Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch User Manual

Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch Manual

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  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 1
    Instruction Manual LX850™ German Equatorial Mount Telescope System With StarLock™
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 2
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 3
    WARNING! Never use a Meade® LX850 Telescope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. Eye damage is often painless, so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late. Do not point the telescope at or near
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 4
    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
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 5
    telescope system has been designed to deliver the new standard in astrophotographic and visual performance: • Fast f/8 Advanced 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
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 6
    Building on Meade's award-winning Advanced ComaFree™ (ACF™) optics, the LX850 employs a fast f/8 optical system with high-contrast baffling that assures crisp, pinpoint imaging to the very edge of the field. The all-new OTAs feature an internal Crayford-style, Automatic Guiding StarLock - the heart
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 7
    OTA o24b StarLock Widefield OTA O25a StarLock Imaging Sensor Assembly O25b StarLock Cable O28b StarLock Mount (On OTA) 2( OTA Dovetail Lock 3) Altitude Scale 3! StarLock Dovetail Locks 3$ Azimuth Adjustment Knob 3^ StarLock Counterweight 3& StarLock Counterweight lock 3* GPS Sensor Figure 1: LX850
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 8
    #049K7eyHFAeNatDuBrOesX LX850 Key Features 2^ C O28a 2# 3! 2!2@ 3@ 2# 4) 3# 5@ 3% 3$ 4& 4* 4( 5) 2& 4^ 5! C Viewfinder Collimation Screws 2! DEC Drive Power Connector 2^ Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) 2& Dovetail Plate Safety Bolt O28a StarLock Mount (on saddle ) 3! StarLock Dovetail
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 9
    Key Features LX850 Key Features 3# 4! 3^ 3& Figure 3: Detail, RA Access 3( Figure 4: StarLock Counterweight Mount Saddle Plate Configurations Losmandy® Style Dovetail Configuration Vixen® Style Dovetail Configuration Note that there are different angled surfaces on the dovetail brackets on
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 10
    Output F. Handbox (HBX) Port G. RS232 Port 4% Position of Travel Screw will vary by OTA model Figure 6c: OTA Rear View H. StarLock Port I. Aux Autoguider Port 4@ StarLock Telescope Connection 4# Guider Status 4$ RS-232 Port 4% Travel Screw Figure 2-B: LX850 Key Features - Telescope Control Panel
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 11
    Compute Control Panel. 2@ DEC Drive Housing: Precisely moves the telescope around the DEC Axis. 2# DEC Clutch: Tighten the three hex head bolts using the included 5/16" hex head tool to engage the DEC Drive. 2$a StarLock Narrow Field OTA: Narrow field optics that are used to precisely guide LX850
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 12
    in the LX850. 3% ACF Collimation Adjustment Screws: Use these 3 screws to fine tune your OTA's optical alignment. 3^ StarLock Counterweight: Precisely counter balance the StarLock assembly by moving this weight. Remove if you mount StarLock directly on the OTA. 3& StarLock Counterweight Lock
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 13
    lighting, as bright lights will spoil your night vision and impede your ability to see the sky. The LX850 system includes the following: • German Equatorial Mount Assembly with Dovetail Saddle Plate • StarLock Optical Tube and Sensor Assembly • Counterweight(s) • Counterweight Shaft with Safety Nut
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    tripod legs and the mount will not slip. Fig 9: Mount in Box Manually tighten down the three (3) RA and three (3) DEC clutch lock bolts using the supplied 5/16" hex head wrench shown, third on opposite side (not visible). Fig 10: DEC and RA Clutch Locations 14 Fig 12: Attach Counterweight Shaft.
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 15
    saddle plate and connected to the StarLock. shaft. When the mount is fully assembled with OTA and accessories, the counterweights will be adjusted to obtain a proper balance with the OTA. Note: 12" and 14" f/8 ACF models please refer to Appendix F for detailed counterweight instructions. NOTE: WHEN
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 16
    factory with the OTA mount saddle attached. You will have to remove it to gain access to the upper portion of the internal raceway to finish routing any additional cables you want to run to the OTA for cameras of other optional equipment. Remove the StarLock counterweight by loosening its retaining
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 17
    Telescope Control Module Fig 20: Connecting motor to control module. contained the mount, and slide it on the mounting StarLock sixpin connector into the receptacle labeled "StarLock" (Page 10, Fig. 6a, H). DEC and RA Connecting Cables The connecting dovetail. Meade LX850 OTAs are shipped with their dedicated
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 18
    . The 10", 12" and 14" ACF models feature a second mounting location at the top-rear of the optical tube assembly. Due to the longer focal length of the ACF optics, this second, top of the OTA mounting point, is preferred for these telescopes, as it minimizes Fig 25: StarLock mounted on ACF OTA any
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 19
    LX850 ACF OTA. Use the counterweight when StarLock is mounted directly to the saddle plate. Secure the counterweight by re-tightening the nuts. Fig 27: Connect handbox cable to HBX Attach the four-pin StarLock connector cable to the rear panel of StarLock in the receptacle on the left side (Page 10
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 20
    tending drift in either direction. Once this is achieved tighten the StarLock counterweight knob and re-lock the DEC clutches. The telescope is now properly balanced. Return the LX850 to the original position with the counterweight shaft pointed to the ground and OTA pointed straight ahead. 20
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 21
    so, insert the Meade eyepiece into the diagonal mirror on the rear of the OTA. 2 . With the telescope properly balanced in both axes (See the section " BALANCING THE TELESCOPE" BEFORE performing this step), Unlock the RA and DEC clutches (Page 14, Fig. 10) so that the telescope moves freely on both
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 22
    scope and your telescope will keep this alignment until the telescope axes are unlocked or the mount is moved. When you turn the telescope back on after parking, it will be aligned and ready to use. If you forget to park the scope, select Easy Alignment so long as the tripod and OTAs have not been
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 23
    telescope will seek the home position and align with its internal sensors. 7. "GERMAN NORTH" is displayed. Instructions how to place your mount in the german the StarLock is automatically aligned with the primary OTA. After the alignment, if you wish to realign the StarLock with the primary OTA after
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 24
    telescope will slew to that star. When slewing has been completed, re-center the star in the eyepiece or camera. Then hold the "ENTER" key for 2 seconds. Then press "ENTER" again to confirm your position. StarLock will now compensate for the offset. Test your Collimation Before collimating an LX850
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 25
    LX850. The default park position is identical to the home position; counterweight shaft pointing downward and ota pointing forward toward the celestial pole. However, if you are storing your telescope field star and automatically begins guiding. StarLock Menu: Press RET/GUIDE (Number key "7") to
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 26
    tight and no movement of the StarLock is occurring. Note that 10", 12" and 14" LX850 ACF optical tubes include their own StarLock mounting bracket located at the top of the OTA, towards the rear cell. This second bracket is the preferred mount location for StarLock as it minimizes flexure in these
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 27
    AutoStar II Operation AutoStar II Operation ¸ B 2-Line LCD Display C ENTER Key D MODE Key E "GO TO" Key F Arrow Keys G Number Keys H Scroll Keys I "?" Key J Coil Cord Port 1) Coil Cord 1! Utility Light ᕡ · » ² ¿ ´ º ¾ ¶ µ Figure 35: The AutoStar II Handbox Fig. 36: The AutoStar Universe:
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 28
    a menu As you typically will be using menus after you initialize and align your telescope, this example will assume you have just completed Scroll Down key. Notice that all the menus display as you press the key: Guided Tour, Glossary, Utilities, Setup. Stop when "Select Item: Setup" displays. If
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 29
    Winter Solstice Summer Solstice Select Item: Guided Tour Tour Objects Tonight's Best How Rima Agatharchid Etc. Select Item: Utilities Park Scope StarLock Status Auto Rate Cal. Set RA Rate Set DEC Star Two Star Align Home Drift Align Telescope Model Align OTA MAX Past Merida Tripod Cone Dia. Focal
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    name displays. 10. Use the 12. "Owner Info: Name" displays again (if you wish, you can press the Scroll Down key-"Owner Info: Address" will Number key "7" to access the StarLock menu. • Press the Scroll keys Exceptions include Guided Tour telescope goes to the center of the constellation and will
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 31
    is available, it displays as scrolling text. Press GO TO. The telescope, if aligned, will slew to that chosen object. Press MODE repeatedly to return to close at a distance of 100 light years. Every 2.8 days during a 10-hour period, Algol undergoes a major change in apparent magnitude as one of
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 32
    you to turn off the telescope's power, Autostar II is unable to be returned to operation without turning the power off and then back on. StarLock: Provides the ability to control the StarLock system • Status • Auto Rate Calculation • Set RA Rate • Set DEC Rate • Turn StarLock guiding on and off
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 33
    OTA mounted on LX850. • Align OTA: Provides an alignment routine that adjusts the OTA so that it is orthogonal to the LX850 telescope mount. This routine should be run when you have changed your collimation or mounting significantly. Note that Meade LX850 ACF adjustments will only move the OTA in
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 34
    : NEVER US A MEADE LX850 TELESCOPE TO LOOK AT THE SUN! Looking at or near the sun will cause instant and irreversible mounted telescope to catch up with the telescope before StarLock takes a highprecision star sighting. By default, this value is "0." The value should be set based on the worst-case
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 35
    is included for the convenience of those users who may wish to enter a site manually. You may edit the name of a site using the Edit option (see below). user has downloaded a new version of Autostar II software from the Meade website (www.meade.com) and wants to pass this software along to friends.
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 36
    HPP Dome Delay: After the telescope slews to, aligns on an object and begins guiding there will be a delay to allow the dome to move to the new OTA location. StarLock Permanent Periodic Error Correction StarLock will automatically perform the PEC feature on your mount. To use this feature, simply
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 37
    in this manual. The following initialized and aligned your telescope. Adding Observing Sites If this example, you will choose a city and add it to the database list. You will then select the 10. After entering the shift, press ENTER. "Edit Time Zone" displays. 11. Press MODE. "Site: Edit" displays. 12
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 38
    Check your local library, computer store, or bookstore for astronomy books, CD ROMs, or magazines (such as Sky & Telescope or Astronomy) to find Add" displays again. To GO TO a user-entered object: In this procedure, you will choose an object from the User Object list and GO TO the object. 1. With "
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 39
    also be viewed using the "Landmark Survey" option in the Utilities menu. To Add a landmark to the database: In this procedure, you will store the location of terrestrial landmarks in AutoStar's memory. 1. Set the telescope in the home position, if necessary. Note for future reference where the
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 40
    Enter" displays. Using only the Arrow keys (do not manually move the telescope), move the telescope to the desired landmark and center the object in the store Landmarks, User Objects and other bits of information in AutoStar, you will begin to use up memory. This procedure allows you to check on how
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 41
    16:32:4 Declination 13°03' Constellation Virgo, Orion, etc. Magnitude 3 Size 2' Scrolling message This Globular Cluster is 10 keys, enter a size in arcminutes. Autostar II will search for objects up to this size and no telescope to a displayed object. 8. Press MODE repeatedly to leave this
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 42
    ) The LX850 with StarLock is specially equipped to perform an Automatic Drift Alignment. In the Autostar Setup menu, select "Drift Alignment" and the LX850 will guide you through a quick Automatic drift alignment procedure. This method is substantially quicker than the manual drift alignment
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 43
    follow the on-screen instructions. 8. The download will take about 10 minutes (download time depends on your Internet connection, speed of your computer and so forth). When the download is complete, the new version of the Autostar software displays. 2. Wait for the StarLock indicator lamp to stop
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 44
    Meade's website at www.meade.com. stainless steel. Meade Series 5000 Premium Eyepieces: deliver all the amazing performance that the ACF and APO optical systems can provide with Fully-Multi Coated optics, wide fields and razor sharp images all the way to the edge: Additional LX850 Counterweights
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 45
    ways to get started in astrophotography. Attach your 35mm camera, with its own 35mm-to-250mm lens, atop your LX850 in equatorial mode, and guide the telescope using StarLock's narrow-field camera. Wide-field photos of the Milky Way showing remarkable detail and clarity can be taken. Dew Shields
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 46
    Time, Monday through Friday. In the unlikely event that the LX850 requires factory servicing or repairs, before returning the telescope to the factory, write or call the Meade Customer Service Department to provide an explanation of the problem, as well as your name, address and daytime telephone
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 47
    Total net OTA weight OTA shipping weight (approx.) 1008-85-01 7 09942 60061 2 10 inches 2032mm, f/8 .46 arcseconds 20.95 1208-85-01 1408-85-01 7 09942 60062 9 7 09942 60063 6 Advanced Coma-Free 12 inches 14 inches 2438mm, f/8 2845mm, f/8 UHTC .38 arcseconds .325 arcseconds 16.86 13
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 48
    1.75 inch diameter, 12 inch long threaded stainless steel Counterweights 26 lb (optional 10 lb) threaded stainless steel. Quantity: 10 inch LX 850 ACF: two (2) 26 lb 12 inch LX 850 ACF: two (2) 26 lb 14 inch LX 850 ACF: three (3) 26 lb 130mm LX 850 APO: one (1) 26 lb LX 850 Mount Only: one
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 49
    Manual Drift Alignment How to manually Drift Align the LX850 Telescope (Northern Hemisphere). The LX850 with StarLock is specially equipped to perform an Automatic Drift Alignment. In the Autostar Setup menu, select "Drift Alignment" and the LX850 will guide will slew the mount be within 10° to 20
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 50
    software to be developed. Use the StarLock Utility to update your Starlock firmware. If you use your telescope with a computer in the field, the StarLock utility will also allow you to monitor how your image session is going and help you tune the guide rate to optimize performance. Installation The
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 51
    release code must first be downloaded from Meade's website. It should be put in an easily located directory such as your desktop. The file will be named "StarLock_Vxy.Ldr". To update the firmware, establish a serial connection with the StarLock by getting images to download by pressing the FOCUS
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 52
    Histogram button. aligned. Notice that the DEC guide corrections are not centered around zero. This is because the object is drifting down in declination due to the scope being poorly polar aligned. While the StarLock is succeeding in tracking the star, you will get field rotation over time due to
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 53
    for current viewing/imaging conditions. A guide rate calibration routine has been included in the StarLock software that automatically determines the best rate based on viewing conditions. Calibrating your guide rate is a two-step process. First you will need to train and update the mount's Periodic
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 54
    Australia Sydney New South Wales Melbourne Victoria Auckland New Zealand Latitude 60° N 49° N 42° N 59° N 48° N 52° N Latitude 4° N 23° S 35° S 35° S 34° S 10° N Latitude 40° N 23° N 37° N 25° N 36° N 43° N 19° N 22° N 21° N 21° N Latitude 30° N 34° S 34° N 37° N 23° S Latitude 35° S 27° S 35
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 55
    Baffle Unlike Schmidt-Cassegrain systems, Meade's Advanced Coma-Free (ACF) optical system provides razor-sharp pin-point star images all the way to the . It is this phenomenon which results in Meade ACF having off-axis field illuminations about 10% greater, aperturefor-aperture, than other systems
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 56
    Set-up: 12" and 14" ACF OTA's, Starlock and the StarLock Counterweight Set-up The following provides guidelines for during your initial Positioning the StarLock assembly set-up of your 12" and 14" ACF LX850 Telescopes. These guidelines are meant only as a starting point, as you will need to fine
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 57
    Notes Notes 57
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    Recycling Information RECYCLING INFORMATION (EU Countries only) Correct Disposal of this Product (Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment) This marking shown on the product or its literature indicates that it must not be disposed of in unsorted municipal waste at the end of its working life To
  • Meade LX850-ACF 12 inch | User Manual - Page 59
    Notes Notes 59
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    Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments Corp. ("Meade") to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE YEAR from the date of original purchase in the U.S.A. and Canada. Meade will from Meade by in cases where Meade Meade
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Instruction Manual
LX850™ German Equatorial Mount Telescope System
With StarLock™