User manual ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS ATLAS8 EQREVB

[. . . ] INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion Atlas 8 EQ TM ® #9873 Equatorial Reflector Telescope Customer Support (800) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope. com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 P. O. B 01/03 Finder scope Finder scope bracket Eyepiece Focus knob Tube rings Tube ring mounting plate Tube ring mounting plate lock knobs (2) Declination setting circle Declination lock lever Counterweight shaft lock lever Counterweight shaft Counterweights Right ascension setting circle Right ascension lock lever Mirror cell Counterweight lock knobs "Toe Saver" Tripod leg Latitude scale Latitude adjustment L-bolts Center support shaft (not shown) Hand controller Tripod support tray Leg lock lever Figure 1. The Atlas 8 EQ. 2 Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion telescope. Your new Atlas 8 EQ is designed for high-resolution viewing of astronomical objects. [. . . ] The focuser was collimated at the factory and should never need to be adjusted. Focuser collimating is only required under very rare circumstances but has been made available for this telescope should such a need arise. The Collimation Cap and Mirror Center Mark Your Atlas 8 EQ comes with a collimation cap. This is a simple cap that fits on the focuser drawtube like a dust cap, but has a hole in the center and a silver bottom. In addition to the collimation cap, the primary mirror is marked with a circle at its exact center. This "center mark" allows you to achieve a precise collimation of the primary mirror; you don't have to guess where the center of the mirror is. You simply adjust the mirror position (described below) until the reflection of the hole in the collimation cap is centered in the ring. The center mark is also required for best results when using other collimating devices, such as Orion's LaserMate Laser Collimator, obviating the need to remove the primary mirror and mark it yourself. Note: The center ring sticker need not ever be removed from the primary mirror. Because it lies directly in the shadow of the secondary mirror, its presence in no way adversely affects the optical performance of the telescope or the image quality. Aligning the Secondary Mirror With the collimation cap in place, look through the hole in the cap at the secondary (diagonal) mirror. The secondary mirror itself should be centered in the focuser drawtube, in the direction parallel to the length of the telescope. It helps to adjust the secondary mirror in a brightly lit room with the telescope pointed towards a bright surface, such as white paper or wall. Also placing a piece of white paper in the telescope tube opposite the focuser (in other words, on the other side of the secondary mirror) will also be helpful in collimating the secondary mirror. Using a 2mm hex wrench, loosen the three small alignment set screws in the center hub of the 4-vaned spider several turns. Now keep the mirror's holder stationary (be careful not to touch the surface of the mirrors), while turning the center screw with a Phillips head screwdriver (See Figure 15). Turning the screw clockwise will move the secondary mirror toward the front opening of the optical tube, while turning the screw counter-clockwise will move the secondary mirror toward the primary mirror. Note: When making these adjustments, be careful not to stress the spider vanes or they may bend. When the secondary mirror is centered in the focuser drawtube, rotate the secondary mirror holder until the reflection of the primary mirror is as centered in the secondary mirror as possible. Now tighten the three small alignment screws equally to secure the secondary mirror in that position. If the entire primary mirror reflection is not visible in the secondary mirror, as in Figure 14c; you will need to adjust the tilt 12 Figure 15. To center the secondary mirror under the focuser, hold the secondary mirror holder in place with one hand while adjusting the center bolt with a Phillips screwdriver. [. . . ] These coatings normally last through many years of use before requiring re-coating (which is easily done). Do this by holding the secondary mirror holder stationary while completely unthreading the center Phillips-head screw. Be careful, there is a spring between the secondary mirror holder and the Philips-head screw; be sure that it will not fall into the optical tube and hit the primary mirror. Then follow the same procedure described below for cleaning the primary mirror. [. . . ]