| Meade LX50
Schmidt-Cassegrain Instruction Manual |
| A. INTRODUCING THE MEADE
LX50 |
 IMPORTANT
NOTICE! Never use a telescope or spotting scope to look at the Sun! Observing
the Sun, even for the shortest fraction of a second, will cause irreversible
damage to your eye as well as physical damage to the telescope or spotting
scope itself. |
As a new LX50 owner, you are
preparing for a journey into the universe with the most advanced amateur
telescope ever produced. The advent of this instrument is the culmination
of twenty years of innovation and design at Meade Instruments; never before
have the features you have in your hands been available to amateur astronomers.
Your telescope comes to you ready for adventure; it will be your tour guide
and traveling companion in a universe of planets, galaxies, and stars.
Meade 8", 10" Schmidt-Cassegrain
and 7" Maksutov-Cassegrain LX50 Telescopes are instruments of advanced
mirror-lens design for astronomical and terrestrial applications. Optically
and mechanically, the 7", 8", and 10" telescope models are perhaps the
most sophisticated and precisely manufactured telescopes ever made available
to the serious amateur. These telescopes enable the visual astronomer to
reach out for detailed observations of the Solar System (the planets: Jupiter,
Saturn, Mars) and beyond to distant nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies.
The astrophotographer will find a virtually limitless range of possibilities.
With the precision Meade worm-gear motor drive system, long exposure guided
photography becomes not a distant goal, but an achievable reality. The
capabilities of the instrument are essentially limited not by the telescope,
but by the acquired skills of the observer and photographer.
The 7", 8", and 10" LX50's
are, with the exception of a few assembly operations and features, almost
identical operationally. Most standard and optional accessories are interchangeable
between the three telescopes. The instructions in this manual generally
apply to all three telescopes; when exceptions to this rule occur, they
are clearly pointed out.
[
toc ]1.
What is the LX50? An overview
a. Battery-powered, completely
cordless operation! Meade LX50 models operate from 6 AA-size batteries
inserted through the telescope's control panel. Or use the standard-equipment
25 ft. cord to power the telescope directly from any auto cigarette lighter
plug.
b. Standard-equipment Declination
Motor and Hand Controller permit 4-speed dual-axis capability: Plug the
hand controller into the LX50 control panel and you're ready for full dual-axis
drive capability at any of 4 photo-guide or microslew speeds: 2x, 8x, 16x,
or 32x, (plus quartz-controlled sidereal-rate tracking in R.A.) Switch
speeds instantly using the speed-control button on the hand controller.
Dual-axis drive rate is indicated by a red LED.
c. Multi-function control
panel: Including jacks for CCD autoguiders/imagers; and for the standard-equipment
Declination Motor.
d. Legendary Meade optical
systems: The same EMC Super Multi-Coated optics as provided with Meade
LX200 models.
e. Massive LX200-type fork
mounts: Meade LX50 mounts are manufactured of the exact same virgin aluminum
castings as Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrains. Massive, rigid mountings that
include the Meade LX worm-gear drive system with low periodic error for
advanced photographic or CCD imaging applications. No competing mid-priced
equatorial mounting even comes close.
[
toc ]2.
Standard Equipment
a. 7" Model LX50
Includes 7" Maksutov-Cassegrain
(f/15) optical tube assembly with EMC Super Multi-Coatings; heavy-duty
LX200-type fork mount; 5.75" LX worm gear system in R.A., multi-function
control panel display on the drive base; DC servo Declination Motor; manual
and electric slow-motion controls on both axes; setting circles on both
axes; keypad handheld controller; 4-speed drive controls on both axes;
battery compartment accepting (user-supplied) AA-size batteries; 25 ft.
power cord for telescope operation from 12v. auto cigarette lighter plug;
6 x 30mm viewfinder with crosshairs; 1.25" diagonal prism; MA25mm multi-coated
eyepiece (1.25"); standard equatorial wedge with elevation scale, bubble
level, and azimuth control; and complete operating instructions.
b. 8" Model LX50
Includes 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain
(f/10) optical tube assembly with EMC Super Multi-Coatings; heavy-duty
LX200-type fork mount; 5.75" LX worm gear system in R.A., multi-function
control panel display on the drive base; DC servo Declination Motor; manual
and electric slow-motion controls on both axes; setting circles on both
axes; keypad handheld controller; 4-speed drive controls on both axes;
battery compartment accepting (user-supplied) AA-size batteries; 25 ft.
power cord for telescope operation from 12v. auto cigarette lighter plug;
6 x 30mm viewfinder with crosshairs; 1.25" diagonal prism; MA25mm multi-coated
eyepiece (1.25"); standard equatorial wedge with elevation scale, bubble
level, and azimuth control; and complete operating instructions.
c. 10" Model LX50
Includes 10" Schmidt-Cassegrain
(f/10) optical tube assembly with EMC Super Multi-Coatings; heavy-duty
LX200-type fork mount; 5.75" LX worm gear system in R.A., multi-function
control panel display on the drive base; DC servo Declination motor; manual
and electric slow-motion controls on both axes; setting circles on both
axes; keypad handheld controller; 4-speed drive controls on both axes;
battery compartment accepting (user-supplied) AA-size batteries; 25 ft.
power cord for telescope operation from 12v. auto cigarette lighter plug;
8 x 50mm viewfinder with crosshairs; 1.25" diagonal prism; MA25mm multi-coated
eyepiece (1.25"); standard equatorial wedge with elevation scale, bubble
level, and azimuth control; and complete operating instructions.
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