Meade 4500 series telescopes

The Meade 4500 series telescopes have a 1.25" focuser, with a 8.5mm diameter spindle. The manual focus control knob may be removed from the end of the spindle by unscrewing a small bolt in the centre of the control knob. The spindle is held in place by 4 small bolts in the pressure plate.

The 4 bolts may be taken out, and the spindle removed from the focuser. The pressure plate forms part of the bearing surface, and so is retained when re-assembling the system with the motor drive attached. Once the spindle is removed, the motor / drive system may be attached using the shaft connector supplied.

When attaching the motor drive to the spindle, ensure the holes in the pressure plate align with holes in the Aluminium mounting bracket supplied with the motor focuser. The spindle may not be replaced into the focuser, ensuring the teeth on the spindle engage with the teeth on the rack mechanism on the focussing tube. The degree to which the bolts are tightened determines the friction on the spindle, and the torque required to adjust the focussing mechanism.

The motor focussing drive may then be plugged in to the hand controller, and the focus can be adjusted without causing the telescope to shake. The speed of the focussing may be adjusted from the hand controller, and the direction is determined by the toggle switch.