Quick Start Guide - Meade Autostar 494 Instruction Manual

QUICK START GUIDE

WARNING: Never use Autostar to move a tel-
escope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near
the Sun will cause instant and irreversible dam-
age to your eye. Eye damage is often painless, so there
is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred
until it is too late. Do not point a telescope or its viewfind-
er at or near the Sun. Do not look through a telescope or
its viewfinder as it is moving. Children should always
have adult supervision while observing.
To connect Autostar to your telescope:
Remove the telescope from its packaging. Attach the
viewfinder (if necessary) and insert an eyepiece into the
telescope focuser. See your telescope instruction man-
ual for detailed assembly information.
Tighten the telescope's vertical and horizontal locks.
Plug Autostar's coil cord into the computer control panel
Handbox (HBX) port (Fig. 1). Make sure the telescope's
motor assemblies are plugged into the proper ports.
Plug the power cord into the 12V connector (Fig. 1).
A warning not to look at the Sun then scrolls across the
Autostar display. Press the key prompted by Autostar to
indicate you have read and understood the message.
Press the ENTER key (2, Fig. 3) repeatedly until
"Country/State" appears on the Autostar display. (Ignore
the prompts for the time, date, and daylight saving.
These functions will be covered later in this manual.)
COMPUTER CONTROL
HBX AZ ALT AUX
12v
12v HBX
Fig. 1: DS computer control panel 12v
and HBX connector ports.
Use the Scroll keys (6 and 7, Fig. 3) to cycle through
the list of countries, states, and provinces. Press
ENTER (2, Fig. 3) when the desired location appears
on the Autostar display.
Autostar then prompts you to enter the city nearest to
the observing site. Use the Scroll keys (6 and 7, Fig. 3)
to cycle through the list of cities. Press ENTER (2, Fig.
3) when the desired city appears on the display.
Autostar then prompts you to enter your telescope
model. Use the Scroll keys (6 and 7, Fig. 3) to cycle
through the list of models. Press ENTER (2, Fig. 3)
when your telescope model appears on the display.
The display then reads "Align: Easy." You now can use
Autostar's Arrow keys (5, Fig. 3) to move the telescope
to observe. Practice using the Arrow keys to slew
(move) the telescope up, down, left, and right.
Sight along the side of the telescope's main tube or use
the viewfinder to locate objects. Practice using the
Autostar Arrow keys to center objects in the telescope's
field of view and also practice using the telescope's
focus knob to bring objects into focus.
-2-
WARNING
LOOKING AT OR NEAR
Fig. 2: Sun Warning on the
Autostar LCD display.