User manual MEADE 1697 CDS PART 1

[. . . ] INSTRUCTION MANUAL Meade #1697 Computer Drive System ® For LXD 650 and LXD 750 Equatorial Mounts Meade Instruments Corporation MEADE LIMITED WARRANTY 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. Meade will repair or replace a product, or part thereof, found by Meade to be defective, provided the defective part is returned to Meade, freight-prepaid, with proof of purchase. This warranty applies to the original purchaser only and is non-transferable. Meade products purchased outside North America are not included in this warranty, but are covered under separate warranties issued by Meade international distributors. [. . . ] From the ALIGN menu option in the TELESCOPE mode, press the ENTER key. Ignore the Keypad display instructions to return the telescope to 90 degrees in Declination and 00 HA. Instead, press the GOTO key and the CDS will slew to the calculated position of where the pole star should be. Using only the Latitude and Azimuth adjustments on the LXD Equatorial Mount, re-center the pole star in the field of view in the eyepiece. Center this star using the "N", "S", "E", or "W" keys and press ENTER. While waiting 15-20 minutes between alignment intervals, the telescope may be used to observe. This process may be repeated as often as desired to obtain the highest accuracy. After each 15 minute interval, the pole star becomes more accurately centered. An optional illuminated reticle crosshair eyepiece makes the job of centering the star easy. SMART DRIVE training, set the brightness and/or the pulse rate of the illuminated reticle (see page 10, The RET Key) on the chosen guide star and practice guiding (keeping the star exactly centered in the eyepiece) for a few minutes. While in the SMART menu, move the LCD arrow to LEARN by using the PREV or NEXT key and press ENTER. The SMART DRIVE needs to find its beginning sector before training can start. It will be necessary to wait until the system counts down to zero to begin. As the Keypad display approaches its beginning sector, a beeping alerts you that training is about to commence. At this point, begin guiding on the chosen guide star, using the N, S, E, and W keys. Try to keep the star in the same location on the crosshair during the ten minute training sequence. After eight minutes, the beeping stops, indicating that the training is over. The Smart Drive immediately starts playing back your drive corrections automatically, dramatically improving the R. A. 6. NOTE: Pressing the MODE key at any point in the alignment routine will abort the routine and exit to the top menu. There may be situations when it is impossible to see the pole star (e. g. , something blocking your line of sight). In such an occasion, follow the Precise Polar Alignment instructions in Appendix A of this manual. You will require the use of an illuminated reticle crosshair eyepiece to complete the task. [. . . ] The #1207 Electric Focuser plugs directly into the CDS control panel. MEADE CUSTOMER SERVICE If you have a question concerning your Meade #1697 Computer Drive System, call Meade Instruments Customer Service Department at the phone number listed below. Customer Service hours are 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. Meade General Catalog For your free copy of the Meade General Catalog write, call, or fax Meade Instruments: Meade Instruments Corporation 6001 Oak Canyon Irvine, CA 92620-4205 Phone: (949) 451-1450 Fax: (949) 451-1460 - 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 crosshair eyepiece -- such as the Meade Illuminated Reticle Eyepiece -- and a 2x Barlow lens for increased magnification. [. . . ]