ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS SkyQuest XT PLUS Dobsonians, 8987 XT10 PLUS, 8974 XT8 PLUS, 8985 XT6 PLUS Instruction Manual
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Orion SkyQuest™ XT PLUS
Dobsonians
#8985 XT6 PLUS, #8974 XT8 PLUS, #8987 XT10 PLUS
#8974
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
All Rights Reserved. No part of this product instruction or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modied or adapted,
without the prior written consent of Orion Telescopes & Binoculars.
Customer Support:
www.OrionTelescopes.com/contactus
Corporate Offices:
89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076 - USA
Copyright © 2013-2014 Orion Telescopes & Binoculars
IN 493 Rev. D 10/17
EZ Finder II
Course
focus
knobs
28mm
DeepView
eyepiece
Dual-speed
Crayford
focuser
(XT8 and
XT10)
Fine focus
knob
25mm
Sirius Plössl
eyepiece,
1.25"
(XT6 only)
Shorty 2x
Barlow lens
28mm
DeepView
eyepiece, 2"
(XT8 and
XT10)
2" Extension
adapter (XT8
and XT10)
Collimation
cap
Finder II
Solar
lter
Starry Night
software
digital download
(XT6 and XT8)
EZ
10mm
Sirius Plössl
eyepiece,
1.25"
Eyepiece rack
(XT8 rack shown)
Figure 2. SkyQuest XT PLUS telescopes come with a
terric selection of accessories.
Optical tube
Dobsonian
base
Handle
Front panel
Right side
panel
Feet
Altitude axis
tensioning knob
Eyepiece rack
Left side
panel
Top
groundplate
Bottom
groundplate
Figure 1. The SkyQuest XT8 PLUS 8" Dobsonian
2
Welcome to an exciting new world of adventure! Your SkyQuest XT PLUS Dobsonian is a high-quality
optical instrument designed to bring you dazzling views of the universe on any clear night. Easy enough
for an absolute beginner to use, but powerful enough to please even experienced amateur astronomers,
XTPLUS Dobs will provide years of fun discovery for the entire family. They’re packed with great features and useful accessories to insure your enjoyment of these wonderfully capable telescopes. Before
venturing into the night with your new telescope, however, please follow this instruction manual carefully
in order to properly assemble the telescope.
1. Unpacking
The telescope will arrive in two boxes, one containing the
optical tube assembly and accessories, the other containing
the unassembled Dobsonian base. Be careful unpacking the
boxes; we recommend keeping them. In the event that the telescope needs to be shipped to another location, or returned to
Orion for warranty repair, having the proper shipping boxes will
help ensure that your telescope will survive the journey intact.
Make sure all the parts in the Parts List below are present. Be
sure to check the boxes carefully as some parts are small. It is
possible that one or more parts will be found in the box other
than the one it’s listed in. If anything appears to be missing or
broken, immediately call Orion Customer Support (800-676-
1343) for assistance.
Parts List
Box #1: Optical Tube Assembly and Accessories
Qty. Description
1 Optical tube assembly
1 Dust cover
1 10mm Sirius Plössl eyepiece, 1.25" barrel diameter
1 25mm Sirius Plössl eyepiece, 1.25" barrel diameter
(XT6 PLUS only)
1 28mm DeepView 2" eyepiece (XT8 and XT10 PLUS)
1 EZ Finder II with bracket
1 Shorty 2x Barlow lens
1 Safety Film solar lter
1 Quick-collimation cap
1 Eyepiece rack with two ½" mounting screws
2 Altitude axis coupling knobs
1 Low-friction washer (white, 9mm center hole)
1 Metal washer
1 Starry Night software digital download insert
(XT6 and XT8)
Box #2: Dobsonian Base
Qty. Description
1 Left panel
1 Right panel
1 Front brace
1 Top baseplate (round)
1 Ground baseplate (triangular)
12 Base assembly screws (length 2")
3 Plastic feet
3 Wood screws (length 1", for feet)
1 Azimuth axis center bolt, hex head, 3" length
2 20mm diameter washers
4 Bearing cylinders
4 Bearing cylinder machine screws
1 3/8" lock nut
1 Nylon spacer washer (white)
3 Nylon bushings (black) –
17mm, 25mm or 29mm, 33.75mm length
1 Handle
2 Hex-head bolts, 32mm length (for Handle)
2 16mm diameter washers (for Handle)
2 Open-end wrenches
2 Hex keys – size 4mm and 2.5mm
(2.5mm for XT8 and XT10 PLUS)
WARNING: Never look directly at the Sun with the
naked eye or with a telescope – unless you have
a proper solar lter installed over the front of the
telescope! Otherwise, permanent, irreversible eye
damage may result.
Table of Contents
1. Unpacking ............................3
2. Telescope Assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3. Using Your Telescope .................... 7
4. Collimation ........................... 12
5. Specications .........................15
3
2. Telescope Assembly
Assembly of the Dobsonian Base
Now that you have unpacked the boxes and familiarized yourself with all the parts in front of you, it’s time to begin assembly.
The optics of the telescope are already installed in the tube, so
most of the required assembly concerns the Dobsonian base.
Refer to Figure 3 during base assembly. The base needs to be
assembled only once, unless you disassemble it for long-term
storage. The assembly takes about 30 minutes and requires a
Phillips screwdriver, two included crescent wrenches, and the
included hex key(s).
Note: When tightening the base assembly screws, tighten
them until rm, but be careful not to strip the holes by
over-tightening. If you use an electric screwdriver, do the
nal tightening with a standard screwdriver to avoid stripping.
1. Screw the plastic feet (A) into the underside of the
bottom (triangular) groundplate (B) using the self-tapping
wood screws provided, with a Phillips screwdriver. Insert
the screws through the feet and thread them into the
predrilled starter holes until tight.
2. Loosely attach the front brace (C) to the two side panels
(D) with six of the black base assembly screws (E) in
the predrilled holes. Use the 4mm hex key to tighten
the screws. The side panels should be oriented so the
“SkyQuest XT PLUS” label is facing outward. Do not
completely tighten the screws yet.
3. Line up one of the altitude bearing cylinders (F) with one
of the four bearing cylinder holes on the inside surface
of each side panel. Push a bearing cylinder screw (G)
through the side panel from the outside and thread the
bearing cylinder onto it . You can tighten the cylinder
by hand or, if needed, with the supplied 4mm hex key.
Repeat for the remaining three bearing cylinders.
4. Attach the side and front panel assembly to the top
groundplate (H) with the remaining six base assembly
screws in the predrilled holes. Tighten all six screws.
5. Tighten the six side panel screws installed earlier.
6. Turn the base on its side. Insert the longest (33.75mm)
of the three black plastic bushings (I, see Figure 4) into
the hole in the center of the top groundplate (H). Push
the bushing in so it goes all the way into the groundplate,
sticking out from the bottom surface (Figure 5).
7. Now place the white low-friction spacer washer (J) on
the portion of the bushing sticking out from the bottom
(Figure 5).
8. Install the bottom groundplate (B) by lining up its center
hole with the nylon bushing. The white low-friction spacer
Q
G
Left
D
R
G
Right
R
O
F
C
S
E
M
K
I
N
E
H
J
B
K
A
L
Figure 3. Exploded view of the XT PLUS Dobsonian base
assembly.
washer should now be between the two groundplates
(Figure 5).
9. Put one metal washer (K) onto the hex head bolt (L), then
insert the bolt through the bushing in the center of the
groundplates from the bottom, as shown in Figure 3.
10. Now place the remaining metal washer (K) on the bolt,
followed by the lock nut (M). Use the two crescent
wrenches provided to turn the lock nut with one wrench
while holding the hex bolt’s head with the other, or vice
versa (Figure 6). Tighten the lock nut just enough to allow
a slight separation of the top and bottom groundplates
when the mount is lifted. The purpose of the lock nut
is merely to keep the two groundplates from coming
apart when moving the telescope. Over-tightening the
4
33.75mm
17mm
25mm or 29mm
Figure 4. Three plastic bushings used in the assembly of
the XT PLUS.
Figure 6. Use the two included open-end wrenches
as shown to attach the bottom groundplate to the top
groundplate.
Low-
friction
washer
33.75mm
bushing
Figure 5. Assembly of the groundplates.
lock nut will make the base difficult to rotate in the
azimuthal (horizontal) direction.
11. To attach the handle (N) to the front brace, rst place a
washer (O) onto each of the two 32mm hex-head bolts
(P). Then insert the bolts through the holes in the front
panel (from the inside surface) and into the threaded
holes in the handle. Tighten the bolts with a crescent
wrench.
12. In the hole near the top of the left side panel (D-Left)
insert the shortest (17mm) of the three black plastic
bushings (Q). In the hole near the top of the right side
panel (D-Right) insert the middle-sized (25mm or 29mm)
of the three black plastic bushings (R). The latter bushing
(R) is longer than the width of the side panel by 1/4" or
so – that’s by design.
Figure 7. Place the eyepiece rack’s “keyholes” over the
mounting screws, then press the rack downward and tighten
the screws. (XT8 PLUS rack shown)
13. To install the eyepiece rack (S), nd the two pilot
holes on the left side panel, and screw one of the ½"
wood screws into each hole until the screw heads are
about 1/8" from the panel’s surface. Then “keyhole” the
eyepiece rack onto the wood screws and tighten the
screws to secure the rack in place (Figure 7).
5
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