Meade Instruments LX850 - Manual (Page 4)

® The name “Meade,” “AutoStar” and the Meade logo are
trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
and in principal countries throughout the world.
StarLock, Deep Sky Imager”, “LX850”, and “Tonight’s Best” are
trademarks of Meade Instruments Corp.
Protected by U.S. Patent:
US 6,392,799 and other Patents Pending
© 2013 Meade Instruments Corp.
Calibrate Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
StarLock Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
StarLock Automatic Rate Calibration (ARC) . . . . . . 26
StarLock and Mount Flexure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
AutoStar II Operation
The AutoStar II Handbox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
AutoStar Navigation Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Example of Locating a Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
AutoStar II Menu Tree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Navigating AutoStar II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Object Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Event Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Glossary Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Utilities Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Setup Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
“Hot Button” Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
StarLock Periodic Error Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Advanced Autostar II Features
Adding Observing Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Creating User Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Using AutoStar to Find Objects not in Database. . . 38
To GO TO a user-entered object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Landmarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Identify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Browse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Alternate Polar Alignments
Two-Star Polar Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Easy Polar Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
One-Star Polar Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Align on Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
How to Drift Align LX850. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Download the Latest Version
of AutoStar II Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
StarLock Assisted PEC Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Update Menu Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Erase Menu Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
On and Off Menu Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Optional Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Customer Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Appendix A:
Manual Drift Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Appendix B:
StarLock Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Appendix C:
Automatic Rate Calibration (ARC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Appendix D:
Latitude Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Appendix E:
Advanced Coma-Free Optical System . . . . . . . . . . 55
Appendix F:
Initial Set-up Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Recycling:
How to recycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Meade Warranty
One Year Limited Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover
CONTENTS
Introduction
The LX850 Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Telescope Features
Precision Machined German Equatorial Mount . . . . 6
Faster, Sharper Optical System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
StarLock — Full-Time Automatic Guiding . . . . . . . . . 6
Key Features
Figure 1: Right View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Figure 2: Left View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Figure 3: Detail RA Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Figure 4: Detail StarLock Counterweight . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 5: Detail Saddle Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 6a: Telescope Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 6b: StarLock Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
LX850 Key Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Assembly
Assembly Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Tripod Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Attach Mount Assembly to Tripod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Attach Counterweight Shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Attach Counterweights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Routing Connector Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Removing the Saddle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
StarLock Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Attach the Control Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
DEC and RA Connecting Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Attach the Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) . . . . . . . . 17
Attach Diagonal and Eyepiece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Attach StarLock Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Plug in the AutoStar II Handbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Attach the Viewfinder to the OTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Mount Additional Accessories and Equipment . . . . 19
Balancing the Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Balancing the RA Axes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Balancing the DEC Axes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Balancing StarLock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Getting Started
Focusing & Aligning the Viewfinder. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Focusing the Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Slew Speeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Aligning for the First Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Finding True North/alignment on Polaris. . . . . . . . . 22
One Star Alignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Syncing Your Eyepiece/Camera Using Starlock . . . 23
Test your Collimation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Collimation of the Optical System: ACF Models . . . 24