Meade 494 INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Meade Instruments Corporation

Instruction Manual

Autostar®#494 Computer Controller

QUICK START GUIDE

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 man­ual 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.)

 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.

WARNING:Never use Autostar to move a tel­escope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near

the Sun will cause instant and irreversible dam­age 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 viewfind­er 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.

Fig. 1: DS computer control panel 12v
and HBX connector ports.

Fig. 2: Sun Warning on the
Autostar LCD display.

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WARNING

LOOKING AT OR NEAR

COMPUTER CONTROL

HBX AZ ALT AUX

12v

12v

HBX

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Quick Start Guide 2
Autostar Features 5

Getting Started 7
Assembly Instructions 7
Manual Observation Using Arrow Keys 7
Using Autostar's GO TO Capability 8
Moving through Autostar's Menus 8

Initializing Autostar 8
Autostar Navigation 11
Training the Drive 13
Alignment 14

Easy Two-Star Alignment 14

Which One's the Alignment Star 16

Two-Star ALT/AZ Alignment 16

One-Star ALT/AZ Alignment 16

Go To Saturn 16

Using the Guided Tour 17

Slew Speeds 18
Autostar Menus 19

Object Menu 20

To Observe a Satellite 20
Event Menu 22
Glossary Menu 23
Utilities Menu 23
Setup Menu 24

To Track an Object Automatically 26

General Maintenance 27

Meade Customer Service 28
Specifications: Autostar 28
Optional Accessories 28

Appendix A: Entering R.A. and Dec Coordinates 29

The Autostar #494 Handbox is compatible with the Meade®DS (Digital
Electronic Telescope) series. Please refer to your telescope’s instruction
manual for information specific to your telescope model.

® The name “Meade,” the Meade logo, and “Autostar” are trademarks reg­istered with the U.S. Patent Office and in principal countries throughout the
world. All rights reserved.

© 2000 Meade Instruments Corporation.

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Key to Fig. 3

 Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Screen

(2-lines, 16 characters each line)

 ENTER Key
 MODE Key
 GO TO Key
 Arrow Keys (Up, Down, Left, and Right)
 Scroll Up Key
 Scroll Down Key
 Speed/? (Speed/Help) Key
 Coil Cord

Fig. 3: Autostar #494 Features.

1

2

5

4

3

6

8

7

9

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AUTOSTAR FEATURES

Control of nearly every telescope function is accomplished
with just a few pushes of Autostar's keys. Autostar has soft­touch keys designed to have a positive feel. The LCD
(Liquid Crystal Display) is backlit with a red LED (Light
Emitting Diode) for easy viewing in the dark. The backlit dis­play, key arrangement, and sequential database make
Autostar extremely user-friendly.

Refer to Fig. 3 for the positions of the following keys.

 2-Line LCD Display: Provides a visual interface

between Autostar and the telescope.

Top line: Lists the primary category or menu item.
Bottom line: Contains a menu option, or information about

an object or subject, depending on which function is being
performed.

 ENTER Key: Accesses, in a sequential manner, the next

menu or data level in the Autostar database (see
“AUTOSTAR NAVIGATION,” page 11). The ENTER key is
similar to the RETURN key on a computer.

NOTE: If ENTER is pressed for two seconds or
more and then released, Autostar emits a beep
and “ENTER to Sync” is displayed. "ENTER to
Sync" is relevant only after the telescope has
been aligned and is pointing at an object. If the
"ENTER to Sync" feature is accessed by mistake,
press MODE to return to the previous screen.See
"HIGH PRECISION," page 25.

 MODE Key: Returns to the previous menu or data level

in the Autostar database until the top level (“Select Item”) is
reached. The MODE key is similar to the EXIT key on a
computer.

NOTE: Pressing MODE while in the Select Item
level moves Autostar to the topmost screen:
"Select Item: Object."

NOTE: If MODE is pressed and held for two sec­onds or more, the following information is then
available using the Scroll keys (6 and 7, Fig. 3):

• Azimuth (horizontal) and Altitude (vertical)
coordinates

• Local Time and Local Sidereal Time (LST)

• Timer and Alarm Status

 GO TO Key: Slews (moves) the telescope to the coordi-

nates of the currently selected object. While the telescope is
slewing, the operation may be aborted at any time by press­ing any key except GO TO. Pressing GO T O again resumes
the slew to the object.

 Arrow Keys: Slew the telescope in a specific direction

(up, down, left, and right), at any one of nine different
speeds (see “SLEW SPEEDS,” page 18). The following
functions are also available with the Arrow keys:

 Data Entry: Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to Scroll

through the letters of the alphabet and numerical digits.
The Down Arrow key starts with the letter "A" and the
Up Arrow key starts with the digit "9." The Left and Right

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Arrow keys are used to move the blinking cursor left
and right across the LCD display.

 Alt/Az alignment: Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to

move the telescope vertically up and down. The Left
Arrow key rotates the telescope horizontally counter­clockwise, while the Right Arrow key rotates it clock­wise.

NOTE: Throughout this manual, you will notice
the term "Alt/Az." Alt/Az is frequently used to
refer to Altitude or vertical and Azimuth or hori­zontal. Alt/Az is just one of many methods used
by amateur astronomers to help locate stars in
the night sky.

  Scroll Keys: Access database options within a

selected menu. The menu is displayed on the first line of
the screen. Options within the menu are displayed, one at
a time, on the second line. Press the Scroll keys to move
through the options. Press and hold one of the Scroll keys
to move quickly through the options.

The Scroll keys also scroll through the letters of the alpha­bet and numerical digits.

NOTE:The Scroll Down key and the Down Arrow
key mov e f orward through the alphabet & digits (A
to Z, 0-9) and the Scroll Up key and the Up Arrow
key move backward (9-0, Z to A).

 Speed/? Key: Pressing the Speed/? key cycles through

the nine slew speeds that move the telescope. Each time

the Speed/? key is pressed briefly, the current slew speed
displays. See “SLEW SPEEDS,” page 18.

The Speed/? key also accesses the "Help" file. "Help"
provides on-screen information on how to accomplish
whatever task is currently active.

TIP: Pressing the Speed/? key very briefly
changes the slew speed. Holding down the
Speed/? key longer (one to two seconds)
accesses the Help function.

Hold down the Speed/? key and then follow the
prompts on the display to access details of Autostar
functions in the Help feature. The Help system is
essentially an on-screen instruction manual.

If you have a question about an Autostar operation,
e.g., INITIALIZATION, ALIGNMENT, etc., hold down
the Speed/? key and follow the directions that scroll on
the second line of the LCD screen. When a word
appears in [brackets], press ENTER to access the
Autostar Glossary. A definition or more detailed infor­mation is displayed. Press MODE to return to the scroll­ing Autostar Help display.

When satisfied with the Help provided, press MODE to
return to the original screen and continue with the cho­sen procedure.

 Coil Cord: Plug into the Handbox (HBX) port of the

computer control panel of the telescope.

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GETTING STARTED

Control of your DS telescope is through the operation of the
standard-equipment #494 Autostar. Nearly all functions of
the telescope are accomplished with just a few pushes of
Autostar’s buttons. Some of the major features of Autostar
are:

 Automatically move the telescope to any of the more

than 1400 objects stored in the database or manually
enter the astronomical coordinates of any celestial
object.

 Take a guided tour of the best celestial objects to view

on any given night of the year.

 Download the latest satellite data and software revi-

sions directly from the Meade website
(www.meade.com). (Requires optional #506
AstroFinder™ Software and Cable Connector Kit. See
“OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES,” page 30.)

 Access a glossary of astronomical terms.
 Calculate which eyepiece to use for optimum viewing

of a celestial object.

 Mount the telescope in the “Alt/Az” mode (Altitude -

Azimuth, or vertical - horizontal) for fully automatic
tracking of celestial objects

PARTS LISTING

Autostar comes completely assembled. When first opening
the packing box, note the following parts:

 Autostar #494 handbox
 Instruction manual

ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

Power for Autostar is supplied through the telescope. No
internal batteries are required. See the telescope instruc­tion manual for details.

To attach Autostar to a telescope:

1. If necessary, remove the power cord from the 12v port
of the computer control panel (Fig. 1, page 2).

2. Plug Autostar into the HBX port of the computer control
panel (Fig. 1 page 2). Make sure the telescope's motor
assemblies are plugged into the proper ports. See your
telescope instruction manual for detailed assembly
information.

3. Plug the power cord back into the 12v port of the com­puter control panel.

MANUAL OBSERVATION USING THE ARROW KEYS

1. After Autostar's cord is plugged into the HBX port and the

power cord is plugged into the 12v port, a copyright mes­sage lights on the Autostar LCD display (1, Fig. 3).

2. A message warning not to look at the Sun scrolls

across the display. Press the key prompted by Autostar
to acknowledge that the Sun warning has been read
and understood.

3. Press the ENTER key (2, Fig. 3) repeatedly until

"Country/State" appears on the display. (Ignore the
prompts requesting Date, Time, and Daylight Saving –
these functions will be explained later in the manual.)

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4. Use the Scroll keys (6 and 7, Fig. 3) to cycle through the
list of countries, states, and provinces (listed alphabeti­cally). Press ENTER when the desired location dis­plays.

5. Autostar then prompts you to enter the nearest city to
the observing site. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through
the list of cities. Press ENTER when the desired city dis­plays.

6. Autostar then prompts you to enter the telescope model
you are using. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the
list of models. Press ENTER when your telescope
model displays. "Align: Easy" displays. You now can
use Autostar's Arrow keys to move the telescope to
observe.

TIP: If you go past the "Align: Easy" (or any other
menu display you wish to select), press MODE
(3, Fig. 3) to return to the previous display(s).

7. Press the Arrow keys (5, Fig. 3) to slew (move) the tel­escope up, down, right, or left. You can slew (move) the
telescope at different speeds.

USING AUTOSTAR'S GO TO CAPABILITY

This section describes how to make observations using var­ious Autostar features and menus. But before you can use
Autostar's GO TO capabilities, you must first:

 Learn how Autostar's keys move through the menus
 Initialize Autostar

 Train the drive
 Align the telescope
 Select "Align: Easy" from Autostar's menus

MOVING THR OUGH AUT OST AR’S MENUS

Autostar's menus are organized for quick and easy naviga­tion:

 Press ENTER (2, Fig. 3) to go deeper into Autostar's

menu levels.

 Press MODE (3, Fig. 3) to move back toward the top

menu level.

 Press the Scroll keys (6 and 7, Fig. 3) to move up and

down through the options available for each level.

 Press the Arrow keys (5,Fig. 3) to enter characters and

digits.

INITIALIZING AUTOSTAR

This section describes how to initialize Autostar.
Initialization is a procedure that enables Autostar to operate
correctly. When you first use Autostar, it doesn't yet "know"
the location of the observing site or the time or date of the
observation session. During the Initialization procedure, you
will enter this information. Autostar then uses the informa­tion to calculate the location of celestial objects and to move
your telescope correctly for various operations.

NOTE: You will enter the Time and Date at the
beginning of each observing session, but you will
only enter your location and Telescope Model the

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first time you use Autostar or after performing a
Reset. Fig. 4 depicts an example of an Autostar
Initialization procedure.

1. Plug Autostar's cord into the HBX port and plug the
power cord into the 12v port as previously described.
Make sure the motor assemblies are plugged into the
proper ports (see your telescope's instruction manual
for details). Also make sure that the telescope's horizon­tal and vertical locks are tight (see the telescope instruc­tion manual).

2. The Autostar handbox is now activated and a copyright
message displays briefly.

3. Autostar takes a few moments to prepare the system
and then "beeps."

4. A message displays that warns not to look at the Sun.
Press the key prompted by Autostar to signify that you
have read and understood the message.

5. The Getting Started menu displays a scrolling message
with two choices:

a. Hold down the Speed/? key (8, Fig. 3) for informa-

tion on Autostar functions and controls. When fin­ished, press MODE (3, Fig. 3) to exit Help and to
return to the Getting Started procedure, or,

b. Press ENTER (2, Fig. 3) to bypass the Help tutori-

al and continue with initialization.

6. The telescope tests the motors by slewing a short dis-

tance vertically and horizontally (this test only occurs
the first time you use Autostar).

NOTE: If the telescope does not move, or
moves in only one axis, chec k that the vertical
and horizontal locks are tight (see your tele­scope instruction manual for details).

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(00) Meade (1.0)

Fig. 4: Example of Initialization Procedure.

Parameters in this example:
Date: March 26, 2001
Time: 11:47 PM
Location: Irvine, California

A U T O S T A R

Initializing. . .

WARNING
LOOKING AT . . .

Press the
appropriate
key

Getting Started
For a Detailed...

ENTER

Enter Date:
01-Jan-2000

2 (2X)
(1X)
6 (5X)
(1X)
Mar (2X)
2000 (4X)
2001 (1X)

Enter Date:
26-Mar-2001

ENTER

Enter Time:
08:00:00PM (default)

Enter Time:
11:47:00PM

Daylight Savings
>NO

ENTER

1 (1X)
(1X)
1 (3X)
(1X)
4 (4X)

7 (7X)
PM

(default)

ENTER

Country/State
AFGHANISTAN

Country/State
CALIFORNIA

Nearest City
ALAMEDA NAS

Nearest City
IRVINE

Telescope Model
(Model Number)

Telescope Model
(Your Model Number)

Setup
Align

ENTER

ENTER

ENTER

Multiple
Presses

Multiple
Presses

Multiple
Presses

7. Autostar then prompts you to enter the current date.
a. To enter numbers, press either the Up or Down

Arrow key (5, Fig. 3) to scroll through numbers 0
through 9. After the desired number is displayed,
use the Right Arrow key (5,Fig. 3) to move the cur­sor from one number to the next in the day display
(or use to Left Arrow key to move in the other direc­tion across the display, if necessary).

b. Use the Right Arrow key (5, Fig. 3) to move the cur-

sor to the month. Use the Scroll keys (6 and 7, Fig.

3) to cycle through the list of months. When the
current month is displayed, use the Right Arrow (5,
Fig. 3) to move the cursor to the year.

c. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to enter all four

digits of the current year. Use the Right Arrow key
(5, Fig. 3) to move the cursor from one number to
the next.

d. Press ENTER (2, Fig. 3) when the entire date has

been entered.

8. Autostar then prompts you to enter the current time.
Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to enter digits and
the Right and Left Arrow keys move the cursor across
the screen as described in the previous step. Enter the
current time (use a "0" for the first digit if less than 10).
Use the Up Arrow key to scroll through "AM," "PM," or
"blank." The "blank" option selects the 24-hour (i.e.,
military time) clock. Then press ENTER to start the
clock.

TIP: When multiple choices are available within
a menu option, the option that is currently select­ed is usually displayed first and highlighted by a
right pointing arrow (>).

9. Autostar then prompts you to enter the status of
Daylight Savings Time. Press one of the Scroll keys to
switch between the YES/NO settings. Select the
desired setting by pressing ENTER.

NOTE:Daylight Savings Time ma y be ref erred to
by different names in various areas of the world.

10. Autostar then prompts you to enter the Country or State
(listed alphabetically) of the observing site. If you have
previously entered the Country/State and City of your
observing site and your Telescope Model Number (as
described in "MANUAL OBSERVATION USING THE
ARROW KEYS," page 7), go to step 11. If you have not
yet entered this information, perform the following
steps:

a. Autostar prompts you to enter the Country or State

(listed alphabetically) of your observing site. Use
the Scroll keys to cycle through the list of countries,
states, and provinces. Press ENTER when the
desired location displays.

b. Autostar then prompts you to enter the city nearest

to your observing site. Use the Scroll keys to cycle
through the list of cities. Press ENTER when the
correct city displays.

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