Lntroduction; What Ls The Lx100; Heavy-Duty Fork Mounts; 2-Speed Drive Systems - Meade 8" LX100 Series Instruction Manual

-6-
PRECAUTIONARY WARNING! Be sure to read this manual,
or at
minimum, the introductory assembly
and operationalprocedures
contained herein before attempting to
use your telescope.
A.
INTRODUCTION
Meade
8" and 10'LX100 SchmidtCassegrain Telescopes are instruments of advanced mirror-lens design
for astronomicaland terrestrial applications. Optically and mechanically, the
8'and
10'telescope
models
are
among the most sophisticated and
precisely manufactured telescopes ever made available to the serious
amateur.
These
telescopes enable the visual astronomer
to reach out for
detailed observations of
the Solar
System (the
planets:
Jupiter, Saturn, Mars)
and
beyond to
distant nebulae, star clusters, and
gala:ries.
The
astrophotographer
will find
a
virtually limitless range
of
possibilities since,
with the precision
Meade
worm-gear motor drive system, long exposure guided photography becomes not a distant goal, but
an
achievable
reality.
The capabilities
of
the instrument are essentially limited not
by
the telescope, but by the
acquired skills of the observer and
photographer.
Do take the time
to read this manual thoroughly so that
you will be fully
acquainted
with the many important features of the telescope, as
well
as
with the
auxiliary
equipment and accessories available for advanced applications.
The
8'and
10" models are, with the exception of a
few assembly operations and features, almost identical
operationally. Most standard and optional
accessories
are interchangeable between the two telescopes.
The instructions in this manualgenerally apply to both
telescopes;when exceptions
to
this
rule occur, they
are clearly
pointed
out.
1.
What is the LXl00?
Designed for advanced visual and astrophotographic applications, Meade
8'and
10'LX't00's include
a
dazzling array of standard-equipment features for the serious observer: Wide-field f/6.3 or classical f/10
opticalsystems, mounted atop the
largest, most rigid fork mounts available.
a. Heavy-Duty Fork Mounts
The
oversized
fork mountings included
with Meade LX100's are the largest, most rigid mounts ever offered
by a
commercial Schmidt-Cassegrain manufacturer. Vibration damping times
arthe
lowest
of
any fork
mounts
currently available, and
yet, these
8'and 10'telescopes
move effortlessly across the skies on
giant 4'sealed,
preloaded polar ball bearings.
b.
2-Speed Drive Systems
ln addition to the basic quartz-controlled sidereal tracking rate, LX100 models incorporate 2 right-ascension
tracking speeds, controllable from the handbox: 2x sidereal
rate
for photo-guiding during astrophotography,
and 32x
siderealrate
for
microslewing,
or
moving,
objects
within
the field of
view
of
view
of
the main telescope.
Add the optional #39S Declination motor and 2-speed control
is
actuated
on both
telescope
a:<es,
simultaneously if desired.
c. Permanent Periodic Error Correction
(PPEC) Smart Drive
The Meade Srnart Drive
permits the observer to compensate for minor periodic worm gear inaccuracies;
ftis
exclusive
Meade software package, built into every LX100,
is
capable of reducing periodic drive rate errors to an
incredible
5
arc. sec. or less.
The Smart
Drive
only requires user prograrnming once; thereafter the Smart Drive
model
is
forever stored
in the
telescope's non-volatile
memory, even
when power
is
turned
off.
d. Display (Power) Panel
The
1X100
display
panelallows
for addition of
the Meade
#1206 Electric Focuser, operable
forthe telescope's
Electronic Command Center
(ECC), and for direct connection of
popular
CCD
autoguiders. Connectors for
powering the
optional#39S
Declination Motor, and illuminated reticle guiding eyepiece and for the ECC are
also
provided.
The
bar-type, red LED ammeter permits readout of the telescope's electrical current
consumption.