INSTRUCTION MANUAL Meade #1697 Computer Drive System ® For LXD 650 and LXD 750 Equatorial Mounts Meade Instruments Corporation MEADE LIMITED WARRANTY Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments Corporation ("Meade") to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 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. This warranty applies to the original purchaser only and is non-transferable. Meade products purchased outside North America are not included in this warranty, but are covered under separate warranties issued by Meade international distributors. RGA Number Required: Prior to the return of any product or part, a Return Goods Authorization (RGA) number must be obtained from Meade by writing, or by calling (949) 451-1450. Each returned part or product must include a written statement detailing the nature of the claimed defect, as well as the owner's name, address, and phone number. This warranty is not valid in cases where the product has been abused or mishandled, where unauthorized repairs have been attempted or performed, or where depreciation of the product is due to normal wear-and-tear. Meade specifically disclaims special, indirect, or consequential damages or lost profit which may result from a breach of this warranty. Any implied warranties which can not be disclaimed are hereby limited to a term of one year from the date of original retail purchase. This warranty gives you specific rights. You may have other rights which vary from state to state. Meade reserves the right to change product specifications or to discontinue products without notice. This warranty supersedes all previous Meade product warranties. -3- Contents #1697 Computer Drive System Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Basic Telescope Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Basic CDS Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Entering the Latitude and Longitude of the Observing Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Entering the Local Time and Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Telescope and CDS Alignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Using the #1697 Computer Drive System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Mode Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Library Object Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Daytime Slewing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The CDS Keypad Hand Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 ENTER Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 MODE Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 GO TO Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Direction Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 RET Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Speed Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 FOCUS Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 MAP Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Object Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 PREV and NEXT Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The CDS Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Current (mA x 100) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 N/S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 On/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Red LED Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Focuser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Reticle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 R.A. Motor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Power 12vDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 RS-232 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 CCD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Aux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 MODE Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 MODE ONE: TELESCOPE/OBJECT LIBRARY . . . . . . 11 TELESCOPE Menu File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 ALIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 SMART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Training the SMART Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 DEC LEARN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 12/24 HR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 HELP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 REVERSE NS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 REVERSE EW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 BALANCING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 High Precision Pointing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Pointing Accuracy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Using High Precision Pointing . . . . . . . . . . . 13 SLEW RATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 DEC Backlash Compensation. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 PIER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 OBJECT LIBRARY Menu File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 OBJECT INFO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 START FIND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Coordinate Matching Feature. . . . . . . . . . . . 15 FIELD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 PARAMETERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 TYPE GPDCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 BETTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 HIGHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 LARGER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 SMALLER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 BRIGHTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 FAINTER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 RADIUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 MODE TWO: COORDINATES/GOTO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Coordinates Menu Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 GO TO Menu Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 MODE THREE: CLOCK/CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 MODE FOUR: TIMER/FREQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 TIMER Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 FREQ Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 MODE FIVE: KEYPAD OFF/BRIGHTNESS ADJUST. . 17 Optional Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Meade Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Appendix A: Precise Polar Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Appendix B: Alignment Star Library and Star Charts . . . . . . 20 Alignment Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Star Charts (for Northern Hemisphere Observers) . . . . 21 Appendix C: #1697 CDS 64,359-Object Library . . . . . . . . . . 23 Overview: 64,359 Object Library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Accessing the Object Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Messier (M) Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Planets and Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Star, SAO & GCVS Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 CNGC, IC, & UGC Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 The Meade CNGC Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Star Catalog (listing). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 M Catalog (listing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Appendix D: Personal Computer Control of the #1697 CDS . 36 RS-232 Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 CDS Test Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 CDS Command Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Command Set Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 General Telescope Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Telescope Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Library/Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Miscellaneous. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Keypad Hand Controller Specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 CDS Demo Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Appendix E: Care and Maintenance of the CDS. . . . . . . . . . 50 ® The name `Meade' and the Meade logo are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent Office and in principal countries throughout the world. © 1998 Meade Instruments Corporation -4- #1697 COMPUTER DRIVE SYSTEM: INTRODUCTION The Meade #1697 Computer Drive System (CDS) is easily installed in the Meade LXD 650 and 750 Equatorial Mounts. With a properly polar aligned mount, (see the instruction manual which accompanies the telescope), the #1697 Computer Drive System's advanced electronics permit the location and observation of the major planets as well as hundreds of deep-sky objects the very first night of use. Its 64,359-object library provides enough galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, and other deep sky objects for a lifetime of observing enjoyment. Please take a few minutes to read this manual and become familiar with all of the #1697 Computer Drive System's capabilities. Installing the CDS is a straightforward procedure, requiring only a phillips screwdriver, and hex wrench. 1. On the LXD Equatorial Mount, remove the rubber knurling on the Declination slow-motion knob (2), Fig. 2, and remove this knob by loosening the hex set screw. 1 2 3 1 Fig. 2 Installing the Printed Circuit Boards. (1) Phillips-Head Screws; (2) Declination Slow-Motion Knob; (3) Cover Plate. 2. Remove the four screws (1), Fig. 2, holding the cover plate (3), Fig. 2, on the Declination slow-motion knob side of the mount. Discard this cover plate. Inside the Declination housing, you will see the Declination motor and cord with connector. Attach the Dec motor cord, (3), Fig. 3, to the Driver printed circuit board (PCB), (2), Fig. 3. Note the correct orientation of the connector, as shown in Fig. 3. On the Driver PCB, on the opposite side of the Dec motor cord (3), Fig. 3, look for a piece of electrical tape covering the circuitry. If the tape is not in place and the circuitry is visible, place a piece of electrical tape over this area to prevent the contacts from rubbing against the polar shaft during the installation process. Leave the electrical tape in place after the Driver PCB is installed. The Driver PCB has a 16-pin ribbon cable (1), Fig. 3 already attached to the new cover plate. Feed this cable into the Declination housing as shown in Fig. 3. Place the Driver PCB into the Declination housing and replace the four Phillips-head screws, (1), Fig. 2, to hold the new cover plate in place. 3. Fig. 1 #1697 Computer Drive System. 4. INSTALLATION For the #1697 CDS to function properly, there are two printed circuit boards that need to be installed into the Declination housing of the LXD Equatorial Mounts. The CDS printed circuit boards are sensitive to static electricity and should be handled with care to avoid damage. Whenever handling the electronics, be sure to observe the following precautions: · Leave the printed circuit boards in the static-resistant bags until ready to install them into the Declination housing. When making the installation, avoid standing on a carpeted floor. Instead, stand on a formica or wood floor surface when installing the boards. Limit your movements while installing the printed circuit boards, as unnecessary movement can increase the chance of static build-up and discharge. Discharge yourself by touching the metal of the telescope before you touch the printed circuit boards. Always handle the printed circuit boards by the edges; avoid ...