4
3. Assembly
Assembling the telescope for the first time should take about
30 minutes. No tools are needed other than the ones provid-
ed. All bolts should be tightened securely to eliminate flexing
and wobbling, but be careful not to over-tighten or the threads
may strip. Refer to Figure 1 during the assembly process.
During assembly (and anytime, for that matter), DO NOT
touch the surface of the telescope’s meniscus lens or the
lenses of the finder scopes or eyepieces with your fingers.
The optical surfaces have delicate coatings on them that can
easily be damaged if touched inappropriately. NEVER remove
any lens assembly from its housing for any reason, or the
product warranty and return policy will be voided.
1. Lay the equatorial mount on its side. Attach the tripod legs
one at a time to the mount by sliding the bolts installed in
the tops of the tripod legs into the slots at the base of the
mount and tightening the wing nuts finger-tight. The
accessory tray bracket attachment point on each leg
should face inward.
2. Tighten the leg lock knobs on the bottom braces of the tri-
pod legs. For now, keep the legs at their shortest (fully
retracted) length; you can extend them to a more desirable
length later, after the telescope is completely assembled.
3. With the tripod legs now attached to the equatorial mount,
stand the tripod upright (be careful!) and spread the legs
wide enough to connect each end of the accessory tray
bracket to the attachment point on each leg. Use the
screw that comes installed in each attachment point to do
this. First remove the screw using the supplied screwdriv-
er, then line up one of the ends of the bracket with the
attachment point and reinstall the screw. Make sure that
the accessory tray bracket is oriented so that the ribs in its
plastic molding face downward.
4. With the accessory tray bracket attached, spread the tri-
pod legs apart as far as they will go, until the bracket is
taut. Attach the accessory tray to the accessory tray
bracket with the three wing screws already installed in the
tray. Do this by pushing the wing screws up through the
holes in the accessory tray bracket, and threading them
into the holes in the accessory tray.
5. Tighten the bolts at the tops of the tripod legs, so the legs
are securely fastened to the equatorial mount. Use the
larger wrench and your fingers to do this.
6. Orient the equatorial mount as it appears in Figure 2, at a
latitude of about 40°, so the pointer next to the latitude
scale (located directly above the latitude lock t-bolt) is
pointing to the mark at “40.” To do this, loosen the latitude
lock t-bolt, and turn the latitude adjustment t-bolt until the
pointer and the “40” line up. Then retighten the latitude
lock t-bolt. The declination (Dec.) and right ascension
(R.A.) axes may need re-positioning (rotation) as well. Be
D
E
C
L
IN
A
T
IO
N
A
X
IS
Latitude scale
Latitude adjustment t-bolt
Latitude lock t-bolt
Azimuth lock knob
Dec. slow-motion control cable
Dec. setting circle
R.A. setting circle
lock thumbscrew
R.A. setting circle
R.A. slow- motion control cable
RIG
H
T A
SC
EN
SIO
N
A
XIS
Figure 2a.
The equatorial mount.
(“Front” view.)
Figure 2b.
“Rear” view.
Dec. lock knob
R.A. lock knob
Summary of Contents for StarMax 102mm EQ
Page 15: ...15...
