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5. Tighten the socket-head setscrew on the end of the drive
coupler. The setscrew should seat into the groove on the
end of the worm gear shaft. You may need to rotate the
worm gear, using the R.A. slow-motion control cable, for
the setscrew and the groove to line up. You may also need
to adjust the drive coupler on the motor's output shaft
to position the setscrew over the groove; this is done by
loosening the setscrew on the drive coupler that is clos-
est to the motor. Once both setscrews are tightened, the
R.A. motor is engaged. When the motor is engaged, never,
under any circumstances, should you use the R.A. slow-
motion control cable. If you want to use it, first loosen the
setscrew on the end of the coupler to disengage the motor
drive.
The motor is now properly installed on the EQ-3 mount,
and should appear as in Figure 4.
3. Operation
Insert four D-cell batteries into the battery pack. Orient the
batteries as indicated on the white plastic battery holder.
Connect the end of the battery pack's power cord to the DC
power input on the hand controller.
There is a white cord that is permanently connected to the
hand controller. Connect the plug on the end of the cord to the
socket on the R.A. motor drive assembly.
For the motor drive system to track the motion of the night
sky properly, the equatorial mount must be polar aligned. This
involves aligning the R.A. axis of the mount so it is parallel to
the Earth's axis of rotation (polar axis). Consult the manual
that came with your equatorial mount for details on how to
polar align it. The telescope also must be well balanced on the
mount's R.A. axis.
When observing in the Northern Hemisphere, the N/S switch
on the hand controller should be in the "N" position. For the
Southern Hemisphere, it should be in the "S" position.
Make sure the motor is engaged (i.e. setscrews on the drive
coupler are tightened), and turn the power switch on the hand
controller to the "ON" position. The LED in the center of the
hand controller should be shining green. If properly polar
aligned and balanced, the mount will now be tracking the
motion of the night sky, and the telescope should hold any
astronomical object in its eyepiece steady over time.
To move your telescope to a new object, loosen both the R.A.
and Dec. lock levers and move the telescope until it is pointed
in the general direction of the object you wish to view. Retighten
the R.A. and Dec. lock levers. Now, disengage the motor drive
by loosening the setscrew on the end of the drive coupler, and
use the R.A. and Dec. slow-motion control cables to center the
object in the eyepiece's field of view. Re-engage the motor by
tightening the setscrew, and the motor drive system will keep
the object centered over time. Remember, never use the R.A.
A N E M P L O Y E E - O W N E D C O M P A N Y
Copyright © 2021 Orion Telescopes & Binoculars. All Rights Reserved. No part of this product instruction or any of its contents
may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of Orion Telescopes & Binoculars.
slow-motion control cable when the motor is engaged or you
could permanently damage the motor.
There are four buttons on the hand controller. If no buttons are
pressed, the motor will turn the R.A. axis of the mount at side-
rial rate. If the bottom right button is pressed, the motor will
turn at 2x siderial rate, which will cause objects viewed in the
telescope's eyepiece to move slowly eastward. If the bottom
left button is pressed, than the motor will stop turning, which
will cause objects in the eyepiece to move slowly westward.
The bottom two buttons are most useful for guiding purposes
during long-exposure astrophotography.
Similarly, the top right button on the hand controller moves
objects in the telescope's eyepiece quickly eastward at 8x the
siderial rate, while the top left button moves objects quickly
westward at 8x siderial. The top two buttons are most useful
for centering an object in R.A. within the field-of-view of an
eyepiece.
Note that whenever any of the four buttons on the hand con-
troller are pressed, the LED in the center of the hand control-
ler will shine red; when the button is released, the LED will
shine green again.
4. Specifications
Guiding rate: 2x sidereal, motor pause
Centering rates: ±8x sidereal
Power requirement: 6V DC
Battery type: D-cell, quantity four
Northern or Southern Hemisphere operation
DC stepper motor
One-Year Limited Warranty
This Orion product is warranted against defects in materials or
workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase.
This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser
only. During this warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars
will repair or replace, at Orion's option, any warranted instru-
ment that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage
paid. Proof of purchase (such as a copy of the original receipt) is
required. This warranty is only valid in the country of purchase.
This warranty does not apply if, in Orion's judgment, the instru-
ment has been abused, mishandled, or modified, nor does it
apply to normal wear and tear. This warranty gives you specific
legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other
legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or
national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of con-
sumer goods remain fully applicable.
For fur ther warrant y infor mation, please visit www.
OrionTelescopes.com/warranty.
Corporate Offices: 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076 - USA
Toll Free USA & Canada: (800) 447-1001
International: +1(831) 763-7000
Customer Support: support@telescope.com
IN 156 Rev. B 02/09
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