INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator #7880 ® TM Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 Customer Support (800) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope.com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 P.O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 IN 229 Rev. B 3/11/04 Coil cable jack RS-232 jack Backlit liquid crystal display Illuminated pushbuttons User-friendly keypad Figure 1. The IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator. 2 Congratulations on your purchase of the Orion IntelliScopeTM Computerized Object Locator. When used with any of the SkyQuest IntelliScope XT Dobsonians, the object locator (controller) will provide quick, easy access to thousands of celestial objects for viewing with your telescope. The controller's user-friendly keypad combined with its database of more than 14,000 celestial objects put the night sky literally at your fingertips. You just select an object to view, press Enter, then move the telescope manually following the guide arrows on the liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. In seconds, the IntelliScope's high-resolution, 9,216step digital encoders pinpoint the object, placing it smack-dab in the telescope's field of view! Easy! Compared to motor-dependent computerized telescopes systems, IntelliScope is faster, quieter, easier, and more power efficient. And IntelliScope Dobs eschew the complex initialization, data entry, or "drive training" procedures required by most other computerized telescopes. Instead, the IntelliScope setup involves simply pointing the scope to two bright stars and pressing the Enter key. That's it -- then you're ready for action! These instructions will help you set up and properly operate your IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator. Please read them thoroughly. Table of Contents 1. Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2. Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3. Overview of Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 4. Locating the Planets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 5. Locating Deep-Sky Objects by Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 6. Locating Deep-Sky Objects by Object Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 7. Locating Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 8. Tours of the Best Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 9. The Identity Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 10. Adding User-Defined Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 11. The FCN Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 12. The "Hidden" Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 13. Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Appendix A: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25 Appendix B: Alignment Star Finder Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-29 Appendix C: Constellation Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Appendix D: ST Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31-46 3 Parts List Your IntelliScopeTM Computerized Object Locator comes with the following parts: Qty. 1 1 1 1 1 6 2 1 3 2 1 Description Object locator computer (controller) Altitude encoder assembly Coil cable Altitude encoder cable (53" long) Azimuth encoder cable (24" long) Wire retaining clips Hook-and-loop strips (1 "hook" strip, 1 "loop" strip) Plastic bumper Wood screws Nylon washers 9-volt battery The only tool needed for installation is a Phillips-head screwdriver. Remove the optical tube from the base to begin installation. Note: The IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator is only compatible with Orion SkyQuest XT IntelliScope Dobsonians. If you have another Dobsonian, or any other telescope, the IntelliScope system will not function properly. 1. Installation 1) Install the altitude encoder assembly onto the base's right side panel. This is the side of the base opposite the side with the IntelliScope Computerized Controller Port. Below the 5/8" through-hole in the panel, there are two predrilled starter holes in the inwardfacing surface (Figure 2). Take two of the supplied wood screws and push them through the two slotted holes in the bottom of the altitude encoder's computer board. The screw heads should be on the same side as the altitude encoder's modular jack. Now, with the screws pushed through the encoder board, place a nylon washer on the end of each screw (Figure 3). Then, thread the screws into the starter holes in the side panel. The shaft on the altitude encoder assembly should protrude through the 5/8" through-hole in the side panel. It will take a bit of dexterity to keep the washers on the ends of the screws when installing, so don't get frustrated if it takes a couple tries. The screws should not be fully tightened; they should be tight, but not tight enough to prevent the altitude encoder from moving up and down within the slots in the encoder board. 2) There is a pilot hole above the 5/8" through hole in the right side panel's interior surface; this is where the plastic bumper that protects the altitude encoder assembly will be installed. Take the remaining wood screw, push it through the bumper, and thread it into the pilot hole until tight (Figure 4). 3) Connect one end of the azimuth encoder cable (the shorter of the two cables) to the encoder jack in the top baseplate of the Dobsonian base. Connect the other end to the 4 Altitude encoder pilot holes encoder connector board that should be already installed on the base's left side panel. The cable should plug into the jack on the left side of the encoder connector board (see Figure 5). 4) Connect one end of the altitude encoder cable to the modular jack on the altitude encoder assembly. Connect the other end of the cable to the jack on the right side of the encoder connector board (see Figure 5). 5) Use the provided wire clips to secure the altitude and azimuth cables neatly to the base. We recommend using two clips for the (shorter) azimuth cable, and four clips for the (longer) altitude cable (Figure 5a.). The clips have adhesive backing; simply peel the paper off the back of the clip and press the adhesive back to the base where you want the clip to be located. 6) Place the telescope optical tube into the base. Be very careful not to hit the altitude encoder with the side bearing on the tube when doing this or damage to the encoder could result. The bumper helps to prevent such contact. 7) Reinstall the telescope's tensioning knob (the one with the Teflon and metal washers) through the base's left side panel (the side that has the IntelliScope Computerized Controller Port label) and into the threaded hole in the center of the tube's side bearing. Wood screws Figure 2. The two pilot holes used to mount the altitude encoder assembly are located on the interior surface of the right side panel of the base. Modular jack Altitude encoder assembly Nylon washers Figure 3. Place a nylon washer on the end of each screw after the screws are pushed through the altitude encoder assembly. 8) Reinstall the telescope's retaining knob, without its black nylon bushing, through the altitude encoder's aluminum shaft (now protruding from the right side panel) and into the tube's side bearing (Figure 6). Make sure this knob is fully tightened. 9) Insert one end of the coil cable into the larger of the two jacks on the top of the IntelliScope controller (Figure 1). Insert the other end into the "IntelliScope Computerized Controller Port" on the left side of the Dobsonian base. 10) Two hook-and-loop strips (one strip of "hooks" and one strip of "loops") have been provided to hang the IntelliScope controller in a convenient location on the base when not in use. Place the "hooks" strip on the Figure 4. Install the bumper into the pilot hole above the altitude encoder assembly. 5 Altitude cable jack Figure 6. The retaining knob now goes through the shaft of the altitude encoder assembly before threading into the side bearing on the telescope tube. Azimuth cable jack Figure 5. The azimuth cable plugs into the jack on the left of the encoder connector board. The altitude cable plugs into the jack on the right. back of the controller, and the "loops" strip on the base in a convenient spot. Make certain the location of the strip on the base will not cause the controller to interfere with the motions of the mount. You may want to consider using the optional holster instead of the supplied hook-and-loop strips. The holster is a metal holder custom-designed to fit the IntelliScope controller. When installed at the top of the Dobsonian base, it provides a firm mounting for the controller at a convenient position for easy access. The controller can be removed from the holster when needed or kept in the holster during use. 11) Slide the battery cover off the back of the hand control and insert the 9-volt alkaline battery. Make sure the positive and negative terminals of the battery are oriented as shown in the bottom of the battery compartment. Replace the battery cover. Your IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator is now installed and ready to be used. Figure 5a. Use the wire clips to secure the cables neatly to the base 6 2. Alignment This section will familiarize you with the alignment procedure for the IntelliScope system. Powering the Controller To turn the controller on, firmly press the Power button. The LED lights will activate and the LCD screen will display its introduction message. The intensity of the illumination can be adjusted by repeatedly pressing the Power button. There are five levels of LED brightness. Choose a brightness level that suits your conditions and needs. (Dimmer settings will prolong battery life.) To turn the controller off, press and hold the Power button for a few seconds, then release it. To conserve battery life, the controller is programmed to shut itself off after being idle for 15 minutes. So, make sure to press a button at least once every 15 minutes if you do not want the controller to turn off. If the controller does turn off, you will need to perform the initial alignment procedure again. If the LCD screen and the buttons' backlighting automatically begin to dim, it's time to change batteries. Initial Vertical Alignment After powering up the controller, the top line of the LCD display will read: "POINT VERTICAL." If the vertical stop you installed on the Dobsonian base during assembly of the telescope is properly adjusted (see below), simply rotate the telescope upwards in altitude until the bottom of the tube comes into contact with the vertical stop. Once the telescope tube is in the vertical position, press the Enter button to start the two-star alignment procedure. Adjusting the Vertical Stop In order for the IntelliScope system to work accurately, the vertical stop must be precisely adjusted so that the optical tube is truly perpendicular to the azimuth axis of the base when the controller says "POINT VERTICAL." For most IntelliScopes, the vertical stop must use the nylon spacer, one of the 1/16"-thick washers, and the 1/32"-thick washers to achieve this. These parts, plus an extra 1/16"-thick washer are supplied with the Dobsonian base. If you do not have access to a carpenter's level, then using the spacer, 1/16"-thick washer, and 1/32"-thick washer will be the best you can do to adjust the vertical stop. For the most precise adjustment of the vertical stop (which will allow the best pointing accuracy to be achieved), you should use a carpenter's level. Any hardware store will have one. First, make sure the base itself is level. Place the carpenter's level on the top ground board and rotate the base 180° in azimuth (Figure 7). The level should indicate that the base is level through the entire rotation. If not, then reposition the base on the ground, or place shims underneath the feet until the base stays level though a 180° rotation. Figure 7. Place a carpenter's level on the base as shown. The base should stay level through a 180° rotation in azimuth. Once the vertical stop is set, the base does not need to be level to function properly. 7 Next, place the nylon spacer, the 1/16"-thick washer, and the 1/32"-thick washer on the vertical stop screw, and thread the entire assembly into the insert in the base's front brace. Now, rotate the telescope upwards in altitude until the mirror cell of the telescope comes into contact with the vertical stop. Place the carpenter's level across the top of the telescope (see Figure 8). Is the top of the tube level? If so, you are finished adjusting the vertical stop. If not, add or remove a w ...