>Meade LXD55 FAQ

Q: What side should the declination motor be on in relation to the Optical Tube Assembly (OTA)?
A: According to Meade the declination motor should be on the west side of the OTA, assuming the OTA is in the polar home position. I however have used it on the opposite side for months without any problems.

Q: What type of battery does the polar finder illuminator use?
A: The polar finder uses two silver oxide batteries. (Energizer 392, LR41, or Radio Shack 23-022)

Q: Is the mount capable of being auto guided?
A: Speculation exists stating future versions of the firmware will enable this function, but not at this time no one has demonstrated a working CCD auto guided.

Q: Can I take astrophotos with the telescope?
A: Yes. All of the telescopes in the LXD55 line are capable of having cameras attached to them. The quality of the photos will vary depending on your location, film used, camera used, and your determination to work hard and produce good results.

Q: How long does the battery pack last?
A: Meade's answer is about 40 hours. I find that I get 20-30 hours on the pack. Less when learning how to use the Autostar, since the scope is moving at its highest speed more often.

Q: Can the mount handle the weight of the 10" SN?
A: At this time not many have the larger Optical Tube Assemblies (OTA) but so far so good. The mount seems ;to be adequate for the larger tubes. The tripod however is the weak link here. It's rather stable as long as the legs are not extended but flexes otherwise.

Q: Do I have the latest version of the Autostar software?
A: In the past I've made a futile attempt to keep this answer current. Meade makes updates available quite often so I'll simply provide a link: Autostar Update

Q: I've aligned the Autostar but after I GOTO a target its not centered.
A: Imperfection in the drives, initial alignment, and especially the time entered in during setup can all be factors. Press and hold [Enter] on the paddle for 3-4 seconds. The display will show "Sync". Now center the target and press [Enter]. This will help make the Autostar GOTO a bit more accurate. I use this more often when I'm viewing objects in the same area of the sky.

Q: Does Autostar actually work as advertised?
A: Yes. The Autostar is not new to Meade telescopes. It's been used for years on some of their other product lines. The ETX and DS series come to mind. Don't expect it to be perfect. It's not. Experience using the system will improve its usefulness.

Q: What does training the drives do for me and do I need to?
A: Training the drives teach Autostar how much to compensate for backlash or slack in the gears. You should train the drives before when you first get the telescope and it's wouldn't be a bad idea to periodically train the drives to help maintain it's accuracy.

Q: What is cord wrap and should it be on or off?
A: Cord wrap is a feature that when set prevents Autostar from performing complete circles and wrapping the cords around the mount. Some people prefer to turn it off to save their batteries. This allows Autostar to move shorter distances, wrapping the cords, but saving the batteries. Conversely Autostar will move the opposite direction in a near 360-degree turn, using up batteries, but not wrapping the cords.

Q: Why do the star move after a GOTO completes?
A: There is most likely slack in the gears. "TRAIN DRIVES" is a menu option in the Autostar. It will help eliminate some backlash in the gears. Also check and make sure the gears are not loose of the shaft. This is a problem that plagues this mount. See Loose Gears for details.