Orion 6/6I Final Assembly of Your Telescope StarBlast 6/6i, Attach the Optical Tube to the Base

	Telescope
	mounting
Tube ring	bracket
	Flat
	washer

Lock	Socket head
washer	cap screw

Hex key

Figure 15. Attaching a tube ring to the telescope mounting bracket.

5.Final Assembly of Your Telescope (StarBlast 6/6i)

Now you will complete the assembly of your telescope by installing the tube rings and optical tube assembly on the alt- azimuth base and attaching the included accessories.

Before getting started, locate the following items:

Qty. Description

1Optical tube assembly

2Tube rings

1Telescope mounting bracket

1EZ Finder II reflex sight

125mm Sirius Plössl eyepiece

110mm Sirius Plössl eyepiece

1Eyepiece rack

2Socket-head cap screws w/washers (on tube rings)

Attach the Optical Tube to the Base

To attach the optical tube assembly to the altazimuth base you will first need to equip the telescope mounting bracket with the two tube rings. Rotate the bracket so one of the two through holes in the bracket is accessible (Figure 15). Place a lock washer and then a flat washer onto each of the socket-head cap screws. Then insert the screw into the through hole as shown in Figure 15 and thread it into one of the two tube rings using the included hex key. Do not tighten it all the way; you’ll do that after the telescope tube has been secured in the tube rings. Now rotate the bracket 180° so the other through hole is accessible. Fasten the second tube ring to the bracket with the remaining washer-equipped screw using the hex key. Again, don’t tighten the screw completely yet. Be sure to orient the

Front (open) end of optical tube

Dovetail

base

Thumbscrew

Figure 16. Attach the EZ Finder II in its dovetail base in the orientation shown.

tube rings so that the knurled ring clamps are on the same side.

Open the tube rings by loosening the knurled ring clamps. Place the optical tube assembly in the open rings so the front (open) end of the tube points upward. While grasping the opti- cal tube firmly, close the rings around the tube and loosely tighten the knurled ring clamps. Adjust the position of the opti- cal tube in the tube rings so the bottom end of the tube just clears the hardware in the center of the top baseplate.

To view through the StarBlast 6/6i comfortably, you can adjust the orientation of the focuser by rotating the optical tube within the tube rings. Loosen the knurled ring clamps on the tube rings by a few turns. Now, gently rotate the optical tube within the tube rings until the focuser is oriented to your liking. Then tighten the knurled ring clamps to secure the optical tube in that position.

Now that the optical tube is secured tightly in the tube rings, tighten up each of the two socket-head cap screws that fasten the tube rings to the telescope mounting bracket using the hex key.

Install the EZ Finder II Reflex Sight

Slide the foot of the EZ Finder II bracket into the dovetail base that is pre-installed on the optical tube (Figure 16). The EZ Finder II should be oriented as in the figure. Tighten the thumb- screw on the dovetail base to secure the EZ Finder II in place. If it is present, remove the thin plastic battery shield tab (not shown) from the battery casing prior to use and discard it.

Install the Eyepiece Rack

The eyepiece rack can be installed so that it can be removed, or so it is permanently attached. Place the large portion of the eyepiece rack’s “keyhole” mounting slots over the two pre- installed Phillips head screws on the side of the altazimuth base, then slide the rack downward. If you want to be able to remove the rack for transport or storage of the telescope, be sure the screws are loose enough so you can lift the rack and remove it from the base through the large opening of the “keyhole.” If you wish to permanently attach the rack to the

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