Installation

• Download self-extracting archive file (2,994,176 bytes) to a folder on your computer
  
• In the download folder, run the executable to extract files to a temporary directory
• Execute setup.exe in the temporary directory and the program will then install and register itself
  
• You can delete the extracted files in the temporary directory after install
  

To Uninstall

• In Start/Settings/Control Panel find Add/Remove programs applet
• Select on TVFocus and click the [Remove] button to uninstall

Instructions and Usage Tips

Digital Indicator and RS232 Cable The instructions for the RS232 cable explain how to mount the cable interface in the digital indicator's battery compartment. Make sure to mount the interface with the smooth side-up (image right). Mount the indicator with cable on the telescope in accordance with the instructions for the digital indicator kit. Plug the serial port side of the cable into your computer's Serial Port or Serial-to-USB adapter.

Smooth side of interface

Digital Indicator and TVFocus Software

• A default install will place TVFocus software in the Start/Programs/TVFocus directory of your computer. Select and start the software from there.

• At the Setup tab, select the COM port connected to the RS232 cable and press the [Connect] button. If the LCD display on the indicator does not become active, you may have selected the wrong port: press [Disconnect] and try another port.

  • Troubleshooting:

    1. You can find what COM ports are available your PC by clicking Control Panel (under Start or Start/Settings) and selecting System.

    2. Select the Hardware tab and then click [Device Manager...].   On the menu tree, expand Ports (COM & LPT). Native ports on the PC are usually COM1 and COM2. If you are using a USB-to-serial adapter, its name will show up on the list with its assigned port number.

    3. If a connection can not be made with any COM port, check that the cable interfaces are tight (on the indicator the smooth side should be inserted facing up, when looking down at the LCD display).

• Referring to the instructions that came with the digital indicator, select units of measure and set it for normal mode (usually the default mode). If you use the preset values in the Run tab (explained below), it is advisable to use the same units of measure each time you start the digital indicator.

  Select mm or inches	Smooth side of interface

• The Night Vision checkbox in Setup causes the backgrounds of all applications to turn black and the text to turn deep red. This color scheme helps preserve your night-vision and is recommended for use only in the dark.

• The Poll Time selector in Setup determines how often the display is updated. Decreasing the value here will cause the Run tab display to update faster, but may cause software on your computer to run slower. The value here will persist between sessions.

• On the Run tab, press the [Read Continuously] button to begin reading focus positions. Turn the focuser on your scope to cause the indicator plunger to compress and expand. The large Focus Position display should update with the position of the plunger. You can return to the Setup tab to change the update rate with the Poll Time selector.

• Pressing any of the four Set buttons in the Run tab will save the current focus position and highlight the associated position box in green. You can enter a reminder note in the text box to the right of the set focus position. You can enter text past the visible width of the box. These preset positions and notes are saved for the next time you start the program. For the presets to have meaning in the next session, you must set the digital indicator to the same units of measure.

• The Display Offset checkbox and [Set Zero] button in the Run tab work together to create a virtual zero point. Clicking [Set Zero] makes the current focus position a virtual zero point. Checking the Display Offset checkbox causes the Focus Position to display the offset position from the virtual zero point. It will also change the values in the preset boxes to reflect the offset distance from the virtual zero point to the preset focus points. In this mode, the reading on the digital indicator will differ from that of the Focus Position display. Uncheck the Display Offset checkbox to return to the initial zero point.
  
  
  

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