Meade Advanced Coma-Free f/8 LX600 with StarLock Instruction Manual Download

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INSTRUCTION MANUAL

10", 12" and 14" Advanced Coma-Free™ f/8 LX600™ with StarLock™

Summary of Contents for Advanced Coma-Free f/8 LX600 with StarLock

Page 1: ...INSTRUCTION MANUAL 10 12 and 14 Advanced Coma Free f 8 LX600 with StarLock...

Page 2: ...gistered with the U S Patent and Trademark Office and in principal countries throughout the world Deep Sky Imager LX600 and Tonight s Best are trademarks of Meade Instruments Corp Protected by U S Pat...

Page 3: ...gested that mirror be locked down anytime the OTA is shipped Move the primary mirror to the travel position by rotating the focus knob counter clockwise until its travel limit is reached Reattach the...

Page 4: ...StarLock Periodic Error Correction 36 Advanced Autostar II Features Adding Observing Sites 37 Creating User Objects 38 Observing Satellites 38 Landmarks 39 Identify 40 Browse 41 Alternate Alt Az Align...

Page 5: ...anced Coma Free ACF optical systems on the 10 12 and 14 OTAs These optics produce wider flatter fields with no coma for pinpoint stars out to the edge of larger imaging sensors or extreme wide angle e...

Page 6: ...o the threaded rod on top of the spacer that is already on the threaded rod Position the spreader bar with the flat side facing upward Fig C Slide the threaded rod back through the tripod head from un...

Page 7: ...move the AutoStar II handbox and the AutoStar II coil cord from the packing materials Plug one end into the HBX port of the telescope s computer control panel Fig G and plug the other end into the coi...

Page 8: ...smaller connector into the StarLock Telescope Connection port on the StarLock unit and the larger connector into the StarLock port located on the fork arm J Connect the two 2 jumper cables that bridg...

Page 9: ...y loosen the DEC Lock Fig J 2 so that the OTA rotates freely With your free hand move the counterweight until the OTA balances favoring neither front nor back Tighten the counter weight hex screw to s...

Page 10: ...thumbscrew F Rear cell port G Two speed focus knob H Fork arms I Battery compartments j Travel screw 1 RA slow motion control 1 RA setting circle 1 RA lock 1 Computer Control Panel see page 12 for mo...

Page 11: ...0 2 Counterweight s 2 Counterweight hex screw 2 Counterweight rail 2 AutoStar II handbox 2 StarLock assembly 3 StarLock dovetail bracket 3 StarLock retaining bolts see page 10 3 Threaded rod 3 Spreade...

Page 12: ...control make fine adjustments in the Right Ascension i e the horizontal axis by turning this control with the RA lock in the unlocked position Set the RA lock to a partially locked position to create...

Page 13: ...ugh the eyepiece 2 Declination DEC Setting Circle See Appendix E page 57 for detailed information 2 Viewfinder Collimation Screws Use these six screws to adjust the alignment of the viewfinder 2 8 x 5...

Page 14: ...og of Galaxies 12 939 General Catalog of Variable Stars 28 484 SAO 17 191 Hipparcos Star Catalog 17 325 Take a guided tour of the best celestial objects to view on any given night of the year Control...

Page 15: ...with the letter A the Up Arrow key begins with digit 9 Additionally use the Arrow keys to to move the cursor across the display Use the Right or Left Arrow key Fig 2 5 to move the cursor from one num...

Page 16: ...s ENTER and then GO TO to slew the telescope to the object jCoil Cord Port Plug one end of the AutoStar II coil cord Pg 14 Fig 2 10 into this port located at the bottom of the AutoStar II handbox 1 Co...

Page 17: ...mindful of the connector wires Insert four user supplied C cell batteries into each battery holder oriented as shown on the diagram on the battery slots inside the battery holder Return the battery h...

Page 18: ...he RA and DEC locks E Look through the viewfinder eyepiece Fig 5 and loosen or tighten as appropriate one or more of the viewfinder collimation screws Fig 5 until the viewfinder crosshairs are precise...

Page 19: ...by the eyepiece s focal length For example A 26mm eyepiece is supplied with LX600 ACF models The focal length of the 14 f 8 LX600 ACF is 2845mm see Specifications pages 49 and 50 Eyepiece Power Telesc...

Page 20: ...e programmable Number Key 2 2x 2 x sidereal 0 5 arc min sec or 0 008 sec Number Key 3 8x 8 x sidereal 2 arc min sec or 0 033 sec Number Key 4 16x 16 x sidereal 4 arc min sec or 0 067 sec Number Key 5...

Page 21: ...been previously selected PEC training has been performed and you have parked the telescope If you have parked it AutoStar II will remember its position on the worm gear If you do not park the scope a...

Page 22: ...lign upon 6 The telescope now slews to the second alignment star Automatic Alignment Selecting Star and Slewing display When it is close to the second alignment star Center Brightest Star Press ENTER...

Page 23: ...eyepiece because it has a much wider field of view than the eyepiece Using AutoStar II set the slew speed to 6 or higher and use the Arrow keys to center the alignment star in the viewfinder If your...

Page 24: ...es and the magnetic field of the Earth changes slightly from year to year AutoStar II allows you to adjust for discrepancies in the local magnetic field using the Calibrate Sensors option in the Teles...

Page 25: ...other Guided Tours press the Scroll Down key to scroll through other tour choices When the tour you wish to select displays press ENTER 4 Tonight s Best Searching displays After calculating Tonight s...

Page 26: ...elescope to the object 5 Press MODE to return to the Tour list Press the Scroll keys to scroll through the list Press ENTER when you find the next object you wish to observe 6 Press and hold down MODE...

Page 27: ...menu level 27 AutoStar II Operation AUTOSTAR II OPERATION Figure 7 The AutoStar II handbox For proper operation of the AutoStar II it is important to understand that menu selections are set in a loop...

Page 28: ...n the current date time and location AutoStar then displays the results of the calculation 7 Press MODE once to start moving back up through the AutoStar levels The first level up is the Event menu 8...

Page 29: ...rids Etc Solar Eclipses Lunar Eclipses Min of Algol Autumn Equinox Vernal Equinox Winter Solstice Summer Solstice Tour Objects A Accretion Disk Etc B C Etc Select Item Event Select Item Guided Tour Se...

Page 30: ...Sun followed by the Moon asteroids and comets Number key 5 Constellation A library of all 88 Northern and Southern Hemisphere constellations When this menu option is chosen and a constellation name ap...

Page 31: ...information on upcoming meteor showers such as the Perseids the Leonids etc Also lists the dates of the showers and when they reach maximum Note Meteors are fast moving objects that cover large areas...

Page 32: ...ce is selected the magnification is calculated Suggest Autostar II calculates and suggests the best eyepiece for viewing based on the telescope and the object being viewed Brightest Star Gives you a c...

Page 33: ...DEC motors which helps locate objects with more precision Calibrate Sensors This menu allows you to improve your telescope s pointing accuracy to alignment stars It calibrates to correct slight mecha...

Page 34: ...e target object providing ultra precision pointing accuracy When StarLock is turned off and manual high precision pointing is turned on the telescope first slews to a bright star near the target objec...

Page 35: ...he text Press ENTER when the entry is complete Address Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to enter your street address city state and zip code Press ENTER when the entry is complete Clone Uploads informat...

Page 36: ...displays use the Up or Down Arrow keys to achieve fine focus of the object Focus Speeds Key Speed 1 or 2 Fine 3 4 or 5 Slow 6 or 7 Medium 8 or 9 Fast StarLock Control Menu Press the number key 7 to ac...

Page 37: ...ed As soon as the coordinates are entered AutoStar II slews the telescope to the coordinates Note that the telescope must be aligned see page 21 To Edit a Site In this procedure you will enter a locat...

Page 38: ...sly described to find this option Press ENTER 3 Object Solar System displays Keep pressing the Scroll Up key until Object User Object displays and press ENTER 4 User Object Select displays Press the S...

Page 39: ...ructions on how to download this data to AutoStar II If orbital parameters are more than one month old the satellite pass may not happen at the time predicted by AutoStar II Downloading requires usage...

Page 40: ...the survey at the first object of the survey To check on the available amount of memory in AutoStar II AutoStar II has a limited amount of memory Once you begin to store Landmarks user objects and oth...

Page 41: ...first object that matches the search parameters you have entered Use the scroll keys to display information about the object Press MODE and Start Search Next displays again Press ENTER and the next i...

Page 42: ...n the DEC lock Fig 1 17 to a firm feel only c Level the tripod base d Move the base of the telescope so that the computer control panel Fig 1 13 approximately faces South e Unlock the RA lock Fig 1 12...

Page 43: ...uhavesuccessfullyalignedthetelescope It is also important that this performed under reasonably dark skies with good seeing conditions If atmospheric conditions are poor you will not obtain accurate er...

Page 44: ...parent field of view The lenses are Super Fully Multi Coated with blackened edges in 2 diameter format Three focal lengths 9mm 14mm and 20mm are all parfocal HD 60 The all new Series 5000 HD 60 Eyepie...

Page 45: ...rometric Eyepiece A high precision 3 element achromatic eyepiece for a wide range of astronomical measurements Measure double star separations position angles planetary diameters lunar crater diameter...

Page 46: ...oor air so that the wet optical surfaces can dry unattended f If your LX600 ACF is not to be used for an extended period perhaps for one month or more it is advisable to remove the batteries from the...

Page 47: ...g the image back to the center of the field e If the screw you are turning becomes very loose tighten the other two screws by even amounts If the screw you are turning gets too tight unthread the othe...

Page 48: ...onomical objectthroughthetelescope seyepiecewiththetelescopealigned and with the motor drive on If the object remains stationary in the field of view your telescope is operating properly If not check...

Page 49: ...precision guiding 1 arc second RMS with good seeing 1 4 second correction update rate depending on star magnitude Faintest guide star 11th mag High precision alignment Semi automatic drift align proce...

Page 50: ...epiece Anti Vibration Pads 507 Connection Cable USB to RS232 Adapter Software DVD Net telescope weight 73 lbs Net tripod weight 50 lbs 14 f 8 LX600 ACF Specifications Optical design Advanced Coma Free...

Page 51: ...eriencing any pointing accuracy problems Fig 18 depicts the complete Drive Training procedure Note Use a terrestrial object such as a telephone pole or lamp post to train the drive Complete this exerc...

Page 52: ...syoushouldpointyourtelescopeatabright or first magnitude star It is best to start by viewing the wide field sensor You can use the slow motion controls of the telescope to move the star the precise ce...

Page 53: ...ion basically sums up the images of the guide star at each guide update cycle It provides a good prediction of how well tracking is going and on the seeing conditions To use this method click on the P...

Page 54: ...continuously to indicate that it has locked up on the star At this point simply go the hand box menus and select Setup Telescope RA PEC Train and press ENTER The StarLock will lock onto the current s...

Page 55: ...crews per side with a fifth screw which is used as a hanger pin when mounting on a wedge This fifth screw has been permanently locked in place at the factory do not attempt removal Once you have remov...

Page 56: ...val is basically the reverse of the assembly process with the following important caveat It is essential that you unlock the RA rotate the telescope so that the RA Lock RA slow motion control is facin...

Page 57: ...of this coordinate system are defined as those two points where the Earth s North and South poles i e the Earth s axis if extended to infinity would cross the celestial sphere Thus the North Celestia...

Page 58: ...located in the Earth s Southern Hemisphere To use the setting circles to locate an object not easily found by direct visual observation With the telescope aligned to the Celestial Pole first look up t...

Page 59: ...g accuracy the telescope s motor drive will track accurately and keep objects in the telescopic field of view for perhaps 20 to 30 minutes Begin polar aligning the telescope by locating Polaris Findin...

Page 60: ...numbers the inner set is for Southern hemisphere use while the other is for Northern hemisphere use Locate a star with which you re familiar Look up the RA for the star in a star chart or other aid W...

Page 61: ...t the X Wedge controls until Polaris is accurately centered in the field of view Tighten the locking screws on the X Wedge Press ENTER to confirm and the telescope will slew to a second star Using the...

Page 62: ...ce upwards Fig D APPENDIX F X WEDGE INSTALLATION Figure C Parts of the X Wedge 1 Tilt plate 2 Mounting slot at top of tilt plate 3 Latitude lock screw one on each side 4 Vernier pointer 5 Latitude Sca...

Page 63: ...e latitude lock screw Fig H is installed at the factory to allow the tilt plate to be adjusted for any latitude greater than 25 and less than 57 If viewing in a region with a latitude from 57 to 65 un...

Page 64: ...imuth orientation may be made with the telescope in place Setting the Observing Latitude Look up the latitude of the desired observing site most road maps show latitude lines Then loosen the latitude...

Page 65: ...compass onto the flat base of the X Wedge as shown in Fig M Verify the compass is still pointing toward Magnetic North and the bubble level is properly centered If the bubble is not centered adjust th...

Page 66: ...AutoStar 497 HANDBOX Appendix F 66 Figure O Magnetic declination map of North America...

Page 67: ...ity Country Latitude Bogot Colombia 4 N S o Paulo 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...

Page 68: ...ir is now on the RA axis The other axis is therefore on the DEC axis Carefully secure the reticle in place do not move the crosshairs for the rest of this procedure 4 Observe the bright star you have...

Page 69: ...Press GO TO The telescope slews to the Moon 5 With Moon Overview on AutoStar II s display use the Scroll keys to browse through the menus options Five categories of features are available Landing Sit...

Page 70: ...ary mirror The hyperbolic secondary mirror multiplies the effective focal length of the primary mirror and results in a focus at the focal plane with light passing through a central perforation in the...

Page 71: ...h from uncontrolled waste disposal please separate this from other types of wastes and recycle it as required by law Household users should contact either the retailer where they purchased this produc...

Page 72: ...or calling 800 626 3233 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...

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