iOptron 8403 User Manual

 
 

10

 

Figure 1. GOTONOVA #8403  
Hand Controller 

 

GOTONOVA

TM

 8403 hand controller (HC) is 

the standard controller for a SmartStar

®

-E 

series mount and telescope, as shown in 
Figure 1. 

•  MENU: Press “MENU” to enter the Main 

Menu. 

•  BACK: Move back to the previous 

screen, or end/cancel current operation, 
such as slewing. 

•  ENTER: Confirm an input, go to the next 

menu, select a choice, slew the 
telescope to a selected object, or 
stop/start tracking. 

• Arrow 

(▲▼►◄): Press ▲▼ buttons to 

move a telescope along the altitude 
direction, ►◄ to move a telescope 
along the azimuth direction. Brows the 
menu or move the cursor in operating 
menu. 

•  SPEED Key: To select slew speed (2X, 

8X, 64X, 256X, and MAX) 

• Light 

Key(☼): Turns on/off the red LED 

reading light on the back of the 
controller. 

•  HELP Key: For help and display more 

information on an object. 

•  HBX (handbox) port: connect the HC to 

SmartStar mount using a 6-wire RJ11 
cable. 

The 8403 hand controller consists of a large 
4-line LCD screen, which displays all the 
information as shown in Figure 2. The user 
interface is simple and easy to learn. 

 

Figure 2. 8403 HC LCD Information Screen 

1.  Target Name: display the name of the 
target that telescope is currently point to. 

•  Park Position: A default position when 

the mount is turned on, i.e., the 
telescope is point to zenith (altitude is 
90º) and the mount is facing south 
(azimuth is 180º); 

•  An object name, such as “Mercury” or 

“Andromeda Galaxy”: Name of the 
celestial object or land target that is 
currently slewing, gotoing, observing or 
tracking;  

•  User Position: The mount has been 

manually slewed to an object; or an R.A 
and DEC value of an object was 
manually entered; or a goto or tracking 
process has been interrupted. 

Target Name 

Right Ascension 

Altitude 

Local Date and Time 

Mount/GPS Status 
Declination 
Azimuth 
Slew Speed