Orion STARBLAST 6/6I User manual

OrionTelescopes.com
Customer Support [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Corporate Offices [phone]
89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
Orion StarBlast™6/6i
IntelliScope Reflector
#9926 / #27126
IN 377 Rev. B 04/10
INSTRUCTION MANUAL

2
Figure 1. The StarBlast 6/6i, shown with IntelliScope system installed (#27126)
Navigation
knob
Tube rings
Carrying handle
Carrying
handle
Vertical stop
Altazimuth
base
Top baseplate
Bottom baseplate
IntelliScope
Computerized
Object Locator
EZ Finder II
reflex sight
Focuser
Focus wheels
Optical tube
assembly
Altitude
tensioning knob
Sirius Plössl
eyepiece
Eyepiece
rack
Bottom end ring
and primary
mirror cell

3
Congratulations on your purchase of an Orion
StarBlast 6/6i IntelliScope Reflector telescope! It is
a versatile and compact astronomical instrument
designed to provide wondrous views of celestial
objects while offering unprecedented ease of use.
These instructions apply to both the StarBlast 6 (#9926,
without IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator) and the
StarBlast 6i (#27126), which includes the IntelliScope system.
If you purchased the StarBlast 6 (#9926), you may always
add the IntelliScope system (#27926) later to enjoy full digital
object location capability.
NOTE: The original model of the StarBlast 6 (#9964) is
not compatible with the IntelliScope Computerized Object
Locator.
If you purchased the #9926 StarBlast 6, you will enjoy breath-
taking views of the Moon, planets, and even deep-sky objects
like the Orion Nebula. The telescope’s precision Newtonian
optics; portable, user-friendly design; and complement of out-
standing features and accessories will make stargazing easy
and fun for the whole family.
If you purchased the #27126 StarBlast 6i IntelliScope, viewing
the night sky will be even easier, as you will have the ability
to pinpoint and view thousands of celestial objects with the
push of a button. Searching for objects will not be necessary
because the IntelliScope’s high-resolution digital encoders will
find them for you, in seconds!
Either way, we hope you enjoy your journey through the
universe!
These instructions will help you set up and use your StarBlast
6/6i telescope, please read them thoroughly.
WARNING: Never look at the sun with your telescope
(or even with just your eyes) without a professionally made
solar filter. Permanent eye damage or blindness could result.
Young children should use this telescope only with adult
supervision.
Avoid using the type of solar filter that screws into an eyepiece.
They are susceptible to cracking under the intense heat that
builds up near the focus point, and could cause severe retinal
damage. Use only the type of solar filter that covers the front of
the telescope. Also, be sure to leave the cover caps on the finder
scope when solar observing. Better yet, remove the finder scope
altogether when viewing the sun.
Table of Contents
1. Unpacking............................4
2. Parts List.............................4
3. Assembly of #9926 StarBlast 6
(without IntelliScope system) .................6
4. Assembly of #27126
StarBlast 6i IntelliScope .................6
5. Final Assembly of Your Telescope
(StarBlast 6/6i) .......................11
6. Preparing to Use Your Telescope .........12
7. Observing With Your Telescope ..........13
8. Using the IntelliScope Computerized
Object Locator .......................16
A. Alignment ........................16
B. Overview of the IntelliScope
Computerized Object Locator .........18
C. Locating the Planets ................19
D. Locating Deep-Sky Objects
by Catalog........................20
E. Locating Deep Sky Objects
by Object Type ....................21
F. Locating Stars.....................22
G. Tours of the Best Objects ............23
H. The Identify Function ...............23
I. Adding User-Defined Objects .........24
J. The Function (FCN) Button...........24
K. The “Hidden” Functions .............25
9. Care and Maintenance .................26
10. Specifications of the StarBlast 6/6i ........27
11. Specifications of the IntelliScope System...27
Appendix A: Collimating the Optics ..........28
Appendix B: Cleaning the Optics ............31
Appendix C: Troubleshooting the
IntelliScope System ...................31
Appendix D: Alignment Star Finder Charts.....34
Appendix E: Constellation Abbreviations ......38
Appendix F: ST Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

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1. Unpacking
Carefully unpack the StarBlast 6/6i from its shipping box. We
recommend keeping the original shipping box and any smaller
accessory boxes contained within it. In the event that the tele-
scope needs to be shipped to another location, or returned to
Orion for warranty repair, having the proper shipping contain-
ers will help ensure that your telescope will survive the journey
intact.
To remove the foam insert from the top of the altazimuth base,
rotate the telescope mounting bracket so that its long axis
is oriented vertically, then lift the foam insert out of the box
(Figure 2).
Make sure all the parts in the Parts List below are present. Be
sure to check the boxes carefully, as some parts are small.
If anything appears to be missing or broken, immediately call
Orion Customer Support (800-676-1343) for assistance.
2. Parts List
Qty. Description
1 Optical tube assembly
1 Altazimuth base
1 Tube rings, pair
1 Optical tube dust cover
1 25mm Sirius Plössl eyepiece,
1 10mm Sirius Plössl eyepiece
1 EZ Finder II reflex sight
1 Collimation cap
1 3-Hole eyepiece rack
1 Hex key, or Allen wrench (size 3/16")
The following parts are packed in small plastic bags
inside the main telescope box. They are needed only
for the StarBlast 6i IntelliScope model (#27126), not for the
StarBlast 6 (#9926) without IntelliScope. If you purchased the
latter, please do not discard these parts! Should you decide
at a later date to add the IntelliScope Computerized Object
Locator (#27926), you will need these parts. Keep them in a
safe place.
1 Azimuth encoder board
1 Azimuth encoder disk
1 Vertical stop L-bracket
1 Vertical stop bolt (with knob)
1 Jam nut for vertical stop bolt
1 Brass azimuth bushing
1 Aluminum spacer ring
3 Machine screws, 5mm (<1/4") long
6 Wood screws, 12mm (~½") long
2 Machine screws, 25mm (~1") long
2 Small hex nuts (for 25mm machine screws)
2 Small flat washers (for 25mm machine screws)
2 Small lock washers (for 25mm machine screws)
Figure 2. To remove the cardboard insert from atop the altazimuth base, rotate the telescope mounting bracket so its long
axis is vertically oriented, then lift the insert off.
Rotate
Top of base
side panel
Telescope mounting bracket

5
Figure 3. Illustration showing correct placement of the azimuth components of the IntelliScope system on the
altazimuth base.
25mm (~1")
machine screws
Vertical stop
L-bracket
Pre-drilled
holes
Top baseplate
Lock washers
Hex nuts
Washer
Wood screw
Modular jack
Azimuth
bearing pads
(x3)
Vertical side panel
Hex lock nut
Fender washer
Wave spring
Azimuth encorder board
Brass azimuth bushing
Azimuth encoder disk
Bottom baseplate
Short azimuth bushing
Fender washer
Azimuth axis bolt

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The following parts are included in the small box contain-
ing the IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator that
comes with the StarBlast 6i IntelliScope model (#27126) only.
They are not included or needed with the standard StarBlast
6 (#9926).
1 Computerized Object Locator
1 Altitude encoder board
1 Encoder connector board
1 Altitude encoder disk
1 Coil cable
1 Altitude encoder cable (shorter)
1 Azimuth encoder cable (longer)
1 Wood screw, ½" long
8 Washers, 5/16" diameter
1 Wave spring
1 Compression spring
4 Cable retaining clips
2 Hook-and-loop strips (1 “hook” strip, 1 “loop” strip)
9-volt battery
3. Assembly of #9926
StarBlast 6 (without IntelliScope system)
The StarBlast 6/6i is partially assembled at the factory, for your
convenience. The altazimuth base is fully pre-assembled in
the #9926 configuration; that is, it is ready for use without the
IntelliScope system. If you purchased the #9926 StarBlast 6,
please skip to section 5: “Final Assembly of Your Telescope
(StarBlast 6/6i).”
4. Assembly of #27126
StarBlast 6i IntelliScope
If you purchased the #27126 StarBlast 6i IntelliScope,
some assembly is required to install the components of the
IntelliScope system on the altazimuth base. In fact, you will
first have to disassemble a portion of the base to remove a
couple of parts and install others that are necessary for the
IntelliScope system of function properly.
Installation of the IntelliScope System on the
Altazimuth Base
The assembly requires a small and a medium-sized Phillips
screwdriver and two adjustable crescent wrenches. You can
substitute a pair of pliers for one of the adjustable crescent
wrenches. You will also need a small (4" or so) piece of duct
tape, masking tape, or packing tape.
When tightening screws, tighten them until firm, but be careful
not to strip the threads by over-tightening.
Begin by placing the pre-assembled altazimuth base on the
floor or a table. For steps 1-11, refer to the schematic illustra-
tion in Figure 3 for correct placement of components.
To prepare the base for the installation of the IntelliScope1.
system components, you must first disassemble the top
baseplate from the bottom baseplate. To do this, use
one adjustable crescent wrench or a pair of pliers to
hold the hex head of the azimuth axis bolt steady on the
underside of the bottom baseplate while using another
adjustable crescent wrench to turn the hex lock nut
on the other end of the bolt. Remove the lock nut and
metal fender washer and set them aside. Now carefully
separate the two baseplates. In addition to the azimuth
axis bolt and a fender washer on the underside of the
Figure 5. The vertical stop L-bracket and bolt (with knob),
shown installed in their correct orientations. The jam (hex)
nut on the opposite side of the L-bracket from the knob locks
the vertical stop bolt in the desired position.
Figure 4. When you disassemble the top and bottom
baseplates, you should see all of these parts.
Vertical
stop knob
Fender
washers
Lock nut
Jam
nut
Vertical stop
L-bracket
Teflon
bearing
ring
Long
azimuth
bushing
Short
azimuth
bushing
Altazimuth
encoder jack
Azimuth bolt
lock nut
Azimuth axis bolt

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bottom baseplate, you should also see three white plastic
parts: a short azimuth bushing, a long azimuth bushing,
and a flat Teflon bearing ring (Figure 4). The bushings
may have remained lodged in the center hole of the
baseplate(s) when you removed it. If that’s the case,
use a finger to push the bushing out of the hole. Set the
bottom baseplate and associated parts aside for now
while you install the vertical stop L-bracket on the top
baseplate.
Install the vertical stop L-bracket. It will be permanently2.
installed on the top baseplate (Figure 5). The vertical
stop L-bracket will be used before each observing
session to set the precise vertical orientation of the
optical tube, the procedure for which will be described
later. Once installed, the L-bracket will never have to be
removed because it does not interfere with the range of
motion of the optical tube between vertical and horizontal
positions.
To install the vertical stop L-bracket, insert the two 25mm
(~1") machine screws through the two holes in the
L-bracket’s foot. Then insert the screws into the holes in
the top baseplate, with the L-bracket oriented as shown
in Figure 5. On the underside of the top baseplate,
place a small lock washer on the end of each screw,
then thread on a small hex nut. While holding the hex nut
stationary with two fingers, tighten the screw with a small
Phillips screwdriver. Repeat for the other screw. Now the
L-bracket is secured in place.
Note: You may discard the two small flat washers for the
25mm machine screws that were included in the hardware kit;
they are not needed.
Thread the vertical stop bolt and knob into the3.
corresponding hole in the vertical stop bracket, in the
orientation show in Figure 5. Thread it though so that
1/2" or so of the bolt emerges on the other side of the
L-bracket, then thread on the jam nut. You will adjust the
position of the vertical stop bolt and tighten the jam nut
later, when initializing the IntelliScope system prior to
using it for the first time.
Attach the azimuth encoder board to the underside of the4.
top baseplate (Figure 6). Insert a wood screw through
the slot in the azimuth encoder board, then place a
washer over the tip of the screw. Now hold the encoder
board so that the modular jack and large hole in the
encoder board line up with their corresponding holes
in the baseplate. Insert the screw tip into the pre-drilled
starter hole and screw it in with a Phillips screwdriver
until just tight. The screw should not be fully tightened;
it should be tight, but not tight enough to prevent the
encoder board from moving in its slot.
Place the wave spring between the azimuth encoder5.
board and the bottom of the top baseplate as shown
in Figure 7. Position the wave spring so that it aligns
precisely with the central hole in the baseplate.
Now that the azimuth encoder is installed on the underside of
the top baseplate, be sure not to set the baseplate down on a
flat surface, as doing so could damage the encoder. Rather,
set the baseplate with attached vertical side panel assembly
on its side for now.
Place one fender washer on the azimuth axis bolt,6.
followed by the short nylon bushing. Then insert the bolt
through the central hole from the underside of the bottom
Figure 7. Wedge the wave spring between the azimuth
encoder board and the baseplate and align the “hole” in the
wave spring with the central hole in the baseplate.
Figure 6. Install the azimuth encoder board on the under-
side of the top baseplate. Be sure to place one washer on
the screw after inserting the screw through its hole in the
azimuth board, then thread the screw into the predrilled
starter hole.
Wave
spring
Pre-drilled
starter hole
Wood screw
Washer
Center hole
Modular jack
Altazimuth encoder board
Under side of top baseplate
Under side of top baseplate

8
baseplate. Make sure the short nylon bushing seats up
into the hole.
Now temporarily place a piece of duct tape, masking7.
tape, or packing tape over the head of the azimuth axis
bolt (Figure 8). This will keep the bolt from sliding down
as you install the top baseplate, which you will do in step
10.
Place the azimuth encoder disk, flat side down, over the8.
azimuth axis bolt and rest it on the bottom baseplate.
Make sure you’ve got the correct encoder disk! The
azimuth encoder disk has a smaller center hole than the
altitude encoder disk.
Place the brass bushing onto the azimuth axis bolt so9.
that the wide end of the bushing is closest to the encoder
disk. Seat the bushing onto the encoder disk so that the
registration feature on the bushing goes into the hole in
the encoder disk. You may need to move the encoder
disk around on the azimuth axis bolt a bit for the bushing
to seat properly.
Note that for the IntelliScope version (#27126) of this tele-
scope, you will not need the long nylon azimuth bushing and
Teflon bearing disk that you removed during the baseplate
disassembly (Figure 4). Those parts are only utilized for the
non-IntelliScope version of the StarBlast 6 (#9926).
Carefully position the top baseplate over the bottom10.
baseplate and lower it so the brass bushing goes up into
the center hole of the top baseplate. Place the remaining
fender washer onto the shaft of the azimuth axis bolt,
then thread the hex lock nut onto the end of the bolt and
tighten it only finger tight, for now. Note that the brass
bushing protrudes slightly above the surface of the top
baseplate. This is by design.
Tilt the assembled base at a slight angle (as little as11.
possible) and remove the tape from underneath the
bottom baseplate. Now, with one wrench (or pliers) hold
the head of the azimuth axis screw still while turning the
hex lock nut with the other wrench (Figure 9). Tighten the
hex lock nut just until the top fender washer is no longer
loose, then tighten the hex nut 3/16 to 1/4 turn beyond
that. This ensures proper spacing between the encoder
disk and the azimuth encoder board.
Attach the encoder connector board to the side panel.12.
Place a wood screw into each of the four holes of the
connector board and then a washer onto each screw.
Sliding the washers all the way down on the screw
shaft should help keep the screws from falling out while
installing the board. Still, the installation may take a bit
of dexterity, so don’t get frustrated if it takes a couple
tries. Align the screw tips with the four pre-drilled holes
in the side panel so that the modular jack fits into the
rectangular cutout. Then thread the screws into the holes
with a screwdriver. See Figure 10.
Figure 8. Placing a piece of duct, masking, or packing tape
over the hex head of the azimuth axis bolt will keep it from
dropping downward when you replace the top baseplate onto
the bottom baseplate.
Figure 9. To reassemble the baseplates, tilt them only
slightly, as shown. Do not place them on their side. Use
one wrench to hold the azimuth axis bolt head steady while
turning the hex lock nut with the other wrench.
Under side
of bottom
baseplate Head of azimuth axis bolt
(and fender washer)
Tape

9
To attach the altitude encoder board and altitude encoder13.
disk, you must first remove the telescope mounting
bracket. Rotate the altitude axis tensioning knob
counterclockwise and remove it completely. You’ll see
two flat washers and a ball bearing ring remaining on the
mounting bracket’s shaft. To remove them you have to
rotate the outer washer counterclockwise to “unthread”
it from the bolt shaft, then slide the ball bearing ring and
inside washer off of the shaft. Now remove the telescope
mounting bracket from the side panel.
Insert the compression spring into the hole just below the14.
hole for the altitude axis bolt on the inside surface of the
side panel. When inserted as far as it will go, the spring
will still protrude from the hole by several millimeters
(Figure 11).
Now you will install the altitude encoder board. Place15.
two wood screws through the mounting holes in the
board, and then place two washers over the screw tips
as shown in Figure 12a. Thread the screws into the pre-
drilled mounting holes with a Phillips screwdriver until
the board is secured, making sure that the large hole in
the encoder board is aligned with the hole in the side
panel and the board is pressing squarely against the
compression spring that you installed in the previous step
(Figure 12b). The screws should not be fully tightened;
they should be tight, but not tight enough to prevent the
altitude encoder from moving up and down within the
slots in the encoder board.
Figure 11. Insert the compression spring into the small
hole just below the larger hole for the altitude axis bolt.
Figure 10. Installing the encoder connector board. There is
a washer on each screw, between the encoder board and the
side panel.
Compression
spring
Figure 12. (a) Installing the altitude encoder board. Place
a washer on each screw, as shown. (b) The altitude encoder
board installed.
a
b
Altitude
encoder board
Washers
Wood screws

10
Attach the altitude encoder disk to the telescope16.
mounting bracket with the three 5mm (~1/4") machine
screws (Figure 13a). Place the aluminum spacer ring
on the telescope mounting bracket shaft with the flat
side of the ring facing outward (the opposite side has
an indentation around the hole). See Figure 13b. Then
carefully insert the shaft through the hole in the altitude
encoder board and then the hole in the side panel. You
may have to carefully rotate the shaft back and forth a
little to get it through the hole, as it is a tight fit. Slide the
inside washer and ball bearing ring (which you removed
in step 13) onto the shaft, then “thread on” the outer
washer followed by the altitude tensioning knob.
Lastly, connect the encoder cables and install the cable17.
retaining clips. Refer to Figure 14 for proper placement.
Connect one end of the azimuth encoder cable (the
longer of the two cables) to the encoder jack in the
top baseplate. Connect the other end to the encoder
connector board on the side panel. The cable should plug
into the jack on the right side of the encoder connector
board.
Plug one end of the altitude encoder cable into the
modular jack on the altitude encoder board. Connect the
other end of the cable to the jack on the left side of the
encoder connector board.
Use the provided cable retaining clips to secure the
altitude and azimuth cables neatly to the base. We
recommend using one clip for the (shorter) altitude cable,
and two clips for the (longer) azimuth cable (Figure 14).
The clips have adhesive backing; simply peel the paper
off the back of the clip and press the adhesive back to
the base where you want the clip to be located.
Figure 14. Connect the two encoder cables as shown.
Altitude
encoder
board
Altitude
encoder
cable
Encoder
connector
board
Azimuth
encoder cable
Azimuth encoder
board jack
Cable
clip
Cable
clips
Altitude
cable jack Azimuth
cable jack
Figure 13. (a) The altitude encoder disk is attached to the telescope mounting bracket with three 5mm machine screws.
The disk fits just inside the Ebony Star bearing ring. (b) The aluminum spacer ring should be installed on the telescope
mounting bracket’s shaft (altitude axis bolt) such that the flat side of the ring faces outward.
a b
5mm
machine
screws
Telescope mounting bracket
Altitude
encoder
disk
Aluminum
spacer ring