2. Alignment
This section will familiarize you with the alignment procedure for the IntelliScope system.
Powering the Controller
To turn the controller on, firmly press thePower button. The LED lights will activate and the LCD screen will display its introduction message. The intensity of the illumination can be adjusted by repeatedly pressing the Power button. There are five levels of LED bright- ness. Choose a brightness level that suits your conditions and needs. (Dimmer settings will prolong battery life.)
To turn the controller off, press and hold the Power button for a few seconds, then release it.
To conserve battery life, the controller is programmed to shut itself off after being idle for 15 minutes. So, make sure to press a button at least once every 15 minutes if you do not want the controller to turn off. If the controller does turn off, you will need to perform the initial alignment procedure again.
If the LCD screen and the buttons’ backlighting automatically begin to dim, it’s time to change batteries.
Initial Vertical Alignment
After powering up the controller, the top line of the LCD display will read: “POINT VER- TICAL.” If the vertical stop you installed on the Dobsonian base during assembly of the telescope is properly adjusted (see below), simply rotate the telescope upwards in alti- tude until the bottom of the tube comes into contact with the vertical stop. Once the tele- scope tube is in the vertical position, press the Enter button to start the
Adjusting the Vertical Stop
In order for the IntelliScope system to work accurately, the vertical stop must be precise- ly adjusted so that the optical tube is truly perpendicular to the azimuth axis of the base when the controller says “POINT VERTICAL.” For most IntelliScopes, the vertical stop must use the nylon spacer, one of the
will be the best you can do to adjust the ver- tical stop.
For the most precise adjustment of the verti- cal stop (which will allow the best pointing accuracy to be achieved), you should use a carpenter’s level. Any hardware store will have one. First, make sure the base itself is level. Place the carpenter’s level on the top ground board and rotate the base 180˚ in azimuth (Figure 7). The level should indi- cate that the base is level through the entire rotation. If not, then reposition the base on the ground, or place shims under- neath the feet until the base stays level though a 180˚ rotation.
Figure 7. Place a carpenter’s level on the base as shown. The base should stay level through a 180˚ rotation in azimuth. Once the vertical stop is set, the base does not need to be level to function properly.
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