Meade RCX400 Instruction Manual Page 1

Instruction Manual10", 12", 14”, 16" RCX400™Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien Telescopeswith AutoStar II®Hand Controller and Digital Front Focu

10RCX400: YOUR PERSONALWINDOW TO THE UNIVERSEThe Meade RCX400 models are extremely versatile, high-resolution telescopes. Withhigh-precision optics, p

111#) in the unlocked position. Set the R.A. Lock to a "partially locked" position to createa comfortable drag for the R.A. Slow Motion Cont

12only) prevents the telescope from being moved manually, but engages the verti-cal motor drive for AutoStar II operation.1* Dust Cover:Gently pry the

Fig. 2: The Autostar II Handbox.Tour the Cosmos with Just the Push of a ButtonControl of the RCX400 telescope models is through the operation of the s

14The Autostar II system provides control of virtually every telescope function. TheAutostar II handbox has soft-touch keys designed to have a positiv

4 FOCUS: Toggles between two functions. The first press allows you to change the focus and focus speed. The next press allows you to create presets th

16Parts ListingGetting the telescope ready for first observations requires only a few minutes. Whenfirst opening the packing box, note carefully the f

compartment. Follow battery manufacturer's precautions. Do not installbatteries backwards or mix new and used batteries. Do not mix batterytypes.

182. Insert eyepiece: Remove the UltraWide 24mm eyepiece from its container andslide it in the diagonal mirror. Tighten the thumbscrew (Fig. 20) locat

OBSERVINGChoosing an EyepieceA telescope’s eyepiece magnifies the image formed by the telescope’s main optics.Each eyepiece has a focal length, expres

Focusing the Telescope As you look over your new RCX telescope, one of the first things you will notice is that it has no Focus Knob!Because this desi

20Sync On Preset menu if you do not park your telescope (this menu will reset all yourfocus presets after you turn off and turn on your scope again ).

You can also observe stars and objects in the night sky using this method, but notethat objects begin to slowly drift across the eyepiece field. This

22Speeds 4, 5, or 6: Enable centering of an object in the field of a low-to-moderatepower eyepiece, such as the standard UltraWide 24mm.Speeds 7 or 8:

234.Autostar II initializes the Smart Drive if "On" has been previously chosen fromboth the R.A. and Dec. PEC menus in the "Setup: Tele

24When the procedure is performed correctly, "Alignment Successful" displays.If Autostar II does not display this message, perform this proc

5.Press MODE to return to the Tour list. Press the Scroll keys to scroll through thelist. Press ENTER when you find the next object you wish to observ

26It is important to understand that menu selections are set in a loop (Fig. 28).This meansthat pressing the Scroll Down key (7, Fig. 2) cycles down t

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" op

28OTA FanDew HeaterOTA TemperatureAmbient Te mp.Timer Set Start & StopAlarm Set On & OffEyepiece Calc. Field of View Magnification

29Object MenuAlmost all observing with Autostar II is performed using the Object menu category.(Note: Exceptions include Guided Tour and Landmark Surv

Focusing your Telescope...Inside front coverQuick-Start Guide ... 4Telesc

30Identify: An exciting feature for an observer who wants to scan the night sky and startexploring. After the telescope has been properly aligned, use

Glossary MenuThe Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions forcommon astronomical terms and Autostar II functions

32Panel Light:Allows you to turn off LED panel light.Aux Port Power:Allows you turn off and on the 12vDC OUT power port.Beep: Turns the beep alerts on

Smart Mount: See page 69 for detailed information.GPS-UTC Offset: Universal Time (UTC) adds leap seconds to its time calculations,GPS does not. The of

34J Calibrate Sensors:This menu allows you to improve your telescope's pointingaccuracy to alignment stars. It calibrates to correct slight mecha

J Select:Displays the currently selected observing site. Use the Scroll keys tocycle through all available sites (see ADD below). Press ENTER when the

36"Hot Button" MenusTwo menus, six object libraries and two functions can be accessed directly using theNumber keys (commonly referred to as

ADVANCED AUTOSTAR II FEATURESBefore trying out the examples in this section, familiarize yourself with the basic oper-ations of Autostar II described

3811. Press MODE. "Site: Edit" displays.12. Using the Arrow keys, scroll to "Site: Select." The site you have just edited dis-play

Observing SatellitesIn this procedure, you will prepare your telescope to observe a satellite pass.1. Navigate to the "Object: Satellite" me

4QUICK-START GUIDEAssemble Your TripodSTEP 1: Attach the legs of the tripod to the base:Slide each leg (1) into a leg receptacle (2) ...STEP 2: Loca

40those in the Landmark database. Be sure to change this option back to"Astronomical" when you wish to view celestial objects again.3. Press

In this procedure, you will center an object you wish to have identified by Autostar II inthe telescope eyepiece and use the "Identify" menu

42Alternate Alt/Az AlignmentsIf you would rather set up your telescope without using automatic alignment, AutostarII offers alternative alignment meth

3. Set Home Position.Place the telescope in the home position.To Set the Home Position Manually:a. See Figs. 32 and 33, page 34. Loosen the telescope’

44Periodic Error Correction If you wish to perform high-precision astrophotography, you may wish to "train" yourtelescope in order to keep o

The RCX400 optical design consists of a hyperbolic secondary and corrector lens/pri-mary combination that performs as one hyperbolic element. The corr

46Photography with a Digital CameraAlthough digital cameras still cannot match the quality of images provided by tradi-tional 35mm cameras, they provi

• Magic Eye software-assisted focusing.• Automatic and manual exposure control from .001 to 15 seconds (up to 450xlonger than web cams).• Automatical

48OPTIONAL ACCESSORIESA wide assortment of professional Meade accessories is available for the RCX400 tel-escope models. The premium quality of these

Series 4000 Nebular Filters: A modern boon to the city-dwelling deep-spaceobserver, the interference nebular filter effectively cancels out the effect

5Attach the Mount to the TripodMove the Optical Tube and Install the BatteriesSTEP 6: Position the mount over the tripod:Take note of the T-handle/rod

50#1220 Field De-rotater:The field de-rotater attaches to the rear cell of the telescopeand plugs into an RS232 (Serial) port. Digital data fed from t

MAINTENANCERCX400 telescopes are precision optical instruments designed to yield a lifetime ofrewarding applications. Given the care and respect due a

rings; these are called diffraction rings. Focus until the diffraction rings fills about 10%of the eyepiece field-diameter. If the dark central spot i

Inspecting the OpticsA Note about the “Flashlight Test:" If a flashlight or other high-intensity light sourceis pointed down the main telescope t

5410" f/8 RCX400 SpecificationsOptical design...Advanced Ritchey-ChrétienClear aperture...

14" f/8 RCX400 SpecificationsOptical design...Advanced Ritchey-ChrétienClear aperture...

56Advanced Autostar II System SpecificationsProcessors ...10 processors arranged in a Distributed

Equatorial AlignmentIn equatorial (or "polar") Alignment, the telescope is oriented so that the horizontal andvertical axes of the telescope

58Using setting circles requires a developed technique. When using the circles for thefirst time, try hopping from one bright star (the calibration st

Lining Up with the Celestial PoleObjects in the sky appear to revolve around the celestial pole. (Actually, celestialobjects are essentially “fixed.”

6QUICK-START GUIDE {CONTINUED}Insert the Telescope Diagonal Mirror and EyepieceSTEP 10: Attach the visual back and diagonal mirror:1. Thread the ring

60ting circle and slightlyloosen the two bolts located under the knob. Now turn the circleunit until it reads 89.2°, the Declination of Polaris. Then

Autostar II Polar AlignmentAutostar II provides three different (manual) methods for polar alignment: Easy, One-Star and Two-Star.Easy Polar Alignment

62APPENDIX B: LATITUDE CHARTLatitude Chart for Major Cities of the World To aid in the polar alignment procedure (see page 57), latitudes of major cit

63APPENDIX C: CREATEYOUR OWN GUIDED TOURCreating your own Guided Tour can be an extremely useful tool. You can preprogram ascript of objects you wish

64TITLE TEXT USER NGCIC SAO MESSIER CALDWELLPLANET MOON SATELLITE ASTEROIDCOMET LUNAR ECLIPSE METEOR SHOWER DEEP SKYCONSTELLATION STAR LANDMARK DEFIN

PLANET "name"Enter PLANET and then the name of the desired planet in quotes. Autostar II providesthe user with a description of the selected

66PICK ONEAUTO SELECT MESSIER 13AUTO SELECT MESSIER 15AUTO SELECT MESSIER 92AUTO SELECT MESSIER 4AUTO SELECT MESSIER 68AUTO SELECT NGC 1234AUTO SELECT

Train the telescope motors using Autostar II. Perform this procedure if you are experiencing any pointing accuracyproblems.Fig.55depicts the complete

68APPENDIX E: THE MOON MENUThe Moon option of the Object menu allows you to observe the moon in a way neverpossible before. You will be able locate ma

APPENDIX F: Smart Mount IntroductionSmart Mount improves the pointing accuracy of your RCX400 telescope's "Go to" sys-tem.Despite caref

7Point, Focus and ObserveSTEP 14: Tighten the R.A. and Dec. Locks:Move the R.A. lock (27) and tighten to a firm feel. Rotate the Dec.Lock (28) and tig

70Permanently Mounted ScopesFor permanently mounted telescopes, it is not necessary to have more than onemodel unless the weight and balance of auxili

71APPENDIX G: 16" RCX400 Commercial ShippingCaution: Serious damage to the drive gears may result from shock in han-dling. During transport or co

72Note: Tightening to a firm-feel is sufficient. Over-tightening may result instripping of the knob threads or damage to the tripod legs; it provides

73Fig. 65: View beneath plate (fork basenot shown for clarity sake): Thread-inthe fifth bolt and attach the DB-37connector underneath the plate.Fifth

In the early 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using a telescope smaller than yourRCX400, turned it skyward instead of looking at the distant tr

75PlanetsPlanets change positions in the sky as they orbit around the Sun. To locate the plan-ets on a given day or month, consult a monthly astronomy

14-7600-00 2/06 DMEADE LIMITED WARRANTYEvery Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments Corporation (“

8TELESCOPE FEATURESFig. 1a: The RCX400 Telescope; Dec. Setting Circle (inset).Bdfeghij1)1!1@1#1$1%1^1&1*1(2)2!EyepiececDiagonalmirrorRear cell and

9Locking ringAdjustmentscrewsViewfindereyepiece/focuserViewfinderbracketand dovetailmountTripod base withleg receptaclesLeg attachmentlockLocking latc