information can be useful if you are trying to calculate how much battery life is available during an observing run. As an example, if the ammeter has four bars lit, (indicating 0.4 amps) and the system is using a 12 amp hour battery, determine the approximate battery life by dividing 12 amp hours by 0.4 amps, resulting in a battery life of 30 hours.
2.N/S (2), Fig. 9: The N/S switch converts the CDS for operation in the northern or southern hemisphere, making the LXD drive reverse its tracking direction. The appropriate N or S switch position should be chosen before powering up. The CDS will not recognize a change made on the N/S switch after power has been turned on.
Note: If traveling across the equator, be sure to set the proper
+or - latitude SITE entry for your final destination. (See page 6: Entering the Latitude and Longitude of the Observing Site).
3.On/Off (3), Fig. 9: This switch turns power to the CDS system on and off.
4.Red LED Indicator (4), Fig. 9: When illuminated, the red LED indicates power to the system.
5.Focuser (5), Fig. 9: The Focuser port accepts optional corded, plug-in style electric focusers, such as the Meade #1207 Electric Focuser, to allow electric focus adjustment control from the CDS Keypad.
6.Reticle (6), Fig. 9: The Reticle port accepts optional corded, plug-in style illuminated reticle eyepieces such as the Meade 12mm Illuminated Reticle Eyepiece, or the Meade Series 4000 Plössl 9mm Illuminated Reticle Eyepiece, to allow brightness control and on/ off pulsing rates which can be set from the CDS Keypad.
7.Keypad (7), Fig. 9: The Keypad port is a 4-pin phone jack connector socket, designed to accept standard 4-pin phone jack coil cords. One end of the supplied coil cord plugs into the Keypad port, the other end plugs into the CDS Keypad.
8.RA Motor (8), Fig. 9: The RA Motor port is an 8-pin phone jack connector socket, designed to accept standard 8-pin phone jack cable. One end of the supplied cable plugs in to the Control Panel and the other plugs into the RA Drive Motor.
9.Power 12vDC (10), Fig. 9: The Power 12v DC port is designed to accept the DC Power Cord that is supplied as standard equipment with the CDS. The acceptable input voltage range is 12 to 18 volts. Note that the center post of the Power port is positive.
10.RS-232(11), Fig. 9: The RS-232 port allows a user to interface the CDS with a personal computer (PC). Communicating at a rate of 9600 baud, the RS-232 port allows a PC to access every feature of the CDS system. Appendix D provides a wiring schematic to make your own RS-232 connector cord, a cord test program, a demonstration program, and the CDS Command Set for writing programs. Meade Instruments supplies this information for professional programmers. Meade Instruments Corporation does not offer support or advice for writing software for the RS-232 option.
11.CCD (12), Fig. 9: The CCD port allows direct interfacing with Meade CCD autoguider/imaging equipment such as the Pictor 201XT, 216XT, 416XT and 1616XT to accomplish CCD autoguiding.
12.Aux (13), Fig. 9: The Auxiliary port is reserved for future product expansion. The output voltage through the Aux port equals the input voltage to the system.
MODE FUNCTIONS
To view the different modes within the CDS system, press the MODE button (2), Fig. 8, located between the ENTER and GO TO keys at the top of the Keypad. By entering and/or editing information in the different modes, you can customize the operation of your CDS to meet virtually any of your observing requirements. Better still, all of the critical information such as time, location, alignment type, and many other functions are kept in memory...even with the CDS turned off!
The type of alignment, the objects that you see, the location that you observe from, the tracking speeds of the drives, all of the clock and timing functions, the position information, and even the brightness level of the backlit Keypad are defined by the information that you give and/or the commands that you edit, through five different modes of the CDS computerized hand controller.
Once you have selected the desired mode (by pressing the MODE key), you can then select the individual file within the mode by pressing the PREV or NEXT key (13), Fig. 8, moving the LCD arrow up or down beside the file description. Although you can only see two menu selections at a time in the Keypad Display (8), Fig. 8, you can see more as you continue to press the PREV and NEXT keys.
When the desired file is chosen, press the ENTER key to view the file’s menu. To choose an individual menu, again use the PREV or NEXT key to move the LCD arrow up or down the file’s menu. To explore a menu selection, again press the ENTER key. In some modes there will be options for a file’s menu selection, in others you will only enter data.
Any time you wish to return to the main file heading in a particular mode, just press MODE and it will behave as an exit key.
1. MODE ONE: TELESCOPE/ OBJECT LIBRARY
This is the default mode of the CDS. To explore either the TELESCOPE menu file or the OBJECT LIBRARY menu file, move the LCD arrow to the appropriate selection by using the PREV or the NEXT key and press the ENTER key.
A. TELESCOPE Menu File
Below are descriptions of the eleven menu selections of the TELESCOPE menu file, including individual menu files and file options.
1)SITE: The SITE menu option allows a user to enter the latitude and longitude of up to four favorite viewing locations. The entered longitude and latitude is compared by the CDS’s computer to the local time, GMT offset, and calendar date to accurately calculate celestial coordinates. Once entered, the information is stored in the telescope’s internal memory, and need never be re-entered. To enter new site information or to change an old one, refer to page 6 (Entering the Latitude and Longitude of the Observing Site). Once the site is chosen, exit the SITE menu by pressing the MODE key.
2)ALIGN: Astrophotographers routinely require polar alignments of the highest accuracy for the finest guiding characteristics. The initial polar alignment may be refined by using the CDS’s electronics. Be sure to enter the correct local time and the observing site's latitude and longitude before beginning.
The following procedure should be performed in two or three 15 minute intervals. At each interval the telescope will slew to the area where the pole star should be centered in the optics. The
