SOLUN Version 4 for EPOC

© Copyright 1993, 2000 David Rushall

Contents

(*) Please read all sections marked thus before installing and using Solun, even if you have used the application previously.

Introduction

Solun is your "Pocket Planetarium": a convenient tool for the amateur astronomer, providing both almanac and planetarium functions.

Features include:

Solun for EPOC runs on the Psion Series 5, Series 5mx, Series 7, Revo and other compatible machines.

Note: Solun is also available for the Psion Series 3 range including the Series 3a, Series 3c, Siena and the Acorn Pocketbook II.

Visit the Solun home-page, at http://www.piecafe.demon.co.uk/ , for latest news and screen shots.

New features

The following lists some of the new features to be found in some of the most recent versions of Solun. Please see the 'Changes' item in the Solun.hlp file for more information.
Version 4.5
Comet support, including charts, information panels and reports; Chart detail settings presets; Improved and draggable information and moon phase window; Find labels matches sub-strings, not just prefixes; Rise/set calculation speed improved; Improved planet information and label selection dialogs; Cosmetic enhancements to title bar, null display and welcome screen.
Version 4.41
Sun and moon on daily planet report; Day skip setting for reports; New object ephemeris report; Integrated milky-way outline (for faster plotting); Lunar parallax accounted for; Around 1000% faster chart object identification; Various enhancements and bug fixes (sun-earth distance; Arctic circle boundary error; location selection and city name length; spaces in label file names; rounding on DMS conversion; daily planet report date).
Version 4.4
Enhanced report mode, including print support; Degrees and minutes input fields; Low and high automatic detail settings; Revo bug fix; New welcome screen.
Version 4.3
Finer star resolution; 5000 plottable stars; Faster star chart plotting; Plot stars by magnitude; Clearer chart graphics, including more star sizes; Automatic number of stars; Faster scanning for object info; Automatic update; Double-buffering; Improved zoom support, including side-bar buttons; Saturn ring display; Improvements for Galilean and globe displays; Visual target for title-bar menu; Improved 'Find' support; EPOC-friendly menu short-cuts; Welcome back to the "Chart" menu.
Version 4.21
Pen-enablement of 'World Map' and 'Quick ...' views; 'Apply (no redraw)' button on pan and zoom dialog; Equator shown on world map; Fix orrery small-screen bug; EPOC R5 compatibility; SIS package.
Version 4.2 (first full release for EPOC)
Chart printing; Export display as MBM; Ini files in Solun4 directory (on C:); New-style Options dialog; Optional setting of scale on fast path; Single bitmap file; Support for screens smaller than Series 5; Toolbar and title bar optional; RA and Dec displayed in status bar in point-and-click mode; Look for missing label files on alternative drives; Line plotting in label files; Azimuth/altitude grid; Correct galactic equator; Full manual in online help.
Version 4.1d (second beta for EPOC)
Enhanced Galilean moon display; Basic inverse video; More accurate rise/set times; Planet report; Observer information panel; Information for all plotted objects; Find objects; Approximate scale outlines for sun and moon; Additional information on moon detail panel; EPOC-style title bar and menu; Run from drive D:; Simple online help; Various minor bug fixes.
Version 4.1b (first beta for EPOC)
Gallilean moon display; Key constellation names on "Quick" views; General display improvements; Full pen-enabled interface.
Version 4
New "Quick observation" views; New "Report" mode, including eclipse prediction; Point-and-click pan and zoom; Greater accuracy for Sun and Moon calculations; Multisize labels; Full support for Psion Sienna.

License and Conditions of Use

Copyright status: Charityware

Solun for EPOC is Charityware. This means you are licensed to distribute and use this application (according to the following conditions) for free!

However, if you like it enough to pay something, then you are invited to send a small donation to a charity. See below, and in the application's online Help for more details.

Conditions of use

  1. Solun for EPOC is Charityware and copyright; it is not public domain. The rights to this package remain the property of the author.
  2. You may use this software, free of charge, for an indefinite period and at no obligation to the author, other than honouring these conditions.
  3. Permission is given to publically distribute this software provided the distribution contains all, and only, the unaltered files of this original distribution. In addition, my ownership of the rights to this software must be clearly stated and any fee charged for the distribution must be extremely nominal.
  4. Use of Solun is entirely at the user's own risk. The user must accept responsibility for any direct or indirect loss or damage arising from the use (or misuse) of the package. Solun is supplied 'as-is'.
  5. Warning: Both the plotted positions of 'fixed' objects and the calculation of the objects of the solar system are not intended to be highly accurate. Whilst these may be sufficient for many amateur astronomical purposes, Solun should never be used for navigation.
  6. Note: The OPX files employed by this software (and included in this distribution) are the copyright of Symbian Ltd (Systinfo and Alarm) and Neuon (nListBox). Please see their WWW sites, http://www.epocworld.com/ and http://www.neuon.com/ respectively, for more details.
  7. Note: Some of the files provided along with the Solun application are derived from the Yale Bright Star Catalogue and as such are not covered by this declaration of copyright and conditions. These files are identified by their *.str and *.sol suffixes, and are provided for your convenience.

Available Documentation

In addition to this README document, there are a number of sources of information about the installation of use of Solun. These are listed below.

README document (this one)
This document contains what you should know to get started; including how to install the application and display a few simple screens.
Online application help (Solun.hlp)
Solun includes a full user manual in the form of a EPOC application help file. This contains instructions for all displays and includes some hints and useful information, such as lists of some interesting objects in the sky. To read this document, open 'Solun.hlp' using the standard EPOC 'Data' application or select the 'Help' item from the main menu within the Solun application.
Hint:If your machine (or your PC) is connected to a printer, you can print the manual in the normal way. Use the "File:Print setup..." dialog to select whether you wish to print an individual section card or all the cards in a view. The full document will need about 30-40 sheets of paper.
User manual WWW (web site)
There is an illustrated version of the User Manual for Solun available as a web page, at: http://www.piecafe.demon.co.uk/solunman/ . This document is (currently) written with the Series 3 version of Solun in mind (so ignore the installation instructions) but is near enough to the EPOC version to be useful.
Solun home page (web site)
For information about Solun, including the latest news and releases, visit my home page on the web: http://www.piecafe.demon.co.uk/ .
Ask the author (email)
If you have queries, comments or suggestions then please feel free to send me an email. My address is at the end of this document.

Supported Hardware

Solun for EPOC is designed for use with the Psion Series 5 and compatible machines.

If you have a problem with a particular platform then, if possible, please send me an email, preferably with a screen shot of the problem.

Display
The displays have been optimised for the Series 5 (640x200 pixels) but should operate on both smaller devices (down to about 480x160 pixels) and larger ones (provided they are not too big). Users with smaller screen devices (such as the Revo) may find the display is better with the tool and title bars turned off.
ROM
This software has been ported to EPOC using a Series 5 (v1.01(145) UK). Other ROM levels should be supported, including Series 5mx (as of Solun version 4.21).
Processor
Being an OPL application, Solun should be processor independent. However, the supplied OPXs are designed for use with ARM-based machines. If you wish to use Solun on another platform, please see the Symbian and Neuon web sites (addresses in Conditions section) to see if the OPXs are available for that platform.

Installation

The following sections outline how to install and use this version of Solun 4. Please follow these instructions carefully.

Upgrading from a previous version

If you have been using an earlier version of Solun that doesn't use SIS files (i.e. Version 4.2 or earlier) it is recommended that you remove the application before you start installing this release. Delete the contents of the \System\Apps\Solun4\ directory and remove Solun.ini and Solun.dat from the C:\System\ directory, if present.

If you are upgrading from Version 4.21 or later, then simply installing the new Solun*.sis file will upgrade Solun automatically.

Note: As of Version 4.3, Solun uses more 'EPOC-friendly' shortcut keys for menu options (such as Ctrl-T for 'hide toolbar'). Users familiar with the older, Series 3 hot-keys (such as Ctrl-T for show 'Time' dialog) may wish to turn on the 'Classic menu shortcuts' option on the Tools menu.

Contents of this distribution

The distribution ZIP file contains the following files:

Installation

To install this version of Solun 4, simply use the following steps:

  1. Using PsiWin2 or the "Add/Remove" icon on the EPOC control panel (if you have it), install the three OPX *.sis files, listed above. If you get a message saying that a later version than the one supplied has already been installed on your machine then don't allow the older version to overwrite the newer.

    IMPORTANT:The supplied OPXs are for ARM-based machines, such as the Series 5, Series 5mx, Series 7, Revo, etc. If you wish to run this application on the EPOC emulator then please contact the OPX authors (web addresses above) for the appropriate versions.
  2. Using PsiWin2 or the "Add/Remove" icon on the EPOC control panel (if you have it), install the main application Solun*.sis file, named above. If you get a message that one of the three OPX SIS files has not been installed at the correct level then return to the previous step.
    Note: This step will create the main application directory in your System directory and a second auxillary directory, named "C:\Solun" (or "D:\Solun"), in which the sample "chart label files" are installed. See online help for more details.
  3. Finally, look in the "Extras" draw on the machine for the new "Solun 4" icon.
    If you are a new user, now read the quick tour section of this document and don't forget to browse Solun's online help file (available from the 'Help' tool bar button) which contains a full user manual as well as hints and tips to get you started.

Please consult your Psion manuals for more details of these operations, but let me know if you're having problems.

If you have problems with OPX versions

In order to achieve Series 5mx (EPOC R5) compatibility, Solun requires the supplied versions (or later) of the Alarm.opx and Systinfo.opx on all machines. Installing the supplied *.sis files should ensure you have the required levels or later on your machine.

Unfortunately, there are some older and misbehaved applications out there which do not supply these OPXs correctly and these may cause problems with Solun and other applications that require a newer version.

If you experience messages about incompatible OPX versions (or perhaps even operating system kernel errors) when starting Solun, please consider the following tips.

  1. Close all applications and reinstall the supplied OPX *.sis files on to your Internal (C:) drive. Attempt to start Solun.
  2. If you still have problems, backup your machine (if possible). If you have installed the "Add/Remove" icon on your Series 5 Control Panel, use it to remove the package with a name similar to "RMR Systinfo OPX", if present. Next, remove manually \System\OPX\Systinfo.opx from both C: and D: drives, if present. Now, reinstall the two supplied OPX *.sis files on to your Internal (C:) drive and attempt to start Solun again.

    Note: I recommend keeping a copy of Systinfo.sis and Alarm.sis handy in case installing another ill-behaved application in the future should regress the level of the OPXs and cause problems with Solun and other applications.

    Uninstalling

    If you have finished with this software you can remove the application as follows:

    1. Make sure the Solun application is not running.
    2. Using the "Add/Remove" icon on the EPOC control, remove the "Solun - The Pocket Planetarium" application.
    After you have completed these steps, Solun will have been removed from your machine's memory and "Extras" bar.

    Note: I do not recommend removing the small OPX files, installed by the two additional supplied *.sis packages, as they may be used by other applications.

    A Quick Tour

    Once you have installed the Solun 4 application, you are ready to take a quick tour...

    Starting Solun
    Touch the new "Solun4" icon on the "Extras" bar. After a few seconds you will be presented with the welcome screen.
    Display a star chart
    After Solun has finished initialising and the welcome screen has been displayed, press the "View" button on the tool bar and then select "Star Chart" from the pop-up menu.
    The first time you display a star chart, Solun calculates a trigonometry table, which can take a while. When the table is complete, you are given the option to save the table to disk for next time (as C:\System\Apps\Solun4\Solun.dat). Press Y and Solun will continue to draw the chart.
    When the chart is complete, you will see a representation of the current sky as seen from your home city, facing South. By default, Solun displays the planets and the outlines of the constellation shapes and a few stars.
    Changing the star chart display
    From the menu, select "Edit:Chart:Detail..." to display the Chart Details dialog. Enter '500' into the number of stars field and set all other fields to 'Black'. Now, press the "Choose lines" button to choose which lines to plot. Set all the lines to 'Grey' and press Enter twice (once to return to the Chart Details dialog, and a second time to return to the main menu mode).
    From the menu, again, choose "View:Fast Planetarium..." to display the Fast Planetarium menu, and then select "West" from the pop-up menu.
    Solun will begin to redraw the chart with your new settings.
    The day/night world map
    To display the day/night map, press the 1 (number one) key, or select the "World map" option from the "View:Display" menu. An outline map of the world will be displayed, with a curved line representing the areas where the moon is rising or setting, and a shaded area representing the areas in darkness.
    The quick visibility display
    To quickly see which planets are currently above the horizon from your home city, press the 5 (number five) key, or choose the "Quick visibility" option in the "View:Display" menu. A grid is displayed representing your horizon along the bottom, and showing the symbols for the planets.
    To view the meanings of the planet symbols in an inset window, press the L key.
    The moon information panel
    To display a panel of information about the moon, choose "Information:Moon..." from the main menu. The displayed panel includes the rise and set times for the moon, as seen from your location today, and the current moon phase.
    A report display
    From the main menu, choose "Information:Report mode" to enter the Report mode. Press the "New..." button and select "Moon phase" to display the moon phase report.
    Solun will calculate the date and times for the quarter moon phases for the next few weeks. In addition, an indication is displayed of the likelihood of an eclipse at each new and full moon.
    When the report is complete, press "Done" to return to the main menu.
    That was, of course, a very quick tour and Solun has many more features, as you'll find if you explore the application menus. For more information select the 'Help' item from the main application menu, to open the full User Manual.

    Getting In Touch

    If you have any comments or suggestions about this application then I can be contacted at the following locations:

    Email:
    dave@piecafe.demon.co.uk
    World Wide Web:
    http://www.piecafe.demon.co.uk/
    For the latest information about Solun, please visit my home-page on the World Wide Web, or send me an email.

    I hope to hear from you, and in the meantime I hope you enjoy using Solun as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

    David Rushall, 21st January 2000
    dave@piecafe.demon.co.uk