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i n s t r u c t i o n M a n u a l
Orion SkyQuest
™
XX12g, XX14g GoTo
Truss Tube Dobsonians
#10137 XX12g, #8964 XX14g
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
OrionTelescopes.com
customer support (800) 676-1343 • E-mail: support@telescope.com
Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 • 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076
© 2010-2012 Orion Telescopes & Binoculars
IN 398 Rev. B 06/12
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Table of Contents
Related Manuals for Orion SkyQuest XX12g
Summary of Contents for Orion SkyQuest XX12g
- Page 1 #10137 XX12g, #8964 XX14g Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 OrionTelescopes.com customer support (800) 676-1343 • E-mail: support@telescope.com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 • 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076 © 2010-2012 Orion Telescopes & Binoculars IN 398 Rev. B 06/12...
- Page 2 EZ Finder II Upper optical tube section 35mm DeepView 2" eyepiece 2" Dual-speed Crayford focuser Truss poles Navigation knob Tube connecting knob (not visible) Captive clamping GoTo hand knobs controller Handle Altitude motor Lower optical housing tube section 12.5mm Illuminated Plössl 1.25"...
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
Star Charts ....... . 34 1. Unpacking The SkyQuest XX12g is packed in three boxes, one contain- WARNING: Never look directly at the Sun through your ing the optical tube assembly (OTA) and accessories, a sec- telescope or its finder scope –... - Page 4 Parts List Counterweight mounting bolts (XX14g only) Counterweights, 2.2 lbs. ea. (XX14g only) Box #1: Optical Tube Assembly and Accessories Cooling accelerator fan with battery holder (Figure 2) (XX12g only) Qty. Description Instruction manual (not shown) Lower optical tube section Starry Night CD-ROM Upper optical tube section Optical tube dust covers (one for each tube section)
- Page 5 Box #2: Dobsonian Base (Figure 3) SynScan AZ hand controller Qty. Description Hand controller cable (coiled) Left side panel (with altitude motor and encoders pre- Azimuth motor connection cable installed) RS-232 computer cable Right side panel DC power cable Front panel Side braces Baseplate assembly (with azimuth motor and encoders pre-installed)
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Page 6: Assembly
Initial Assembly of the GoTo Dobsonian Base To install the feet (XX12g only; feet are pre-installed at the The GoTo bases of the SkyQuest XX12g and XX14g are factory on the XX14g), turn the baseplate assembly upside- shipped partially assembled for your convenience. All the... - Page 7 Figure 6. a) Starter holes for feet on bottom baseplate. Attaching the base feet. Side panel Side brace Side panel (one of two shown) Front panel Figure 7. Figure 8. Attach a side brace to the outside of each side panel Locations for insertion of connecting bolts in the using three base assembly wood screws and the 4mm hex key.
- Page 8 Hand controller bracket Figure 10. The completed side panel and front panel assembly Keyholes Figure 12. Altitude motor housing with hand controller bracket Figure 11. Place the large opening of the “keyhole” slots in the installed eyepiece rack over the mounting screw heads, then push the rack downward.
- Page 9 Figure 13. Figure 14. To remove the rear end ring, unthread the Phillips Thread the three hex-head counterweight mounting screws that attach it to the tube. bolts (XX14g only) into the holes in counterweight support plates as shown. Tighten using an adjustable or 16mm crescent wrench. The aluminum eyepiece rack holds three 1.25"...
- Page 10 Next, assemble the telescope’s rear end ring to the pri- mary mirror cell. Find a clean, flat surface, and turn the mirror cell over so that the mirror is facing downward. For the XX14g, we recommend placing a soft towel on a flat surface and placing the mirror face down on the towel, Shaft because the aluminized outer edge of the mirror will...
- Page 11 Counterweight Truss pole assembly Counterweight mounting bolts Figure 17. Installing counterweights (XX14g only). Thread two 2.2-lb. counterweights onto each counterweight mounting bolt for proper tube balance. Clamping knobs Before assembling the rest of the optical tube, you should con- sider how – or rather, when – you want to mount the optical tube on the base.
- Page 12 Attach the upper tube section to the four truss connec- tors at the top of the poles. Orient the upper tube section as shown in Figure 19. Hold the upper tube section with one hand while threading the knobs in the truss connec- Focuser tors into the holes in the upper truss support ring.
- Page 13 Truss connector knob Registration flats Upper truss support ring Truss connector Figure 21. When the truss clamping knob is tightened, it will clamp the truss connector against the registration flats on the upper truss support ring. Figure 23. Grasp both ends of the lower tube section to lift it, then lower it into the base, sliding the dovetail slot in the tube’s left altitude hub onto the mating part of the metal trunnion on the base’s left side panel.
- Page 14 Once the tube is seated in the base, insert and tighten the tube connecting knob to secure the tube in place (Figure 25). Lastly, for the XX14g, install the remaining three counter- weights on the rear cell of the lower tube section (if you only installed three in the “Initial Assembly of the Optical Tube”...
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Page 15: Tips For Transporting Your Xxg
Doing so will reduce stress on the mirror support system. We recommend transporting the tube assem- The SkyQuest XX12g and XX14g GoTo Truss Dobsonians bly in the optional padded case set for proper protection. are big scopes, but they were designed with portability in Each time you assemble the optical tube for an observing mind. -
Page 16: The Goto Hand Controller
dial it in precisely. See the section on collimation for details on how to collimate the optics. 4. The GoTo Display screen Hand Controller The SkyQuest XXg features the SynScan AZ hand controller, Mode buttons which provides two different modes of operation: Directional buttons AutoTracking Mode The SkyQuest XXg base incorporates a quad-encoder design... -
Page 17: Setup For Autotracking Or Goto Mode
The SETUP button is a quick hot key that takes you to the [Steps 3 – 8 Apply to both AutoTracking and GoTo Mode setup] Setup submenu Connect the hand controller to the base with the provided Directional Buttons coil cable. Insert the RJ-12 connector of the cable into The directional buttons allow the user to have complete control the jack labeled “HC”... -
Page 18: Using The Telescope In Autotracking Mode
NOTE: If a mistake was entered into the hand controller The descriptions below will lead you through step-by-step during the initial setup, press the ESC key to go back to procedures for both alignment methods. the previous menu, and press ENTER to start again. NOTE: Before performing either of the alignment meth- ods, be sure that the EZ Finder II is precisely aligned 6. -
Page 19: Using The Telescope In Goto Mode
or RIGHT directional button when centering the object in the eyepiece view. NOTE: The hand controller will beep when the telescope has finished slewing to an object. Do not try to adjust the 315° – telescope position further before you hear the beep. The 45°... - Page 20 Pointing Accuracy Enhancement (PAE) Solar System – The 8 other planets of our solar system (including Pluto), plus the Moon Each of the two alignment methods described earlier will pro- vide accurate alignment for most visual applications – accu- Named Star – 212 of the best-known stars rate enough to land an object somewhere in the field of view –...
- Page 21 GPS – This allows you to obtain information from the optional tional functions that allow you to optimize performance and GPS receiver for Orion GoTo Mounts, if the GPS receiver is access other features of the system. Some functions allow connected.
- Page 22 NOTE: Backlash compensation is only active for comput- ness of the LED button lights, and the beeper volume of the erized slewing, not for manual slewing with the direction- hand controller. Press the RIGHT or LEFT directional key to al buttons. increase or decrease the values.
- Page 23 The firmware loader and Hint: If the recalled object is below the horizon, the hand con- firmware updates are available for download on the Orion troller will display “Below Horizon! Try another obj.” and auto- website, OrionTelescopes.com...
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Page 24: Collimating The Optical System
(XX12g only) Figure 31. Collimating the optics. When the mirrors are properly aligned, the view down the focuser drawtube should look like this. With the collimation cap in place, if the optics are out of alignment, the view might look something like this. Here, the secondary mirror is centered under the focuser, but it needs to be adjusted (tilted) so that the entire primary mirror is visible. - Page 25 Figure 32. The SkyQuest XX12g optical tube properly set up for collimation. Figure 33. To center the secondary mirror under the focuser, hold the mirror holder in place with one hand while adjusting the center bolt with a Phillips screwdriver.
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Page 26: Using Your Telescope
turns of these set screws or force them past their normal trav- el. A simple 1/2 turn of the screw can dramatically change the tilt of the secondary mirror. The goal is to center the primary mirror reflection in the secondary mirror, as in Figure 31d. Don’t worry that the reflection of the secondary mirror (the smallest circle, with the collimation cap “dot”... -
Page 27: Care And Maintenance
by using eyepieces of different focal lengths, the resultant magnification can be varied. Magnification is calculated as follows: Telescope Focal Length (mm) = Magnification Eyepiece Focal Length (mm) The XX12g, for example, has a focal length of 1500mm. So, the magnification with the supplied 35mm 2" eyepiece is: 1500 mm Out of collimation Collimated... - Page 28 will not harm the telescope. Smudges on the tube or base can follow the same procedure described below for cleaning the primary mirror. You do not need to remove the secondary mir- be wiped off with a soft cloth and household cleaning fluid. ror from its holder when cleaning.
- Page 29 Submerge the mirror, aluminized face up, in the water; Now remove the mirror from the water and keep it tilted for a few seconds to allow the water to drain off. you want about 1-2 inches of water above the mirror face. Let the mirror soak for 10 minutes or more while swishing For the next steps you might want to prop the mirror at a the water over the mirror with your hand, by moving you...
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Page 30: Specifications
12. Specifications SkyQuest XX12g GoTo SkyQuest XX14g GoTo Primary mirror: 305mm diameter, parabolic, center-marked Primary mirror: 356mm diameter, parabolic, center-marked Focal length: 1500mm Focal length: 1650mm Focal ratio: f/4.9 Focal ratio: f/4.6 Focuser: Dual-speed Crayford (11:1), accepts 2" and 1.25"... -
Page 31: Menu Tree
Menu Tree... -
Page 33: Appendix B: Rs-232 Connection
Appendix B: RS-232 To send a tracking rate, send the following 8 bytes: Positive Azm tracking: 80, 3, 16, 6, Connection TrackRateHighByte, TrackRateLowByte, 0, 0 The SkyQuest XTg Mount is designed to receive commands Negative Azm tracking: 80, 3, 16, 7, sent from a computer’s RS-232 COM port (via the computer TrackRateHighByte, TrackRateLowByte, 0, 0 interface cable). -
Page 34: Star Charts
Star Charts... - Page 40 During this warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted instrument that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage paid to: Orion Warranty Repair, 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076. Proof of purchase (such as a copy of the original receipt) is required.