Meade RCX400 Instruction Manual

Meade RCX400 Instruction Manual

16", 20" advanced ritchey-chrétien telescopes with the max mount
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Instruction Manual
16", 20" RCX400
Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien Telescopes
with The Max Mount
MEADE.COM

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Summary of Contents for Meade RCX400

  • Page 1 Instruction Manual 16", 20" RCX400 ™ Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien Telescopes with The Max Mount MEADE.COM...
  • Page 2 DANGER Read this manual carefully before attempting to assemble the MAX mount and attaching the OTA. Follow steps as outlined in this manual in order to assemble the telescope safely. Failure to follow steps may result in injury or death, and/or damage to the telescope and mount.
  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    RCX telescope before, go to pages 24 to 26 for detailed information. ® The names "Autostar," "Meade" and the Meade logo are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in principal countries throughout the world. "RCX400 " is a trademark of Meade Instruments Corporation.
  • Page 4: Telescope Features

    TELESCOPE FEATURES Components of MAX MAX features a unique modular design that allows a couple of individuals to assemble, either permanently or transportably, a mount twice the size of any other commercially available mount. The mount breaks down into a Portable Pier (tripod), Pedestal, RA Housing Assembly, and DEC Housing assembly.
  • Page 5 Pedestal Assembly MAX's Pedestal assembly can be configured to cover three latitude ranges without the need of disassembly. Together, the three ranges allow the mount to operate anywhere on the planet. PEDESTAL (WEDGE) ASSEMBLY Azimuth Adjust Knob Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun.
  • Page 6 The RA Housing contains Meade's patented Autostar II telescope control system, a massive 13.625" pitch diameter worm gear attached to a 3.84”...
  • Page 7 Declination Housing Assembly The Dec Housing mates to the RA Housing using another huge dovetail block. The RA Housing, DEC Housing and Pedestal are all designed to allow you to track more than 6 degrees past meridian without interference. This mount will let you cover the whole sky. In addition to accepting quick change dovetail plates, MAX has two generous wing mount plat- forms that will allow you to attach guide scopes,...
  • Page 8 MAX Tripod The MAX mount tripod can be transported or permanently installed. It provides a wide stance to assure that it can safely carry MAX's massive payload in all orientations, but still collapses down to a size that is easy to handle. Its design assures that despite its wide stance, it will not interfere with optical systems observing on the meridian.
  • Page 9 Optical Tube Assembly MAX is sold stand alone, or it is available bundled with Meade's 16” RCX400™ or 20” RCX400™ Optical Tube Assemblies. RCX OTA's integrate seamlessly with MAX. Together you get pinpoint stars from Meade's unique Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien optical system: •...
  • Page 10: Control Panel

    Off/On 12vDC In 12VDC Switched RA ASSEMBLY CONTROL PANEL SADDLE CONTROL PANEL 12VDC Reticle Port Switched Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. AUX port USB Port HBX port...
  • Page 11: Autostar Ii Features

    Download the latest satellite data, star and object catalogs, tours, serial commands list, and software revisions, directly from the Meade website (www.meade.com). Some of the major features of the Autostar II system are:...
  • Page 12 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. The Autostar II system provides control of virtually every telescope function. The Autostar II handbox has soft-touch keys designed to have a positive feel.
  • Page 13 4 FOCUS: Toggles between two functions. The first press allows you to change the focus and focus speed. The next press allows you to create presets that tell the telescope where to focus. 5 SS: Press to display the Solar System library. 6 STAR: Press to display the Star library.
  • Page 14: Assembly

    ASSEMBLY Pointing to ± 5° of the pole Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Refer to images pages 4 to 10 for location of various telescope features.
  • Page 15 Latitude Range Bolts "Porthole" Move and line up latitude tick mark with indicator Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Tighten (rotate) the lock knobs below the Pedestal to a "tight"...
  • Page 16: Ra Assembly

    Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Fine tune the latitude adjustment using the Latitude Adjust knob.
  • Page 17 ...Slide down to the hard stop. Slide safety pin into the hole. Retighten the Dec clamp knob. Plug in the RA to Dec jumper cable. Hint: You may wish to plug into the RA connector before attaching the DEC Assembly. Then attach the jumper cable to the Dec assembly after it is attached.
  • Page 18: Attach Counterweights

    Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. ATTACH COUNTERWEIGHTS Line up a fixed counterweight's 4 bolts with the four threaded holes in the Dec assembly base.
  • Page 19: Low Latitude Counterweights

    Put on adjustable counterweights (three for 20 inch models, two for 16 inch models). The weights can be attached more easily if you make this a two person job. One person holds weight and holds in button. Other person pushes the weight up the shaft-slide up to within one inch of the end of travel.
  • Page 20: Attach Ota To Dec Saddle

    no gap Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. ATTACH OPTICAL TUBE TO THE DEC SADDLE Adjust the clamps so that there is NOT a gap.
  • Page 21: Attach Autostar Ii

    Connect the Smart Accessory port on the Saddle control panel to OTA using the 9-pin jumper cable. ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Attach the OTA cable to the saddle plate. Plug in 12VDC In-make sure power switch is turned off first. Plug in handbox to HBX and plug in any other acces- sories.
  • Page 22: Home Position And Balancing The Ota

    Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. HOME POSITION AND BALANCING THE OTA After power is applied and Autostar has initialized, press MODE to move to the vertical home position (32).
  • Page 23: Balance Dec Axis

    Perpendicular to home position Home or 90° position Dec Balance Hard Stop bolt Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. When the display readout is close to "1"...
  • Page 24: Getting Started

    Fig. 39a: Handbox holder: (1) Lock knob; (2) Clamp; (3) Fig. 40a: Viewfinder mounting brack- assembly : Mounting screws (4), locking screws (5). Remove back locking screw so you can thread in Fig. 40b: Viewfinder bracket assem- bly: Slide the track (7) into the mount- ing slot (6).
  • Page 25: To Change Focus Speed

    To select one of these presets, you will use the “Focuser Preset: Go To” menu. Focusing Telescopes Equipped with a Microfocuser To focus telescopes other than an RCX with one of Meade's microfocusers (e.g., LX200 GPS 16"), perform the following procedure. Make sure you have the microfo- cuser attached to the telescope and plugged into the Focuser port on the saddle plate: •...
  • Page 26: To Select A Preset

    Important Note: Press MODE at any time to exit Focus modes. Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. scope), you can use Autostar to control both the RCX and the microfocuser.
  • Page 27: To Align For The First Time

    "Automatic Alignment" displays. Press ENTER. The system now performs the fol- lowing routines (press any Autostar II key to abort Automatic Alignment) : Attempts a "GPS Fix." The RCX400 sync up with signals from GPS satellites. After performing these operations, Autostar II now knows:...
  • Page 28: Drift Align

    As part of final optical testing, every Meade ed at the Meade factory before shipment. However, vibrations in shipping can cause the optical system to become misaligned. Re-aligning the optics is, however, a straightforward process with the RCX400.
  • Page 29: Align The Ota

    OTA Alignment Bolts Fig. 42b: The OTA align bolt. Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Follow these steps for collimation of the optical system: The only adjustments possible, or necessary, on the the AutoStar handbox.
  • Page 30: Calibrate Home

    Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Calibrate Home: After aligning your telescope, select this menu and the alignment settings—North, time, alignment stars—are stored in Autostar II's memory and are remembered after you power off the telescope.
  • Page 31: Basic Autostar Ii Operation

    Object Event Guided Tours Glossary Utilities Setup Fig. 43: Menus set in a loop. Select Item Objects Event Guided Tour Glossary Utilities Setup Fig. 44a: The menu displays on the top line and Menu options display on the second line. Use the Scroll keys to move up or down through the list of options.
  • Page 32: Navigating Autostar Ii

    Display MODE ENTER Arrow keys Scroll Scroll Down Fig. 45: Some of the features of the Autostar II handbox. Tip: When multiple choices are available within a menu option, the current option is usually dis- played first and highlight- ed by a right pointing arrow (>).
  • Page 33: Autostar Ii Menus

    AUTOSTAR II's MENUS Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
  • Page 34: Objects Menu

    Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Object Menu Almost all observing with Autostar II is performed using the Object menu category. (Note: Exceptions include Guided Tour and Landmark Survey.) Autostar II contains many libraries of viewable objects, such as stars, planets, comets, nebulae and so forth.
  • Page 35: Event Menu

    Browse: Allows you to search the library for objects with certain parameters, much like a search engine. "Edit Parameters" lets you set various parameters for the search, such as: Object Type, Minimum Elevation, Largest, etc. Once you have set the param- eters of the search, select "Start Search"...
  • Page 36 Tip: The Contrast Adjustment feature is usually only required in very cold weather. If you adjust the contrast so that you can no longer read the display, turn off the power and turn it on again. When Version appears on the display (the initial display screens are not affected by the Contrast control), press...
  • Page 37: Setup Menu

    Important Note: When the "Park Scope" option is chosen and the display prompts you to turn off the telescope's power, Autostar II is unable to be returned to operation without turning the power off and then back on. Setup Menu There are numerous other features available within the Setup menu, including: Align: Let's you choose a method of alignment.
  • Page 38 Tip: If the "ENTER to Sync" fea- ture is accessed by mistake (holding the ENTER key for more than 2 seconds), press MODE to return to the previous screen. Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun.
  • Page 39 Autostar II handbox. Software: Receives only the basic Autostar II software. This is useful if one user has downloaded a new version of Autostar II software from the Meade website (www.meade.com) and wants to pass this software along to friends.
  • Page 40: "Hot Button" Menus

    Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Statistics: Provides basic statistical data about Autostar II, including: Characters Free: Displays how much room is available in user-defined object memory.
  • Page 41: Advanced Autostar Ii Features

    ADVANCED AUTOSTAR II FEATURES Before trying out the examples in this section, familiarize yourself with the basic oper- ations of Autostar II described earlier in this manual. The following examples assume that you have a basic knowledge of Autostar II and understand how to scroll to a desired menu or menu option, and how to enter numbers and text.
  • Page 42: Creating User Objects

    Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. 11. Press MODE. "Site: Edit" displays. 12. Using the Arrow keys, scroll to "Site: Select." The site you have just edited dis- plays.
  • Page 43: Observing Satellites

    Satellite orbits change and new satellites (including the Space Shuttle) are launched. Visit the Meade website (www.meade.com) approximately once a month to get updated information and instructions on how to download this data to Autostar II. If orbital parameters are more than one month old, the satellite pass may not happen at the time predicted by Autostar II.
  • Page 44: Browse

    Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Navigate to the "Object: Identify" option and press ENTER. "Searching..."...
  • Page 45: Alternate Polar Alignment Methods

    Select RCX Users (the fourth selection on the list) from the CD Rom. Follow on screen instructions (click “Next” and “Finish” buttons when asked to do so). Plug in the USB cable. Plug one end into one of the RCX400 USB ports on a...
  • Page 46: Periodic Error Correction

    A window displays asking if you wish to download the latest version of Autostar from your hard drive (if you previously downloaded it separately from the Meade website) or from the internet. Select one of the choices and follow on-screen instructions.
  • Page 47: Optional Accessories

    Moon and planets. Each filter threads into the barrel of any Meade 1.25" eyepiece, and into the barrels of virtually all other eyepiece brands as well. Meade filters are available in 12 colors for lunar and planetary appli- cations, and in Neutral Density as a lunar glare-reduction filter.
  • Page 48 Meade Series 4000 Nebular Filters utilize the very latest in coating technology, and are available with threaded cells for eyepieces or for attachment to the rear cells of Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain models.
  • Page 49 PC. Low Latitude Counterweight Kit: This optional feature is necessary if you wish to use the mount if your site is 0° to 30° away from the equator. Contact your Meade deal- er for more information. Mounting Plate: This optional feature allows you to mount non-RCX models to Max.
  • Page 50: Maintenance

    You will almost certainly not be able to replace the corrector in its proper rotational orientation and serious degradation of optical performance will result. Meade Instruments assumes no liability for damage incurred to the telescope in this way.
  • Page 51: Specifications

    TELESCOPE SPECIFICATIONS Total instrument capacity ......500 lbs. Aperture ......... . 16" & 20" Optical design .
  • Page 52: Meade Consumer Solutions

    Consumer Solutions hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. In the unlikely event that your Max Mount or requires factory servicing or repairs, write or call the Meade Consumer Solutions Department first, before RCX400 returning the telescope to the factory, giving full particulars as to the nature of the problem, as well as your name, address, and daytime telephone number.
  • Page 53: Appendix A: Latitude Chart

    APPENDIX A: LATITUDE CHART Latitude Chart for Major Cities of the World To aid in the polar alignment procedure, latitudes of major cities around the world are listed below. To determine the latitude of an observing site not listed on the chart, locate the city closest to your site. Then follow the procedure below: Northern hemisphere observers (N): If the site is over 70 miles (110 km) North of the listed city, add one degree for every 70 miles.
  • Page 54: Appendix B: The Moon

    Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. APPENDIX B: THE MOON The Moon option of the Object menu allows you to observe the moon in a way never possible before.
  • Page 55: Appendix C: Smart Mount

    APPENDIX C: Smart Mount Introduction Smart Mount improves the pointing accuracy of your tem. Despite careful efforts to calibrate and align telescopes, they may fail to precisely center objects. Smart Mount allows your telescope to learn about, and then correct for, any systematic pointing errors, regardless of the cause. Because training your mount takes some time, we recommend that it be primarily used on permanently mounted instruments or when imaging requires very accurate pointing.
  • Page 56 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. • Save your model, using a good, descriptive name, using the “Save As” menu. Upon completion of the training, Smart Mount is enabled and remains on until you choose “Off”...
  • Page 60 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 Meade to be defective, provided the defective part is returned to Meade, freight-prepaid, with proof of purchase.

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