Firmware Versions on the NexStar 5i/8i/8i
Special Edition
These scopes have two sets of processors. There are processors in
the hand control (HC) and there are processors in the base of the scope in a
section known as the motor control (MC). The MC firmware can be updated by
the owner (read
this).
There have been three versions of hand control available for the NexStar GPS:
- Hand
control 2.2. Hand controls prior to version 4 can NOT be updated.
- Hand control version 4.X. This hand control can be updated by the
owner and was available for purchase from January 2006 through summer 2012.
Read
this
for info on purchasing the upgradeable hand control and
this
for step by step instructions on upgrading the firmware.
- The NexStar+ hand control. This hand control can be updated by the
owner and is available for purchase since February 2012. Read
this
for info on this new hand control and
this
for step by step instructions on upgrading the firmware.
For additional details about features on newer versions, check the
Manuals section of this web site.
NexStar+ Hand Control
Celestron has posted an official page detailing all firmware versions
for the NexStar+ hand control:
https://www.celestron.com/pages/firmware-update-history
Check back periodically for updates or click the link to sign up for
notifications.
Version 4 Hand Control (firmware files are named NXS)
- 4.22 - Fixes the date when the scope is used with a GPS receiver that
returns a date 20 years in the past.
- 4.21 - Fixed the RS-232 negative declination bug found in 4.20.
- 4.20 - This version has a bug - if you connect a computer/PDA/smart
phone to the RS-232 port and direct a GoTo to an object with negative
declination, the scope will instead point to +90 declination. It
is recommended you upgrade to 4.21 or higher. Fixed an error in the GoTo RA-Dec menu item. Hand Control now
reports immediately if the are communication ("No Response") difficulties at
start up. No Response errors now give a "Press UNDO to continue"
option. For mounts with a GPS module in use, changed the messages
displayed to clarify when the GPS was still attempting a link and when it
was successful.
- 4.18 - An important upgrade with many new features and fixes. The
hand control now calculates positions with respect to precession - in other
words, previously all coordinates were J2000 while this version uses JNow.
Polar alignment routine is now under the Align menu and allows alignments on
stars other than Polaris. Additionally, after polar alignment, the
scope no longer requires a new alignment. Fixes problems with Southern Hemisphere
alignments. Pressing ALIGN while in the Named Stars menu
now takes you to the Align menu. If there is no GPS module,
changes the initial alignment prompts is always prompted to the the date and
time. Sets slew rate to 5 upon waking from
hibernation. The Factory Settings menu item now resets all motor
control settings (as well as the hand control settings) and will force the
user to restart the system. The hand control is now locked when
performing a motor control upgrade via the port on the bottom of the hand
control. Added two PC control commands: one to undo any current
"Sync", the other to retrieve the local sidereal time from the hand control.
Fixes a bug which changes rate if a direction button is pressed after the
RATE button. Fixes a rare problem updating the motor control through
the hand control. Corrects Abell objects with negative magnitudes.
- 4.13 - This version allows the motor control (MC) firmware to be upgraded
via the port on the bottom of the hand control.
- 4.12 - The most significant change in this version is variable brightness
control for the display and buttons - values are from 0 (off) to 8 (full
brightness). There is also a fix that reduces (but does not eliminate)
the chance that the display comes up blank the first time you power up, a
problem much more prevalent in cold weather. The fix on those occasions
when it does still come up blank remains the same - turn off the power, wait a
couple of seconds and turn on the power again. The Version menu item has
been changed - it now displays the mount model after displaying the HC and MC
versions.
- 4.10 - The most significant change in this version is Sync. Sync is
available both via the hand control and via PC software (TheSky, Starry Night,
etc.). This provides very accurate GoTo pointing in the area of
the sky where the Sync is performed and it allows the PC software to match
with the actual position the scope is pointed to. Other new features:
Calibrate Goto (help to improve GoTo accuracy) and general pointing accuracy
improvement.
- 4.03 - Minor change from 4.02. Shipped with the NexStar 8i Special Edition
with SkyAlign (N8iSE-SA) from September 2005 on. This version is
compatible with the 5i/8i as well, either through
NexRemote or the user-upgradeable hand control, sold separately
(owners of older versions read
this). Click
here for more details on the features in version 4 of the hand control.
- 4.02 - First available for use
on NexStar "i" series through use of
NexRemote. This version provides several new features. First, the physical 4.02 hand control is the first version that can be upgraded
to new firmware by the user. It also introduced the new alignment methods -
SkyAlign, Solar System Align and One Star Align. Also added are Precise
GoTo, Identify, Constellation Tour and few other new features. Click
here for more details.
Non-upgradeable Hand Control
- 2.3 - Version originally shipped with the NexStar 8i Special Edition.
This version is compatible with the 5i/8i and also the NexStar GPS scopes, but
it was not shipped with those scopes. Differences are mostly in the
alignment procedures and are discussed in my
overview of the NexStar 8i Special Edition.
- 2.2 - Original version for the NexStar 5i/8i. Note that this version
is not compatible with the NexStar 8i Special Edition.
MC Versions
Though two versions of firmware are available, Celestron has not as of this
time made them available for download. In any case, the main reason for
these version has been to support new mounts, not to introduce improvements or
new features.
- 40.03 and 41.03 (hand control 2.2 and 2.3 will display these as 40.3 and
41.3) - Original versions on the NexStar 8i Special Edition. There are
actually two MC processors, one for the azimuth axis, the other for the
altitude. The NexStar 8i Special Edition was shipped with MC version
40.3
on the azimuth axis and 41.3 on the altitude axis. This version is not
used on the NexStar 5i/8i.
- 30.01 and 31.01 (hand control 2.2 and 2.3 will display these as 30.1 and
31.1) - Original versions on the NexStar 5i/8i. There are
actually two MC processors, one for the azimuth axis, the other for the
altitude. The NexStar 5i/8i was shipped with MC version 30.1
on the azimuth axis and 31.1 on the altitude axis.
Determining Versions
Use the Version option on the Utility menu.
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