familiarize yourself with the following
collimation procedure, so that you will
recognize a properly collimated instrument
and can adjust the collimation yourself,
if necessary.
A. CORRECT COLLIMATION
The properly collimated (aligned) mirror
system in the Meade 114 EQ-AR assures
the sharpest images possible. This occurs
when the primary mirror and diagonal
mirror are tilted so that the focused image
falls directly through the center of the
focuser drawtube. These mirror tilt
adjustments are made with the diagonal
(3, Fig. 14), the spider vanes
(4, Fig. 14), and your eye (5, Fig. 14).
Properly aligned, all of these
reflections will appear concentric
(i.e., centered) as illustrated in Fig. 14.
Any deviation from the concentric reflections
will require adjustments to the diagonal
assembly and/or the primary mirror cell
(Fig. 11).
B. DIAGONAL HOLDER ADJUSTMENTS
If the diagonal mirror (1, Fig. 15) is centered
in the drawtube (2, Fig. 15), but the primary
mirror is only partially visible in the
reflection (3, Fig. 15), the 3 Phillips-head
diagonal tilt screws (To adjust these screws
you must first remove an adhesive backing)
17
Fig. 13
3
2
Fig. 14
4
5
3
2
2
1
Fig. 15
3
1
2
Fig. 16
2
1
3
4
Fig. 17
A
B
C
Collimation
Primary Mirror Misalignment
Diagonal Mirror Misalignment
Correct Collimation
Primary Mirror Cell
assembly and the primary mirror cell
(Fig. 11) and will be discussed later.
To inspect the view of the mirror collimation,
look down the focuser drawtube with the
eyepiece removed. The edge of the focuser
drawtube (1, Fig. 14), will frame the
reflections of the primary mirror with the 3
mirror clips (2, Fig. 14), the diagonal mirror
Looking at or near the
Sun
will cause
irreversable
damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
Meade114EQAR 3/28/07 9:52 AM Page 19
