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Meade Superwedge Instructions

The Meade Superwedge allows Meade 10- and 12-inch LX200 telescopes to be mounted in equatorial mode. Consisting of the wedge body and the tilt-plate, the Superwedge allows you to tilt the telescope optical tube to match the telescope's location, measured in degrees latitude. By tilting the optical tube, the computerized motors within the telescope can track celestial objects across the sky without rotating, keeping the object properly oriented within the eyepiece field-of-view. This feature is a luxury when observing visually and critical when making astrophotographs or when using a deep sky imaging camera or charge-coupled device (CCD). Both of these are digital-imaging devices that take photographs of the sky.

Things You'll Need

An assistant

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the two 8-32 nylon set screws on the rim of the field tripod head. Attach the tangent arm to the rim of the field tripod head using the 8-32 by 1/2 inch socket cap screws that are supplied with the Superwedge.
- 2
  Push the long field tripod threaded rod up through the middle of the tripod head, so it extends several inches above the tripod head. Hold the rod in position from below, while an assistant places the Superwedge on top of the field tripod head, allowing the threaded rod to pass through the center of the Superwedge. There is a hole in the center of the Superwedge.
- 3
  Align the pin extending from the bottom of the azimuth thrust bar located on the Superwedge, so it fits into the slot on the tangent arm extending from the rim of the tripod head. Screw onto the threaded rod, the large hand knob/compass, that extends up through the middle of the Superwedge. Position the three slots located on the Superwedge base over the three threaded holes located on the tripod head and secure the Superwedge using the three 5/16-18 by 1 1/4 inch button head screws.
- 4
  Adjust the tilt-plate by loosening the locking screws found on each side of the Superwedge, near the latitude range scale, and tilting the plate until the arrow indicates that the plate is tilted at the same angle as the latitude of the telescope location (i.e., adjust the tilt-plate to 36 degrees if the telescope location is 36 degrees latitude). Tighten the locking screws when the proper adjustment has been made.
- 5
  Check the bolts on the Superwedge to ensure that they are tight and firm to hold the Superwedge in place on top of the field tripod head. Attach the LX200 telescope to the Superwedge using the three socket screws provided.
- 6
  The telescope is fully mounted onto the wedge and field tripod and ready for use. Dismount the telescope from the wedge, but you may leave the Superwedge attached to the tripod head, when transporting the field tripod.

Astronomy