7
2. assembly
Now that you have unpacked the boxes and familiarized your-
self with all the parts, it is time to begin assembly.
initial assembly of the Goto Dobsonian Base
The GoTo bases of the SkyQuest XXg Dobs are shipped par-
tially assembled for your convenience. All the motors, optical
encoders, and gears are pre-installed at the factory. The two
round groundplates are preassembled and should not be
taken apart.
When fully assembled, the SkyQuest XXg GoTo Truss Tube
Dobsonians are big telescopes. But we designed them to
break down into easily manageable components, none of
which is too big or too heavy for a reasonably fit individual
to lift and carry (but for the XX16g a helper would be great!).
In fact, both the base and the optical tube can be quickly
disassembled into smaller components for transport and/
or storage, then reassembled – all without tools! We’ll get
to the tube later, but for the base you’ll see that it has four
main components: the groundplate assembly (top and bottom
groundplates and installed azimuth motor housing), the left
side panel with installed altitude motor housing, the right side
panel, and the front panel.
For the initial assembly of the base, you will need a Philips
screwdriver.
1. To install the feet (XX12g only; feet are pre-installed at
the factory on the XX14g and XX16g), turn the ground-
plate assembly upside-down and gently rest it on the azi-
muth motor housing on a clean, flat surface. Carpet is
good, or you may want to place a cloth under the azimuth
motor housing to avoid scratching it. Locate the three
starter holes on the perimeter of the bottom ground-
plate (
Figure 6a). Insert the screws through the feet and
thread them into the predrilled starter holes (
Figure 6b)
with a Phillips screwdriver until tight.
2. Connect the side braces to the side panels using three
base assembly screws for each panel (
Figure 7). The
brace should be attached to the outside surface of the
side panel – the outside of the left side panel has the
altitude motor housing attached. The screws go through
the holes in the side panels and thread into the starter
holes in the side braces. Use the included 4mm hex key
to firmly tighten the screws, but be careful not to strip the
holes by over-tightening!
3. Now you will install the captive connecting bolts, each of
which is already fitted with a black hand knob. There are
12 connecting bolts altogether; refer to
Figure 8 for loca-
tions. Start with the front panel, which has through holes
for six connecting bolts.
First, slide a spacer onto a collecting bolt. Then insert
the connecting bolt into the through hole, in the direction
indicated in
Figure 8. Holding the knob with one hand,
use your other hand to press a rubber washer over the
threaded (protruding) end of the bolt. It will be a tight fit;
you may have to work the washer a bit to get it on. Push
the washer up on the bolt as far as you can with your
Figure 7.
Attach a side brace to the outside of each side panel
using three base assembly wood screws and the 4mm hex key.
Figure 6. a)
Starter holes for feet on bottom baseplate.
b)
Attaching the base feet.
a.
Side
brace
Side
panel
Figure 8.
Locations for connecting bolts in the front and side panels
(one side panel not shown). Connecting bolts should be inserted in
the predrilled holes in the direction indicated by the arrows.
b.
