Focus Speeds:
Key # | Speed |
1 or 2 | Fine |
3, 4, or 5 | Slow |
6 or 7 | Medium |
8 or 9 | Fast |
"Hot Button" Menus
Two menus, six object libraries and two functions can be accessed directly using the Number keys (commonly referred to as "hot buttons"). The two functions, the Speed mode and the Utility light are described earlier in the manual.
Focus Control Menu: Press Number key "4" to select this menu directly from Autostar II's keypad. Press the Up or Down Scroll keys to cycle through the four focus speed options and then press ENTER to select the desired speed. Or press a Number key after pressing the Focus key to change the speed (see chart to the left). Use the Up or Down Arrow keys to achieve fine focus of the object. See page 17 for more information.
Reticle Control Menu: Press Number key "7" to select this menu directly from
Autostar II's keypad. "Reticle Control: Set Intensity" displays. Press ENTER. The Intensity menu allows you to change the intensity of the Reticle Eyepiece Illuminator. Use the Scroll keys to change the value. As you change the value, look through the reticle to note how the Intensity changes.
Note: You may continue to change the values using the Scroll keys (and thus changing the intensity) until you press ENTER again. This allows you to experiment with the intensity level until you decide which intensity level works best for you. This feature operates in the same manner in the Rate and Duty Cycle menus.
When you have finished adjusting the intensity, press ENTER. Press Number key "7" again and the Rate menu displays. Press ENTER again. Use the Scroll keys to change the value of the the rate at which the Reticle Eyepiece blinks. As you change the value, look through the reticle to note how the Blink Rate changes.
When you have finished adjusting the rate, press ENTER. Next, Press Number key "7" again and the Duty Cycle menu displays. Press ENTER again. The Duty Cycle menu controls how long the Reticle Eyepiece Illuminator is on during a blink cycle. Use the Scroll keys to change the value. As you change the value, look through the reticle to note how the Duty Cycle changes. When you have decided on a Duty Cycle value, press ENTER.
To exit the Reticle menu, press MODE once.
Object Catalogs: See page 25 for more information.
LX200GPS TIPS
Mirror, Mirror...
The LX200GPS telescopes provide features that allow you to control the primary opti- cal mirror and focus functions for more precise viewing capability.
One control feature is the primary mirror lock (9, Fig. 1). The primary mirror lock helps eliminate mirror flop. Mirror flop can sometimes occur when the optical tube slews to opposite sides of the sky and the primary mirror shifts out of position, causing the loss of focus and pointing precision. To prevent mirror flop: Rotate the primary mirror lock knob toward the "lock" position and adjust the tension to a firm feel.
Another control feature is the
Some tips to help you make the most out of your microfocuser (see FOCUSING THE EYEPIECE USING THE MICROFOCUSER, page 17, for more detailed instructions):
1.Set the "travel" (extension) of the drawtube of the microfocuser to about halfway.
2.Rotate the mirror lock knob towards the "unlock" position, until it feels loose.
3.Use the coarse focus control (6, Fig. 1) to achieve a rough focus of a bright star.
4.Rotate the mirror lock knob towards the "lock" position and adjust the tension to a firm feel; this action serves to lock in the coarse focus. But make sure that you don't adjust or bump the coarse focus knob once you have tightened tension on the mirror. If you do, reset the coarse focus as described above.
5.Press the Autostar II Focus key and then use the Up and Down keys to control the microfocuser. If desired, you may change the focus speed.
6.You may need to repeat this procedure when you change eyepieces.
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