Orion EQ-2 instruction manual Attaching a Telescope, Balancing the Telescope

Retighten the R.A. and Dec. lock knobs once the equatori- al mount is properly oriented.

8.Slide the counterweight onto the counterweight shaft. Make sure the counterweight lock knob is adequately loosened to allow the counterweight shaft to pass through the hole in the counterweight.

9.Now, with the counterweight lock knob still loose, grip the counterweight with one hand and thread the shaft into the equatorial mount (at the base of the declination axis) with the other hand. When it is threaded as far in as it will go, position the counterweight about halfway up the shaft and tighten the counterweight lock knob. The retaining screw and washer on the bottom of the shaft prevent the counter- weight from falling off (and onto your foot!) if the counterweight lock knob becomes loose.

10.Attach the two slow-motion cables to the R.A. and Dec. worm gear shafts of the equatorial mount by positioning the thumb screw on the end of the cable over the indented slot on the worm gear shaft and then tightening the thumb screw. We recommend that the shorter cable be used on the R.A. worm gear shaft and the longer cable on the Dec. worm gear shaft.

The equatorial mount is now fully assembled and should appear as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 2. The equatorial mount.

Dec. slow-motion control cable

Dec. setting circle

	IS
	X
N	A
IO
S
N
E
C
S
A
T
H
IG
R

Latitude scale

Latitude adjustment t-bolt

Latitude lock t-bolt

Azimuth lock knob

3. Attaching A Telescope

The EQ-2 Equatorial Mount is designed to hold small to mid- size telescopes weighing up to about 10 lbs. For heavier telescopes, the mount may not provide sufficient stability for steady imaging. Any type of telescope can be mounted on the EQ-2 Equatorial mount, including refractors, Newtonian reflectors, and cadadioptrics, provided a 1/4”-20 adapter or set of tube rings is available to couple the tube to the mount.

Orion carries a variety of differently sized tube rings and a 1/4"-20 mounting adapter designed exclusively for the EQ-2 Equatorial Mount. One of these items probably fits the tele- scope tube you wish to mount. Check the Orion print or online catalogs for currently available mounting accessories.

4. Balancing the Telescope

Once the telescope is attached to the equatorial mount, the next step is to balance the telescope. Proper balance is required to insure smooth movement of the telescope on both axes of the equatorial mount.

If you attach your telescope with a 1/4”-20 adapter, it may not be possible to balance the scope precisely with respect to the

Dec. lock knob

R.A. lock knob

D

E

C

L

IN

A

T

IO

N

A

X

IS

R.A. setting circle lock thumbscrew

R.A. setting circle

R.A. slow- motion control cable

4