Meade Instruments 114 EQ-DS - Manual (Page 7)

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• Remove the viewfinder bracket mounting nuts from the viewfinder bracket mounting bolts (16) that
protrude from the optical tube (12), near the focuser (17). Place the viewfinder bracket’s mounting
holes (located at the base of the bracket) over the mounting bolts, so that the bracket is oriented as
shown in Fig. 1. Replace the viewfinder bracket mounting nuts, and tighten to a firm feel. Then center
the viewfinder in both bracket rings by backing off the three thumbscrews (26) on each bracket ring.
Orient the viewfinder so its front objective lens is pointing in the same direction as the open end (front)
of the optical tube (25).
• Position the cradle ring attachment (37) onto the optical tube saddle plate (13), with the mid-point lying
roughly in the center of the saddle plate. Tighten the cradle ring lock knob (36) to a firm feel when the
cradle ring attachment is positioned in the telescope’s saddle (13).
• If the cradle ring assmbly did not come already attached to the optical tube assembly (12), loosen the
lock knobs (15) of the cradle rings (14) and open the cradle rings. Place the optical tube assembly
roughly in the center of the cradle rings and close the rings over the tube. Then tighten the cradle ring
lock knobs (15) to a firm feel; do not overtighten these knobs. Please note that you may want to change
the rotational position of the optical tube to gain a more comfortable observing position of the focuser
(17). This adjustment may be performed several times in one observing session, as desired.
• Insert the H 25mm eyepiece (19) into the focuser, and tighten the focuser thumbscrew (18) to secure
the eyepiece.
The telescope is now fully assembled. Before it can be properly used, however, the telescope must be
balanced and the viewfinder aligned.
Balancing the Telescope
In order for the telescope to move smoothly on its mechanical axes, it must first be balanced about the 2
telescope axes: the polar axis (10, Fig. 1c) and the Declination axis (21, Fig. 1c). All motions of the polar
aligned telescope (more on this later) take place by moving about these two axes, separately or
simultaneously. To obtain a fine balance of the telescope, follow the method below:
• Loosen the R.A. lock (22, Fig. 1c) and rotate the telescope so that the counterweight shaft (6, Fig. 1c)
is parallel to the ground (horizontal).
• Slide the counterweight along the counterweight shaft until the telescope remains in one position
without tending to drift down in either direction. Then tighten the counterweight lock knob (7, Fig. 1c),
locking the counterweight in position.
• Lock the R.A. lock (22, Fig. 1c), and unlock the Declination lock (23, Fig. 1c). The telescope will now
turn freely about the Declination axis. Loosen the cradle ring lock knobs (15, Fig. 1e) so that the main
tube in the cradle rings slides easily up-or-down in the cradle rings. Move the main tube in the cradle
rings until it is balanced rotationally about the Declination axis. Re-lock the knobs (15, Fig. 1e).
The telescope is now properly balanced on both axes.
Alignment of the Viewfinder
The wide field of view provided by the 5 x 24mm viewfinder permits easy object sighting prior to
observation in the higher-power main telescope. The 5 x 24 Viewfinder (24, Fig. 1a) and viewfinder bracket
(20, Fig. 1a) attaches to the telescope tube assembly as described above (see Fig. 1a). In order for the
viewfinder to be functional, however, it must be aligned to the main telescope, so that both the viewfinder
and main telescope point at the same position in the sky. With this simple alignment performed, finding
objects is greatly facilitated, since you will first locate an object in the wide-field viewfinder, then you will
look in the eyepiece of the main telescope for a detailed view. To align the viewfinder follow these steps:
• Remove the telescope front dust cover (25, Fig. 1e), and the dust covers of the viewfinder.
• Place the low- power (H 25mm) eyepiece into the focuser of the main telescope.
• Unlock the R.A. lock (22, Fig. 1c) and the Dec. lock (23, Fig. 1c) so that the telescope turns freely on
both axes. Then point the main telescope at some well-defined land object (e.g. the top of a telephone
pole) at least 200 yards distant, and re-lock the R.A and Dec. axes. Turn the flexible cable controls, (3,
Fig. 1e) and (4, Fig. 1e), to center the object in the telescopic field.
• With the front of the viewfinder already centered in the front bracket ring, look through the viewfinder
and loosen or tighten, as appropriate, one or more of the rear viewfinder bracket ring thumbscrews
(26, Fig. 1a) until the viewfinder’s crosshairs are likewise centered on the object previously centered
in the main telescope.