Orion #27183 XT8I manual

IN 226 Rev . I 08/11 INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion SkyQuest ™ XTi IntelliScope Dobsonian T elescopes #27182 XT6i , #27183 XT8i , #27184 XT10i , #27189 XT12i Customer Support (800)-676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope.com Corporate Offices (831)-763-7000 89 Hangar W ay , Watsonville, CA 95076 Orion T elescopes.com Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical P[...]

2 Figure 1. The SkyQuest XT8 IntelliScope Secondar y mirror holder with 4-vane spider (not visible) Left side panel F oot (3) Primar y mirror cell IntelliScope Controller P or t modular jack Altitude tensioning knob Optical tube Eyepiece F ocuser Finder scope brac ket Finder scope Navigation knob Computerized Object Locator T op baseplate Ground ba[...]

3 Congratulations on y our purchase of an Orion SkyQuest XTi IntelliScope Dobsonian . It is a high-perf or- mance astronomical instrument designed to provide dazzling views of celestial objects and unprecedent- ed ease of use. With the addition of the optional IntelliScope Computer ized Object Locator (Controller), you gain the ability to locate an[...]

4 3 Plastic f eet 3 F eet attachment wood screws (length 1") 5 Encoder board mounting wood scre ws 1 Brass b ushing 1 Azimuth axis he x-head screw (length 2.25") 2 F ender washers (diameter 1") 1 He x lock nut 4 Altitude bearing cylinders 4 Altitude bearing cylinder screws (length 1.5", blac k) 1 V er tical stop knob 1 Small thi[...]

5 Ne xt, assemble the rear end ring to the mirror cell. Find a clean, flat surf ace, and tur n the mirror cell ov er so that the mirror is f acing downwards. Place the three spr ings onto the three e xposed threaded shafts (Figure 1.3). Lo wer the end ring onto the mirror cell so the threaded shafts pass through it, and the end ring rests on the sp[...]

Assembly of the Dobsonian Base Ref er to Figure 2 dur ing base assembly . The base need only be assembled once , unless you disassemble it f or long-term storage. The assembly process takes about 45 min utes and requires, in addition to the supplied tools , a Phillips screw - driver , and two adjustab le crescent wrenches. Y ou can substi- tute a 7[...]

7 6. Place a fender w asher (H) onto the azimuth axis screw (I). Then push the screw up through the hole in the ground baseplate (A).Then slide the encoder disk (J), flat side down, onto the azimuth axis scre w . 7. Place the brass bushing (F) onto the azim uth axis screw (I) so that the wide end of the bushing is closest to the encoder disk (J). S[...]

8 Ne xt, you’ll need to install the altitude encoder board assem- bly . T o do so , please refer to the separate instruction manual f or the IntelliScope Computer ized Object Locator . Installing the V ertical Stop Place three flat washers onto the shaft of the v er tical stop screw . Thread the vertical stop into the threaded inser t on the insi[...]

9 T o install the XT system, follo w these steps while referring to Figures 10 and 11: 1. Select one of the retaining/tensioning knobs and slide the metal washer onto the shaft, f ollowed b y the white nylon washer (y ou will need to thread this washer onto the shaft). This knob will now be kno wn as the tensioning knob. Push the shaft of the tensi[...]

10 The CorrecT ension system is now installed. If y ou wish to remov e the optical tube from the base, you will first need to unthread and remov e both the knobs. Once the optical tube is remov ed from the base, thread the knobs back into the altitude bearings so you do not lose them. Installing the Finder Scope SkyQuest IntelliScope Dobsonians com[...]

dust cap on the front of the telescope tube should alwa ys remain in place when the telescope is not in use. It is also a good idea to store ey epieces in an ey epiece case and to replace the cov er caps on the focuser and finder scope when the telescope is idle. 3. Using Y our T elescope One of the great benefits of the SkyQuest XTi IntelliScope D[...]

12 Focusing the T elescope With the 25mm Sirius Plössl ey epiece in the focuser and secured with the thumbscrew(s), mo ve the telescope so the front (open) end is pointing in the general direction of an object at least 1/4-mile aw ay . Now , with y our fingers, slowly rotate one of the f ocusing knobs until the object comes into shar p f ocus. Go [...]

13 of f ocus, you will need to ref ocus the finder scope for y our vision. Loosen the lock ring located behind the objectiv e lens cell on the body of the finder scope (see Figure 12a ) by tur n- ing it counterclockwise . Back the loc k r ing off by a f ew turns, f or now . F ocus the finder scope on a distant object by thread- ing the objective le[...]

14 retaining and tensioning knobs of the CorrecT ension(XT) sys- tem holding the optical tube captiv e on the base, the entire telescope can be carried as one unit. (This is not practical f or the XT10i and XT12i due to the hefty weight and size.) This requires some caution, howe v er. If the telescope is lifted improperly , the tube could swing do[...]

15 When putting the IntelliScope into a vehicle , common sense pre vails. It is especially impor tant that the optical tube does not get knock ed around; this can cause the optics to become misaligned, and could dent the tube. W e recommend trans - por ting and storing the tube assembly in an optional padded case f or proper protection. 4. Alignmen[...]

Preparing the T elescope for Collimation Once you get the hang of collimation, y ou will be able to do it qui ckly even in th e dar k. When tr ying it for the first time or two , though, it is best to collimate in daylight, pref erab ly in a brightly lit room and with the telescope aimed at a white wall. It is recommended that the telescope tube be[...]

17 of the secondar y mirror (with the “dot” of the collimation cap) is off-center . The tilt of the primar y mirror is adjusted with three spr ing- loaded collimation thumbscrews on the bac k end of the opti - cal tube (bottom of the primar y mirror cell); these are the larger thumbscrews . The three smaller thumbscrews loc k the mirror’ s po[...]

18 B. Seeing and T ransparency Atmospheric conditions play a huge part in quality of view - ing. Light from stars and other celestial objects must tra vel through miles of Ear th’ s atmosphere to reach our eyes . The air in the atmosphere will refract and bend the light. Atmo - spheric turbulence will worsen the eff ects of refraction, which can [...]

19 if you wish. This is especially recommended for small and bright objects like planets and double stars . The Moon also takes higher magnifications w ell. Deep-sky objects, ho wev er , typically look better at medium or low magnifications . This is because many of them are quite f aint, yet hav e some extent (apparent width). Deep-sky objects wil[...]

20 tive to color in f aint light. Still, there is something v er y special about seeing an astronomical object in real time, with y our own e yes — “live, ” if not in living color . Note About Astrophotography SkyQuest IntelliScope Dobsonians are designed f or visual, not photographic use. Their mounts are not equ atorial-type designs and are[...]

21 7. Car e and Maintenance If you giv e your telescope reasonable care, it will last a lif e - time. Store it in a clean, dr y , dust-free place, safe from r apid changes in temperature and humidity . Do not store the tele - scope outdoors, although storage in a gar age or shed is OK. Small components like e yepieces and other accessories should b[...]

22 8. Specifications SkyQuest XT6i IntelliScope Primar y mirror : 150mm diameter , parabolic, center marked Primar y mirror mater ial: Low thermal expansion optical glass Mirror coatings: Enhanced-reflectivity (94%) aluminum, SiO 2 ov ercoat Secondar y mirror minor axis: 34.5mm F ocal length: 1200mm F ocal ratio: f/8.0 F ocuser : Rac k-and-pinion, [...]

23 SkyQuest XT10i IntelliScope Primar y mirror : 254mm diameter , parabolic, center marked Primar y mirror mater ial: Low thermal expansion optical glass Mirror coatings: Enhanced-reflectivity (94%) aluminum, SiO 2 ov ercoat Minor axis of secondar y mirror : 63mm F ocal length: 1200mm F ocal ratio: f/4.7 F ocuser : Cr ayf ord, accepts 2" and 1[...]

24 One-Y ear Limited W arranty This Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope Dobsonian Reflecting T elescope is warranted against def ects in mater ials or workmanship for a period of one y ear from the date of purchase. This warranty is f or the benefit of the or iginal retail purchaser only . During this warranty period Orion T elescopes & Binoculars will[...]