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Instruction Manual

8" LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope 

AutoStar

®

— LNT

™

— SmartFinder

™

Summary of Contents for LX-90

Page 1: ...Instruction Manual 8 LX90 Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope AutoStar LNT SmartFinder ...

Page 2: ...e Meade 8 LX90 Schmidt Cassegrain includes an oversize primary mirror of an 8 25 diameter yielding a fully illumi nated field of view significantly wider than is possible with a standard size primary mirror Note that light ray 2 in the fig ure would be lost entirely except for the oversize primary It is this phenomenon which results in Meade Schmidt Cassegrains having off axis field illuminations ...

Page 3: ...ce 44 Specifications 45 Appendix A Equatorial Polar Alignment 46 Appendix B Helpful Charts 52 Appendix C Training the Drive 53 Appendix D Changing the LNT Module s Battery 54 Appendix E Basic Astronomy 55 CONTENTS WARNING Never use a Meade LX90 Telescope to look at the Sun Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye Eye damage is often painless so there is no ...

Page 4: ...lip retainer and an extra clip 1 2 2 Thread in two lock knobs on each leg six total near the foot of each tripod leg Use the lock knobs to vary the height of the inner extendible tripod leg sections Tighten the locks to a firm feel only do not overtighten 3 C Clip Threaded Rod 4 Remove the spreader bar see above figure from the shipping carton Slide the spreader bar onto the threaded rod and posit...

Page 5: ...power switch to OFF if necessary Remove the AutoStar handbox and the AutoStar interface cable from the packing materials Plug one end into the HBX port of the computer control panel and plug the other end into the Coil Cable port on the AutoStar handbox c 00 Meade 2 0 A U T O S T A R 8 8 Flip the Power Switch on the computer control panel to the ON position The copyright message lights on AutoStar...

Page 6: ... Arms 8 Focus Knob 9 R A Lock 10 R A Setting Circle 11 Dec Setting Circle Dec Pointer 12 LNT Module 13 Computer Control Panel 14 AutoStar handbox 15 Dust Cover not visible 16 Battery Compartment 17 SmartFinder 18 SmartFinder Alignment Screws 19 Handbox Holder 20 Viewfinder 21 Viewfinder Alignment Screws A Handbox Port B LED C ON OFF Switch D Auxiliary Ports 2 E 12v Power Connector Side View Rear V...

Page 7: ...tube could cause the tube to swing through the fork arms suddenly G Fork Arms Hold the optical tube in place H Focus Knob Moves the telescope s primary mirror in a finely controlled motion to achieve precise image focus The LX90 telescope can be focused on objects from a distance of about 25 ft to infinity Rotate the focus knob counterclockwise to focus on distant objects and clockwise to focus on...

Page 8: ... Screws Adjust these screws to align the SmartFinder See pages 14 and 15 for more information S Handbox Holder refer to Figs A and B below Holds the AutoStar handbox in a convenient position on the telescope fork arm handles T Viewfinder A low power wide field sighting scope with crosshairs that enable easy cen tering of objects in the telescope eyepiece 2 Viewfinder Alignment Screws Use these scr...

Page 9: ... the best celestial objects to view on any given night of the year Download the latest satellite data and software revisions directly from the Meade website www meade com and share software with other AutoStar enthusiasts Control your LX90 with your PC using an RS 232 interface Access a glossary of astronomical terms Calculate which eyepiece to use for optimum viewing of a celestial object Mount t...

Page 10: ...u see below Press MODE again to return to the previous menu Finder Set menu Select the Finder Set menu to access options that will allow you to set the intensity and blink rate of the SmartFinder red dot To set the blink rate of SmartFinder s red dot circled numbers refer to Fig 2 1 Press and hold MODE c for two seconds R A and Dec coordinates display 2 Keep pressing the Scroll Down key h until Fi...

Page 11: ...f the screen Options within the menu are displayed one at a time on the second line Press the Scroll keys to move through the options Press and hold a Scroll key to move quickly through the options The Scroll keys also scroll through the letters of the alphabet and numerical digits NOTE The Scroll Down key and the Down Arrow key move forward through the alphabet digits A to Z 0 to 9 The Scroll Up ...

Page 12: ...with the tripod still fully collapsed see Fig 3 Grasp two of the tri pod legs and with the full weight of the tripod on the third leg gently pull the legs apart to a fully open position 2 Thread in the 6 lock knobs 2 on each tripod leg near the foot of each tripod leg Fig 3 These lock knobs are used to fix the height of the inner extendible tripod leg sections NOTE Tightening to a firm feel is suf...

Page 13: ... tube to the position depicted in Fig 1 top image and relock the Dec lock 2 Remove the battery compartment covers 16 Fig 1 and carefully remove the battery holder being mindful of the connector wires Insert four C cell batteries into each battery holder oriented as shown on the diagram on the battery slots inside the battery holder Return the battery holders to their respective compartments and re...

Page 14: ...e observer As a result it is sometimes difficult to locate objects just using your eyepiece The SmartFinder has a projected red dot that helps you to locate objects as you move your telescope See page 10 for more information about the SmartFinder s Finder Set menu To turn on SmartFinder s red dot continuous without blinking 1 Press and hold AutoStar s MODE key for two seconds R A and Dec coordinat...

Page 15: ...ate objects and must also be aligned to the main telescope To align the viewfinder perform steps 1 through 5 during the daytime perform step 6 at night 1 Slide the track on the bottom of the viewfinder into the slot in the viewfinder mounting assembly See Fig 7a To secure the viewfinder to the mounting assembly tighten the two thumbscrews Fig 7a to a firm feel only 2 If you have not already done s...

Page 16: ...higher power eyepieces Therefore lower power eyepieces provide a steadier higher quality image If the image is fuzzy or ill defined reduce to a lower power eyepiece where the heat waves do not have such an effect on image quality Observing in early morning hours before the ground has built up internal heat produces better viewing conditions than during late afternoon hours Observing Using AutoStar...

Page 17: ...min sec or 0 033 sec Number Key 4 16x 16 x sidereal 4 arc min sec or 0 067 sec Number Key 5 64x 64 x sidereal 16 arc min sec or 0 27 sec Number Key 6 128x 32 arc min sec or 0 5 sec Number Key 7 1 5 90 arc min sec or 1 5 sec Number Key 8 3 180 arc min sec or 3 sec Number Key 9 Max 390 arc min sec or 6 5 sec Speeds 1 2 or 3 Best used for fine centering of an object in the field of view of a higher p...

Page 18: ... are also used to move the telescope Initializing AutoStar for the First Time This section describes how to initialize AutoStar Perform this procedure the first time you use AutoStar or after performing a Reset see RESET page 29 AutoStar will ask you to choose your observing location or zip code and your telescope s model number from the list it displays You will be prompted to enter this informat...

Page 19: ...el position and the tilt of your telescope and also determines North note that the telescope may not be pointing North while it does so After determining North AutoStar picks two stars from its database AutoStar moves the telescope to the first alignment star and the user is asked to center the star in the eyepiece The process is then repeated with a second star to complete the alignment The follo...

Page 20: ...Saturn and a set of coordinates displays Note that Saturn s and other planets coordinates change throughout the year 5 Press GO TO Saturn Slewing displays and the telescope slews until it finds Saturn You may need to use the Arrow keys to center Saturn precisely in the eyepiece AutoStar then automatically moves the telescope so that it tracks Saturn or whatever other object you may have chosen i e...

Page 21: ...Item is reached Once in the Select Item level press MODE to return to the topmost level Select Item Object AutoStar Navigation Exercise To demonstrate how the AutoStar menu structure works the following exercise calculates Sunset time so an evening observing session can be planned NOTE To perform an accurate calculation AutoStar must be properly initialized See INITIALIZING AUTOSTAR page 18 before...

Page 22: ...ized for quick and easy navigation J Press ENTER to go deeper into AutoStar s menu levels J Press MODE 3 Fig 2 to move back toward the top menu level J Press the Scroll keys to move up and down through the options or lists J Press the Arrow keys to move the cursor across the display J Press the Help key to access on line help TIP When multiple choices are available within a menu option the option ...

Page 23: ...P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Timer Set Start Stop Alarm Set On Off Eyepiece Calc Field of View Magnification Suggest Display Options Sun Warning Getting Started Brightness Adj Contrast Adj Beep Battery Alarm Landmark Survey Sleep Scope Park Scope Cord Wrap Align Easy One Star Two Star Date Time Daylight Saving Telescope Telescope Model Focal Length Az RA Ratio Alt Dec Ratio Mount Az RA Percent Alt Dec Pe...

Page 24: ...ct To select a Landmark already in the database see Add below choose the Select option and scroll through the list Press ENTER to select a Landmark then press GO TO and the telescope slews to the object J Add To add a Landmark choose the Add option Enter a name for the Landmark Locate and center the Landmark in the eyepiece then press ENTER Identify is an exciting feature for an observer who wants...

Page 25: ... the time and date of the winter or summer solstice of the current year Glossary Menu The Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions for common astronomical terms and AutoStar functions Access directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in AutoStar A hypertext word is any word in brackets usually found when using the AutoStar Help func...

Page 26: ...first object on the list See LANDMARKS page 36 Sleep Scope is a power saving option that shuts down AutoStar and the telescope without for getting its alignment With Sleep Scope selected press ENTER to activate the Sleep function AutoStar goes dark but the internal clock keeps running Press any key except ENTER to re activate AutoStar and the telescope LX90 TIPS Observing Considerations Try to pic...

Page 27: ...telescope J Az Ratio and Alt Ratio The Az Azimuth ratio and Alt Altitude ratio refers to the gears of the telescope s motors Do not alter these numbers J Az Percent The Az Azimuth Percent allows you to change the azimuth backlash i e the way the Arrow keys move the telescope along the azimuth horizontal axis If you enter a value near 100 the telescope tube responds more quickly it responds immedia...

Page 28: ...e this option to retest the motors before performing a Reset This option is also used if an AutoStar unit is moved between telescopes to match AutoStar to the new telescope To calibrate the motors select this option and press ENTER J Smart Drive Allows you to perform periodic error correction PEC on the R A worm gear and can only be used with polar mounted telescopes Must be performed with a high ...

Page 29: ...ad Also see OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES page 41 Clone uploads information from one AutoStar handbox to another Three options are available J Catalogs Sends only user defined object information such as new satellite orbits or comet data to another AutoStar handbox J Software Sends only the basic AutoStar software This is useful if one user has downloaded a new version of AutoStar software from the Meade w...

Page 30: ...d longitude of your location to perform this procedure This information is available on most maps 1 Using the Add option choose a site on the list that is closest to your observing site and press ENTER so that the site is added to your observing sites list Choosing a site already on the list as opposed to using the Custom feature makes it easier to edit as the Time Zone value may not need to be ch...

Page 31: ...ronomy to find coordinates of celestial objects The objects coordinates you enter become part of your own permanent database called User Objects To enter coordinates of an object into the User Objects option of the Object menu 1 Make sure AutoStar has been initialized and the telescope has been aligned 2 After the telescope is aligned Select Item Object displays If necessary use the Scroll keys to...

Page 32: ...on the top line of the display 8 Press GO TO AutoStar slews the telescope to where the satellite should appear The motor drive stops and a countdown is displayed NOTE If the scheduled appearance position of the satellite is obstructed i e by a building tree or hill press ENTER and AutoStar starts to move the telescope along the expected satellite track When the track clears the obstruction press E...

Page 33: ...l comments begin with a character in column 1 of the line For example Extreme Objects c 2000 Meade Instruments Corporation Command Line This line contains programming commands including RA and DEC coordinates a title string a description string and a keyword RA Enter the Right Ascension of an object in the following format HH MM SS Eg 18 51 05 Dec Enter the Declination of an object in the followin...

Page 34: ... command lines these commands access objects with existing description in the AutoStar database NGC xxxx Enter NGC followed by the desired New General Catalog number and AutoStar provides the user with a description of the object from its database For example NGC 4256 IC xxxx Enter IC followed by the desired Index Catalog number and AutoStar provides the user with a description of the object from ...

Page 35: ...ar in quotes For example STAR Vega LANDMARK az alt title description Enter the azimuth az for the desired object in the following format xxxdxxmxxs For example 123d27m00s Then enter the altitude of the desired object in the following format xxdxxmxxs Then enter the title string and description string in quotes For example LANDMARK 123d27m00s 57d20m20s Landmark 1 North corner of apartment building ...

Page 36: ...ption in the Utilities menu To Add a landmark to the database In this procedure you will store the location of terrestrial landmarks in AutoStar s memory 1 Set the telescope in the home position if necessary Note for future reference where the telescope is located and if you have aligned the telescope which alignment method is used IMPORTANT NOTE To use the Landmark function the telescope must be ...

Page 37: ...ight sky using the Arrow keys If the object is not in AutoStar s database AutoStar displays information about an object in its database that is closest to the one you queried about IMPORTANT NOTE For this function to operate properly you must initialize AutoStar see page 18 Set the home position if you are using One Star Two Star or Easy Alignment see page 38 If you physically move the telescope a...

Page 38: ...North the telescope is pointed when setting the Home Position Fig 13 Because the other methods use two stars to align upon they are more precise than One Star Alignment Browse This menu allows you to search the database for objects with certain parameters much like a search engine Edit Parameters lets you set various parameters for the search and Start Search activates the search A typical search ...

Page 39: ...rving the subject through the camera s reflex viewfinder turn the telescope s focus knob 8 Fig 1 to achieve the sharpest possi ble focus Note that some 35mm cameras may have an optional focusing screen available from the manufacturer for use with a long telephoto lens This screen provides a brighter and clearer image to focus and is highly recommended 4 Correct shutter speeds vary widely depending...

Page 40: ...amera s timer or remote shutter release if available for your camera to minimize vibration Wireless shutter releases may be available for some model digital cameras If you do not have a shutter release use the camera s timer sometimes called self timer which is available with most digital cameras The timer may also help minimize vibration Photography with Meade s AutoStar Suite The AutoStar Suite ...

Page 41: ... panel The APM includes auxiliary connectors for plug in of such accessories as corded models of illuminated reticle eyepieces the 1206 Electric Focuser or a CCD autoguider 505 AstroFinder Software and Cable Connector Kit With Meade AstroFinder loaded into your PC AutoStar equipped telescopes such as the LX90 may be remotely controlled from the PC display The 505 Connector Cable Set permitting con...

Page 42: ...s page with actuation from the hand controller Piggyback Brackets Piggyback photography is one of the most popular and easiest ways to get started in astrophotography Attach your 35mm camera with its own 35mm to 250mm lens atop your LX90 in equatorial mode and guiding the camera through the main telescope wide field photos of the Milky Way of remarkable detail and clarity can be taken Dew Shield I...

Page 43: ...cope is packed away Do not however wipe any of the optical surfaces Rather simply allow the telescope to sit for some time in the warm indoor air so that the wet optical surfaces can dry unattended f If the LX90 is not to be used for an extended period perhaps for one month or more it is advisable to remove the batteries from the telescope Batteries left in the telescope for prolonged periods may ...

Page 44: ...the ring of light d Turn the set screw that you found with the pointing exercise while looking in the eyepiece You will notice that the star image will move across the field If while turning the defocused star image flies out of the eyepiece field then you are turning the screw the wrong way Turn the opposite direction and bring the image back to the center of the field e If the screw you are turn...

Page 45: ...that the power switch on the control panel is on Also check if Astronomical is selected in the Targets option of the setup menu Meade Customer Service If you have a question concerning your LX90 telescope call the Meade Instruments Customer Service Department at 949 451 1450 Customer Service hours are 7 00 AM to 6 00 PM Pacific Time Monday through Friday In the unlikely event that the LX90 require...

Page 46: ...gears both axes Alignment Altazimuth or equatorial w optional wedge 5 arc minutes in GO TO mode 1x sidereal to 6 5 sec in 9 increments Tripod Variable height field tripod Accessories 1 25 diagonal prism Super Plössl 26mm eyepiece Net telescope weight 31 lbs Net tripod weight 20 lbs AutoStar Specifications Processor 68HC11 8MHz Flash Memory 1MB reloadable Keypad 20 key alphanumeric Display 2 line 1...

Page 47: ...e celestial equator 2 Fig 28 is a projection of the Earth s equator onto the celestial sphere So just as an object s position on the Earth s surface can be located by its latitude and longi tude celestial objects may also be located using Right Ascension and Declination For example you could locate Los Angeles California by its latitude 34 and longitude 118 Similarly you could locate the Ring Nebu...

Page 48: ... at Polaris and center it in the telescope eyepiece Two Star Polar Alignment Polar Two Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the night sky AutoStar provides a database of bright stars and two stars from this database are chosen by the observer for align ment First choose Polar from the Setup Telescope Mount menu The rest of the procedure is almost identical to the Alt Az TWO STAR ALT AZ ALIGNM...

Page 49: ...ts onto the field tripod NOTE The Meade equatorial wedge is designed solely for use in conjunction with the Meade field tripod The wedge should never be used without the field tripod e g by placing the wedge alone on a table top and then mounting the telescope on the wedge the wedge may become seriously imbalanced to the point where the telescope may actually tip over Included features Attachment ...

Page 50: ...riginal observing position Approximately 70 miles movement in North South observing position is equivalent to 1 in latitude change The wedge may be detached from the field tripod and as long as the latitude angle setting is not altered and the field tripod is leveled it will retain the correct latitude setting when replaced on the tripod The first time you polar align the telescope check the calib...

Page 51: ...n drift has ceased 5 Next point the telescope at another moderately bright star near the Eastern horizon but still near the celestial equator For best results the star should be about 20 or 30 above the Eastern horizon and within 5 of the celestial equator 6 Again note the extent of the star s drift in Declination a If the star drifts South or down the telescope s polar axis is pointing too low b ...

Page 52: ...ulo Brazil 23 S Buenos Aires Argentina 35 S Montevideo Uruguay 35 S Santiago Chile 34 S Caracas Venezuela 10 N ASIA City Country Latitude Beijing China 40 N Hong Kong China 23 N Seoul South Korea 37 N Taipei Taiwan 25 N Tokyo Japan 36 N Sapporo Japan 43 N Bombay India 19 N Calcutta India 22 N Hanoi Vietnam 21 N Jedda Saudi Arabia 21 N AFRICA City Country Latitude Cairo Egypt 30 N Cape Town South A...

Page 53: ... in pursuing further studies in astronomy a few topics are suggested below that are worth reading up on some of the topics are easy and some are quite challenging Try look ing up some of these in the AutoStar glossary Also included below is a small sampling of books magazines and organizations that you might find helpful Topics 1 How is a star born How does a solar system form 2 How is the distanc...

Page 54: ...isassemble the rest of the unit 4 Remove the old battery Note the spring 5 Insert the new user supplied battery Take care to orient the battery so that the side with the battery markings is facing the top 6 Replace the top spring in place and the LNT Module cover 7 Replace the top bolt and tighten the cap to a firm feel 8 Hold the side spring in place with your fingers and slide the spring between...

Page 55: ...f AutoStar s Glossary feature The Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions of common astronomical terms Access directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in AutoStar See GLOSSARY MENU page 25 for more information Objects in Space Listed below are some of the many astronomical objects that can be seen with the LX90 The Moon The Moon ...

Page 56: ...e was seeing were rings Instead he believed that Saturn had ears Saturn s rings are composed of billions of ice particles ranging in size from a speck of dust to the size of a house The major division in Saturn s rings called the Cassini Division is occasionally visible through the LX90 Titan the largest of Saturn s 18 moons can also be seen as a bright star like object near the planet Deep Sky Ob...

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Page 60: ...product or part a Return Goods Authorization RGA number must be obtained from Meade by writing or calling 949 451 1450 Each returned part or product must include a written statement detailing the nature of the claimed defect as well as the owner s name address and phone number This warranty is not valid in cases where the product has been abused or mishandled where unauthorized repairs have been a...

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