Meade Telescopes
Cleaning & Storage for Meade Telescopes ETX Series
Caring for the Meade ETX Line of Telescopes
Note: These care instructions were written with the ETX-90EC Meade telescopes
in mind, but they work perfectly well for any Meade ETX-model telescope.
The Meade telescopes ETX-90EC is a precision optical instrument designed to
yield a lifetime of rewarding applications. Given the care and respect due any
precision instrument, the ETX-90EC will rarely, if ever, require factory
servicing or maintenance.
Maintenance guidelines for Meade telescopes ETX-models include:
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Avoid cleaning the telescope's optics. A little dust on the front surface of
the telescope's correcting lens causes virtually no degradation of image
quality and should not be considered reason to clean the lens.
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When absolutely necessary, dust on the front lens should be removed with gentle
strokes of a camel hair brush or blown off with an ear syringe (available at
any pharmacy). Do not use a commercial photographic lens cleaner.
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Organic materials (e.g., fingerprints) on the front lens may be removed with a
solution of 3 parts distilled water to 1 part isopropyl alcohol. A single drop
of biodegradable dishwashing soap may be added per pint of solution. Use soft,
white facial tissues and make short, gentle strokes. Change tissues often.
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CAUTION: Do not use scented, colored, or lotioned tissues or damage to the
optics could result.
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In the very rare situation where cleaning the inside surface of the corrector
lens becomes necessary, unthread the lens cell located at the front of the main
tube. The entire correcting lens and secondary mirror system is mounted in this
cell. The lens cleaner solution described in step 3 may be used to clean the
inside surface of the lens.
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CAUTION: Do not touch the aluminized circular surface of the secondary mirror
with a finger, a tissue, or any other object. Scratching of the mirror surface
will almost certainly result.
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NOTE: When cleaning the inside surface of the correcting lens, leave the lens
mounted in its metal cell throughout the process. Do not remove the lens from
its metal housing or else optical alignment of the lens will be lost,
necessitating a return of the telescope to the Meade factory.
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If the Meade telecopes ETX-90EC is used outdoors on a humid night, telescope
surfaces may accumulate water condensation. While such condensation does not
normally cause any damage to the Meade telescopes, it is recommended that the
entire telescope be wiped down with a dry cloth before being packed away. Do
not, however, wipe any of the optical surfaces. Rather, simply allow the
telescope to sit for some time in warm indoor air, so that the wet optical
surfaces can dry unattended. In addition, the dust cap should not be placed
back on to the optical tube until the telescope is thoroughly dry.
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