Page 2 - DANGER
DANGER Read this manual carefully before attempting to assemble the MAX mount and attaching the OTA. Follow steps as outlined in this manual in order to assemble the telescope safely. Failure to follow steps may result in injury or death, and/or damage to the telescope and mount.
Page 3 - CONTENTS; Never use a Meade; Looking at
Telescope Features ...................................................... 4Autostar II Features ........................................................11Assembly ........................................................................14 Tripod Assembly .................................................
Page 4 - Sun; irreversible; TELESCOPE FEATURES; Components of MAX
4 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. TELESCOPE FEATURES Components of MAX MAX features a unique modular design that allows a couple ofindividuals to assemble, either...
Page 5 - Pedestal Assembly; PEDESTAL
5 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Pedestal Assembly MAX's Pedestal assembly can be configured tocover three latitude ranges without the need ofdisassembly. Togeth...
Page 6 - Right Ascension Housing Assembly
6 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Right Ascension Housing Assembly The RA Housing mates to the Pedestal easily,sliding firmly into a dovetail block that measureso...
Page 7 - Declination Housing Assembly; DEC
7 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Declination Housing Assembly The Dec Housing mates to the RA Housingusing another huge dovetail block. The RAHousing, DEC Housin...
Page 8 - Counterweights; THE TRIPOD
8 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Counterweights The MAX counterweights are beautifullycrafted with sure locking, but quickrelease, buttons. They allow you to qui...
Page 9 - Optical Tube Assembly; THE OTA
9 Optical Tube Assembly MAX is sold stand alone, or it is available bundled with Meade's 16”RCX400™ or 20” RCX400™ Optical Tube Assemblies. RCX OTA'sintegrate seamlessly with MAX. Together you get pinpoint stars fromMeade's unique Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien optical system: • Zero expansion carbon fib...
Page 10 - RA ASSEMBLY
10 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Off/On USB Port AUX port 12vDC In 12VDC Switched 12VDC SwitchedOut HBX port(Handboxport) Serial port USB Ports Reticle Port Foc...
Page 11 - Tour the Cosmos with Just the Push of a Button; Library; AUTOSTAR II FEATURES
Fig. 2: The Autostar II Handbox. Tour the Cosmos with Just the Push of a Button Control of Max and RCX400 telescope models is through the operation of the standard Autostar II system. Nearly all functions of the telescope are accomplished with just afew pushes of Autostar II’s buttons. Because the A...
Page 12 - ENTER Key; GO TO Key
12 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. The Autostar II system provides control of virtually every telescope function. TheAutostar II handbox has soft-touch keys desig...
Page 14 - A Phillips screwdriver will be useful during assembly.; Tripod Assembly; ASSEMBLY WILL SINK INTO GROUND, NOT REMAIN; Pedestal Assembly and Adjusting Latitude Position; CAUTION: THE PEDESTAL REQUIRES TWO PEOPLE TO; ASSEMBLY
14 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. 5 4 3 2 1 A Phillips screwdriver will be useful during assembly. Refer to images pages 4 to 10 for location of various telescop...
Page 15 - Back off the ejector knobs on the Pedestal.
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. 15 9 10 11 A 7 8 Tighten (rotate) the lock knobs below the Pedestal to a"tight" feel. Back off the ejector knobs on the Pe...
Page 16 - THE RA ASSEMBLY; Slide the RA assembly onto the Pedestal dovetail.; THE DEC SADDLE ASSEMBLY
12 13 14 15 A 16 THE RA ASSEMBLY Slide the RA assembly onto the Pedestal dovetail. CAUTION: MAKE SURE THAT YOUR FINGERS ARE CLEAR OF THE TRACK BEFORE YOU SLIDE THE RA ASSEMBLY INTO THE PEDESTAL TRACK. THE RA ASSEMBLY REQUIRES TWO PEOPLE TO LIFT. Tighten the RA assembly lock knob.. THE DEC SADDLE ASS...
Page 17 - Slide safety pin into the hole.
17 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. 15 B 16 17 18 ...Slide down to the hard stop. Slide safety pin into the hole. Retighten the Dec clamp knob. Plug in the RA to D...
Page 18 - ATTACH COUNTERWEIGHTS
18 19 21 20 A 20 B ATTACH COUNTERWEIGHTS Line up a fixed counterweight's 4 bolts with the fourthreaded holes in the Dec assembly base. The weightscan only be positioned with indentations lined up in avertical orientation. Slide the bolts into the threaded holes and tighten eachsecuring knob by hand ...
Page 19 - ATTACH LOW LATITUDE COUNTERWEIGHTS; If your observing site is within 20° of the equator, you; must; attach the optional counterweight kit. See page 4
23 24 22 A 22 B 19 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Put on adjustable counterweights (three for 20 inchmodels, two for 16 inch models). The weights can beattached ...
Page 20 - ATTACH OPTICAL TUBE TO THE DEC SADDLE; Adjust the clamps so that there is NOT a gap.
20 25 26 A 26 B 26 C 26 D ATTACH OPTICAL TUBE TO THE DEC SADDLE Adjust the clamps so that there is NOT a gap. The OTA should have its dust cover attached when leftstored on the ground in an upright position. A minimum of four people are needed to lift the opticaltube. DANGER!: MAKE SURE THAT THE COU...
Page 21 - ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS
31 21 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. 27 28 29 30 ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Attach the OTA cable to the saddle plate. Plug in12VDC In-make sure power switch is turne...
Page 22 - HOME POSITION AND BALANCING THE OTA; C A U T I O N; all; Go to the Utilities menu.
22 HOME POSITION AND BALANCING THE OTA After power is applied and Autostar has initialized, pressMODE to move to the vertical home position (32). C A U T I O N : BEFORE D I S A S S E M B L I N G, THE TELE- SCOPE MUST BE PUT INTO THE HOME POSITION. Before using the telescope, you will need to balance...
Page 23 - BALANCE THE DEC AXIS
23 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. When the display readout is close to "1" (perhaps .99or 1.01) and remains close to 1 while it is moving, it isbalanced....
Page 24 - To Attach the handbox holder:; Mounting and Focusing the Viewfinder for the First Time; GETTING STARTED
24 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. To Attach the handbox holder: Remove the handbox holder from the plastic bag. If necessary, loosen the lockknob ( 1, Fig. 39a )...
Page 25 - Focusing the Telescope; To change the focus speed:
Focusing the Telescope All focusing is performed digitally, using AutoStar II’s Focus key(number key 4). The Focus key functions as a toggle key: J Press the Focus key the first time to focus the telescope eyepiece and to control the speed at which you focus. J Press the Focus key again to set and a...
Page 26 - To select a previously defined focus preset; To sync on a focus preset; Slew Speeds
scope), you can use Autostar to control both the RCX and the microfocuser. Make sureyou have connected the saddle plate to the RCX and the microfocuser to your tele-scope and also the saddle plate's Focuser port. Follow this procedure: • Press the Number Key 4 and Autostar displays "OTA: Fast...
Page 27 - Aligning for the First Time; Automatic Alignment
27 Aligning for the First Time If you wish to have precise pointing accuracy, the first time you align your telescopeyou will need to align it to using Automatic Alignment and Drift Alignment . You will then electronically collimate the telescope, square the OTA and finally calibrate home.Once you d...
Page 28 - How to Drift Align Max (Northern Hemisphere); Collimation; Test your Collimation
28 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. How to Drift Align Max (Northern Hemisphere) Important Note: You will need a reticle to perform this procedure 1. Center your r...
Page 29 - Follow these steps for collimation of the optical system:; Set Default and Restore Default Options:
29 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Follow these steps for collimation of the optical system: The only adjustments possible, or necessary, on the RCX 400 models is...
Page 30 - Parking the Scope
30 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Calibrate Home: After aligning your telescope, select this menu and the alignment settings—North,time, alignment stars—are stor...
Page 31 - Autostar II Navigation Exercise; To Calculate Sunset time:; BASIC AUTOSTAR II; Autostar I I
31 It is important to understand that menu selections are set in a loop ( Fig. 44 ). This means that pressing the Scroll Down key cycles down through all the available options within agiven category, then returns to the first option. The Scroll Up key cycles up through theoptions in the opposite ord...
Page 32 - Example of Locating a menu; Navigating Autostar II
4. Press the Scroll Down key once to display the "Sunset" option in the Event menu. 5. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Sunset" option and move down anotherlevel. 6. Autostar II calculates the Sunset time based on the current date, time, and loca-tion. Autostar II then displays the...
Page 34 - Object Menu; Deep Sky; Catalogs
34 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Object Menu Almost all observing with Autostar II is performed using the Object menu category.( Note: Exceptions include Guided...
Page 35 - Event Menu; Autumn; Glossary Menu; brackets; Utilities Menu
35 Browse: Allows you to search the library for objects with certain parameters, much like a search engine. "Edit Parameters" lets you set various parameters for the search,such as: Object Type, Minimum Elevation, Largest, etc . Once you have set the param- eters of the search, select "S...
Page 37 - Setup Menu; Max Past Meridian
37 Important Note: When the "Park Scope" option is chosen and the display prompts you to turn off the telescope's power, Autostar II is unable to bereturned to operation without turning the power off and then back on. Setup Menu There are numerous other features available within the Setup me...
Page 38 - Time
Tip: If the "ENTER to Sync" fea-ture is accessed by mistake(holding the ENTER key formore than 2 seconds),press MODE to return tothe previous screen. J Train Drive : All telescopes have a certain amount of "backlash" (looseness in the interplay of gears). This menu allows you to comp...
Page 41 - ADVANCED AUTOSTAR II FEATURES; Adding Observing Sites; To Add a Site to the user-defined site list:
ADVANCED AUTOSTAR II FEATURES Before trying out the examples in this section, familiarize yourself with the basic oper-ations of Autostar II described earlier in this manual. The following examples assumethat you have a basic knowledge of Autostar II and understand how to scroll to adesired menu or ...
Page 42 - Creating User Objects
42 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. 11. Press MODE. "Site: Edit" displays. 12. Using the Arrow keys, scroll to "Site: Select." The site you have ju...
Page 44 - Displayed information:; Browse
44 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. 2. Navigate to the "Object: Identify" option and press ENTER. 3. "Searching..." displays. When Autostar II fini...
Page 46 - Periodic Error Correction; Train Menu Option; Update Menu Option; On and Off Menu Options
computer control panel/ Plug the other end into a USB port of your PC Next,you will install the Autostar Suite software from the CD ROM. This software pro-vides a menu that allows you to download the latest version of Autostar II software into the Autostar II handbox. 4. Select Autostar Suite on the...
Page 47 - Consult the Meade General Catalog for complete details
47 OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES A wide assortment of professional Meade accessories is available for the RCX400 tel- escope models. The premium quality of these accessories is well-suited to the qualityof the instrument itself. Consult the Meade General Catalog for complete details on these and other access...
Page 50 - MAINTENANCE
MAINTENANCE RCX400 telescopes are precision optical instruments designed to yield a lifetime of rewarding applications. Given the care and respect due any precision instrument, your RCX400 will rarely, if ever, require factory servicing. Maintenance guidelines include: a. Avoid cleaning the telescop...
Page 51 - TELESCOPE SPECIFICATIONS
51 Total instrument capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 lbs.Aperture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16" & 20"Optical design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ad...
Page 52 - Advanced Autostar II System Specifications; Telephone
52 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. Weights and Dimension Weights Dimensions RA Housing Assembly 66 pounds L = 20.75"; W = 18.85"; H = 20.34". Dec Hous...
Page 53 - APPENDIX A: LATITUDE CHART
53 APPENDIX A: LATITUDE CHART Latitude Chart for Major Cities of the World To aid in the polar alignment procedure, latitudes of major cities around the world are listed below. To determine the latitude of an observingsite not listed on the chart, locate the city closest to your site. Then follow th...
Page 54 - To observe the Apollo 15 landing site using the Moon option:
54 Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. APPENDIX B: THE MOON The Moon option of the Object menu allows you to observe the moon in a way neverpossible before. You will ...
Page 55 - Introduction; Operation
APPENDIX C: Smart Mount Introduction Smart Mount improves the pointing accuracy of your RCX 400 telescope's "Go to" sys- tem. Despite careful efforts to calibrate and align telescopes, they may fail to precisely center objects. Smart Mount allows your telescope to learn about, and thencorrec...
Page 60 - MEADE LIMITED WARRANTY
14-7753-00 8/06 A 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...
