Telescope Control Box
The telescope control box (Figure 1) is on a rolling stand so it can be positioned for convenient use at the telescope (Figure 2). Take care to not strain or trip over the cable connecting the control box to the telescope mount.
The functions of each control box switch is labeled, and should be self explanatory to anyone trained in telescope operations.
The top row of toggle switches on the control box are for lights. For all but the white dome lights, toggle switch up position is On, down is Off. For the white dome lights, the toggle switch switches the state depending on whether the light switch outside the store room is on or off. From left to right they are:
- White Dome Lights
- Red Dome Lights
- Setting Circle Lights
- Control Box Panel Back Lighting
The middle row of controls are for the telescope and dome control. From left to right they are:
- Secondary Mirror Focus Position
- RA Slow Motion
- Slow Motion Speed Button
- Dec Slow Motion
- Dome Rotation
The Secondary Mirror Focus Position switch has a collar around it to prevent bumping it accidentally during telescope operations. One adjusts the switch left or right to move the secondary mirror in or out while looking through the eyepiece to achieve best focus. Note that the focus motor struggles to move the mirror toward the sky (away from the primary, and labeled "in" on the console). If the motor is not moving the mirror, do not allow it to continue to struggle. It may be necessary to carefully hold the edges of the secondary mirror cell and gently push up while engaging the motor.
The RA and Dec Slow Motion switches activate left or right to cause the tangent arms on each axis to move slowly small distances to center an object in the telescope eyepiece. The button between the RA and Dec Slow Motion switches gives a faster speed when pressed.
The tangent arms for both RA and Dec slow motion have limited travel distances and the telescope operator must ensure to not move so much so that it runs off the lead screw at one end or jams at the other (Figures 3 and 4). Recenter the tangent arms as necessary during the night, and be courteous to future observers by leaving them roughly centered at the end of the night.
The Dome Rotation switch causes the dome to rotate, with the intuitive pushing the switch left causes the dome to rotate left (counter-clockwise) and pushing right rotates right (clockwise).
The bottom row of the Control Box switches are:
- RA Drive On/Off
- Panel Light Dimmer
The Panel Light Dimmer allows one to adjust the panel back lighting to an appropriate brightness for observing operations.
Figure 1: Control Box |
Figure 2: Control Box in use by Jonathan Lawton to adjust telescope position while looking through finder scope.
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Figure 3: RA Tangent Arm Screw |
Figure 2: Dec Tangent Arm Screw
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Support Astronomers Last modified: Fri Feb 14 14:34:18 PST 2025