Related Manuals for Meade RCX400TM
Summary of Contents for Meade RCX400TM
- Page 1 Instruction Manual 10", 12", 14” RCX400 Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien Telescopes ™ with AutoStar II ® Hand Controller and Digital Front Focus MEADE.COM...
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Page 2: How To Hot Swap The Autostar Ii Handbox
Press the Focus key once. “Focuser: Fast (or the current speed)” displays. After two seconds, “Focuser: Position = XX” dis- plays. “XX” stands for a number value in decimal millimeters. Point the telescope at a distant object. Look in the eyepiece and use the Arrow keys until the image in the eyepiece is in focus. -
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Improperly installed batteries void your Meade warranty. ® The name "Meade" and the Meade logo are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent Office and in principal coun- tries throughout the world. "RCX400 " and "AutoStar II" are trademarks of Meade Instruments Corporation. -
Page 4: Quick-Start Guide
QUICK-START GUIDE Assemble Your Tripod STEP 1: Attach the legs of the tripod to the base: Slide each leg (1) into a leg receptacle (2) . STEP 2: Rotate the leg: Rotate the leg until the trigger release pin (3) is next to the thruster bar latch (4). - Page 5 If these precautions are not followed, batteries may explode, catch fire, or leak. Improperly installed batteries void your Meade warranty. Always remove the batteries if they are not to be used for a long period of time.
- Page 6 Note: The AutoStar II handbox does not require batteries; the batteries in the telescope supply the power. Note: You can only plug one handbox into the telescope at a time; you cannot plug two handboxes into the two control panels at the same time.
- Page 7 1. Press MODE. STEP 16: Point and Observe: Sight along the side of the telescope tube to locate an object (if you wish to attach the viewfinder, see page 18 for more informa- tion). Look through the eyepiece and use AutoStar’s arrow keys to cen- ter the object in your eyepiece.
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Page 8: Telescope Features
R.A. slow motion control Base control panel Receiver Dec Setting Circle Fig. 1a: The Telescope; Dec. Setting Circle (inset). RCX400 viewfinder on the left fork arm optical tube dust cover Dec. lock Dec. slow motion control... - Page 9 viewfinder locking ring objective lens Fig. 1b: The Viewfinder close up. 12vDC Out Off/On 12vDC In USB Port AUX port Fig. 1d: The Base Computer Control Panel. adjustment screws viewfinder eyepiece/focuser viewfinder bracket and dovetail mount 2& tripod base with leg receptacles attachment lock...
- Page 10 D. USB 2.0 High Speed Port: Provides a connection for a USB 2.0 device. This port is typically used to connect to a PC. E. AUX Port: Provides connection for current Meade accessories. See , pages 48 - 50. OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES F.
- Page 11 Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) Computer Control Panel (also see e): H. USB Port: Provides 3 connections for USB 2.0 devices. This port is typically used to connect to CCD cameras, such as Meade’s LPI or Deep Sky Imager. See OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES PC can control your 400 telescope using serial commands.
- Page 12 AutoStar II operation. Dust Cover: Gently pry the dust cover from the front lens of the telescope. Note: The dust cover should be replaced after each observing session and the power turned off to the telescope.
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Page 13: Autostar Ii Features
Download the updates of Autostar II latest satellite data, star and object catalogs, tours, serial commands list, and software software from the revisions, directly from the Meade website (www.meade.com). (Requires the option- Meade website? Go to RCX400 www.meade.com/sup- port/auto.html for com-... - Page 14 "spiral search." Arrow Keys: The Arrow keys have several functions. Press an Arrow key to slew the telescope in a specific direction (up, down, left, and right), at any one of nine different speeds. See SLEW SPEEDS to move the telescope vertically up and down.
- Page 15 Autostar II handbox. Coil Cord: Plug one end of the Autostar II coil cord into the HBX port (F, Fig. 1d) of the computer control panel of the telescope and the other end into the Autostar II coil cord port. See above.
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Page 16: Getting Started
(5) so that you can adjust the height of the tripod. GETTING STARTED Parts Listing Getting the telescope ready for first observations requires only a few minutes. When first opening the packing box, note carefully the following parts: Telescope with fork mount system and GPS Receiver RCX400 AutoStar II handbox and interface coil cord;... -
Page 17: To Connect Autostar Ii And Attach The Holder
Do not mix battery types. If these precautions are not followed, batteries may explode, catch fire, or leak. Improperly installed batteries void your Meade warranty. Always remove the batteries if they are not to be used for a long period of time. -
Page 18: Mounting And Focusing The Viewfinder
If you have not already done so, insert the UltraWide 24mm eyepiece into the diagonal mirror. Unlock the R.A. (13, Fig. 1a) and Dec. (17, Fig. 1a) locks so that the telescope moves freely on both axes. Point the telescope at some well-defined and stationary land object at least 200 yards distant, such as the top of a telephone pole or street sign. -
Page 19: Observing
48 - 50. The power, or magnification of a telescope is determined by the focal length of the tel- escope and the focal length of the eyepiece being used (an eyepiece's focal length is printed on the side of the eyepiece). -
Page 20: Observing By Moving The Telescope Manually
If you do not park your telescope, you will need to select just one of the presets and refocus your telescope using the Sync On menu. Then AutoStar II will then reset all the other presets back to the focus preset positions you previously defined. -
Page 21: Terrestrial Observing
("1" is the slowest speed, "9" is highest speed.) Use the viewfinder (21, Fig. 1a) to locate an object and practice using the Autostar II’s Arrow keys to center the object in the telescope’s field of view. Bring the object into focus. Number Key 1 =... -
Page 22: Observe The Moon, Astronomical Observing
Speed 9: Moves the telescope quickly from one point in the sky to another. Observe the Moon Point your telescope at the Moon (note that the Moon is not visible every night) and practice using the Arrow keys, the digital front focus and the slew speeds to view dif- ferent features. - Page 23 The alignment star should be easily recog- nized and be the brightest star in the area of the sky where the telescope is pointing. Press ENTER. Repeat this procedure for the second star. For more information about alignment stars, see below.
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Page 24: Observe A Star Using Automatic Tracking
Observe a Star using the Automatic Tracking Feature Now that your telescope has been aligned, you are able to track celestial objects. In this example, the Autostar II Arrow keys are used to find a star, and then Autostar II's tracking capability automatically keeps the star centered in your telescope's eyepiece. -
Page 25: Finding True North
Detecting True Level To detect level of the base of the telescope, Autostar II must calculate the tip and tilt of the telescope at three compass points and then compensate for it. Finding level involves the geometric calculations of a "plane." In order to define a plane, three positions are necessary. -
Page 26: Basic Autostar Ii Operation
"Event: Sunrise" is displayed. OBJECT MENU Want to see Mars? The Orion nebula? The Andromeda galaxy? Select from over 180,000 objects and press GO TO to move the telescope automatically to an object. Select Item: Event EVENT MENU Display the time of... -
Page 27: Navigating Autostar Ii
Press MODE again to return to the starting point of "Select Item: Object." Example of Locating a menu As you typically will be using menus after you initialize and align your telescope, this example will assume you have just completed aligning your scope. AutoStar II displays “Select Item: Object”... -
Page 28: Autostar Ii Menus
AUTOSTAR II's MENUS... -
Page 29: Objects Menu
GO TO once to change the second line to the name of the bright- est star in the constellation. Press GO TO a second time to slew the telescope to that star. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the list of stars in the constellation, from brightest to dimmest. -
Page 30: Event Menu
Press ENTER. Autostar II searches the libraries for the identity of the object being observed. If the telescope is not directly on an Autostar II library object, the nearest library object is located and displayed on the screen. Press GO TO and the telescope slews to that object. -
Page 31: Glossary Menu, Utilities Menu
Alarm: Selects a time for an alarm signal to sound as a reminder. To use the Alarm, press ENTER, then choose "Set" or "Start/Stop." Eyepiece Calc: Calculates information about an eyepiece for the specific telescope Tip: to which Autostar II is connected. -
Page 32: Setup Menu
Park Scope: Designed for a telescope that is not moved between observing sessions. Align the telescope one time, then use this function to park the telescope. The next time it is powered up, pressing ENTER causes the telescope to move to its predeter- mined Park position. - Page 33 R.A. and the Dec. axes by entering a number from 0% to 199%. This sets the back- lash in the way the Arrow keys move the telescope along an axis. If you enter a value near 199%, telescope responds more quickly as you hold down an Arrow key.
- Page 34 99.9%) to 999 (stand for +99.9%). The lower the number, the slower the rate; the higher the number the faster the rate. If you enter -999, the telescope will move so slow as to appear to be stopped. If you enter 999, the telescope will be moving at approximately twice the tracking rate.
- Page 35 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.
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Page 36: "Hot Button" Menus
You can toggle the Focus key to display the “Focuser: Preset” menus. The Focuser pre- set menu allows you to assign nine focus positions. If you “park” the telescope, you can set your own focus, focus for your observing partners and the focus for your camera or imager. -
Page 37: Advanced Autostar Ii Features
If you plan to observe using Autostar II at different geographic locations, you can store observation sites in Autostar II's memory to help simplify your telescope setup. Perform these procedures using the Site options (Add, Select, Delete, Edit) of the Setup menu. -
Page 38: Creating User Objects
To enter coordinates of an object into the "User: Objects" option of the Object menu: Make sure Autostar II has been initialized and the telescope has been aligned. After the telescope is aligned, "Select Item: Object" displays. (If necessary, use the Scroll keys to scroll through the menus, as previously described, to find this option.) Press ENTER. -
Page 39: Observing Satellites, Landmarks
11. Use the Autostar II Arrow keys to center the object in the viewfinder, then look 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 40: Identify
"Landmark: Add" displays. If you wish to add more landmarks, repeat steps 5 through 8. To Select a landmark from the database: Make sure the telescope is located and aligned exactly as when the desired land- mark was entered into memory. Display the "Landmark: Select" menu option. Press ENTER. -
Page 41: Browse
In this procedure, you will center an object you wish to have identified by Autostar II in the telescope eyepiece and use the "Identify" menu to find out information about the object or the nearest object to it in the Autostar II database. -
Page 42: Alternate Alt/Az Alignment Methods
Autostar II to signify that the message has been read and understood. 6. Autostar II displays "Align: Automatic." You are now ready to align your telescope using one of the three alt/az alignment pro- cedures. Easy (Two-Star) Alignment In this method, Autostar II automatically picks two stars from its libraries for alignment. -
Page 43: To Download The Latest Autostar Ii Software
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 44: Periodic Error Correction
On and Off Menu Options Select "On" when you want the telescope to use the training information. Select "Off" when you do not want for the telescope to use the training information. Select "On" to enable the Smart Drive. , pages 48 - 50). PEC... -
Page 45: Photography
A few tips on photography with the Use the Field Tripod for the telescope. At an effective focal length of 2000mm or more, even small external vibrations can easily ruin an otherwise good photo. - Page 46 Photography with Meade’s AutoStar Suite™ The AutoStar Suite with Meade LPI™ (Lunar Planetary Imager) or Meade Deep Sky Imager™ turns your Meade RCX400 telescope, AutoStar and PC into even more pow- erful and easy-to-use astronomical instrument.
- Page 47 The AutoStar Suite Software includes powerful tools to help you get the most from your Meade RCX400 telescope: • Sophisticated planetarium program with over 19 million objects. • Select objects from the planetarium display and the telescope slews to those objects. • Create time-lapse movies of objects, such as Jupiter •...
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Page 48: 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 49 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.
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Page 50: Star Charts
A wide variety of star charts are available in books, in magazines, on the inter- net and on CD Roms. Meade offers Autostar Suite and other star locator soft- ware. Contact your Meade dealer or Meade's Customer Service department for more information. -
Page 51: Maintenance
As part of final optical testing, every Meade 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 straight- forward process with the RCX400. - Page 52 2x barlow, is required for collimation. A good rule of thumb to follow is to select the highest power eyepiece you will use with your telescope, and double it (a 2x bar- low is ideal for doubling). See Fig. 48 below, to see images of an aligned and mis- aligned image.
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Page 53: Inspecting The Optics
Customer Service hours are 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. In the unlikely event that your write or call the Meade Customer Service Department first, before returning the tele- scope to the factory, giving full particulars as to the nature of the problem, as well as your name, address, and daytime telephone number. -
Page 54: Specifications
TELESCOPE SPECIFICATIONS 10" f/8 RCX400 Specifications Optical design ...Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien Clear aperture...254mm (10") Focal length ...2032mm Focal ratio (photographic speed) ...f/8 Resolving power ...0.45 arc sec Focus ...4-speed front focusing mechanism Slow Motion Controls ...Both axes Coatings ...Ultra-high transmission coatings (UHTC) Mounting ...heavy duty forks... - Page 55 14" f/8 RCX400 Specifications Optical design ...Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien Clear aperture...356mm (14") Focal length ...2845mm Focal ratio (photographic speed) ...f/8 Resolving power ...0.321 arc sec Focus ...4-speed front focusing mechanism Slow Motion Controls ...Both axes Coatings ...Ultra-high transmission coatings (UHTC) Mounting ...heavy duty forks Gears ...5.75"-dia.
- Page 56 AUTOSTAR II SPECIFICATIONS Advanced Autostar II System Specifications Processors Flash Memory ...4 MB, reloadable Database...180,000 objects Drive Control ...Smart Mount, plus Autostar II Handbox Specifications Keypad ...20 key alphanumeric Display ...2 line, 16 character LCD Backlight ...Red LED Utility Light ...Yes Coil Cord ...24"...
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Page 57: Appendix A: Equatorial (Polar) Alignment
The R.A. circle ( Fig. 51) is locat- ed on the top surface of the telescope’s drive base. The Declination circle (Fig. 50) is located at the top of the fork tine. With the telescope pointed at the North Celestial Pole, the Dec. - Page 58 Note: The Meade equatorial wedge is designed solely for use in conjunction with your Meade tripod. The wedge should never be used without the tripod (e.g., by placing the wedge alone on a table top and then mounting the tele- scope on the wedge—the wedge may become seriously unbalanced, to the...
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Page 59: Lining Up With The Celestial Pole
During any 24 hour period, stars make one complete revolution about the pole, mak- ing concentric circles with the pole at the center. By lining up the telescope’s polar axis with the North Celestial Pole (or for observers located in Earth’s Southern Hemisphere, with the South Celestial Pole), astronomical objects may be followed, or tracked, simply by moving the telescope about one axis, the polar axis. -
Page 60: Precise Polar Alignment
10 minutes or longer). In particular, the number of Declination corrections required is a direct function of the precision of polar alignment. Precise polar alignment requires the use of a crosshair eyepiece. The Meade Illuminated Reticle Eyepiece (see... - Page 61 NASA, Hubble, HST, astronomy, Messier, satellite, nebula, black hole, variable stars, etc. Check Meade’s website for the latest product and technical information. You can download the latest software revisions, links to other astronomical sites, coordinates of celestial objects and the latest satellite tracking information for your Autostar II handbox.
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Page 62: Appendix B: Latitude Chart
APPENDIX B: LATITUDE CHART Latitude Chart for Major Cities of the World To aid in the polar alignment procedure (see page 57), 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 63: Appendix C: How To Create Your Own Guided Tour
More commands will be added from time-to-time to the list below. Periodically visit Meade's website (www.meade.com) for future additions. When a Guided Tour is selected, Autostar II slews your telescope to a predetermined list of objects and displays information about each object, such as type of object, con- stellation location, R.A. - Page 64 TITLE TEXT PLANET MOON COMET LUNAR ECLIPSE METEOR SHOWER CONSTELLATION STAR PICK ONE/PICK END AUTO SLEW Description String: Description of an object. Must be surrounded by quotation marks. If the description is longer than one line, each line must end with a quotation mark and a hard return.
- Page 65 PLANET "name" Enter PLANET and then the name of the desired planet in quotes. Autostar II provides the user with a description of the selected planet from its database. For example: PLANET "Pluto" MOON This command accesses information about the Moon from the Autostar II database. SATELLITE "name"...
- Page 66 PICK ONE AUTO SELECT MESSIER 13 AUTO SELECT MESSIER 15 AUTO SELECT MESSIER 92 AUTO SELECT MESSIER 4 AUTO SELECT MESSIER 68 AUTO SELECT NGC 1234 AUTO SELECT TEXT "None Available" "I'm sorry. There are no bright globular" "clusters visible at this time." PICK END AUTO SLEW ON / AUTO SLEW OFF With AUTO SLEW ON enabled in the tour, Autostar II automatically slews the tele-...
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Page 67: Appendix D: Training The Drive
APPENDIX D: TRAINING THE DRIVE Train the telescope motors using Autostar II. Perform this procedure if you are experiencing any pointing accuracy problems. Fig. 55 depicts the complete Drive Training procedure. Use a terrestrial object, such as a telephone pole or lamp post, to train the drive. Complete this exer- Note: cise once every 3 to 6 months to maintain the highest level of telescope pointing accuracy. -
Page 68: Appendix E: The Moon Menu
When Autostar II synchs to a lunar feature, the telescope switches to Selenographic coordinates, i.e., lunar latitude and longitude. To observe the Apollo 15 landing site using the Moon option: 1. -
Page 69: Appendix F: Smart Mount
Once Smart Mount training has been performed, the scope will benefit from it so long as you carefully park the telescope at the end of each session and do not modify the mounting. - Page 70 If Smart Mount was "On" when you last powered off your telescope, it PDATE will be "On" when you start the next session. When Smart Mount is "Off," the telescope will not use any model you have created to refine pointing accuracy. Erase The Erase command clears the Current Smart Mount table values to allow a new model to be created.
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Page 71: Appendix G: Basic Astronomy
Moon, and our solar system comes from observations made by ama- teur astronomers. So as you look through your Meade mind Galileo. To him, a telescope was not merely a machine made of glass and metal, but something far more—a window of incredible discovery. - Page 72 The disk of Venus appears white as Sunlight is reflected off the thick cloud cover that completely obscures any surface detail. Mars is about half the diameter of Earth, and appears through the telescope as a tiny reddish-orange disk. It may be possible to see a hint of white at one of the planet’s polar ice caps.
- Page 74 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.