SKY-WATCHER VIRTUOSO GTi User manual
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
VIRTUOSO GTi
Copyright © Sky-Watcher
202102V1
PART I : SETTING UP THE VIRTUOSO GTi MOUNT
PART III : USING THE VIRTUOSO GTi MOUNT
PART II : ELECTRONIC CONTROL INTERFACE
CONTENT
1.1 Installing the Telescope ......................................................................................... 4
3.1 Manually Rotating the Mount ................................................................................. 7
3.2 Control with a SynScan Hand Control .................................................................... 7
3.3 Control with a Mobile Device .................................................................................. 7
3.4 Wi-Fi Connection .................................................................................................... 7
3.5 Freedom Find Function .......................................................................................... 8
3.6 Firmware Update .................................................................................................... 8
4.1 Finderscope/Red Dot Finder Assembly ................................................................. 12
2.1 Control Panel ...........................................................................................................5
2.2 Panel Interface Components ...................................................................................5
2.3 Pinout of the Interfaces ...........................................................................................6
2.4 DSLR Control Cables ...............................................................................................6
2.5 Power Supply Requirements ...................................................................................6
Parts Diagram
PART IV: Assembling Your Telescope
4.2 Eyepiece Assembly ................................................................................................. 13
PART V: Operating Your Telescope
5.2 Focusing the Telescope ........................................................................................... 15
5.1 Using the Red Dot Finder ....................................................................................... 14
5.3 Choosing the Appropriate Eyepiece ........................................................................ 15
PART VI: Observing the Sky
6.1 Sky Conditions ........................................................................................................ 16
6.2 Selecting an Observing Site ................................................................................... 16
6.3 Choosing the Best Time to Observe ....................................................................... 16
6.4 Cooling the Telescope ........................................................................................... 17
6.5 Adapting Your Eyes ................................................................................................ 17
2
6.6 Download SynScan or SynScan Pro APP .............................................................. 17
6.7 Download SynScan App User’s Manual ................................................................. 17
6.8 Wireless Telescope Control .................................................................................... 17
6.9 Wireless Terrestrial Photography Control: .............................................................. 17
7.2 Cleaning Your Telescope ........................................................................................ 19
PART VII: Proper Care for Your Telescope
7.1 Collimation .............................................................................................................. 18
3
Parts Diagram
Dovetail Groove
Altitude Clutch
Wheel
Bubble Level
Battery Compartment
for 8x AA Batteries
LED Indicator
Hand Controller Port
External Power
Power Switch
SNAP Port
Azimuth Clutch Knob
Dovetail Locking Knob
4
PART I : SETTING UP THE VIRTUOSO GTi MOUNT
1.1 Installing the Telescope
1. Loosen the altitude clutch wheel and rotate the saddle until the dovetail groove is horizon-
tal, then tighten the altitude clutch wheel again (Fig 1.1a).
2. Loosen the dovetail locking knob until nothing is obstructing the dovetail groove in the sad-
dle (Fig 1.1b).
3. Hold the telescope horizontally and slide the dovetail bar of the telescope into the dovetail
groove of the saddle (Fig 1.1b).
4. Tighten the dovetail locking knob until the bar is securely locked in the groove. DO NOT
LET GO OF THE TELESCOPE UNTIL YOU ARE SURE IT IS FIRMLY ATTACHED TO
THE SADDLE
5. While holding the telescope tube, fully loosen the altitude clutch to check the balance.
6. Repeat the above steps to adjust the position of the dovetail bar back and forth to reach
good balance in the altitude axis.
Saddle
Dovetail Groove
Tighten
Loosen
2
Fig. 1.1a Fig. 1.1b
Altitude Clutch Wheel
Dovetail Locking Knob
Tighten Loosen
1
5
2.1 Control Panel
The control panel of the VIRTUOSO GTi mount is shown below:
2.2 Panel Interface Components:
PART II : ELECTRONIC CONTROL INTERFACE
POWER: This is an input for external power to avoid running on the 8 AA batteries in
the VIRTUOSO GTi mount battery compartment.
HAND CONTROL: This RJ-12 6-pins outlet is for connecting the SynScan hand
controller.
SNAP:This is a stereo jack outlet to connect with a camera’s shutter control port.
The SynScan hand control can control the camera to take pictures automatically
via this interface.
ON/OFF Switch: Turns the power to the mount and hand controller on and off.
Power LED: The power LED serves as a power-on indicator and provides other
statuses.
1. Steady on: Internal Wi-Fi is off.
2. : Internal Wi-Fi is on.
3. : App has connected to internal Wi-Fi.
4.
mode.
Hand Control Power SNAP ON OFF LED
Fig. 2.1
6
2.3 Pinout of the Interfaces:
PART II: ELECTRONIC CONTROL INTERFACE
Note:
The SNAP port provides two trigger signals
to the stereo plug. For a camera which only
needs a shutter-release signal, either trigger
signals will work. For a camera which requires
an extra “Focus” signal, both signals should
be connected properly.
Input Voltage: DC 7.5V (minimum) to DC 14V (maximum). Voltage not in this range might
cause permanent damage to the motor controller or the hand controller.
Input Plug: Barrel type with 2.0mm I.D and 5.5mm O.D. Must be central positive.
Input Current: At least 750mA.
Do not use an unregulated AC-to-DC adapter. When choosing an AC adapter, a switching
power supply with 12V output voltage and minimum 750mA output current is recommend-
ed.
If the power voltage is too high, the motor controller will stop the motors automatically.
2.5 External Power Supply Requirements
Available for Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Sony cameras. See the table below to select the
appropriate cable for your camera model; it can be ordered from the local Skywatcher dealer.
Part
Number Camera Interface Style Controller Interface Compatible Camera Models
AP-R1C Canon remote (E3
type) Canon RS-60E3
Canon EOS 100D, 300D/350D, 400D/450D,
500D/550D, 600D/650D, 700D, 60D/60Da,
70D
AP-R3C Canon remote (N3
type)
Canon RS-80N3, TC-
80N3
Canon EOS 5D/6D/7D,
10D/20D/30D/40D/50D, 1V, 1D,
1Ds Mark III, 5D Mark III
AP-R1N Nikon 10-pin remote
terminal
Nikon MC-22, MC-30,
MC-36 Nikon D1/D2/D3/D4 D200/D300/D700/D800
AP-R2N Nikon remote cord
connector Nikon MC-DC1 Nikon D70S, D80
AP-R3N Nikon accessory
terminal Nikon MC-DC2
Nikon D90, D600, D3000/D3100/D3200/
D3300,
D5000/D5100/D5200/D5300, D7000/D7100
AP-R1S Sony remote terminal Sony RM-S1AM, RM-
L1AM
Sony a100, a200, a300, a350, a450, a550,
a560
a700, a850, a900
AP-R3L Olympus multi-
connector RM-UC1
Olympus E-P1/E-P2, E-PL2/E-PL3, E510/
E520/E550/E620, E400/E410/E420, SP-
570UZ/SP-590UZ
2.4 DSLR Control Cable
Fig. 2.3
2
3
4
1
5
6
HAND CONTROL
Vpp+
RX(3.3V)
Reserved
GND
TX(3.3V)
SNAP
Optoisolator
Control Signal
Internal Circuit
TRIGGER
N.C.
7
1. Loosen the Alt clutch wheel to manually rotate the telescope vertically.
2. Loosen the Azimuth adjustment knob to manually rotate the telescope horizontally.
3.1 Manually Rotating the Mount
Refer to the following diagrams:
PART III : USING THE VIRTUOSO GTi MOUNT
Tips:
Fully tighten the clutches for all motor driven applications. This will give the best pointing accuracy.
Half engage the clutches to manually point the telescope while preventing it from moving freely without ex-
ternal force.
Fully loosen the clutches to move the telescope quickly.
3.2 Control with a SynScan Hand Control
Plug in the SynScan hand control into the hand control port in order to control the telescope
and mount for astronomical observation. Please refer to the SynScan hand control manual
for operation instructions.
Users can download the free “SynScan“ App from the App Store( for iOS devices) or Google
Play (for Android Devices) for astronormical observation. Skywatcher will also provide apps
for photography. Please check the stores for availability.
3.3 Control with an Mobile Device
User must connect to the mount’s Wi-Fi within 15 minutes after turning on power. The Wi-Fi
will be turned off automatically if no connection is estabilished within 15 minutes, .
By default, the SSID of the built-in Wi-Fi is “SynScan_xxxx” and there is no password. User
the mount’s built-in Wi-Fi.
hand control connected and no App operations via the Wi-Fi connection for 1 hours.
3.4 Wi-Fi Connection
Fig. 3.1a Fig. 3.1b
Loosen
Tighten
LoosenTighten
8
PART III: USING THE VIRTUOSO GTi MOUNT
With this feature, a user can manually operate the mount anytime without worrying about los-
ing the mount’s alignment status. When the user wants to operate the mount with the SynScan
hand control again, no alignment is required and all that is needed to be done is to re-lock the
clutches.
This feature can be disabled with the SynScan hand controller or the SynScan App. If an
user does not need to rotate the mount manually after alignment, it is recommended to dis-
able this feature to obtain the best pointing accuracy.
3.5 Freedom FindTM Function
-
3.6 Firmware Update
The VIRTUOSO GTi mount is equipped with auxiliary encoders on both the azimuth axis and
altitude axis. Therefore, the mount can keep track of its current position even when a user
unlocks the clutches and rotates the mount in azimuth axis and altitude axis manually.
9
A. Eyepiece
B. Hex Focusing Ring / Eyepiece Holder
C. Red Dot Finder
D. Telescope Main Tube
E. Slider Lock Screw
F. Dovetail
PART IV: Assembling Your Telescope
REFLECTOR
ABC
D
E
F
10
A. Focus knob
B. Eyepiece
C. Red Dot Finder
D. Red Dot Finder Bracket
E. Telescope Main Tube
F. Dovetail
PART IV: Assembling Your Telescope
REFLECTOR
A
BCD
E
F
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