Setting up a MoonLite D/C Servo Drive Motor Focus for Autofocusing
So you have been enjoying your MoonLite D/C Servo Motor Focus unit for awhile and now you wish to be able to control it with one of the popular software programs like the 'Big Dogs' do. No problem! Here is one way you can accomplish that. The example on this page is for the newtonian focuser shown above, but would apply to any of MoonLite's Motor Focus set-ups. The image on the right shows an SBIG 8XME mounted on the MoonLite. The camera and filter wheel weigh 3.5 pounds and are easily handled by this system. More MoonLite details can be found here. IThe 'rope' is an emergency 'camera rescue' strap which is mainly for peace of mind and has never had to be deployed :-)
For this set-up you will need the following hardware components:

1) A MoonLite Motor Focus with PC interface which is now available from MoonLite and works directly with the Motor Focus system. The PC interface control box is called LazyFocus created by James Lacey

2)A CCD camera operating with CCDSoft or MaximDL

3)A PC (probably the one you are already imaging with) with a working open serial port

4) A D/C power supply that can run 9-12 volts of power and probably a D/C power adaptor that can plug correctly into the LazyFocus.

The following are the software components required:

1) ASCOM platform. What is it? ASCOM I think of as an astronomy 'operating system' that allows many different equipment components from different sources to work together in a totally seamless integration. Remarkable, but beyond the scope of this tutorial! Go to the ASCOM website to learn more about it AND to download the latest ASCOM platform software.

2) ASCOM LazyFocus driver. This is the specific driver for the LazyFocus so that it can be operated by the ASCOM system. You can download that from the LazyFocus main page. Just scroll down to 'LazyFocus D/C Motor Interface' to find the download link.

3)FocusMax- this is the software that will actually focus your camera using the LazyFocus and your MoonLite focuser. That is also a free download. Please note that you will need to use Internet Explorer to download FocusMax or it will not install properly.

4) Either CCDSoft or MaximDL which are the programs that FocusMax can use.**It is advisable for this set-up to be familiar with your camera control software to the point where you can acquire and manually focus a star image.

Now let us examine the key hardware component, the LazyFocus control box:
This is the LazyFocus DC motor interface (black box on the lower right with the 3 red buttons on it) shown cabled to a JMI focuser. More details regarding the system design and rationale can be found here ***Be sure to copy the online LazyFocus manual which covers some of the material on this page and refer to it as periodically sugggested.
*Relative vs Absolute: there are generally 2 'types' of focusers you will see often referred to. 'Absolute' focuser systems utilize 'encoders' which are able to record the focuser's 'absolute' angular position at any time and relay that information to your PC. 'Relative' focusers do not have that capability, so the software must rely on the recorded movements of your focuser 'relative' to some arbitrary position. MoonLite Motor Focus is a relative focuser!! This is a crucial point for this set-up! Before getting started you need to be certain the LazyFocus is set to 'relative mode'! Here is how we do that:
This is the PCB (printed circuit board) and related components of the LazyFocus. Look on the underside of the LazyFocus box and you will find 2 small phillips head screws. Remove those and carefully lift off the top of the box to see the components as shown above. Make sure you orient the box so it looks like what you see here. If you do that, you will recognize the 2 components labelled above. The 'absolute to relative shunt' and the potentiometer are the only 2 things you need to concern yourself with. We are going to look now at the shunt and will talk about the other items later.
This is the component 'J5' known as the 'shunt'. The component has 3 pins onto which this 'shunt' or plug can be placed over 2 of the 3 pins. If you look in the online manual (link posted in above discussion), you will see on page 3, the same J5 component which has been configured for the case of the absolute focuser. The configuration shown here is the correct one for relative focus operation! You can see the shunt is placed over the MIDDLE AND RIGHT HAND PINS! Not the middle and left hand pins as is shown in the manual! Be sure the box is oriented as shown here and in the manual with the 'J5' to the right and the 'J1' to the left. If you see your LazyFocus has been set for absolute mode, simply slide the shunt off of the left and center pins and replace the shunt so it sits on the right 2 pins as shown here. Not much force is required to remove the shunt. Place a finger down against the PCB while you pull up on the shunt as the circuit board has a tendency to want to slide out of the box as you are pulling upward.
OK. Now that the LazyFocus is correctly configured for relative focus use, we can power up and test the LazyFocus. Pages 3 and 4 of the online manual cover this quite well. For power, you will need a D/C power source
Many options exist here. I use an Orion Dynamo 'field battery' which has standard 'cigarette plug' sockets. A D/C power adaptor is plugged into one of the 2 sockets. The LazyFocus is tip positive!! Make sure if you use an adaptor that the tip is oriented correctly! There are usually instructions on the back of the adaptor packaging.
hThe control box and buttons are shown above. On the right is the LazyFocus demonstrating the D/C power plug coming in from the right and the plug from the MoonLite focuser inserted on the left. Plug in the power and observe the red LED flash several times (around 5) and then go steady. If you don't see that, make sure your power supply is correct (D/C 9-12V). Once the LED is steady your focuser should move in or out (doesn't matter which is which) if you press one of the 2 buttons (labelled 'IN' 'OUT')shown above. The 'speed ' button as mentioned in the manual will change the speed of focuser movement if you press the button once . There are 3 speeds with the fastest represented by 3 flashes of the LED after pressing the speed button. One flash means you are at the slowest setting. (page 3 of online manual).

Now there should not be any appreciable difference during this test between the 3 speeds. What you are looking for is reliable movement both in and out at all 3 speeds, especially the slow speed. If there is one or more speeds where you are not seeing movement, there are 2 possible reasons. One is, your LazyFocus is not set to relative mode (see above). But since you have been carefully following this tutorial, you have correctly configured the LazyFocus, so now you will have to adjust the 'Pot' or potentiometer. See page 4 of the manual for detailed description of that. The potentiometer is shown above and for clarity is enlarged here:
If you are not seeing focuser movement at a particular speed, just take a small screwdriver and turn the Pot (after removing the cover like you did for the shunt placement) counterclockwise in very small increments until the focuser moves easily at every speed. The actual differences between speeds will not affect autofocus operation. Just be certain there is clearly identifiable motion at each speed
So now we have configured and tested the mechanical components of our autofocus system and we are ready to connect to the PC! Proceed to this page