ORION 53089 Electronic DC Tracking Drive for Observer Equatorial Mount Instruction Manual
- October 30, 2023
- Orion
Table of Contents
ORION 53089 Electronic DC Tracking Drive for Observer Equatorial Mount
Introduction
This single-axis motor drive is designed to provide electronic, hands-free tracking of celestial objects with the Orion® Observer Equatorial Mount. Electronic tracking of a polar aligned equatorial mount makes objects appear to stand still in the telescope’s field of view, rather than drifting due to the Earth’s rotation. You won’t have to reposition the telescope to re-center an object in the eyepiece as the object moves across the sky—a welcome convenience!
Copyright © 2022 Orion Telescopes & Binoculars. All Rights Reserved. No part of this product instruction or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of Orion Telescopes & Binoculars.
Included Parts
- Motor drive
- Battery holder with cable
- Case for battery holder
- Hand controller with cable
Refer to Figure 1 and the parts list at left to make sure all the parts are
present.
If anything is missing or damaged contact Orion Technical Support at
www.OrionTelescopes.com/contactus.
Assembly
No tools are needed to assemble the motor drive to the Observer EQ mount.
Some of the components necessary for the attachment and operation of
Electronic Tracking Drive come pre-installed on the Orion Observer Equatorial
Mount. Familiarize yourself with these components in Figure 2.
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First, you will attach the spring to the mount’s housing using the included thumbscrew, which should come attached to the free end of the spring.
Thread the thumbscrew into the threaded hole in the mount housing ( Figure 3 ). -
Next, you will install the motor drive’s coupler to the motor mounting post on the mount. In doing this, however, make sure the spur gear is positioned on the underside of the gear wheel, and that the clutch lever is positioned upward, not hanging downward. Then pull the motor and slide the coupler onto the mounting post ( Figure 4 ). The spring will stretch when you do this. When the motor drive is properly installed, the spur gear should be meshed against the gear wheel and the clutch lever should be up or leaning toward the gear wheel as in Figure 5.
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Tighten the four-point knob on the coupler until tight, then loosen it a quarter turn (see Figure 5 ). This loosening is needed for the motor drive to function properly.
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Now insert the 8-pin plug of the hand controller into the socket of the tracking motor, as shown in Figure 6.
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Take the battery holder out of its case, then install four 1.5V D-cell alkaline batteries in the battery holder ( Figure 7 ). Make sure the polarity (+/-) of the batteries matches that indicated in the battery holder. Then place the battery holder back in its case.
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Lastly, plug the cable from the battery pack into the “DC Power” jack on the hand controller ( Figure 8 ).
Operation
For the Electronic DC Tracking Drive to work properly, the equatorial mount must be polar-aligned. This involves aligning the R.A. axis of the mount so it is parallel to the Earth’s axis of rotation (polar axis). Consult the manual that came with your equatorial mount or telescope for details on how to polar- align it.
Turning the Electronic Tracking Drive On and OFF
The power switch for the tracking drive is on the right side of the hand controller ( Figure 8 ). To turn the power on, slide the switch from the center “OFF” position to “N” if you’re in the Northern hemisphere, or to “S” if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere. Return the switch to the center “OFF” position when you are finished using the telescope for the evening. Once the power is turned on, if the mount is properly polar-aligned, it will track the motion of the night sky, and the telescope should hold any astronomical object in its eyepiece steady over time. The LED in the center of the button formation will light up green to indicate the power is on and the motor is tracking.
Using the Hand Controller
There are four buttons on the hand controller ( Figure 8 ). If no buttons are pressed, when the power switch is turned on the motor will turn the right ascension (R.A.) axis of the mount westward t sidereal rate – the same rate at which the stars are moving from east to west in the sky. If the top right button is pressed, the motor will turn westward at 2x sidereal rate, which will cause objects viewed in the telescope’s eyepiece to move slowly eastward. If the bottom right button is pressed, the motor will turn westward at 4x sidereal rate.
If the upper left button is pressed, the motor will pause the tracking function, which will cause objects in the eyepiece to drift slowly westward. Releasing the button will cause tracking to resume. If the bottom left button is pressed, the motor reverses direction at 4x sidereal rate, causing objects in the telescope’s field of view to move westward. Note that whenever any of the four buttons on the hand controller is pressed, the LED in the center of the button formation will shine red; when the button is released, the LED will shine green again.
The hand controller buttons are useful for centering objects in the telescope’s field of view. To slew the telescope farther and more quickly than is possible with the tracking drive, you can release the R.A. lock knob and move the telescope optical tube manually. But to use the R.A. slow-motion control you will need to disengage the motor using the clutch lever.
Using the Motor’s Clutch Feature
The clutch lever allows you to disengage the motor; that is, to disengage the
spur gear from the large gear wheel. To do so, push the clutch lever to the
left ( Figure 9A and B ). To re-engage the gears, toggle the clutch
lever to the right ( Figure 9C and D ). When the tracking drive is engaged
– no matter whether the power is on or off – you should not attempt to use the
mount’s R.A. slow-motion control. Doing so could permanently damage the motor.
So let’s say you’ve observed a celestial object with your Observer telescope
and now want to move to a new object in a different part of the sky. First,
loosen both the R.A. and Dec. lock knobs and move the telescope by hand until
it is pointed in the general direction of the object. Retighten the R.A. and
Dec. lock knobs. Now, disengage the tracking drive by pushing the clutch lever
to the left. Then use the R.A. and Dec. slow-motion control cables to roughly
center the object in the eyepiece’s field of view. Re-engage the tracking
drive by flipping the clutch lever to the right, and the motor drive system
will keep the object centered over time. If it does drift, maybe because your
polar alignment wasn’t very accurate; you can use the buttons on the hand
control to re-center it.
Remember, never use the R.A. slow-motion control cable when the motor is engaged, or you could permanently damage the motor. You may safely use the Dec. slow-motion cable whether the tracking motor is engaged or disengaged.
Specifications
- Motor type: DC stepper motor
- Tracking rate: Sidereal
- Centering rates: 2x and 4x sidereal
- Power requirement: 6V DC
- Battery type: Four D-cell alkaline (1.5V), user supplied
- Hemisphere Works in Northern or Southern Hemisphere
- Clutch Lever to engage and disengage tracking motor
One-Year Limited Warranty
This Orion product 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. During this warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted instrument that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage paid. Proof of purchase (such as a copy of the original receipt) is required. This warranty is only valid in the country of purchase.
This warranty does not apply if, in Orion’s judgment, the instrument has been abused, mishandled, or modified, nor does it apply to normal wear and tear. This warranty gives you specific legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.
For further warranty information, please visit www.OrionTelescopes.com/warranty.
Customer Service
Corporate Offices: 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076 – USA
Toll Free USA & Canada: (800) 447-1001
International: +1(831) 763-7000
Customer Support: support@telescope.com
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
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