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6. Maintenance and
Servicing
6.1. Maintenance
The SmartStar
®
R-80 telescope is a
precision optical instrument designed to
yield a lifetime of rewarding applications.
Given the care and respect due any
precision instrument, your telescope will
rarely require factory servicing or
maintenance. Maintenance guidelines
include:
1. Using wet cloth to clean the mount
and hand controller. Do not use the solvent.
2. Leave the dust cap on while not
operating the telescope. Avoid cleaning the
telescope’s optics. A little dust on the front
surface of the telescope’s correcting lens
causes virtually no degradation of image
quality and should not be considered a
reason to clean the lens.
3. When absolutely necessary, dust on
the front lens should be removed with gentle
strokes of a camel hair brush, a soft glass
clean cloth or blown off with an ear syringe
(available at any pharmacy). Do not use a
commercial photographic lens cleaner.
4. Organic materials (e.g., fingerprints)
on the front lens may be removed with a
solution of 3 parts distilled water to 1 part
isopropyl alcohol. Use soft, white facial
tissues or cotton balls and make short,
gentle strokes. Change tissues often. Do
not use scented, colored, or lotioned tissues
as damage could result to the optics.
5. If your telescope is used outdoors on
a humid night, telescope surfaces may
accumulate water condensation. While such
condensation does not normally cause any
damage to the telescope, it is
recommended that wait the entire telescope
be dried before being packed away. Do not
wipe any of the optical surfaces. In addition,
the dust cap should not be placed back on
to the optical tube until the telescope is
thoroughly dry.
6. If your telescope is not to be used
for an extended period, perhaps for one
month or more, it is advisable to remove the
batteries from battery holder, if they are
installed. Batteries left installed for
prolonged periods may leak, causing
damage to the telescope’s electronic
circuitry.
7. Do not leave your telescope
outdoors on a warm day or inside a sealed
car for an extended period of time.
Excessive ambient temperatures can
damage the telescope’s internal lubrication
and electronic circuitry.
6.2. Storage and Transport
When not in use, store the telescope in a
cool, dry place. Do not expose the
instrument to excessive heat or moisture. It
is best to store the telescope in its original
box with the altitude lock knob unlocked. If
shipping the telescope, use the original box
and packing material to protect the
telescope during shipment.
When transporting the telescope, take care
not to bump or drop the instrument; this type
of abuse can damage the optics or affect
the GOTO tracking accuracy.
6.3. Troubleshooting
The following suggestions may be helpful
with operation of the SmartStar R-80.
The power indicator light on the mount
does not come on or there is no
response when pressing hand
controller’s arrow keys:
(1) Verify that the power switch on the
mount is in the ON position.
(2) Verify that the hand controller cord is
firmly connected to the HBX port on