Orion EQ-1 Equatorial Mount 9011, 9011 Instruction Manual

IN 146 Rev. A 0500

Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975

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INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Orion

®

EQ-1 Equatorial Mount

#9011

2

Figure 1. EQ-1 Equatorial Mount parts diagram

Mounting platform

Dec. slow-motion control

Latitude adjustment t-bolt

R.A. slow-motion control

Accessory tray

Accessory tray bracket

Latitude lock t-bolt

Dec. lock thumb screw

(not shown)

Azimuth lock knob

Counterweight shaft

Counterweight

Counterweight lock knob

R.A. lock thumb screw

Tripod leg attachment bolt

Leg lock knob

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1. Parts List

Qty. Description
1 German-type equatorial mount
1 Latitude adjustment t-bolt
2 Slow-motion control cables
1 Counterweight
1 Counterweight shaft
3 Tripod legs
3 Tripod leg attachment bolts with wing nuts

and washers
3 Leg lock knobs
1 Accessory tray
3 Accessory tray screws with wing nuts and washers
1 Assembly tool

2. Assembly

Carefully open all of the boxes in the shipping contain­er. Make sure all the parts listed in Section 1 are
present. Save the original boxes and packaging materi­al. In the unlikely event that you need to return the
telescope, you must use the original packaging.Note:

The EQ-1 Equatorial Mount is packaged with one empty interi­or box; the box is included for structural integrity only.

Assembling the mount for the first time should take
about 30 minutes. No tools are needed, other than the
one provided. All bolts should be tightened securely to
eliminate flexing and wobbling, but be careful not to
over-tighten or the threads may strip. Refer to Figure 1
during the assembly process.

1. Lay the equatorial mount on its side. Attach the tri­pod legs, one at a time, to the base of the mount by
sliding a tripod leg attachment bolt through the top of
a leg and through the holes in the base of the mount.
The washers should be on the outside of the tripod
legs. Secure the wing nuts finger-tight. Note that the
hinged accessory tray bracket on each leg should
face inward.

2. Attach and tighten the leg lock knobs at the base of
the tripod legs. For now, keep the legs at their short­est (fully retracted) length; you can extend them to a
more desirable length later, after the mount is com­pletely assembled.

3. With the tripod legs now attached to the equatorial
mount, stand the tripod upright (be careful!) and
spread the legs apart enough to attach the acces­sory tray to the three hinged tray brackets on the
legs. The slots in the brackets should be positioned
underneath the holes in the three corners of the tray.
Use the three small accessory tray screws and wing
nuts provided to fasten the tray to the brackets. Do
not tighten the wing nuts yet.

Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion product. Your new EQ-1 Equatorial Mount

was designed to work with many different telescope optical tubes. With its precision equatorial head,
you’ll be able to easily track astronomical objects over time so that they remain within your eyepiece’s
field of view. The setting circles will help locate hundreds of fascinating celestial denizens, including
galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters. With a little practice and a little patience, you’ll find that your EQ-1
Equatorial Mount is an invaluable tool for getting the most out of your astronomical observing sessions.

These instructions will help you set up and properly use your equatorial mount. Please read them over
thoroughly before getting started.

Table of Contents

1. Parts List................................................................................................................................ 3

2. Assembly ............................................................................................................................... 3

3. Attaching A Telescope ........................................................................................................... 4

4. Balancing the Telescope........................................................................................................ 5

5. Setting Up and Using the Equatorial Mount .......................................................................... 6

6. Specifications....................................................................................................................... 10

7. Suggested Accessories ....................................................................................................... 10

4

4. With the accessory tray attached loosely, spread the
tripod legs apart as far as they will go, until the
accessory tray brackets are taut. Then tighten the
wing nuts.

5. Next, tighten the wing nuts on the tripod leg attach­ment bolts at the base of the equatorial mount, so
that the legs are securely fastened.You can use the
provided assembly tool to hold the heads of the
bolts while firmly tightening the wing nuts.

6. Thread the latitude adjustment t-bolt into the hole in
the rear of the equatorial mount (see Figure 2).
Orient the mount as it appears in Figure 2, at a lati­tude of about 40°, i.e., so that the pointer next to the
latitude scale is pointing to the hash mark at "40." To
do this, loosen the latitude lock t-bolt (central to the
latitude scale), and turn the latitude adjustment t­bolt until the pointer and the "40" line up. Then
re-tighten the latitude lock t-bolt.You may also need
to rotate the mount about its right ascension (R.A.)
and declination (Dec.) axes (see Figure 2). Do this
by first loosening the R.A. and Dec. lock thumb
screws.

7. Slide the counterweight onto the counterweight
shaft. Make sure the counterweight lock knob is ade­quately loosened so the counterweight shaft can
pass through the hole in the counterweight.

8. With the counterweight lock knob still loose, grip the
counterweight with one hand and thread the shaft
into the equatorial mount (at the base of the declina­tion axis) with the other hand. When it is threaded as
far in as it will go, position the counterweight about

halfway up the shaft and tighten the counterweight
lock knob. The washer and screw on the end of the
counterweight shaft will prevent the counterweight
from slipping off the shaft and possibly onto your foot
if the counterweight lock knob should come loose

9. Now attach the two slow-motion cables to the R.A.
and Dec. slow-motion shafts (see Figure 2) of the
equatorial mount by positioning the thumb screw on
the end of the cable over the indented slot on the
shaft, then tightening the thumb screw. A cable can
be attached to either end of the R.A. shaft, whichev­er is most convenient for you. Use the shorter cable
for the R.A. shaft.

3. Attaching a Telescope

The EQ-1 Equatorial Mount is designed to hold small to
mid-size telescopes weighing up to about 7 lbs. For
heavier telescopes, the mount may not provide suffi­cient stability for steady imaging. Any type of telescope
can be mounted on the EQ-1 Equatorial Mount, includ­ing refractors, Newtonian reflectors, and cadadioptrics,
provided a proper adapter or set of tube rings is avail­able to couple the tube to the mount.

Orion carries a variety of differently sized tube rings
and a 1/4"-20 mounting adapter designed exclusively
for the EQ-1 Equatorial Mount. One of these items
probably fits the telescope tube you wish to mount. See
the list of Suggested Accessories at the end of these
instructions, or check the Orion print or online catalogs
for currently available mounting accessories. The

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Latitude adjustment t-bolt

Declination (Dec.)

setting circle

Right ascension (R.A.)

setting circle

Right ascension (R.A.)

slow-motion shaft

Latitude scale

Latitude locking t-bolt

Figure 2. The equatorial mount

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R.A. lock knob

Declination (Dec.) slow­motion shaft