SOLUN Version 5 for EPOC

(C) Copyright 1993, 2001 David Rushall

Contents

(*) Please read all sections marked with a * above 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.

Version 5.1
Comet path shown on 3D orrery; User-selected time, location and observation notes preserved in settings document; Ability to open read-only settings documents; "Observation notes" dialog "Clear" button; Unnamed location names a contain longitude and latitude; "Another tip" option on main menu; Location dialog now only accepts valid names and Delete key fixed; Fixed occasional "invalid arguments" when clicking on "Quick..." views; Avoids crash when given bad command string by some application launchers; Handle default document name being a directory or not a Solun document.
Version 5.0
New document based saved settings system; New improved "Sky view" button; Full colour displays; Background star chart plotting; 3D orrery; Permanent dark background option; Built-in constellation etc labels (separated from user-defined labels); Improved object and label catalogues; Improved search dialogs; Night shading on "Globe view"; Line of ecliptic on "Quick ecliptic view"; Side view of Saturn's rings; Improved chart symbols; Revised, more concise Help file; Improved Revo displays (dialog sizes, title bar); Improved VGA displays (more "automatic" stars, auxiliary window placement); Improved "Update" button behaviour; Improved auxiliary window behaviour; Improved error reporting; Automatic null display when required; Planet phase on information panels; Trigonometry table no longer saved on faster machines; "Close Solun?" removed (for standard cases); Many other ease-of-use improvements (dialog/menu layouts, terminology); Fixed sign of equation of time bug; Colour application icon; Improved SIS packaging (with separate entries for Report module and Help); Use FlLib OPM shared library; Install on drive E:.
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; Plot up to 5000 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 sidebar buttons; Saturn ring display; Improvements for Galilean and globe displays; Visual target for title-bar menu; Improved 'Find' support; EPOC-friendly menu shortcuts; 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 Gallilean 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; Multi-size labels; Full support for Psion Siena.

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.

Disclaimer and copyright

  1. Solun for EPOC is charityware and copyright; it is not public domain. The rights to this package remain the property of the author and the right to withdraw this license at any time is reserved.
  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 publicly distribute this software provided the distribution contains all, and only, the unaltered files of the original distribution. In addition, the 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. This software is supplied "as-is" and carries no warrantee of any kind. This software is for entertainment only.
  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 most 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. 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. The manual can be downloaded in a single ZIP file if you require.
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 EPOC Release 5 machines such as the Series 5mx, Series 7 and Revo. Note: That EPOC Release 6 machines ("Quartz" and "Crystal", e.g. Nokia Comunicator) are not supported by this release (visit Solun web site for ER6 availability).
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 (e.g. the "WINS emulator"), 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. Please follow these instructions carefully.

Upgrading from Solun4

If you have been using Solun 4.x, there are some considerations when you install this release:

If you have been using Solun 4.2 or earlier:
Your existing copy of Solun does not use SIS files. Please 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 a any version between 4.21 and 4.5 inclusive:
Your existing copy of Solun uses SIS files. It is recommended that you use "Add/Remove" on the Control Panel to remove your existing copy before installing this SIS file. Note that your old settings will not be preserved.

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 'Old style shortcut keys' option on the Tools menu.

Contents of this distribution

The distribution ZIP file contains the following files:

Installation

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

  1. Close all applications before installing this software.
  2. Using PsiWin2 or the "Add/Remove" icon on the EPOC Control Panel (if you have it), install the main application, Solun.sis Notes: Please read all messages carefully. You will be asked whether you wish to install the Solun report module and the online User Manual and help (it is recommended that you install both, you can always remove them at a later date to recover up to 240 KB disk space). 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.
  3. Look in the "Extras" draw on the machine for the new "Solun" 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.

Installation problems?

If the install hangs whilst "Checking dependencies"

Sometimes an install using PsiWin seems to freeze during the "Checking dependencies" stage. I'm not quite sure whether this is a problem with particular versions of PsiWin or particular versions of Windows, but it does seem to happen most with Series 7 machines.

If you get this problem then please try copying the unzipped Solun.sis file from your PC to any directory one of the drives on your EPOC device. You should then be able to double-tap the file on the System screen and install it from there. Once Solun has been installed, you can delete Solun.sis from your EPOC device

If you have problems with OPX versions

Solun requires the supplied versions (or later) of some OPX files to provide special functions from the EPOC system. Installing the supplied SIS file 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 missing or 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 SIS file. It is recommended that you install the OPX files on the 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 supplied SIS file on to your machine and attempt to start Solun again.

Note: I recommend keeping a copy of Solun.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.

Removing the Solun application

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.

A Quick Tour

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

Starting Solun
Touch the new "Solun" 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. If you have no tool bar visible, use the "View:Display mode" sub-menu. The first time you display a star chart, Solun calculates a trigonometry table, which can take a while. If this takes more that a couple of seconds, you are given the option to save the table to disk for next time (as C:\System\Apps\Solun\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 "Chart:Detail and colour..." to display the Chart detail and colour dialog. Select '<4' into the number of stars field and set all other fields to 'Black' (or 'White' if your display currently has a dark background). Now, press the "Lines" button to choose which lines to plot. Set all the lines to 'Grey' and press Enter twice (once to return to the main details dialog, and a second time to complete). From the menu, again, choose "Chart:Sky view direction..." (or press the "Sky" toolbar button) to display the sky view control. Tap the "W" (west) direction, or press the "W" key. Solun will begin to redraw the chart with your new settings.
The day/night world map
To display the day/night map, press the 2 (number two) key, or select the "World map" option from the "View:Display mode" 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 mode" 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, select the "View:Auxiliary display:Planets key" menu item.
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 display" to enter the Report dialog. 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, many more features, as you'll find if you explore the application menus. For more information select the 'Help' item from the main 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.

Solun is distributed in association with FreEPOC.

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, February 2001
dave@piecafe.demon.co.uk