Meade LXD 650, LXD 750 User Manual

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 [phone]. 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.

Contents

#1697 Computer Drive System

- 3 -

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.

Fig. 1 #1697 Computer Drive System.

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 touching any of the components.

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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

1

1

2

3

2

Fig. 3 CDS Driver Printed
Circuit Board. (1) 16-Pin
Ribbon Cable; (2) Driver PCB;
(3) Dec Motor Cable.

Fig. 4 CDS Printed Circuit
Board. (1) CDS PCB;
(2) 16-Pin Ribbon Cable

7. Replace the Declination slow-motion knob (2), Fig. 2. Lock

MEADE

Current (mA x 100)

N S On Off

Focuser Reticle

Keypad RA Motor

Power
12vDC

RS 232 CCD Aux

COMPUTER DRIVE SYSTEM

LX QUARTZ - DC SERVO MOTOR

SMART DRIVE

in place by tightening the set screw, and replace the rubber
knurling.

8. Remove the cover plate on the opposite side of the
Declination housing, by removing the four Phillips-head
screws holding it in place.

9. Route the 16-pin ribbon cable from the Driver PCB so that
it exits the housing on the lower right-hand side. Be sure
this cable does not cover the hole in the Declination shaft,
which will block light from reaching the optional #814 Polar
Alignment Finder should one be installed.

10. Connect the 16-pin ribbon cable (2), Fig. 4, to the CDS
PCB (1), Fig. 4.

11. To position the CDS PCB into the Declination casting, first
angle the top of the PCB into the opening, allowing it to
clear the housing. Then, tilt the lower section of the CDS
into the housing. Secure the CDS in place with the four
screws.

12. Plug the RA motor coil cord into the R.A. motor port (8),
Fig. 5 on the CDS Power Panel.

13. Plug the #1697 Keypad Hand Controller into the keypad
port (7), Fig. 5, on the CDS Power Panel.

14. Plug in one of the provided power supplies: the AC Wall
Adapter Power Converter, or the DC Cigarette Lighter
Power Cord (used in an automobile's cigarette lighter
outlet). The power supply plugs into the power port (9),
Fig 5.

Installation of the #1697 CDS is now complete.

1

5

9

Fig. 5: #1697 Control Panel. (1) Current Indicator (Ammeter);
(2) North/South Switch; (3) On/Off Switch; (4) LED Indicator Light;
(5) Focuser Port; (6) Reticle Port; (7) Keypad Hand Controller Port;
(8) R.A. Motor Port; (9) Power Port; (10) RS-232 Port; (11) CCD
Port; (12) Aux Port.

6

10

2

7

11

QUICK START

Although the electronics within the #1697 Computer Drive
System are advanced, the system is very straightforward to
operate—even for the beginning observer. This section is
designed as a "quick start" section for those observers anxious
to begin. Be sure to come back and read the more detailed
sections of this manual. Most of the system’s features cannot be
accessed without full knowledge of these details.

- 5 -

1

2

4

3

Fig. 6: #1697 Keypad Hand Controller. (1) Display; (2) Direction
Keys; (3) Speed Indicator LEDs; (4) Speed Selection Keys.

Basic Telescope Setup:

1. Polar align your telescope. See the instructions that

accompany the telescope.

2. Turn "on" the #1697 Control Box. The Keypad Display (1),
Fig. 6, displays “MEADE” for several seconds as the micro­processor does a self-diagnostic test. When the self­diagnostic test is complete, the display shows “TELE­SCOPE” on the top line, and “OBJECT LIBRARY” on the
lower line. The Speed Indicator LED (3), Fig. 6, next to the
“SLEW” button is illuminated.

3. At this point, the #1697 Computer Drive System is ready to
use. Select a speed at which to move the telescope by
pressing the appropriate Speed Selection Key (4), Fig 6. As
a speed is selected, the red LED next to the selected speed
lights up. Then press one of the four direction keys, (2),

4

3

8

12

Fig. 6, to move the telescope in that direction at the
selected speed.

4. With the CDS power turned on, the LXD mount can be
moved in either of two ways: (1) By loosening the R.A. and
Dec locks as described in the instruction manual supplied
with your telescope; or (2) by using the N, E, W, or S keys
(2), Fig. 6, on the Keypad.

NOTE: Telescope movement can only been seen in the SLEW
and FIND modes; CNTR (center) and GUIDE motions can only
be seen while looking through the telescope.

DO NOT attempt to adjust the LXD Equatorial Mounts with the
manual R.A. or Dec slow-motion controls when the CDS Drive
is turned on. Serious damage to the drive motor assemblies
could result.

Please note that it is possible for the telescope to hit one of the
tripod legs while manually moving the LXD Equatorial Mount
with the Keypad direction keys. The CDS software is
programmed, however to avoid hitting the tripod legs provided
the proper time, date, and site information has been entered,
and that the telescope has been properly aligned, as described
on page 7.

The quick start method described above allows you to use the
telescope, but does not make any use of the computer features
available. To utilize all the features of the #1697 Computer
Drive System, it is necessary to enter some information into the

- 6 -

system’s computer memory. It is also necessary to learn the
menu structure of the Keypad Hand Controller, which is
described beginning on page 8.

Basic CDS Setup:

This section explains what keys to push to get the minimum data
required into the computer system, without any detailed
explanation. The detailed explanation can be found later in the
manual. These steps will only take a few minutes and will allow
immediate use of all of the CDS features.

In order for the CDS to utilize the stellar coordinate system,
Right Ascension (R.A.) and Declination (Dec), the system needs
to know three pieces of information: the location (latitude and
longitude) of the observing site; the local time; and the date.
This information only needs to be entered one time — the CDS
remembers the data even when the power is off.

1) Entering the Latitude and Longitude of the Observing
Site.

The position of your observing site should be determined as
accurately as possible, to within 1 or 2 minutes of arc in both
latitude and longitude. Many automobile, pilot, and
topographical maps, as well as most atlases show latitude and
longitude in 15 minute increments or better. The accuracy of the
CDS depends on the accuracy of the data that is entered.

Once the above information is determined, it is easiest to enter
the data into the system while the telescope and CDS are
indoors where there is light—do not try to do it outside at night.

The following example is for an observing site in Costa Mesa,
CA (LAT=33°35', LONG=117°42'). If a mistake is made during
entry, simply turn off the telescope and restart this procedure.
(A more detailed description of the procedure shown below can
be found on page 11, "SITE".)

1. Turn "On" the #1697 CDS. After a few seconds (after the

self-diagnostic test is complete), the display will look like
Display 1.

→TELESCOPE

OBJECT LIBRARY

Display 1

2. Press the ENTER key to select the TELESCOPE functions.

The display should look like Display 2.

→1) SITE

2) ALIGN

Display 2

3. Press the ENTER key to select the SITE functions. The

display should look like Display 3.

→1) A A A ✔

2) A AA

Display 3

4. Press and Hold the ENTER key until the Keypad Hand
Controller beeps. This selects the first site for editing. The
display should look like Display 4, with the first “A” flashing

NOTE: To edit the letters "AAA", press the NEXT or PREV keys
on the Keypad Hand Controller to cycle through the letters of the
alphabet. Use the "E" and "W" keys to move between positions.

→1) A A A ✔

2) A AA

Display 4

5. Press the ENTER key. The display should look like
Display 5. (Number values may vary.)

→LAT = +00° 00’

LONG = 000° 00’

Display 5

6. Use the number keys to enter your latitude. Mistakes may
be corrected by moving the curser back, using the “E” and
“W” keys. A negative latitude may be entered by
positioning the cursor under the “+” and hitting the NEXT
key. When the latitude is correctly entered, press ENTER.
The curser moves to the LONG line. The display will look
like Display 6.

LAT = +33° 35’

→LONG = 000° 00’

Display 6

7. Use the number keys (as described above) to enter your
longitude. When complete, the display will look like
Display 7.

LAT = +33° 35’

→LONG = 117° 42’

Display 7

NOTE: The longitude standard used in the CDS starts at 0
degrees in Greenwich U.K. and increases Westerly only to 359
degrees 59 minutes. Many maps will show Easterly longitudes
which cannot be entered into the Keypad Display (e.g., if the map
indicates an observing site at an Easterly longitude of 18 degrees
27 minutes, it is necessary to enter the position as 341 degrees
33 minutes).

The differences in longitude and latitude as they pertain to
different map spheroid projections are minor differences that are
too small to adversely affect the longitude and latitude data input.

8. Press ENTER to complete the site information input. The
display will go back to Display 3.

9. Press MODE to go back to Display 2.

10. Press MODE again to go back to Display 1.

2) Entering the Local Time and Date.

The local time should be set as accurately as possible using the
24 hour format. The pointing accuracy of the telescope depends
on the accuracy of the time entered because the local time and
date are used to determine sidereal time (star time). Choose a
reliable source as a reference for accurate time such as your
local airport, or telephone company. In the U.S.A. you can double
check the accuracy of the exact minutes by dialing WWV for the
universal coordinated time at [phone] (be sure to enter
your local time hour information, not the U.T. hour).

The following example is for 4:25:00 P.M. on Jan. 15, 1998.

1. The display should look like Display 1. If it does not, press
the MODE key until it does.