24
Attaching an Equatorial Wedge to the Tripod
The Ultima 2000 attaches to an optional equatorial wedge, 93655, so it can be used for astrophotography or CCD
imaging. It is a good idea to purchase the Deluxe Latitude Adjuster kit (DLA), 93662, in addition to the wedge. This aids
in getting an accurate polar alignment.
The tripod has six holes on its head for mounting equipment. Three of the holes are threaded with 5/16-18 threads and
three of the holes are open. The three open holes are for mounting the Ultima 2000 telescope to the tripod directly for
altazimuth use. This procedure is covered earlier in this chapter. To mount the wedge to the tripod, the through holes
need to have threads. This is accomplished with inserts provided with the wedge. The inserts are placed in the through
holes from the bottom side of the tripod head. With the inserts in place, all of the holes are threaded. Now you can attach
the wedge.
To attach the wedge to the tripod (Figure 3-11):
1.
Place the black metallic inserts in the open holes from underneath the tripod head. The inserts fit into the tripod head
with the flange end down.
2.
Hold the wedge over the center post on the tripod.
3.
Rotate the wedge so the through holes of the wedge line up with the threaded inserts in the tripod head. Notice that
there is a pin on the bottom of the wedge which protrudes from the azimuth adjusting block. The pin fits into one of
the existing threaded holes. You may need to rotate the wedge slightly back-and-forth to get the azimuth block pin to
fall into the existing threaded hole on the head of the tripod.
4.
Use the 5/16-18 bolts and the washers provided with the wedge to attach the wedge to the tripod.
Figure 3-11 - Front exploded view of the wedge and tripod head.
