2
Assembly
Installing the Battery
The AstroTrack is powered by a single 9-volt alkaline bat-
tery (not included). It should be installed before attaching the
AstroTrack to the equatorial mount.
Make sure the power switch is in the OFF position. Unscrew
the two thumbscrews on the front panel and remove the hous-
ing (Figure 1). You will notice a U-shaped foam liner inside.
Place the battery in the liner and snap on the terminal connec-
tor (Figure 2). Replace the housing, tucking the battery wires
inside so they’re not hanging out. Thread on the two thumb-
screws to secure the housing.
Use the same procedure to replace the battery when it runs
down. (You do not have to remove the AstroTrack from the equa-
torial mount.)
Installing the AstroTrack on the EQ-1
Equatorial Mount
When facing the front of the mount, the right ascension (R.A.)
slow-motion control cable should be mounted on the left end
of the R.A. worm gear shaft (see Figure 3). If it is mounted on
the right end, remove it from the mount, and reinstall it on the
left end of the shaft. Loosen the knurled thumbscrew on the
end of the motor’s drive coupler (see Figure 2).Use the pro-
vided large Allen wrench and remove the socket head screw
on the right side of the equatorial mount (see Figure 3).Orient
the motor drive so that the drive coupler slips over the right
end of the R.A. worm gear shaft. Now, attach the motor to the
mount by inserting the socket head screw through the slot in
the motor drive’s bracket, and re-threading it into the mount.
Tighten the thumbscrew on the end of the motor’s drive cou-
pler. The thumbscrew should seat into the groove on the end
of the worm gear shaft. You may need to rotate the R.A. worm
gear, using the R.A. slow-motion control cable for the thumb-
screw and the groove to line up.
Use the thumbscrew on the R.A. slow-motion control cable
as a reference to line up the drive coupler thumbscrew and
the groove on the worm gear shaft; when the thumbscrews
are rotationally aligned, the coupler’s thumbscrew should seat
into the groove on the shaft (see Figure 4). Once the thumb-
screw is tightened, the motor is engaged. When the motor
is engaged, never, under any circumstances, should you use
the R.A. slow-motion control cable! If you want to use the R.A.
slow-motion control cable, you must first loosen the thumb-
screw on the end of the motor’s drive coupler.
The motor is now properly installed on the EQ-1 mount, and
should appear as in Figure 5.
Operation
Quick Polar Alignment
For best results, the telescope’s equatorial mount must be
aligned parallel to the Earth’s rotational (polar) axis. The
AstroTrack will not track objects accurately (objects will not
stay in the field of view) if the mount’s R.A. axis is pointing to
the wrong part of the sky. An approximate polar alignment is
sufficient for most observing situations and is all that will be
covered here. For a more accurate alignment, consult your
telescope manual or detailed instructions in an observing
guide.
For observers in the Northern Hemisphere (north of the
Earth’s equator), alignment is achieved by aiming the mount’s
R.A. axis at Polaris, the North Star (see Figure 6). An eye-
balled approximation is all that’s necessary. Do this by sighting
along the R.A. axis from behind it while adjusting the latitude
adjustment on the tripod and repositioning the tripod itself,
until the R.A. axis is pointed toward Polaris. For observers in
Figure 3: The right ascension (R.A.) slow-motion control
cable needs to be mounted on the left end of the R.A. worm
gear shaft.
Figure 1: The front panel of the AstroTrack
Power
switch
Directional
switch
Power
light
Adjustable
speed
control
Front panel
thumbscrews
Terminal
connector
Figure 2: The interior of the AstroTrack. The battery goes in
the U-shaped foam liner and the terminal connector snaps on
the battery.
Knurled
thumbscrew
Drive
coupler
Set screw (attaches drive
coupler to motor shaft)
Foam
liner
9-volt
battery
R.A.
slow motion
control cable
R.A.
worm
gear
shaft Socket head
screw (for
bracket
attachment)
R.A. axis
