Meade LXD 750 manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL Meade ® #1697 Computer Drive System For LXD 650 and LXD 750 Equatorial Mounts Meade Instruments Corporation[...]

MEADE LIMITED W ARRANTY Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments Corporation (“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 repair or replace a product, or part thereof, found by [...]

- 3 - Contents #1697 Computer Drive System Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Basic T elescope Setup[...]

#1697 COMPUTER DRIVE SYSTEM : INTRODUCTION The Meade #1697 Computer Drive System (CDS) is easily installed in the Meade LXD 650 and 750 Equatorial Mounts. With a properly polar aligned mount, (see the instruction manual which accompanies the telescope), the #1697 Computer Drive System's advanced electronics permit the location and observation [...]

- 5 - Basic T elescope Setup: 1. Polar align your telescope . See the instructions that accompany the telescope. 2. Turn "on" the #1697 Control Box. The Keypad Display (1), Fig. 6, displays “MEADE” for several seconds as the micro- processor does a self-diagnostic test. When the self- diagnostic test is complete, the display shows “[...]

- 6 - system’s computer memory . It is also necessary to learn the menu structure of the Keypad Hand Controller , which is described beginning on page 8. Basic CDS Setup: This section explains what keys to push to get the minimum data required into the computer system, without any detailed explanation. The detailed explanation can be found later [...]

- 7 - 2. Press the MODE key twice. The display will look like Display 8, but with random LOCAL and SIDE times. Display 12 9. Press and hold the ENTER key until the Keypad Hand Controller beeps. The display will look like Display 13, with the blinking cursor over the first number . Display 8 3. Press and hold the ENTER key until the Keypad Hand Cont[...]

- 8 - Display 20 10 . Center the second alignment star in the telescope eyepiece using the "N", "E", "W", or "S" keys on the Keypad Hand Controller . Once the second star is centered, press the ENTER key to complete the alignment sequence. Should the alignment star be hidden from the view of the telescope, do[...]

- 9 - will show data on the object (name, rating, object type, brightness, and size). Now , press GO TO. The telescope will automatically slew to M42. If the desired object is not above the horizon, the Keypad Hand Controller will display the message “OBJECT BELOW HORIZON.” Other good objects to begin with (if above the horizon) are any of the [...]

- 10 - THE CDS CONTROL P ANEL 1. Current (mA x 100) (1), Fig. 9: The Current (Ammeter) display is a series of vertical red LED bars. Each fully lit bar represents 1/10 of an amp (or 100 milliamps) of current draw , with the lowest value on the extreme left of the scale. During normal tracking speeds, the Ammeter will show a few LED bars lit up. How[...]

- 11 - information can be useful if you are trying to calculate how much battery life is available during an observing run. As an example, if the ammeter has four bars lit, (indicating 0.4 amps) and the system is using a 12 amp hour battery , determine the approximate battery life by dividing 12 amp hours by 0.4 amps, resulting in a battery life of[...]

- 12 - pole star may be somewhat off-center in the eyepiece, showing that an alignment error was made during the initial setup. Using the Latitude adjustment knob and Azimuth control knob on the LXD Equatorial Mount, center the pole star during each interval exercise, then follow the rest of the routine. 1. From the ALIGN menu option in the TELESCO[...]

- 13 - T o toggle between 12 and 24 hours displays, move the LCD arrow to 12/24HR and press ENTER. T o return to the original setting, press ENTER again. 5) HELP: The HELP menu selection of the TELESCOPE file is an electronic mini-manual that briefly describes the function of each command key on the CDS Keypad. T o use this menu, move the LCD arrow[...]

- 14 - and press ENTER. The letters will revert to lower case, indicating the High Precision Pointing option is now "off". 10) SLEW RA TE : Option #10 in the TELESCOPE menu is for changing the slew rate of the CDS telescope. Slowing down the slew rate will result in less noise as the telescope moves and will also use a little less power .[...]

- 15 - using the M, ST AR, or CNGC keys, and pressing the ENTER key . Press MODE to exit to the main menu file. 2) ST ART FIND The ST ART FIND option utilizes the CNGC objects within the Object Library and begins a logical search beginning where ever the telescope is positioned when activated. T o cover the entire visible sky it will make 31 strip [...]

- 16 - selects all objects from very poor through super — what could be considered an “ALL” setting. The object quality symbols are: Quality Symbol Symbol Description SU Super EX Excellent VG V ery Good G Good FR Fair PR Poor VP V ery Poor For example: to define the visual object quality range to very good and better , press the ENTER key unt[...]

- 17 - the CDS knows no bounds — any celestial object, including comets, asteroids, etc., are easily found, provided accurate coordinate data has been entered. T o enter a new pointing position in Right Ascension and Declination, press and hold the GO T O key until a double beep is heard. A blinking cursor appears over the R.A. coordinate numbers[...]

- 18 - Note: The backlighting is done by edge lighting a plastic light bar underneath the Keypad. Four LED’s are used and do not give a perfectly even backlighting of the keys as keys closer to a LED will be a little brighter than those keys further away . OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES An assortment of professional Meade accessories is available to enhanc[...]

- 19 - APPENDIX A: PRECISE POLAR ALIGNMENT Precise polar alignment is essential for long-exposure astrophotography (typically defined as photo-exposures of 10 minutes or longer). Fewer tracking corrections are required during the duration of the exposure when the telescope is precisely polar aligned. Precise polar alignment requires the use of a cr[...]