Orders received by noon Pacific Time for in-stock items ship the same business day. Orders received after noon will ship the next business day. When an item is not in-stock we will ship it as soon as it becomes available. Typically in-stock items will ship first and backordered items will follow as soon as they are available. You have the option in check out to request that your order ship complete, if you'd prefer.

What is Periodic Error Correction or PEC?
Periodic Error Correction, or PEC for short, is a system that improves the track accuracy for the drive by reducing the number of the user corrections. PEC is designed to improve photographic quality by reducing the amplitude of the worm errors. Using the PEC function is a two-step process. First you guide for at least 5 ½ minutes (the time it takes the worm to make one revolution) during which the system records the corrections you make. This “teaches” the PEC chip the characteristics of the worm. The second step is to play back the corrections you made during one recording phase. Keep in mind, this feature is for the advanced astrophotographer and requires careful guiding.

How do I clean any of the optical lenses?
Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens cleaning fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be used to clean the exposed lenses of your eyepieces or finder scope. Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eyeglasses. Before cleaning with fluid and tissue, blow any loose particles off the lens with a blower bulb or compressed air. Then apply some cleaning fluid to a tissue, never directly on the optics. Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion, then remove any excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue. Oily finger-prints and smudges may be removed using this method. Use caution; rubbing too hard may scratch the lens. On larger lenses, clean only a small area at a time, using a fresh lens tissue on each area. Never reuse tissues.

When I use my motor drive, the moon drifts from the field of view.
The moon moves at a slightly slower rate from East to West than sidereal rate, so the motor speed needs to be reduced. If it North or South, the polar alignment should be checked.

Can I do astrophotography with my Orion SkyQuest XT?
SkyQuest XT Dobsonians are designed for visual, not photographic use. The Dobsonian mount is not an equatorial type mount, so it cannot be motor driven for long exposure astrophotography. You can take great shots of the moon with film or digital camera, but that is the extent of astrophotography with a Dobsonian telescope.

How do I clean any of the optical lenses?
Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens cleaning fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be used to clean the exposed lenses of your eyepieces or finder scope. Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eyeglasses. Before cleaning with fluid and tissue, blow any loose particles off the lens with a blower bulb or compressed air. Then apply some cleaning fluid to a tissue, never directly on the optics. Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion, then remove any excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue. Oily finger-prints and smudges may be removed using this method. Use caution; rubbing too hard may scratch the lens. On larger lenses, clean only a small area at a time, using a fresh lens tissue on each area. Never reuse tissues.

How do I troubleshoot 64 bit Windows driver installation?
Trouble shooting Vista 64 Drivers - 04/2010
If 32 bit drivers have been installed on a 64 bit computer running Windows 7 or Vista:

   1. If there has been a previous installation, the camera should be plugged into the computer.
   2. Click on start.
   3. Click on Control Panel.
   4. Click on Hardware and Sound.
   5. Click on Device Manager.
   6. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
   7. Right click on Orion StarShoot camera.
   8. Click OK when the warning message appears.
   9. Click on uninstall and check the box to uninstall all associated software, click OK.
  10. Go to Control Panel and uninstall any StarShoot software such as PHD
  11. In windows explorer, find the c:\windows\system32\drivers folder and delete the file named ssagload.sys.
  12. Restart the computer
  13. Install the 64 Bit driver as per the instructions on the web.
  14. The camera should get recognized at this point.

Forcing the 64 bit driver installation when needed on Windows 7.

   1. There have been some instances when the device driver wizard will not launch when you plug in the camera but the computer chimes. Open the device manager.
   2. Look for Other Devices on the list of devices.
   3. There may be an "Unknown Device" listed under Other devices. This is most likely the camera.
   4. Double Click on the unknown device (or right click and select properties).
   5. Click on the Driver tab.
   6. Click on Update Driver.
   7. Select Browse my computer for driver software.
   8. Click on Browse and then locate the folder where the needed driver is and then click next.
   9. Windows should install the driver.
  10. If successful, the StarShoot camera will appear under the USB serial controllers list and the camera is now installed.