arrows to the screen image delivered by a camera. Click first on N key and then on direction key according to North direction on screen image. For example, let us suppose that a webcam is installed so that the North direction is oriented to the right on the screen. Click first on N key and then on East direction key. This way, East direction key becomes North direction key
- I key can adapt direction arrows in case of diagonal mirror use

Reticle

- L- increases reticle brightness
- L+ decreases reticle brightness
- 0 sets permanent reticle light
- 1 sets reticle slow flashing
- 2 sets reticle fast flashing
- 3 sets reticle light off

Tracking

All commands below are followed by frequency displayed in the display area
- T- decreases the frequency by one tenth
- T+ increases the frequency by one tenth
- Lun sets frequency for lunar tracking
- Sol sets frequency for solar tracking
- Sid sets frequency for sideral tracking

Go To

- Coord. enables selection of an object with its coordinates
- Planet enables selection of a planetary object with its name
- Star enables selection of a star with its name
- Mess. enables selection of a Messier object with its catalog number
- NGC enables selection of a NGC object with its catalog number
- Go to moves the telescope to the selected object
- Stop interrupts telescope motion
- Sync. synchronises current coordinates with the coordinates of the selected object

download LX200 control keypad software

Your suggestions are welcomed