instruction Manual Orion SkyQuest™ XTi IntelliScope Dobsonian Telescopes #27182 XT6i, #27183 XT8i, #27184 XT10i, #27189 XT12i Customer Support (800)‑676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope.com Corporate Offices (831)‑763-7000 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 OrionTelescopes.com IN 226 Rev.
Finder scope Secondary mirror holder with 4-vane spider (not visible) Finder scope bracket Eyepiece Focuser Navigation knob Optical tube Altitude tensioning knob Retaining knob (opposite side) Computerized Object Locator IntelliScope Controller Port modular jack Right side panel Primary mirror cell Front brace Eyepiece rack Left side panel Handle Top baseplate Ground baseplate Foot (3) Figure 1.
Congratulations on your purchase of an Orion SkyQuest XTi IntelliScope Dobsonian. It is a high-performance astronomical instrument designed to provide dazzling views of celestial objects and unprecedented ease of use. With the addition of the optional IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator (Controller), you gain the ability to locate and view thousands of celestial objects with the push of a button.
Figure 1.2. To remove the rear end ring, unthread the screws that connect it to the tube. 3 Plastic feet 3 Feet attachment wood screws (length 1") 5 Encoder board mounting wood screws 1 Brass bushing 1 Azimuth axis hex-head screw (length 2.25") 2 Fender washers (diameter 1") 1 Hex lock nut 4 Altitude bearing cylinders 4 Altitude bearing cylinder screws (length 1.
Figure 1.5. Thread the collimation thumbnuts, with nylon washers attached, through the rear end ring and onto the threaded shafts. Make sure the thumbnuts have at least three full turns of engagement on the shafts. Figure 1.6. Lower the assembled mirror cell onto the tube so one side of the end ring is seated on the tube edge. The threaded attachment holes in the end ring should also be lined up with the through holes in the end of the tube. Next, assemble the rear end ring to the mirror cell.
C N B Spacer washer K L M Figure 3a. The spacer washer goes between the azimuth encoder board and the top baseplate of the Dobsonian base. D E F G J A Encoder board mounting screw H I Figure 2. Exploded view of the XTi IntelliScope Dobsonian base. Assembly of the Dobsonian Base Refer to Figure 2 during base assembly. The base need only be assembled once, unless you disassemble it for long-term storage.
Correct Tension pads a. Bearing cylinders Figure 5. Attaching the bearing cylinders. Encoder connector board b. Figure 4. To connect the baseplates, tilt them only slightly, as shown. Do not place them on their side. (a) Use one wrench to hold the hex nut steady (b) while turning the other end of the azimuth axis screw. 6. Place a fender washer (H) onto the azimuth axis screw (I). Then push the screw up through the hole in the ground baseplate (A).
Next, you’ll need to install the altitude encoder board assembly. To do so, please refer to the separate instruction manual for the IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator. Installing the Vertical Stop Place three flat washers onto the shaft of the vertical stop screw. Thread the vertical stop into the threaded insert on the inside of the front panel until just tight (Figure 7). The position of the vertical stop is adjustable by adding or removing washers.
Figure 10. The tensioning knob, with the metal and nylon Altitude bearings washers, goes on the left side of the base, just above the IntelliScope port. The tensioning knob should be tightened until the CorrecTension pads just touch the telescope’s altitude bearing. Bearing cylinders Figure 9. Lift the optical tube and place it into the Dobsonian base so that the altitude bearings rest on the bearing cylinders. Orient the optical tube as shown.
Objective lens cell Finder scope bracket Nylon alignment thumbscrew (2) Eyepiece 2" eyepiece adapter 1.25" eyepiece adapter Focus knobs Focus lock thumbscrew Focusing lock ring Correct-Image prism housing Tensioner Focusing tension adjustment set screw Figure 13a. The 2" Crayford focuser of the SkyQuest XT8i, XT10i, and XT12i. Figure 12a. The 9x50 right-angle correct-image finder scope and bracket (6x30 for the XT6i).
Altitude Azimuth Figure 14. The SkyQuest IntelliScope has two axes of motion; altitude (up/down) and azimuth (left/right). dust cap on the front of the telescope tube should always remain in place when the telescope is not in use. It is also a good idea to store eyepieces in an eyepiece case and to replace the cover caps on the focuser and finder scope when the telescope is idle. 3.
Focusing the Telescope With the 25mm Sirius Plössl eyepiece in the focuser and secured with the thumbscrew(s), move the telescope so the front (open) end is pointing in the general direction of an object at least 1/4-mile away. Now, with your fingers, slowly rotate one of the focusing knobs until the object comes into sharp focus. Go a little bit beyond sharp focus until the image just starts to blur again, then reverse the rotation of the knob, just to make sure you’ve hit the exact focus point.
of focus, you will need to refocus the finder scope for your vision. Loosen the lock ring located behind the objective lens cell on the body of the finder scope (see Figure 12a) by turning it counterclockwise. Back the lock ring off by a few turns, for now. Focus the finder scope on a distant object by threading the objective lens cell in or out on the finder scope body. Precise focusing will be achieved by focusing the finder scope on a bright star.
a. b. c. Figure 17. Picking up and carrying the SkyQuest IntelliScope as a single unit (with tube held captive on the base) requires some caution. (a) First, position the tube vertically. Then grasp the handle on the base with one hand while supporting the tube with the other. This ensures that the tube will not swing down and impact the ground (b) With knees bent, slowly lift the base while supporting the tube.
Reflective surface of collimation cap Primary mirror center mark drawtube Reflection of primary mirror clip b. a. d. Center ring on primary mirror c. e. Figure 19. Collimating the optics. (a) When the mirrors are properly aligned, the view down the focuser drawtube should look like this. (b) With the collimation cap in place, if the optics are out of alignment, the view might look something like this.
Preparing the Telescope for Collimation Once you get the hang of collimation, you will be able to do it quickly even in the dark. When trying it for the first time or two, though, it is best to collimate in daylight, preferably in a brightly lit room and with the telescope aimed at a white wall. It is recommended that the telescope tube be oriented horizontally.
“dot” of the collimation cap is moving closer or further away from the “ring” on the center of the primary mirror. If turning that one thumbscrew does not seem to be bringing you closer to collimation, try using one of the other collimation thumbscrews. It will take some trial and error using all three thumbscrews to adjust the telescope properly. Over time you will get the feel for which collimation screws to turn to move the image in a given direction.
B. Seeing and Transparency Atmospheric conditions play a huge part in quality of viewing. Light from stars and other celestial objects must travel through miles of Earth’s atmosphere to reach our eyes. The air in the atmosphere will refract and bend the light. Atmospheric turbulence will worsen the effects of refraction, which can cause the image you see in your telescope to be unstable. The steadiness of the atmosphere is called “seeing.
if you wish. This is especially recommended for small and bright objects like planets and double stars. The Moon also takes higher magnifications well. Deep-sky objects, however, typically look better at medium or low magnifications. This is because many of them are quite faint, yet have some extent (apparent width). Deep-sky objects will often disappear at higher magnifications, since greater magnification inherently yields dimmer images. This is not the case for all deep-sky objects, however.
tive to color in faint light. Still, there is something very special about seeing an astronomical object in real time, with your own eyes — “live,” if not in living color. Note About Astrophotography SkyQuest IntelliScope Dobsonians are designed for visual, not photographic use. Their mounts are not equatorial-type designs and are not motor driven, so they are not suitable for long-exposure astrophotography. Also, the telescopes’ optics have been optimized for visual, rather than photographic, use.
7. Care and Maintenance If you give your telescope reasonable care, it will last a lifetime. Store it in a clean, dry, dust-free place, safe from rapid changes in temperature and humidity. Do not store the telescope outdoors, although storage in a garage or shed is OK. Small components like eyepieces and other accessories should be kept in a protective box or storage case. Keep the cloth dust cover on the front of the telescope when not in use.
8. Specifications SkyQuest XT6i IntelliScope Primary mirror: 150mm diameter, parabolic, center marked SkyQuest XT8i IntelliScope Primary mirror: 203mm diameter, parabolic, center marked Primary mirror material: Low thermal expansion optical glass Primary mirror material: Low thermal expansion optical glass Mirror coatings: Enhanced-reflectivity (94%) aluminum, SiO overcoat Mirror coatings: Enhanced-reflectivity (94%) aluminum, SiO overcoat 2 2 Secondary mirror minor axis: 34.
SkyQuest XT10i IntelliScope Primary mirror: 254mm diameter, parabolic, center marked SkyQuest XT12i IntelliScope Primary mirror: 305mm diameter, parabolic, center marked Primary mirror material: Low thermal expansion optical glass Primary mirror material: Low thermal expansion optical glass Mirror coatings: Enhanced-reflectivity (94%) aluminum, SiO overcoat Mirror coatings: Enhanced-reflectivity (94%) aluminum, SiO overcoat 2 2 Minor axis of secondary mirror: 63mm Minor axis of secondary mirror: 70
One-Year Limited Warranty This Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope Dobsonian Reflecting Telescope is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only.
