Orion STARBLAST 6/6I - Manual (Page 31)

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If you try the star test and the bright star you have selected is
not accurately centered in the eyepiece, the optics will always
appear out of collimation, even though they may be perfectly
aligned. It is critical to keep the star centered, so over time you
will need to make slight corrections to the telescope’s position
in order to account for the sky’s apparent motion. Point the
telescope at Polaris (the north star) if you do not have a mount
that tracks.
appendix B:
Cleaning the Optics
Cleaning lenses
Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens clean-
ing fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be
used to clean the exposed lenses of your eyepieces. Never
use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eye-
glasses.
Before cleaning with fluid and tissue, blow any loose particles
off the lens with a blower bulb or compressed air. Then apply
some cleaning fluid to a tissue, never directly on the optics.
Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion, then remove any
excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue. Oily fingerprints and
smudges may be removed using this method. Use caution;
rubbing too hard may scratch the lens. On larger lenses, clean
only a small area at a time, using a fresh lens tissue on each
area. Never reuse tissues.
Cleaning the Mirrors
In general, your telescope’s mirrors will only need to be cleaned
very infrequently, if ever. Covering the front opening of the tele-
scope with the dust cover when it is not in use will prevent dust
from accumulating on the mirrors. Keeping the dust cap on the
focuser’s 1.25" opening is also a good idea. Improper cleaning
can scratch the mirror coatings, so the fewer times you have
to clean the mirrors, the better. Small specks of dust or flecks
of paint have virtually no effect on the visual or imaging perfor-
mance of the telescope.
The large primary mirror and the elliptical secondary mirror of
your telescope are front-surface aluminized and over-coated
with hard silicon dioxide, which prevents the aluminum from
oxidizing. These coatings normally last through many years of
use before requiring re-coating.
To clean the secondary mirror, it must be removed from the
telescope. Do this by holding the secondary mirror holder sta-
tionary with your fingers (don’t touch the mirror itself) while
unthreading the Phillips head screw in the center hub of the
4-vane spider. Completely unthread the screw from the holder,
and the holder will come loose in your fingers. Be careful not to
lose the spring on the Phillips head screw.
Handle the mirror and its holder carefully. You do not need
to remove the secondary mirror from its holder for cleaning.
Follow the same procedure described below for cleaning the
primary mirror.
To clean the primary mirror, carefully remove the mirror cell
from the telescope. To do this, you must remove the four screws
that connect the mirror cell to the steel tube. These screws are
located on the outer edge of the mirror cell. Then pull the cell
away from the tube. You will notice the primary mirror is held
in the mirror cell with three clips, each held by two mirror clip
anchor screws. Using a Phillips screwdriver, unthread the mir-
ror clip anchor screws and remove the clips.
Next, hold the mirror by its edge, and remove it from the mirror
cell. Be careful not to touch the aluminized surface of the mir-
ror with your fingers. Set the mirror on a clean, soft towel. Fill
a clean sink, free of abrasive cleanser, with room-temperature
water, a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent, and if pos-
sible, a cap-full of rubbing alcohol. Submerge the mirror (alu-
minized face up) in the water and let it soak for several minutes
(or hours if it is a very dirty mirror). Wipe the mirror under-
water with clean cotton balls, using extremely light pressure
and stroking in straight lines across the surface. Use one ball
for each wipe across the mirror. Then rinse the mirror under a
stream of lukewarm water. Any particles on the surface can be
swabbed gently with a series of clean cotton balls, each used
just one time.
Dry the mirror in a stream of air (a “blower bulb” works great),
or remove any stray drops of water with the corner of a paper
towel. Dry the bottom and the edges with a towel (not the mir-
ror surface!). Leave the entire assembly in a warm area until
it is completely dry before replacing it in the mirror cell. Then
reinstall the mirror cell in the telescope optical tube with the
four screws.
appendix C:
Troubleshooting the
IntelliScope System
This section is intended to help you if you are encountering
any problems with your IntelliScope system. If this information
is not useful to you in determining the source of the problem,
contact Orion Technical Support by email at support@tele-
scope.com, or call (800) 676-1343.
Check the azimuth Encoder and Encoder Board
Is the azimuth axis screw’s hex lock nut tight enough? 1.
Is it too tight? Remember, it should be tightened 3/16 to
1/4 turn past when the fender washer is no longer loose
under the nut.
Does the brass bushing extend slightly above the top
2.
surface of the top baseplate? If not, the bushing or top
baseplate may need replacement, or there may be an
assembly problem.
Is the azimuth encoder disk bent? If so, you will need to
3.
flatten it by bending.
Is the brass bushing properly registered with the azimuth
4.
encoder disk? The feature on the wide end of the
bushing needs to seat into the hole in the disk.
Check the altitude Encoder and Encoder Board
Did you install the altitude encoder disk onto the 5.
telescope mounting bracket with the three small machine