Meade Instruments RCX400 - Manual (Page 71)

71
APPENDIX G:
16" RCX400
Commercial Shipping
Caution: Serious damage to the drive gears may result from shock in han-
dling. During transport or commercial shipping, the R.A. lock (
13, Fig. 1)
and/or the Dec. lock ( 17, Fig. 1) must not be engaged. Always release the
locks when storing in the case or when crating for commercial shipment.
This allows the telescope to give if the case or crate is sharply jarred or
dropped.
The optical and mechanical axes of the 16" RCX400 telescope have been
carefully aligned at the factory to ensure accurate object pointing.
To re-ship the 16” RCX400 commercially, be sure to follow this procedure:
When packaging the 16” RCX400 , be sure to release the R.A. lock ( 13, Fig. 1) and
Dec. lock ( 17, Fig. 1) to prevent shock to the gears in the motor assemblies should
the package suffer rough handling.
Caution:
Due to the weight and size
of the 16"
RCX model,
please use extreme caution
whenever assembling, dis-
assembling, lifting, trans-
porting or storing this prod-
uct. Two or more persons
should always be used
whenever performing any of
the above tasks. Disregard
for the above warning could
result in serious injury or
death.
16" TELESCOPE ASSEMBLY
Use the following procedure to assemble your telescope:
To Assemble the 16” Super Field Tripod
The 16” Super Field Tripod ( Figs. 58 and 59) for the Meade 16” RCX400 telescope is
supplied as a completely assembled unit, except for the spreader bar ( 4, Fig. 58) and
the six lock-knobs ( 5, Fig. 58). There are two knobs for each of the three tripod legs.
They are used to adjust the level of the tripod. These knobs are packed separately for
safety in shipment.
For most observations, the drive base of the telescope’s fork mount is attached direct-
ly to the super giant field tripod, in the altazimuth (altitude-azimuth or vertical-hori-
zontal) format.
The telescope also can be mounted on a permanent pier in the equatorial format,
which is set for the latitude of the observing location (see
APPENDIX A , pages 57 through
61, for instructions on using the telescope in equatorial mode). The equatorial mode
permits alignment of the telescope’s polar axis with the celestial pole.
After removing the field tripod from its shipping carton, stand the tripod vertically, with
the tripod feet down and with the tripod still fully collapsed (
Fig. 59). Remove the lower
knob ( 1, Fig. 58), releasing the tension hub (7, Fig. 58). This knob is used only when
storing the field tripod. Moving one leg at a time, gently pull the legs apart. As the legs
are opened, the tension hub will move down the threaded rod (
2, Fig. 58) until it is free
from the threaded rod. Continue to move the legs apart to a fully open position.
Thread in the two lock-knobs ( 5, Fig. 58) for each tripod leg, near the foot of each leg.
These lock-knobs are used to fix the position of the inner tripod leg sections. These
sections are used to level the telescope (described below).
Fig. 58: The Super Giant Field Tripod:
( 1) Tripod head;
(2) Threaded rod; (3) Tension knob;
(4) Spreader bar; (5) Lock knobs;
(6) Extension strut; (7) Tension hub.
Fig. 59: The Super Giant Field Tripod
collapsed.
Fig. 60 Tighten the tripod spreader
bar with the tension knob.
B
c
d
f e
g h
B
Fig. 57: The RCX400 Base Computer Control Panel.