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LX200-ACF
telescopes are precision optical instruments designed to yield a lifetime of
rewarding applications. Given the care and respect due any precision instrument, your
LX200-ACF
will rarely, if ever, require factory servicing. Maintenance guidelines include
a. 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 reason to clean the lens.
b. When absolutely necessary, dust on the front lens should be removed with gentle
strokes of a camel hair brush or blown off with an ear syringe (available at any
pharmacy). DO NOT use a commercial photographic lens cleaner.
c. 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. You may also add 1
drop of biodegradable dishwashing soap per pint of solution. Use soft, white facial
tissues and make short, gentle strokes. Change tissues often.
Caution: Do not use scented or lotioned tissues or damage could result
to the optics.
d. Do not, for any reason, remove the correcting plate from its machined housing for
cleaning or other purposes. You will almost certainly not be able to replace the
corrector in its proper rotational orientation and serious degradation of optical
performance will result. Meade Instruments assumes no liability for damage
incurred to the telescope in this way.
e. If the
LX200-ACF
is used outdoors on a humid night, water condensation on the
telescope surfaces will probably result. While such condensation does not
normally cause any damage to the telescope, it is recommended that the entire
telescope be wiped down with a dry cloth before the telescope is packed away.
Do not, however, wipe any of the optical surfaces. Rather, simply allow the
telescope to sit for some time in the warm indoor air, so that the wet optical
surfaces can dry unattended.
f. If your
LX200-ACF
is not to be used for an extended period, perhaps for one month
or more, it is advisable to remove the batteries from the telescope. Batteries left
in the telescope for prolonged periods may leak, causing damage to the
telescope’s electronic circuitry.
g. Do not leave your
LX200-ACF
inside a sealed car on a warm summer day;
excessive ambient temperatures can damage the telescope’s internal lubrication
and electronic circuitry.
h. The microfocuser is carefully adjusted at the factory. If it becomes necessary to
adjust the microfocuser ball bearings (see Fig. 32), it must be performed by
factory trained technicians. If the microfocuser is improperly adjusted,
performance will degrade and damage will result. Damage due to improper
adjustments not authorized by the factory will not be covered under warranty.
Collimation
The optical collimation (alignment) of any astronomical telescope used for serious
purposes is important, but in the case of the Advanced Coma-Free telescope design
of the
LX200-ACF
models, such collimation is absolutely essential for good
performance. Take special care to read and understand this section well so that your
LX200-ACF
will give you the best optical performance.
As part of final optical testing, every Meade Advanced Coma-Free telescope is
precisely collimated at the Meade factory before shipment. However, vibrations in
shipping can cause the optical system to become misaligned. Re-aligning the optics
is, however, a straightforward process.
To check the collimation of your
LX200-ACF
, center a bright star that is overhead, or
use a “hot spot” of reflected Sunlight from a chrome car bumper, with the supplied
eyepiece. Allow the telescope to adjust to the temperature of your observation site
before proceeding; temperature differences between the optics and the outside air
can cause distortion in the images.
Fig. 32: Microfocuser ball bearings.
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