WandererAstro ROT-PRO Wanderer Rotator Pro Instruction Manual
- June 12, 2024
- WandererAstro
Table of Contents
WandererRotator Pro
Manual
Introduction
The WandererRotator Pro is a groundbreaking rotator ideal for rotating camera and de-rotation. The most outstanding feature of the WandererRotator Pro is the excellent rigidity based on the patented rotating structure. Within the maximum payload, the rotator guarantees absolutely zero flexure at any angle. The WandererRotator Pro is the most low profile rotator in its class and rotates at up to 7 degrees per second. In addition, WandererRotator Pro has very high positioning accuracy. With 133 steps per degree, its resolution can reach up to 0.01 degrees, which provides the possibility of accurate de- rotation. The specifications of the rotator are shown in the table below.
| Power jack | DC 5.5*2.1mm female |
|---|---|
| Cable management | 2 x USB3.1 + 1 x DC 5.5×2.1mm(5A max) |
| Power consumption | 12V 1A |
| Connectivity | Type-B USB3.0 cable (included) |
| Weight | 900g |
| Payload | 8kg（Note 1） |
| Rotation rate | 7°/s |
| Thickness | 16mm |
| Steps per degree | 133 steps |
| Clear aperture | M92 |
| Material | Aluminum alloy |
| Threaded interface | One side M92 female thread, one side M92 male thread |
Installation and usage
Connect the rotator to the telescope and the protruding side (that is, the
side containing the DC input and USB3 Type-B socket) can either face the sky
or the camera. If the protruding side faces the sky, the rotator itself won’t
rotate. If the protruding side faces the camera, the rotator will rotate with
the camera. The rotator comes standard with one M92 male thread and one M92
female thread. The M92 male thread adapter is fixed by 8 M2.5 screws and can
be removed (see Figure 1). Users with special needs can customize the adapter.
Connect the rotator and the PC through the USB cable, and connect the 12V
power supply , everything’s ready.
2.1 ASCOM drivers installation
Visit the official website
www.wandererastro.com to download two ASCOM
drivers with the suffix “.exe” (Figure 2) and install them all.
Rotator
2.2 Connect the Rotator (take N.I.N.A. as an example)
After the ASCOM driver is installed, the device driver can be found in
N.I.N.A. Please note that in N.I.N.A. , S.G.P. or Voyager please select the
driver without “Phd2” in the name! (Figure 3)
Click connect
directly, and the ASCOM driver will automatically search for the port of the
rotator. After the connection is successful, a configuration window (Figure 4)
will pop up. Here you can set the backlash and home of the rotator.
2.3 Configure Phd2
If an OAG is installed behind the rotator, the rotation will also change the
angle of the guide camera, invalidating the calibration data in Phd2. So, you
have to also connect the rotator in Phd2, o that Phd2 can correct the
calibration data according to the angle of the rotator, then you do not need a
re-calibration after rotation.
In the connection interface of the PHD2, click “More Equipment” (Figure 5) to
see the option to connect the rotator. Select the corresponding ASCOM driver
of PHD2 (Figure 6, especially emphasized, this is DIFFERENT from the driver
selected in the shooting software), and click to connect
directly.
After connecting the rotator,
perform a calibration for the first time. Then , even after the rotator is
rotated by a certain angle, the guiding should still be fine. If it doesn’t
work , try checking “reverse sign of angle” under “Other devices” in “Advanced
Settings”. (Figure 7)
2.4 Set backlash compensation
The default backlash compensation is 0.5 degrees, and no adjustment is
required under normal circumstances. However, if it is found that the rotator
rotates several times but the angle solved does not change during imaging, the
backlash compensation needs to be increased. The method of measuring the
backlash of the rotator is to rotate a certain angle (more than 5 degrees)
clockwise and get the current sky angle A, and then rotate 2 degrees
counterclockwise to get the sky angle B, then the backlash is 2 degrees minus
the difference between A and B. The set backlash should be smaller than the
measured backlash. For example, if the measured backlash is 0.76 degrees, then
the set backlash should be 0.7 degrees instead of 0.8 degrees.
2.5 Set reverse
Whether “reverse” need to be checked depends on the software you use. For
example, N.I.N.A. does not require you to check “reverse” while S.G.P.
requires you to check “reverse”.
2.6 Set zero
The rotator has no mechanical zero and requires the user to specify a virtual
zero position.
When connecting for the first time (or after upgrading the ASCOM driver), the
current position is set to zero. If you need to set a new zero, click “Set
current position as home” to set the current position to zero. Note that when
the rotator is suddenly powered off during the rotation, or the rotator stalls
due to cable wrap, please reset the zero.
The principle of zero setting: the rotator should be able to rotate 360
degrees (or at least 180 degrees if you limit the mechanical range in
N.I.N.A.) from the zero without cable wrap. Also, the zero does not need to
coincide with 0 degrees of the sky angle so do not worry about this.
2.7 Cable wrap detection
Cable wrap detection allows the rotator to detect an excessive load and stop
rotating.
The detection sensitivity is divided into five levels. The higher the level,
the higher the detection threshold of cable wrap . If the rotator falsely
detects a cable wrap, increase the sensitivity level.
Note, don’t rely on this feature to avoid cable wrap, you must prioritize
proper zero setting and proper wiring. When shooting remotely, leave enough
length for the cable and disable the cable wrap detection function.
Firmware upgrade
First download the firmware upgrade tool (Figure 8) and the firmware file with
the suffix ”.hex” (Figure 9) from the official website.
After extracting the compressed file, click Xloader.exe to open the firmware
upgrade tool (Figure 10).
Select the downloaded firmware file with the suffix .hex, select the product model and the correct COM port, and click Upload to upload (Figure 11). Please note that do not change the Baud rate.
When you see “xxxx bytes uploaded”, it means the upload was successful. If stuck in the uploading process, try to upload again after rebooting.
De-rotation
WandererRotator Pro supports de-rotation for altazimuth mounts or Dobs users,
which can play a major role in planetary photography, as well as longer
exposures in deep sky photography.
4.1 Install Wanderer Console
WandererRotator Pro needs to be controlled via the Wanderer Console to perform
de-rotation. Visit the official website to download the latest version of the
Wanderer Console zip package, unzip it, and double-click setup.exe to install.
After the installation is complete, start the Wanderer Console and enter the
rotator interface. Select the correct COM port and click Connect. After the
connection is successful, the Wanderer Console will automatically identify the
model and firmware of the rotator (Figure 12).
Please note that the Wanderer Console must obtain the latitude and longitude
of the device location in order to perform the de-rotation, so please open the
location service in “Settings – Location” and check “Let desktop apps access
your location” (Figure 13). Your location is only used for de-rotation rate
calculations, and Wanderer Console will not upload or share your
location.
4.2 Enter the target coordinates
The Wanderer Console also needs to know the right ascension and declination
coordinates of the target you are shooting to complete the de-rotation. You
can manually enter the target’s coordinate (Figure 14), or you can synchronize
the target’s coordinates from the Stellarium.
If you need to
synchronize the target’s coordinates from Stellarium, you need to install the
remote control plugin (Settings – Plugins) in Stellarium and set the plugin to
load at startup (Figure 15). After restarting Stellarium, click the icon to
enable the remote control plugin (Figure 16), select and center the target,
and click “Sync from Stellarium” in the Wanderer Console to complete the
coordinate synchronization.
4.3 Start de-rotation
When everything is ready, click “Start de-rotation” . The rotator will first
rotate a small angle (about 1 degree) to ensure that the backlash is
eliminated, and then start de-rotation. The de-rotation rate will be refreshed
in real time , and you don’t need to perform other operations.
If the rotation direction is not correct, check “Reverse”.
In addition, when the target is very close to the zenith (86 degrees and
above), because the field rotation rate is too fast, the de-rotation cannot
achieve good results. At this time, it is recommended to wait for the target
height to drop below 86 degrees before shooting.
FAQs
Q：Do Wanderer Rotator Pro has an absolute mechanical zero?
A：The zero is virtual rather than mechanical. The user can specify any position as a zero.It should be noted that if the cable wrap occurs or the rotator is suddenly powered off during rotation, the recording of the virtual mechanical angle will be inaccurate. In this case you have to reset the zero to avoid the risk of cable wrap.
Q:How accurate is Wanderer Rotator Pro?
A:Wanderer Rotator Pro can easily achieve an accuracy higher than 0.04 degrees within 2 rounds of solve and rotate if the backlash is set properly (just keep the default backlash in most cases).
Q：Can the Wanderer Rotator Pro withstand low temperatures?
A：Yes. Wanderer Rotator Pro uses high-quality grease that can withstand temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees. In our tests, the Wanderer Rotator Pro was placed in a -20 degree freezer for 72 hours and the rotator still worked fine.
Q：Do I need to reshoot the flats after rotation?
A：Yes. Therefore it is recommended to use our motorized flat panel.But if you are using an APO , it is likely to be OK to use the same flats for different PA.
Q：Will Wanderer Rotator Pro cause flexure during rotation?
A：The unique magnetic structure allows the Wanderer Rotator Pro to guarantee absolute zero flexure at any angle, think of it as an adapter!
Shots from users (random PA)
Note 1: Calculated when the center of gravity of the load is 15cm away from the rotator