Orion® Electric Focuser for Small Telescopes #2320 right when looking into the focuser (see Figure 2). Locate the bolt and wing nut in the hardware package. Insert the bolt through the hole in the right side of the bracket, and push it completely through the bracket until it protrudes through the other side. Thread the wing nut onto the exposed, threaded end of the bolt, and fully hand-tighten; tightening the wing nut causes the bracket to "grip" the underside of the focuser, which provides a tight connection. Pinion gear cover plate The Electric Focuser for Small Telescopes provides "jiggle-free" focusing on many telescopes in the 60mm to 4.5" aperture range. Every small telescope owner encounters difficulty in focusing the conventional way, by hand, especially at high magnifications. The problem? Touching the focusing knob on the telescope causes the scope (and thus, what you're looking at) to shake, and can also result in losing the target object out of the field of view. With the Electric Focuser, the focus knob is turned smoothly by a small motor, which you operate from a remote hand controller. The Electric Focuser eliminates the "shakes" caused by manual focusing. The telescope remains still, and your observing sessions will proceed more smoothly. Figure 1. Location of pinion gear cover plate. Wing nut Notch in bottom end of bracket Figure 2. Proper orientation of bracket when attached to telescope's focuser. Before the focus motor can be attached to the bracket, the cover plate on the right-hand focus knob (when looking directly down the focuser) must be removed. This is best done with a flat-head screwdriver. Wedge the screwdriver under the cover plate to remove it (see Figure 3). Now the focus motor is ready to attach to the bracket. Loosely thread the two knurled screws onto the bottom of the bracket. Install the focus motor from the right-hand side by sliding the slots on the bottom of the focus motor between the heads of the knurled screws and the bottom of the bracket. Slide the focus motor all the way over so that large circular opening in the top of the focus motor goes over the focus knob (see Figure 4). The U-shaped metal connector just inside the opening should fit into the cavities on the end of the focus knob. You may need to rotate the focus knob in order to get the metal connector aligned with the cavities in the knob. Once properly attached, the knurled screws should be tightened. The Electric Focuser is now installed. Check to make sure it works by depressing the push-buttons (one at a time) on the hand controller; this should cause the focuser drawtube to move in or out. If this does not happen properly, make sure that all connections are secure and try again. Also make sure the U-shaped metal connector from the focus motor is properly mated to the end of the focuser knob. Parts List Qty. 1 1 2 1 Description Focus motor with cable and hand controller attached Focus motor bracket Knurled screws Bolt with wing nut Installing the Batteries The Electric Focuser requires two AA batteries (not included). To install the batteries, remove the cover plate on the back of the hand controller. This can easily be done by prying the tab that protrudes from the cover plate on the bottom of the hand controller. Insert the batteries into the battery compartment in the proper orientation, as shown in the diagram engraved in the bottom of the battery compartment. Replace the cover plate. The batteries should now be properly installed. To check that this is the case, push one of the buttons on the front of the hand controller. You should hear the focus motor turning. If you don't, remove the cover plate and check that the batteries are properly placed in the battery compartment. Installing the Electric Focuser on the Telescope Focuser To install the Electric Focuser, the focus motor bracket must first be attached to the underside of the telescope's focuser. Locate the cover plate that goes over the pinion gear of the telescope's focuser (see Figure 1). The open end of the bracket fits directly over the cover plate; position the bracket so the exposed shafts of the focuser's pinion gear line up with the slots in the open end of the bracket. Also, orient the bracket so the notch in the closed bottom end faces to the IN 111 Rev. A 0199 Operation Using the Electric Focuser is easy. While looking into an eyepiece held in the focuser, simply depress the push-buttons on the hand controller (one at a time!). The button on the left side of the controller racks the focuser drawtube in, while the button on the right racks it out. There are no "on/off" switches to worry about; the motor is always turned off until one of the buttons is pressed. Push the buttons until an approximate focus point is found. Then push the appropriate button to go just through the actual focus point. Now, use the other button to get back to the exact focus point. The motor takes a second to reverse directions, so keep that in mind when making fine adjustments. If manual focusing is needed, the button on the outside of the motor housing serves as a release clutch (Figure 4). Simply press the button, then while it is depressed, turn the focus knob on the left side of the focuser. Releasing the clutch button will revert the system back to electric focusing. Care and Maintenance When not in use, the Electric Focuser can be either removed and stored, or left on the telescope. To remove the Electric Focuser, simply loosen the two knurled screws on the bottom of the focus motor bracket and pull the focus motor off. The bracket itself can be left attached to the focuser, or easily removed by loosening the wing nut. Store the motor in an eyepiece case or the original product box. Make sure there is not undue stress on the connection points where the cable meets the hand controller and motor housing. If the Electric Focuser is left on the telescope, again make sure that there is not undue stress on the cable connection points. Do not hang the hand controller off of the focus motor! The best bet is to place the hand controller on the telescope's accessory tray (if it has one). The AA batteries in the hand controller will eventually need to be replaced. When the motor operation begins to noticeably slow down, it is time to get new batteries. A typical set of AA batteries should last through months of observing sessions. Cover plate Flat-head screw driver Knurled screws Focus motor Manual focus clutch button (on side) Figure 4. The electric focuser properly installed. Figure 3. Removal of focuser knob cover plate. One-Year Limited Warranty This Orion Electric Focuser 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 instrument that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage paid to: Orion Warranty Repair, 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076. If the product is not registered, proof of purchase (such as a copy of the original invoice) is required. This warranty does not apply if, in Orion's judgment, the instrument has been abused, mishandled, or modified, nor does it apply to normal wear and tear. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights, which vary from state to state. For further warranty service information, contact: Customer Service Department, Orion Telescopes & Binoculars, P. O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061; (800) 676-1343. Customer Support (800) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope.com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 P.O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 ...