ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS Tabletop Equatorial Mount 9009 User manual

IN 152 Rev A 1000
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INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Orion®
Tabletop Equatorial Mount
#9009

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Figure 1. The Tabletop Equatorial Mount
Counterweight
Counterweight
shaft
R.A. slow-motion
control cable
Counterweight lock
thumb screw
Tripod leg
Latitude
lock knob
Azimuth
lock lever
Dec. slow-motion
control cable
R.A. lock lever
Dec. lock lever

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1. Parts List
Qty. Description
1 German-type equatorial mount
2 Slow-motion control cables
1 Counterweight
1 Counterweight shaft
3 Tripod legs
2. Assembly
Carefully remove all of the items from the shipping box.
Make sure all the parts listed in Section 1 are present.
Save the boxes and packaging material. In the unlikely
event that you need to return the mount, you must use
the original packaging.
Assembling the mount for the first time should take
about 5 minutes. No tools are needed. Refer to Figure
1 during the assembly process.
1.Lay the equatorial mount on its side.Attach the tripod
legs, one at a time, by threading them into the holes
at the base of the mount.
2. With the tripod legs now attached to the equatorial
mount, stand the mount upright.
3. Orient the mount as it appears in Figure 2, at a lati-
tude of about 40°, i.e., so that the pointer next to the
latitude scale is pointing to the hash mark at “40.”
To do this, loosen the latitude lock knob (below the lati-
tude scale), and adjust the latitude of the mount until the
pointer and the “40” line up.Then re-tighten the latitude
lock knob.You may also need to rotate the mount about
its right ascension (R.A.) and declination (Dec.) axes.
Do this by first loosening the R.A.and Dec. lock levers.
4.Slide the counterweight onto the counterweight shaft.
Make sure the counterweight lock thumb screw is
adequately loosened so the counterweight shaft can
pass through the hole in the counterweight. Position
the counterweight about halfway up the shaft and
tighten the counterweight lock thumb screw. The
washer and screw on the end of the counterweight
C ongratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion product. Your new Tabletop Equatorial Mount
is extremely portable and can be conveniently taken with you wherever you go to observe. A quick-
release mounting system allows fast and easy attachment of a wide variety of different telescope optical
tubes. With its precision yet highly portable equatorial head, you’ll be able to easily track astronomical
objects over time so that they remain within your eyepiece’s field of view. The setting circles will help
locate hundreds of fascinating celestial denizens, including galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters. With a
little practice and a little patience, you’ll find that your Tabletop Equatorial Mount is an invaluable tool for
getting the most out of your astronomical observing sessions.
These instructions will help you set up and properly use your equatorial mount. Please read them over
thoroughly before getting started.
Table of Contents
1. Parts List................................................................................................................................ 3
2. Assembly............................................................................................................................... 3
3. Attaching A Telescope........................................................................................................... 4
4. Balancing the Telescope........................................................................................................ 5
5. Adjusting Height .................................................................................................................... 5
6. Aligning and Using the Equatorial Mount.............................................................................. 5
7. Specifications....................................................................................................................... 10
R.A. axis
Dec. axis
Dec. lock
lever
Dec. setting
circle
R.A. slow-
motion
control cable
R.A. worm
gear shaft
R.A. setting
circle
Dec. worm
gear shaft
Dec.
slow-motion
control cable
R.A. lock lever
Latitude
lock knob
Latitude
scale
Figure 2: Close up of the equatorial mount

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shaft will prevent the counterweight from slipping off
the shaft and possibly onto your foot if the counter-
weight lock thumb screw should come loose.
5. Thread the counterweight shaft with counterweight
attached into the equatorial mount at the base of the
declination axis. Before a telescope is attached to the
mount, make sure the counterweight is oriented direct-
ly over a tripod leg, as shown in Figure 1. Otherwise,
the mount will tip over.To orient the counterweight rel-
ative to the tripod legs, loosen the azimuth lock lever
and rotate the mount left-to-right on the tripod. When
properly oriented, retighten the azimuth lock lever.
6. Now attach the two slow-motion control cables to the
R.A. and Dec. worm gear shafts (see Figure 2) of the
equatorial mount by positioning the thumb screw on the
end of the cable over the indented slot on the shaft, then
tightening the thumb screw.For the Dec.axis, attach the
cable to the longer end of the Dec. worm gear shaft. A
cable can be attached to either end of the R.A. worm
gear shaft, whichever is most convenient for you.
3. Attaching a Telescope
The Tabletop Equatorial Mount is designed to hold
small to mid-size telescopes weighing up to about 7
lbs. For heavier telescopes, the mount may not provide
sufficient stability for steady imaging. Many types of
telescopes can be mounted on the Tabletop Equatorial
Mount, including refractors and catadioptrics, provided
the telescope has a 1/4"-20 mounting block. 35mm
cameras can also be attached to the mount.
To connect your telescope to the Tabletop Equatorial
Mount, you must remove the mount's quick-release
mounting plate. Disengage the quick-release lever,
and pull the plate off the top of the mount. Grip the
plate by its threaded stud to do this (see Figure 3).
Now, attach the plate to your telescope by threading
the stud into the telescope's 1/4"-20 mounting block.
You can use a flat-head screwdriver in the slotted
screw head on the underside of the mounting plate to
firmly secure the plate to the telescope. Orient the
plate so the telescope is perpendicular to the slots on
the edge of the mounting plate (see Figure 4).
Replace the mounting plate, with telescope
attached, to the top of the equatorial mount. Register
the slots in the edges of the plate with the mating
feature on the mount's top (see Figure 5). Once the
plate is seated in its proper position, re-engage the
quick-release lever.
For transporting and storing your telescope, it is an easy
matter to remove the telescope from the mount. Simply
disengage the quick-release lever, and pull the tele-
scope (with mounting plate attached) from the mount.
quick-release
lever
quick-
release
mounting
plate
slot in edge of
mounting plate
Figure 3:To remove the quick-release mounting
plate, disengage the quick-release lever and
grip the threaded stud.
Figure 4: Orient the mounting plate so thatthe edge
slots are perpendicular to the telescope tube.
Figure 5: The edge slots on the mounting plate
register with the mount's top.
edge slot
mating
feature on
mount’s top

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4. Balancing the Telescope
Once the telescope is attached to the equatorial
mount, the next step is to balance the telescope
about the mount's R.A. axis. Proper balance is
required to insure smooth movement of the tele-
scope on the equatorial mount.
Keeping one hand on the telescope optical tube, loosen
the R.A. lock lever. Make sure the Dec. lock lever is
locked. The telescope should now be able to rotate
freely about the R.A. axis. Rotate it until the counter-
weight shaft is parallel to the ground (i.e., horizontal).
Now loosen the counterweight lock thumb screw and
slide the weight along the shaft until it exactly counter-
balances the telescope (see Figure 6a). That’s the
point at which the shaft remains horizontal even when
you let go of the telescope with both hands (see Figure
6b). Retighten the counterweight lock thumb screw.
The telescope is now balanced on the R.A. axis.
It is not possible to adjust the telescope's balance
about the Dec. axis of the mount. Usually, the tele-
scope will be balanced naturally about the Dec. axis
due to the manufacturer's placement of the 1/4"-20
mounting block at the balance point of the telescope.
Now that the telescope is properly balanced, when you
loosen the lock lever on one or both axes and manual-
ly point the telescope, it should move without
resistance and should not drift from where you point it.
5. Adjusting Height
TheTabletop Equatorial Mount requires a sturdy table or
platform for use. Find a platform that will place the tele-
scope's eyepiece at a comfortable height for viewing.
Typically, an outdoor picnic table will provide adequate
height and stability. Other outdoor platforms, like a tree
stump or large rock, can also be employed.
If you wish, you can use the equatorial mount on a stan-
dard photo-style tripod (see Figure 7). Simply remove
the three supplied tripod legs from the mount, and
thread the photo tripod's 1/4"-20 mounting stud into the
threaded hole on the bottom of the equatorial mount
casting. Lock the photo tripod's pan-head into place,
and move the telescope about the R.A.and Dec.axes of
the equatorial mount only.
6. Aligning and Using the
Equatorial Mount
When you look at the night sky, you no doubt have
noticed that the stars appear to move slowly from east
Figure 6a, 6b: Slide the counterweight along the
counterweight shaft until it balances the
telescope tube.
6a.
6b.
Figure 7: The Tabletop
Equatoral Mount used
in conjunction with a
photo-style tripod.