Meade MAX-ACF User manual
Instruction Manual
20" MAX-ACF Advanced Coma-Free Telescope on MAX Robotic
German Equatorial Mount
MEADE.COM
DANGER
Read this manual carefully before
attempting to assemble the
MAX-ACF mount and attaching the
OTA. Follow steps as outlined in
this manual in order to assemble
the telescope safely.
Failure to follow steps may result
in injury or death, and/or damage
to the telescope and mount.
Telescope Features ...................................................... 4
Autostar II Features ........................................................11
Assembly ........................................................................14
Tripod Assembly........................................................14
Pedestal Assembly and Adjusting Latitude ..............14
RA Assembly ............................................................16
Dec Saddle Assembly ..............................................16
Attach Counterweights..............................................18
Low Latitude Counterweights....................................18
Attach OTA to Dec Saddle ........................................20
Attach Autostar II ......................................................21
Electrical connections, Align Viewfinder with OTA ....22
Home Position and Balancing the OTA ..........................23
Balance RA Axis ......................................................23
Balance Dec Axis......................................................24
Getting Started ..............................................................25
Attach Handbox Holder ............................................25
Mounting, Focusing & Aligning the Viewfinder..........25
Focusing the Telescope ............................................25
To Change Focus Speed ....................................25
To Focus the Eyepiece ........................................26
Presets ................................................................26
To Define a Preset ............................................26
To Focus with a Microfocuser............................26
To Focus the MAX-ACF and a Microfocuser ....26
To Select a Preset ............................................27
To Sync on a Preset ..........................................27
Slew Speeds ..................................................................27
To Align for the First Time ..............................................28
Automatic Alignment ................................................28
Drift Align ..................................................................29
Collimation ................................................................29
Align the OTA ............................................................30
Calibrate Home ........................................................31
Basic Autostar II Operation ............................................32
Autostar II Menus ........................................................34
Menu Tree ................................................................34
Objects Menu............................................................35
Event Menu ..............................................................36
Glossary Menu, Utilities Menu ..................................36
Setup Menu ..............................................................38
Hot Button Menus ....................................................41
Advanced Autostar II Features ......................................42
Adding Observing Sites ............................................42
Creating User Objects ..............................................43
Observing Satellites ..................................................44
Identify ......................................................................44
Browse ......................................................................45
Alternate Polar Alignment Methods ..........................46
To Download the Latest Autostar II Software............46
Periodic Error Correction ..........................................47
Optional Accessories......................................................48
Maintenance ..................................................................51
Specifications ................................................................52
Meade Consumer Solutions ..........................................53
Appendix A: Latitude Chart ............................................54
Appendix B: The Moon ..................................................55
Appendix C: Smart Mount ..............................................56
Appendix D: How to Read the Latitude Scale ................58
CONTENTS
WARNING!
Never use a Meade®MAX-
ACF™Telescope to look at
the Sun! Looking at or near
the Sun will cause instant
and irreversible damage to
your eye. Eye damage is
often painless, so there is
no warning to the observer
that damage has occurred
until it is too late. Do not
point the telescope or its
viewfinder at or near the
Sun. Do not look through
the telescope or its
viewfinder as it is moving.
Children should always have
adult supervision while
observing.
® The names "Autostar," "Meade" and the Meade logo are
trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office and in principal countries throughout the world.
"MAX-ACF" is a trademark of Meade Instruments
Corporation.
Patents:
US 6,304,376
US 6,392,799
US 6,563,636
D 422,610
Patent Pending.
© 2010 Meade Instruments Corp.
If you have never focused a
MAX-ACF telescope before,
go to pages 25 to 27 for
detailed information.
4
Looking at or near the
Sun
will cause
irreversible
damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the
Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
TELESCOPE FEATURES
Components of MAX
MAX features a unique modular design that allows a couple of
individuals to assemble, either permanently or transportably, a
mount twice the size of any other commercially available mount.
The mount breaks down into a Portable Pier (tripod), Pedestal,
RA Housing Assembly, and DEC Housing assembly. Together all
of the components and an OTA assembly fit easily into a station
wagon, SUV, minivan or small truck. When assembled, quick
release, but rock solid, dovetail plates allow OTA and instrument
packages up to 250 lbs to be quickly mounted and de-mounted.
Tripod
Counterweight
Assembly
Low Latitude
Counterweight
Assembly
[Optional:
Required if within
20° of the
Equator]
Declination
Housing
Assembly
RA
Housing
Assembly
Eyepiece
Assembly
Pedestal
Assembly
Viewfinder
Assembly
Optical Tube
Assembly
(OTA)
Note:
Your telescope and
mount may look
slightly different
from the one shown
in some of the
images in this
manual. However,
your telescope will
still operate as the
one described in
this manual.
5
Looking at or near the
Sun
will cause
irreversible
damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the
Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
Pedestal Assembly
MAX's Pedestal assembly can be configured to
cover three latitude ranges without the need of
disassembly. Together, the three ranges allow
the mount to operate anywhere on the planet.
PEDESTAL
(WEDGE)
ASSEMBLY
RA Lock
Knob
Latitude
Lock
Knobs (x4)
Dovetail
Ejector
Knob
Azimuth
Lock
Knobs (x5)
Azimuth
Adjustment
Knob
Latitude
Range
Bolts (8x)
Latitude
Scale
Azimuth
Adjust
Knob
Latitude
Adjust
Knob
Dovetail
Ejector
Knobs (2)
RA Female
Dovetail
Tripod/Pier
Interface
Plate
6
Looking at or near the
Sun
will cause
irreversible
damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the
Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
Right Ascension Housing Assembly
The RA Housing mates to the Pedestal easily,
sliding firmly into a dovetail block that measures
over 100 square inches. When locked in place,
this broad footprint assures that your mount will
operate as a single rigid block delivering accu-
rate and repeatable pointing and tracking per-
formance. The RA Housing contains Meade's
patented Autostar II telescope control system, a
massive 13.625" pitch diameter worm gear
attached to a 3.84” diameter 6061-T6511 alu-
minum alloy main shaft supported by one 6020
Ball bearing (5.9055 OD x 3.9370 ID x 0.9449
wide) & one 6013 ball bearing (3.9370 OD x
2.5591 ID x 0.7090 wide) .
THE RA
ASSEMBLY
Declination
Lock
Knobs
Declination
Safety
Lock
Declination
Female
Dovetail
(not visible, on bottom side)
DB-25 connector
RA Male Dovetail
Control Panel
(see page 10)
Low Latitude
Counterweight plug
7
Looking at or near the
Sun
will cause
irreversible
damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the
Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
Declination Housing Assembly
The Dec Housing mates to the RA Housing
using another huge dovetail block. The RA
Housing, DEC Housing and Pedestal are all
designed to allow you to track more than 6
degrees past meridian without interference.
This mount will let you cover the whole sky. In
addition to accepting quick change dovetail
plates, MAX has two generous wing mount plat-
forms that will allow you to attach guide scopes,
piggy back cameras, short focal length refractors
and a wide variety of secondary instruments
without interfering with Max's "all sky" design.
DEC
ASSEMBLY
DB-25 connector
Accessory
Wings (2x)
OTA Lock
Knobs (2x)
OTA Safety Lock
OTA
Female
Dovetail
Dec
Balance
Hard Stop
Bolt
Saddle
Panel
8
Looking at or near the
Sun
will cause
irreversible
damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the
Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
Counterweights
The MAX counterweights are beautifully
crafted with sure locking, but quick
release, buttons. They allow you to quick-
ly locate balance so you can get back to
work.
MAX Tripod
The MAX-ACF tripod can be transported or permanently installed. It provides a wide stance to assure that it can safely
carry MAX's massive payload in all orientations, but still collapses down to a size that is easy to handle. Its design
assures that despite its wide stance, it will not interfere with optical systems observing on the meridian. Like Max, it sets
up, knocks down, and adjusts without the need of tools.
THE TRIPOD
THE COUNTER-
WEIGHTS
course adjustment
lock lever
Safety Cap
Adjustable
Counterweights
Fixed
Counterweights
(2)
Matching
Slots
Fixed
Counterweight
Knobs (8)
Counterweight
Shaft
Counterweight
Quick Release
Buttons
fine adjustment
turnbuckle
pedestal attachment lever
9
Optical Tube Assembly
MAX-ACF is delivered with a 20” Advanced Coma-Free™ Optical
Tube Assemblie. Its 20” OTA integrates seamlessly with MAX-ACF
German Equatorial Mount. Together you get pinpoint stars from
Meade's unique Advanced Coma-Free optical system:
• Zero expansion carbon fiber body
• Advanced Coma-Free optics
• Electronic Collimation
• Integrated Dew Heater
• OTA fan for quick cool down
• Digital Electronic Focus with Presets
THE OTA
Looking at or near the
Sun
will cause
irreversible
damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the
Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
Dust Cover
2"
Star
Diagonal
2"
Eyepiece
2"
Accessory
Adapter
OTA Alignment
Bolts
(concentric)
Visual
Back
OTA
Panel
OTA
Male
Dovetail
Viewfinder
Optical
Tube
Assembly
(OTA)
10
Looking at or near the
Sun
will cause
irreversible
damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the
Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
Off/On USB Port AUX port
12vDC In
12VDC
Switched
12VDC
Switched
Out
HBX port
(Handbox
port)
Serial port
USB Ports
Reticle Port Focuser
HBX port
Auto Guider
Smart Accessory Ports
CONTROL
PANELS
AND PORTS
RA ASSEMBLY
CONTROL
PANEL
SADDLE
CONTROL
PANEL
RA TO DEC
JUMPER CABLE
JUMPER CABLE
BETWEEN OTA
AND SADDLE
PANEL
(may use either of
the Smart
Accessory ports)
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