The primary mirror is factory mounted in its holding cell prior to shipment. Remove the primary mirror-in-cell
from its shipping carton, and, with the main tube lying flat on a smooth surface, place the mirror cell (4), Fig.
1, into position by sliding the 3 studs protruding-from the main tube through the 3 holes located around the
circumference of the mirror cell. Lock the cell into place with the washers and wing nuts included in the
primary mirror carton.
Note: If you ordered optional features (e.g. viewfinder, photo-guide telescope, etc.) for your DS-10, attachment
of these accessories to the optical tube is discussed below under "Optional Equipment."
Attaching the Optical Tube to the Mount: With the focuser and primary mirror-in-cell now attached to the
optical tube, and with the mount fully assembled (tripod legs attached, latitude angle roughly set,
counterweight in place), you are now ready to place the optical tube onto the mount.
Two radius blocks (6), Fig. 1, are factory-attached to the main tube. Each of these radius blocks has a threaded
stud protruding from it. Place the main tube onto the saddle plate (21) of the mount, with the 2 studs passing
through the holes at each end of the saddle plate. Tighten down the tube against the saddle plate, using the 2
wing nuts and washers provided.
Balancing: Most problems encountered while using a telescope are caused by improper balancing. Objects
become hard to find and, once located, are easily lost because the telescope does not move properly. If you
ordered the optional electric motor drive for your DS-10, but the drive does not track correctly, it is probably
because the telescope is not balanced.
To balance the telescope, place both the main tube (3) and declination shaft (11) in a horizontal position. Slide
the counterweight (10) along the declination shaft until the telescope is balanced in rotation around the polar
axis. Be sure to lock the counterweight in place with the hex wrench provided, and again make certain that the
safety ring (12) is in position at the end of the declination shaft. After adjusting the telescope balance in this
way, you should now be able to move the instrument to any orientation, without losing telescope balance.
When accessories are added to the main tube, re-balancing will generally be necessary.
Collimation of the Optical System: Your telescope is now ready for use, except for one final adjustment. For
good performance the optical system (consisting of the 10" primary mirror and smaller secondary mirror) must
be properly aligned, or collimated.
NOTE: Your optical tube was assembled and collimated at the Meade Instruments factory prior to shipment,
and you probably do not need to make any collimation adjustments, except for Step 4 below. But check out all
of the following steps anyway, since you will then know that the instrument is operating at its maximum
capability. This fine-tuning need only be done during the first use of the telescope, unless the instrument is
badly jarred in transport from one observing location to another.
The collimation procedure for the Meade DS-10 is slightly different from that of other Newtonian reflecting
telescopes, because of the "fast" f/4.5 focal ratio of the DS-10 primary mirror. In typical Newtonian reflectors
with more conventional focal ratios, when the observer looks down the focuser tube (without an eyepiece in the
focuser drawtube), the images of the secondary mirror, primary mirror, the focuser tube, and the observer's eye
appear centered relative to each other. However, with the short focal-ratio primary mirror of the DS-10, correct
collimation requires that the diagonal mirror be offset in 2 directions: (1) away from the focuser and (2)
towards the primary mirror, in equal amounts. This offset is approximately 3/16-inch in each direction. Note
that these offsets have been performed at the factory prior to shipment of your DS-10 to you. It is only
necessary for you to confirm below that the telescope has not been badly jarred out of collimation, and to
perform the final fine-tuning of Step 4, below.
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