Meade Starfinder 12.5 User Manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

6”, 8”, 10”, & 12.5” Starfinder Dobsonian Telescopes

Meade Instruments Corporation

WARNING!

Never use the Starfinder Dobsonian 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 the telescope or its viewfinder at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope or its viewfinder as it is

Fig. 1: The Meade Starfinder Dobsonian Telescope.

- 3 -

Captions for Fig. 1

1. Focuser assembly

2. Eyepiece

3. Viewfinder bracket

4. Viewfinder

5. Optical tube assembly

6. Mirror cell

7. Side board

8. Ground plate

9. Base plate

10. Front board

11. Altitude bearing

Contents

6", 8" 10", and 12.5 Starfinder

Dobsonian Telescopes

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Parts Listing and Assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Assembling the Mount. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Optical Tube Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Attaching the Focuser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Attaching the Viewfinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Installing the Primary Mirror. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Balancing the Telescope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Viewfinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Aligning the Viewfinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Using the Viewfinder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Collimation of the Optical System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Correct Collimation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Spider Vane Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Secondary Mirror Adjustments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Primary Mirror Adjustments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Star Testing the Collimation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Tips on Using a Dobsonian Telescope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Magnification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Seeing Conditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Observing Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Care of Optics and Main Tube. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Optional Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Meade Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Specifications and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

® The name ‘Meade’ and the Meade logo are trademarks

registered with the U.S. Patent Office and in principal countries throughout the world.

- 4 -

INTRODUCTION

The Starfinder Dobsonian telescope will open up the skies for a breathtaking array of visual observations. Galaxies, nebulae, star clusters — in all their variations of form, color, and extent — as well as the Moon, planets, comets and other objects within the solar system, may be studied in great detail.

This manual is designed for the 6", 8", 10", and 12.5" Starfinder Dobsonian Telescopes. With the exception of a few assembly operations and features, the four telescopes are almost identical operationally. When differences in procedures occur, they are clearly noted. Most standard and optional accessories are interchangeable between the four telescopes. For optimal enjoyment of the telescope, please take a few minutes to read this manual and become familiar with all of the instrument’s capabilities.

PARTS LISTING AND ASSEMBLY

When first opening the packing boxes, note carefully the following parts included with the Starfinder Dobsonian Telescope (use Figure 1 and 2 to aid in the identification process):

Carton #1: The Telescope

— Optical tube assembly — Primary mirror mounted in its cell — Focuser — Modified Achromat (MA) 25mm eyepiece — 5 x 24mm viewfinder — Hardware kit.

CAUTION: The primary mirror must be handled with special care. Never touch its reflective surface or place the mirror where it could be damaged. Save all original packing materials; if it is ever necessary to ship the telescope, these materials will help to assure that no shipping damage will occur.

Carton #2: The Mount

— 2 Side boards — Front board — Ground plate — Base plate — 2 Handles — Hardware kit

Assembling the Mount

Assembly of your Meade Starfinder Dobsonian telescope should only take a few minutes. A phillips screwdriver, pliers, and an adjustable wrench are the only tools you will need.

1. Attach the self-adhesive rubber feet (11, Fig. 2) to the underside of the ground plate (10, Fig. 2), the round piece with the Teflon pads. The feet should be mounted directly under the already installed Teflon pads.

Two extra rubber feet have been supplied for use as “bumpers” where the telescope tube hits the front board (5, Fig 2.) at the travel limits. Place one in the center of the top ledge, and one in the center on the inside near the bottom (see Fig. 2). The exact position for these two bumpers will be obvious with the telescope mounted on the base.

2. Attach the front board (5, Fig. 2) loosely to the two side boards (4, Fig. 2) using the supplied wood screws (3,Fig.2), and the predrilled holes. Do not fully tighten the screws yet.

3. Attach the front board/side board assembly to the base plate (7, Fig 2) using the supplied Wood Screws, and the predrilled holes. Snugly tighten all screws, including those previously installed.

CAUTION: Do not overtighten the wood screws. The screws should be tightened sufficiently so that the head of the screw is flush with the wood surface.

4. Firmly press the screw cover caps (2, Fig. 2) into the heads of the wood screws on the side boards. You may have to lightly tap the screw cover caps to properly seat them into the screw heads.

5. Install the two handles (1, Fig. 2) onto the side boards utilizing the supplied screws. Firmly tighten the screws.

6. To install the center pivot bearing, first insert the nylon center bearing bushing (8, Fig. 2) into the center hole of the ground plate (10, Fig. 2) from the top side. You may have to lightly tap the bushing to fully seat it into the hole.

7. Place the four (six on the 12.5" model) nylon washers (9, Fig. 2) onto the nylon center bearing bushing. Then, from the bottom, insert the 2 1/4" x 5/16" hex pivot bolt (12, Fig. 2), with a flat washer (13, Fig. 2) up through the center of the ground plate. This bolt should then be inserted through the center hole of the base plate (7,Fig. 2). Secure this assembly with the other flat washer and the 5/16" locking nut (6, Fig. 2).

NOTE: Do not overtighten the nut or the base plate will not easily rotate upon the ground plate. Only tighten the pivot bolt and nut sufficiently to maintain a very light pressure between the ground plate and base plate. The two parts should easily turn in a “Lazy Susan” fashion.

This completes assembly of your Meade Starfinder Dobsonian Mount.

Fig. 2: Construction of the Dobsonian Mount. (1) Handle; (2) Screw Cover Caps; (3) Wood Screws; (4) Side Boards; (5) Front Board; (6) 5/16" Locking Nut; (7) Base Plate; (8) Center Bearing Bushing; (9) Nylon Washer; (10) Ground Plate; (11) Rubber Foot; (12) 2 14" x 5/16" Hex Pivot Bolt; (13) Flat Wa s h e r s .

+ 8 hidden pages