Meade LX90GPS Instruction Manual Download

Page: 1 / 60

Instruction Manual

8", 10", 12" LX90

GPS

Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes

AutoStar

— GPS— SmartFinder

™

Summary of Contents for LX90GPS

Page 1: ...Instruction Manual 8 10 12 LX90GPS Schmidt Cassegrain Telescopes AutoStar GPS SmartFinder...

Page 2: ...versible damage to your eye Eye damage is often painless so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late Do not point the telescope at or near the Sun Do not look...

Page 3: ...uided Tour 34 Landmarks 37 Identify 38 Alternate Alt Az Alignments 38 Browse 40 Photography with the LX90 41 Optional Accessories 43 Maintenance 45 Collimation 45 Inspecting the Optics 47 Gauging the...

Page 4: ...move the small plastic bag that is stapled to the threaded rod This bag contains the C clip retainer and an extra clip 2 Thread in two lock knobs on each leg six total near the foot of each tripod leg...

Page 5: ...oStar 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 h...

Page 6: ...cus Knob 9 R A Lock 10 R A Setting Circle 11 Dec Setting Circle Dec Pointer 12 GPS Receiver 13 Computer Control Panel 14 AutoStar handbox 15 Dust Cover not visible 16 Battery Compartment 17 SmartFinde...

Page 7: ...e tube could cause the tube to swing through the fork arms suddenly Fork Arms Hold the optical tube in place Focus Knob Moves the telescope s primary mirror in a finely controlled motion to achieve pr...

Page 8: ...d of view To assemble see the SmartFinder addendum sheet that is included with the manual SmartFinder Alignment Screws Adjust these screws to align the SmartFinder See pages 14 and 15 for more informa...

Page 9: ...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...

Page 10: ...th the APM Date Site coordinates Battery status SmartFinder Finder Set menu see below Press MODE again to return to the previous menu Finder Set menu Select the Finder Set menu to access options that...

Page 11: ...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 N...

Page 12: ...ripod from its shipping carton stand the tripod vertically with the tripod feet down and with the tripod still fully collapsed see Fig 3 Grasp two of the tri pod legs and with the full weight of the t...

Page 13: ...e 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 diagra...

Page 14: ...st astronomical telescopes an eyepiece presents a narrow field of view to the observer As a result it is sometimes difficult to locate objects just using your eyepiece The SmartFinder has a projected...

Page 15: ...Location Aligning the Viewfinder Like the SmartFinder the viewfinder helps you locate objects and must also be aligned to the main telescope To align the viewfinder perform steps 1 through 5 during th...

Page 16: ...eyepieces like the Super Pl ssl 26mm eyepiece magnify these heat waves less than higher power eyepieces Therefore lower power eyepieces provide a steadier higher quality image If the image is fuzzy o...

Page 17: ...r 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 Be...

Page 18: ...Dec locks 9 and 6 Fig 1 2 Verify that AutoStar is properly connected to your telescope See HOW TO ASSEMBLEYOUR TELESCOPE page 13 3 Flip the telescope power switch to the ON position When you slide the...

Page 19: ...n the procedure is performed correctly Alignment Successful displays If AutoStar does not display this message perform this procedure again NOTE The alignment stars may change from night to night All...

Page 20: ...or whatever other object you may have chosen i e Saturn remains centered in the eyepiece After you Go To Saturn practice the Go To feature with other objects in the Object menu lists For example duri...

Page 21: ...gravitational measurements to make a precise determination of true level Finding True North Locating True North is one of the most important ingredients in the alignment of a telescope True North is t...

Page 22: ...option is chosen IMPORTANT NOTE No matter how many levels into AutoStar are traveled each press of the MODE key moves up a level until the top level Select Item is reached Once in the Select Item leve...

Page 23: ...desired information has been entered Navigating AutoStar AutoStar s menus are organized for quick and easy navigation Press ENTER to go deeper into AutoStar s menu levels Press MODE 3 Fig 2 to move b...

Page 24: ...nox Winter Solstice Summer Solstice Tour Objects A Accretion Disk Etc B C D E F G H I J K L M N O 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...

Page 25: ...l through the list Press ENTER to select a Landmark then press GO TO and the telescope slews to the object Add To add a Landmark choose the Add option Enter a name for the Landmark Locate and center t...

Page 26: ...the fall or spring equinox of the current year Winter and Summer Solstice calculates the time and date of the winter or summer solstice of the current year Glossary Menu The Glossary menu provides an...

Page 27: ...ar 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...

Page 28: ...e may be set to 24 hour mode military time by selecting the blank option which follows the AM and PM options Daylight Saving is used to enable or disable Daylight Savings time NOTE Daylight Savings Ti...

Page 29: ...Motor If the telescope motors appear to have a problem use 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...

Page 30: ...uring cloning see below During the operation the warning Downloading Do Not Turn Off appears NOTE The Download function requires the optional 505 Astrofinder Software and Cable Connector Kit See the i...

Page 31: ...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...

Page 32: ...to observe Check out your local library computer store or book store for astronomy books CD Roms or magazines such as Sky Telescope or Astronomy to find coordinates of celestial objects The objects co...

Page 33: ...e 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 Aut...

Page 34: ...rogram that is not displayed such as authorship revision history copyrights etc All comments begin with a character in column 1 of the line For example Extreme Objects c 2000 Meade Instruments Corpora...

Page 35: ...r 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...

Page 36: ...CONSTELLATION Leo Major STAR name Enter STAR followed by the name of the desired star in quotes For example STAR Vega LANDMARK az alt title description Enter the azimuth az for the desired object in t...

Page 37: ...ill 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 alig...

Page 38: ...t of memory that is still available to the user Identify This procedure allows you to use AutoStar to identify objects you have found in the night sky using the Arrow keys If the object is not in Auto...

Page 39: ...formed correctly Alignment Successful displays If AutoStar does not display this message perform this procedure again Keep pressing MODE until Align Easy displays and repeat the procedure Two Star Alt...

Page 40: ...arch for objects up to this size and no larger Press ENTER 5 Edit Parameters Largest mins displays again Press the Scroll Down key Edit Parameters Smallest mins displays Enter the value for the smalle...

Page 41: ...telescope s focus knob 8 Fig 1 to achieve the sharpest pos sible focus Note that some 35mm cameras may have an optional focusing screen avail able from the manufacturer for use with a long telephoto l...

Page 42: ...p your camera s memory more quickly it produces the best quality photos Use the camera s timer or remote shutter release if available for your camera to minimize vibration Wireless shutter releases ma...

Page 43: ...ed 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 t...

Page 44: ...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 ma...

Page 45: ...llow 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...

Page 46: ...ce field of view 2 Fig 25 in the same direction as the darker shadow is offset in the ring of light d Turn the set screw that you found with the pointing exercise while looking in the eyepiece You wil...

Page 47: ...the Targets option of the setup menu Meade Consumer Solutions Service If you have a question concerning your LX90 telescope call the Meade Instruments Customer Solutions Department at 800 626 3233 Co...

Page 48: ...l to 6 5 sec in 9 increments Tripod Variable height field tripod Accessories 1 25 diagonal prism Super Pl ssl 26mm eyepiece 16 channel GPS receiver True level electronic sensor 10 LX90 Specifications...

Page 49: ...lity Light Yes RS 232 Yes Coil Cord 24 Database 30 223 objects AutoStar Dimensions Length 6 56 16 6cm Width LCD end 3 19 80cm Width Connector end 2 25 57cm Depth 0 81 21cm AutoStar net weight 1 12 lbs...

Page 50: ...re The North Star Polaris is located very near the North Celestial Pole 1 Fig 28 The celestial equator 2 Fig 28 is a projection of the Earth s equator onto the celestial sphere So just as an object s...

Page 51: ...o 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 fro...

Page 52: ...uatorial Wedge The equatorial wedge permits use in an astronomical or equatorial mode The wedge fits onto the field tripod NOTE The Meade equatorial wedge is designed solely for use in conjunction wit...

Page 53: ...h 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 w...

Page 54: ...e celestial equa tor 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 If the star drifts North or up the t...

Page 55: ...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 In...

Page 56: ...This manual gives only the briefest introduction to astronomy If you are interested in pursuing further studies in astronomy a few topics are suggested below that are worth reading up on some of the t...

Page 57: ...efinitions and descriptions of common astronomical terms Access directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in AutoStar See GLOSSARY MENU page 26 for more information Object...

Page 58: ...first person to observe Saturn through a telescope did not understand that what he was seeing were rings Instead he believed that Saturn had ears Saturn s rings are composed of billions of ice partic...

Page 59: ...Meade LX90 Schmidt Cassegrain includes an oversize primary mirror of an 8 25 diameter yielding a fully illuminat ed field of view significantly wider than is possible with a standard size primary mir...

Page 60: ...eturn of any product or part a Return Goods Authorization RGA number must be obtained from Meade by writing or calling 800 626 3233 Each returned part or product must include a written statement detai...

Search results

Summary of Contents for LX90GPS

Reviews:

Related manuals for LX90GPS

Brands by name

Popular brands

Meade LX90GPS, Instruction Manual

Search results

Summary of Contents for LX90GPS

Reviews:

Related manuals for LX90GPS

Brands by name

Popular brands