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PlaneWave L-350, Mechanical Installation Manual

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PlaneWave L-350 Mechanical Installation Manual Download Page 9

9

Removing the fork-arm:

To  simplify  packaging,  your  mount  has  been 

shipped with the drive-base and fork attached. 

While it is possible to lift the system in this as

-

sembled state with a fork-lift, crane or multi

-

ple people, we highly recommend that the two 

assemblies are separated if only one person is 

lifting..

1)  Begin  by  detaching  the  cables  within  the 

main cavity of the fork arm. These will include 

all of the cables plugged into the main elec

-

tronics panel (USB, encoder signal cable, and 

base-motor  power),  shown  in  the  top-right 

photograph. 

2)  The  power  cable  should  also  be  detached 

from the power input panel, shown in the mid

-

dle-right photograph.

3) The cables that have been detached should 

now  be  carefully  fed  into  the  base-motor’s 

passthrough, so that the will not be caught or 

pulled when the fork-arm is removed from the 

base-motor.

Summary of Contents for L-350

Page 1: ...L 350 MECHANICAL INSTALLATION GUIDE ...

Page 2: ...MOUNTING DRIVE BASE TO PIER 18 INSTALLING EQ WEDGE 19 ATTACHING DRIVE BASE TO EQ WEDGE 20 INSTALLING FORK ARM 21 MOUNTING THE SADDLE 22 PREPARING THE OTA 23 PREPARING SADDLE FOR OTA 24 POSITIONING THE OTA 25 SECURING THE OTA 26 INSTALLING OPTIONAL 2ND SADDLE 27 BALANCING ALTITUDE DEC 28 BALANCING AZIMUTH RA 29 POWER COM CABLING FOR THE MOUNT 30 CABLE ROUTING FOR ACCESSORIES INSTRUMENTS 31 ...

Page 3: ...3 SYSTEM DIAGRAMS 1 SIDE VIEW OUTSIDE OF FORK ARM ...

Page 4: ...4 L 350 MECHANICAL INSTALLATION GUIDE SYSTEM DIAGRAMS 2 SIDE VIEW INSIDE OF FORK ARM ...

Page 5: ...5 SYSTEM DIAGRAMS 3 REAR AND OVERHEAD VIEWS ...

Page 6: ... are more than capable of de tecting miniscule deviations from the proper tracking rate 3 Lower hysteresis Mechanical hysteresis the difference between where something was when measured and where it is now is greatly reduced in a system that does not use gears Remember all of that advice about how to properly balance by being out of balance to keep gears engaged None of that applies to direct driv...

Page 7: ...the related marks on the drive base section of the mount due the 350 degree motion these marks only line up at the correct position The Altitude DEC axis has a fixed limit at the zenith Alt Az or pole EQ The lower limit is located 45 degrees below the horizon when in Alt Az configuration and 45 degrees below the celestial equator when in mounted on an equatorial wedge ...

Page 8: ...ble of being lifted while fully assembled refer to lifting points section of this manual below Proceed to the Remove the Drive Base seg ment of this section below and uncouple the mount from the crate The mount will then be ready for lifting Required tools supplies Drill driver for removal of crate s wood screws SAE Hex Key Set Opening the crate Begin by finding the front panel of the crate which ...

Page 9: ... by detaching the cables within the main cavity of the fork arm These will include all of the cables plugged into the main elec tronics panel USB encoder signal cable and base motor power shown in the top right photograph 2 The power cable should also be detached from the power input panel shown in the mid dle right photograph 3 The cables that have been detached should now be carefully fed into t...

Page 10: ...ghted part of the drawing to the middle right Be careful not to bump or jostle the mount while these bolts are removed The fork arm is still being held in place by two shoulder bolts but can be knocked over if one is careless 6 Before lifting the fork arm it is recommend ed that you place something on the ground nearby onto which the fork can be set without being scratched This could be a tarp old...

Page 11: ...ount as shown to the right 9 It should now be possible to lift the fork arm away from the base motor Do so carefully to be sure that none of the cables you addressed previously are snagged or pinched 10 Lift the fork arm away from the drive base and set it on the surface you just prepared You should allow the long side of the L to rest on the ground as it is otherwise possible for the fork arm to ...

Page 12: ...llow the lifting surface black anodized mounting plate for the fork arm to rotate and may make it difficult to lift and maneuver the drive base 3 Ensure that the cables which connect the drive base electronics motor to the main elec tronics in the fork arm are safely positioned and not at risk of being snagged or sheared 4 The drive base is now ready for remov al from the crate s mounting plate Ho...

Page 13: ...ng plate attaches upper mounting plate to pier 1 Remove the altitude adjustment bolts on the north and south side of the wedge and re move the wedge section 2 Remove the bolts that secure the un anod ized rotation hub located around the center of the upper mounting plate and remove the hub from the center holes of the two plates 3 Remove the six bolts that join the perimeter of the upper and lower...

Page 14: ...imuth balancing mechanism At least 2 people able to lift 60 pounds comfortably Please consider the component weights below and the weight of your tele scope possiblly with instrumentation attached before assembling your team It is important to note the orientation in which the telescope will be loaded as it is Alternatively a crane or fork lift may be used to lift and place the mount depending upo...

Page 15: ...fted in a similar fashion Lifting the system in parts Fork arm The black handles on the fork arm assembly are excellent lifting points for that segment of the mount When being lifted by two people each should grab a handle using their other hand to support the bottom of the shorter length of the L Do not lift by the access panel cover handles Drive base There are no handles available to lift the d...

Page 16: ...on Use two straps to hold from both the DEC axis pass through and around the top of the drive base When wrapping the strap around the drive base have it extend toward the lift on the side of the drive base that is opposite the fork arm and wrapped at least once around the side of the drive base adjacent to the fork arm The relative lengths of these straps should be adjusted so that the mount becom...

Page 17: ...ve base s hole pattern 2 Concrete piers should use an inter mediary interface plate This plate will have threaded holes matching the drive base s hole pattern and then a secondary pattern meant to accept the anchor bolts placed in the concrete While it is possible to place the anchors in the concrete so as to match the drive base s hole pattern offering threaded rod that would pass through the low...

Page 18: ... Northern hemisphere The NoWrap mark on the Aziuth Motor Base should face true south Southern hemisphere The NoWrap mark on the Aziuth Motor Base should face true north Before beginning be sure that cable routing has been addressed The power and communi cation USB Ethernet cables are meant to exit through the bottom center of the drive base If a metal pier or extension is being used it should have...

Page 19: ...Place the upper mounting plate onto the lower mounting plate and slide the azi muth adjustment tab into the azimuth adjust ment mechanism 3 Locate the azimuth rotation hub and apply a small amount of grease to prevent galling or unnecessary resistance to motion in the wedge s azimuth axis 4 Insert the hub through the top plate so that it extends into the base plate and then bolt it onto the top pl...

Page 20: ... the model to the right Insert and tighten the wedge mounting shoulder bolt into this hole It is an important part of positioning the drive base on the wedge 3 Lift the drive base onto the wedge oriented so that the shoulder bolt that was just installed settles into the notch at the top of the wedge bottom image right 4 Now shift the drive base as needed to line up the pass through holes in the dr...

Page 21: ...e refer to model on page 12 UN PACKING 3 Make sure that the power com cables for the Azimuth RA motor are safely out of the way and will not be snagged or sheared during mounting of the fork arm 5 With the help of another person lift the fork arm onto the drive base Pay careful at tention to the position of the slotted holes in the interface plate and the corresponding shoulder bolts on the bottom...

Page 22: ...e So the saddle should be attached with its longer dimension parallel to the arrow It may be helpful to use a small piece of tape to mark the end of the sad dle that corresponds to the arrow s direction 2 Now use a hew key to insert and tighten the bolts that were included with the saddle The holes for the centered alignment of the sad dle to the mounting hub are highlighted in the drawing below T...

Page 23: ...ylinder 1 Place the dowel on the ground or table next to the OTA It should be perpendicular to the length of the dovetail and the tube s opti cal axis image top right 2 Have a friend help lift the OTA and set it down dovetail first onto the dowel You should now be able to roll the dovetail atop the dowel and have created a seesaw The position on the dovetail that corresponds to the OTA s cen ter o...

Page 24: ...ng the balancing process it is safest to have this in place during initial mounting of the OTA 3 If using an equatorial wedge be sure the Azimuth RA axis is rotated so that the shoul der or corner of the fork arm is nearest to the ground For reference the image to the right shows the L 500 in this same orientation 4 Securely tighten the Azimuth RA axis lock ing cleat 5 Loosen the EZ Saddle s clamp...

Page 25: ... is on the same side of the mount as the pow er switch located on the fork arm 2 Rest the lower edge of the telescope s dove tail on the saddle s attached jaw so that the two are fully mated image middle right Make sure that the OTA s dovetail is actually seated in the dovetail groove of the saddle and not being supported by the stability bar 3 Slide the dovetail along the saddle s jaw until the t...

Page 26: ...ally wanting to roll away from the fork arm it is necessary for one per son to continue holding the OTA applying pressure upward and toward the saddle Oth erwise the dovetail may not fully seat in the saddle 3 Being sure that the dovetail is properly seat ed in the saddle proceed in fully tightening the saddle jaw s bolts It is recommended for this to be done using a hex key 4 Double check that th...

Page 27: ...ds to be relatively well balanced Mount the saddle 1 Ensure that the hole pattern used causes the secondary saddle to point at the same angle as the main OTA s saddle 2 Fully assemble and install the secondary telescope s instrumentation if possible 3 Find the secondary OTA s center of mass and accordingly mark the dovetail for refer ence of balance during mounting 4 Prepare the saddle to receive ...

Page 28: ...mmended that two people are in volved Push pull the telescope so that it slides backward in the saddle With care the tele scope can be pointed upward and allowed to slide within the saddle 3 Retighten the saddle 4 Check balance and repeat the above as needed until the Altitude DEC axis is balanced well enough to not settle with the brake en gaged 5 Install any other instrumentation cameras filter ...

Page 29: ...echnical support staff for guidance if needed In the photo to the right the shoulder bolts are visible This photo corresponds directly to the drawing below it Against the position ref erences for the shoulder bolts noted below top hole in the row of 6 is 6 and the bottom hole is 1 In the photo the shoulder bolts are installed in hole 4 Recommended shoulder bolt starting points for balance L 350 wi...

Page 30: ...w the access panel that is centered on the top of the lower section of the fork arm They will be fed through the cable pass through at the RA Azimuth Axis center of rotation Whether it will be more convenient to drop through from above be pushed up from below or pulled up from below by a tether is ultimately related to the cable routing that will take place through the pier and beyond 2 Plug in Pl...

Page 31: ... instruments on the telescope The yellow highlighted panels can be used to place items such as power supplies for cam era EFA etc within the compartments The compartments that stow the mount s elec tronics have access panels attached with but ton head screws Compartments meant for accessory storage use panels attached with thumb screws Before placing power supplies or other pe ripheral electronics...

Page 32: ...PLANEWAVE COM 1375 N MAIN STREET ADRIAN MI 49221 310 639 1662 ...

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