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How to Set Up Your ETX90 Polar Mount

The Meade ETX90-EC Polar Mount is a relatively inexpensive telescope with user-friendly controls. The ̶0;90̶1; part refers to the diameter of the lens, and the ̶0;EC̶1; part refers to electronic control. It has a built-in motor drive that integrates with its electronic controller, which contains a series of lights that indicate slew rate, or the rate at which the telescope moves. Meade had the user in mind when designing the ETX90-EC Polar Mount, as setting it up takes minimal effort.

Things You'll Need

Microfiber cloth
8 AA-sized batteries

Instructions

- 1
  Place a microfiber cloth on a sturdy work surface. Remove the ETX-90EC components from the packaging and place them on the cloth.
- 2
  Connect the eyepiece to the telescope tube. The insertion point of the eyepiece is located at the rear of the telescope tube. Tighten the eyepiece̵7;s set screw to a firm feel.
- 3
  Attach the viewfinder to the viewfinder-mounting rings located on the left side of the telescope tube. Loosen both viewfinder alignment screws and insert the viewfinder̵7;s mounting posts in the viewfinder-mounting rings. Tighten the set screws to a firm feel.
- 4
  Turn the ETX-90EC on its side. The bottom of the telescope tube, referred to as the drive base, houses the battery compartment. Rotate the ETX-90EC until the battery compartment cover is parallel with the floor.
- 5
  Remove the battery compartment cover. Place eight AA-sized batteries in the battery compartment. Replace the cover and place the ETX90-EC upright on the work surface.
- 6
  Make sure the computer control panel switch, located in the drive base, is in the ̶0;Off̶1; position. Insert the electronic controller̵7;s HBX plug in the HBX port of the ETX90-EC, also located in the drive base.
- 7
  Remove the dust cover from the lens. Turn the power switch upward to the "On" position.
- 8
  Press the top directional arrow on the electronic controller to slew, or move, the ETX-90EC up. Press the left, right and bottom buttons to slew the telescope in the respective directions. The indicator lights on the left of the electronic controller indicate the slew rate. The bottom light indicates the slowest rate, while the top indicates the fastest. Each press of the directional button slows the slew rate and returns it to the fastest rate after cycling through.
- 9
  Locate an object by sighting it through the ETX90-EC̵7;s main tube via the eyepiece. Familiarize yourself with the slew rate with the electronic controller̵7;s directional keys. Use the arrow keys to practice centering on objects, and use the white focus knob -- located to the bottom right of the viewfinder -- to practice focusing on objects in the viewfinder.

Astronomy