Possible NexStar+ Fix for NexStar 8/9.25/11
GPS and NexStar 5i/8i
Some NexStar 8/9.25/11 GPS or NexStar 5i/8i owners find that their scope
has problems with the new NexStar+ hand control. Common symptoms are
intermittent "No Response" errors or the arrow buttons are sluggish.
An option that has helped some is to load an older version of firmware on
the NexStar+ hand control. I provide an older version here on this
page and here is the procedure. It is important to note that this
older firmware does not address the
GPS rollover issue so if your NexStar GPS mount is affected by the
rollover and you need to use this older firmware, you will need to turn off
GPS in the hand control menu and manually enter the date and time each
session.
BEFORE YOU START: Celestron has stated that it is possible
that loading old firmware on a device manufactured after the firmware may render
that device unusable. For that reason, CFM may prevent you for loading old
firmware on your hand control. That does not confirm there is a danger to
your hand control but it is a precaution Celestron has elected to implement.
Proceed at your own risk understanding the worst case scenario is you would need
to purchase another NexStar+ hand control. In the case of a NexStar
8/9.25/11 GPS or NexStar 5i/8i displaying the issues reported above when using a
NexStar+ hand control, my personal recommendation is to obtain a version 4 hand
control rather than use the NexStar+ hand control.
- Download version 5.22.3280 from here:
https://www.nexstarsite.com/download/Plus5.22.3280.zip
-
Keep track of the location of this downloaded ZIP file.
-
Next, locate the folder where you placed CFM and start
CFM.
-
On the Options menu, activate Work Offline
(be sure there is a checkmark next to Work Offline).
-
Close CFM.
-
In the folder where you placed CFM, open the
Packages folder and then the Plus folder. Delete everything in
that Plus folder.
-
Open the Plus5.22.3280.zip file you dowloaded
above.
-
Copy everything from that ZIP file into the Plus folder
located in step 6.
-
Start CFM again and "upgrade" your hand control.
Refer to
this article for the normal operation of CFM but note since you are
working offline, you will not be downloading new firmware in CFM.
-
Once complete, the version displayed on the hand
control should be 5.22.3280 and it should work with the NexStar 8/9.25/11
GPS or NexStar 5i/8i.
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