DaveL59

at least they used wildlife to market unlike some that use more dubious shots of beachwear... 😉

So while I seem to be on a bit of a mr fixit spree today I thought I'd revisit the LT70AZ focuser and Alt SloMo control. Decided to remove the teflon tape and only apply to the side opposite the focuser pinion but increased the layering to 5 strips. That seems to have relaxed the tension in the focuser movement but still give good drag for the motor focuser, will see how it tests on celestial targets when I next get a change to play outdoors.

Looking at the SloMo adjuster, I never liked the slop and suspected this was down to play in the internal threading. I'd had a look previously at this but it was resisting attempts to open it

The red line indicated a slot in the ring next to the silver shaft and there's a corresponding one opposite. Awkward getting a pin wrench placed well because of the eyelet but after a lot of force I got it to turn and unscrew. It's glued to keep it secure. Ran a 14x1mm tap in to clean the thread before reassembly.

Now we can see what's inside. Pics post mods as I forgot to do any before I altered things, so dismantled to take some😉 

The eyelet is held with a nut and washers but had some play, so I added a nylon washer to reduce that.
You can't fully tighten this as it needs to allow the adjuster to rotate reasonably freely around the shaft or you'll have no adjustment or it'll be excessively stiff. Now as ever I can't find the plumbers tape when I need it so I cheated and put a little of the teflon tape I had removed from the focuser, laid beyond the end of the thread as shows so that it'll be retained in place as you screw the rod back into the adjuster.

Note the thread is greased but it really doesn't have any drag to it and the thread is loose in the nut, hence there's fair amount of play if you rock the bar in/out of the adjuster. With this tape there's almost no play at all yet the action when adjusting is nice and smooth. The teflon tape will probably last a lot better than PTFE plumbers tape too. I've not glued the eyelet carrier threads as yet, will do that later if I feel it needs it.

So reassemble by screwing the bar back into the adjuster knob, refit the eyelet and tighten it up, refit to the scope/mount and result, smooth movement and no slack. OK there's still the U fork itself that flexes, but hopefully these mods will improve the perceived feel when using this low-end LT70AZ scope a little bit.

23 minutes ago, jammyg said:

So I guess the question is - does anywhere stock Hubbles and how much are they !

 

Will have a proper look through that link thanks.  I have no huge expectations, and haven't given the kids any either.  I think the moon alone will enthuse them for a while.

Please could you share a link to the mount you mentioned to make the phone screen the eyepiece ?

 

Many thanks

 

One that gets good comments is the Celestron NexYZ but again stock is a problem or could be. You fit that to the eyepiece and align the phone camera. Very similar to the Starsense carrier which was based on the NexYZ by the look of it.

just a thought, have you taken a read of this thread:

worth setting expectations as other than the moon everything else will seem quite small and nothing like the glossy pics you see on the box or the web. Nebula will not be big colourful objects as seen via Hubble or photos posted here and elsewhere, more like faint whispy smudges etc.

The issue with the LT range is the lightweight wobbly mount but once you get it focused and lined up it gives good views. I expect the LT80 will be very similar but a bit brighter being a larger lens. I was tempted to get the 80 but mainly bought it for the starsense unlock key so didn't feel the extra £40 worth it since I have bigger scopes to use.  I've not tried the eyepieces that came with it as I already had better ones to hand, but have used the scope a few times since it arrived, weather permitting and its quite competent especially considering the price point. Nice views of the moon and Jupiter/Saturn. Mars less so but weather hasn't been the best when I've had the opportunity.

Tracking a target tho means small and gentle movements as it has no slow motion control on the azimouth. A bit beyond youngsters perhaps esp a 5YO but you never know till you try. The Starsense is good, works very well unless its very cloudy when it may struggle.

For the youngsters it may help to have a phone at the eyepiece so they can see while you then track the scope, tho that would mean 2 phones unless you swap the phone from the starsense mount to another at the eyepiece, but again you can decide what's the best approach as you go. 

You can improve the experience (view) by getting better eyepieces and star diagonal later on, I use an SVbony diagonal and 7-21mm zoom on the LT70 which work well and are reasonably inexpensive at the moment (discounted on Aliexpress via the svbony store).

6 minutes ago, jammyg said:

Thanks for the reply, I've just stumbled across the Celstron StarSense explorer LT70AZ now and it looks perfect for what we need, and the phone integration is perfect for finding things to see quickly!  Now to find somewhere in stock ...

 

be worth having a read of this thread then

Also do check your phone is compatible before plunging in.

Stocks are scarce everywhere so worth registering with a few and then you'll get notified when they come into stock. I got my LT70 via Harrisons who happened to have it in stock a couple weeks ago but I think most are out at the moment.

Ah over here the firm likely would be named "Bodge-it & Leggit" 😉 

1 hour ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

I did not appreciate that SVbony produced 3 different zoom EPs. I wonder what the 10-30mm would be like? 

@johninderby has a 10-30 IIRC 

If you do need to fine-tune then end that sequence with up then right before confirming. Seems to be needed so it adjusts its settings correctly.

Many thanks Bill. I don't know Gary but I know he's at East Cost and would refer him and have done here. I'd definitely send the better more important gear to him to overhaul should that be needed. While I may tinker I don't plan on wrecking something that is a quality piece. Most of my gear I've picked up at low prices so within my limits I've been happy to have a look at them, went a lot further on those HR/5's where I rebuilt the broken arm but again dirt cheap so was worth a go and a good result in the end as you know. 

yep I can't claim the skills to do proper collimation, first to admit that. I'm wary to advise someone to dismantle stuff the way I do not knowing skill or equipment level etc. Where I may be willing to have a go to repair/improve others could just wreck a useful instrument. Then of course they have to be able to achieve a working alignment which is another minefield. Getting collimation in the proper sense well that's an area I've read a little and of course your various posts elsewhere, but have neither the equipment nor the expertise to be able to share or offer that sort of service to others. So far I've managed well enough on my own gear for my specific needs but I'm a very long way from being an optical tech. Has been a lot of fun and very interesting rescuing older binos and making them fully useful again tho 🙂 

Having a closer look at the DX130 on their website I'd say it seems quite good, decent focuser on it so either that or the DX102 should serve well. One thing with reflectors tho, you'll need to learn how to collimate it especially if travelling a lot with it to the coast. That can seem daunting at first but time and patience its a skill that can be learned and becomes second nature. Just don't fall for laser collimators, a simple cap or cheshire eyepiece would do the job more than adequately and less cost/hassle.

PS just don't do something like this with them, Bill will be horrified 😉 

If they are anything like the swifts it'd be one piece and the join would be in the hinge area and under the prism housing but these are a slightly different shape in that area, perhaps

19 minutes ago, MrZuiko said:

Hi all,

Quick update Nikon UK support have emailed me asking for some photo's so that they can identify my binoculars........hopefully they can help and you never know send me a file with a pattern so I can recover them easier! or better still sell me the leatherette already cut would be great! 😉

Keep safe.

Ash.

if really lucky they may even be able to supply original coverings to restore them back to original look, they were after all a higher end model I believe 🙂 

For this recovering I think we are only talking about separating the two side at the hinge rather than a full dismantle and moving the prisms. That shouldn't affect the alignment much if reassembled correctly should it?

I'll bow to your expertise if you feel it would after all you are the optical specialist where I'm a mere fiddler 🙂

4 minutes ago, WJC said:

 

yep that'd do it Bill, no chance that hinge will flop tho adjusting for IPD will be interesting 😉 

No experience of the dob versions, I guess polar alignment isn't needed on these?

I'd recommend the phone app SynScanInit 2 tho as that will give you the exact details you need to enter into the handset so it has the correct Lat/Long and time format which often trips us up until you get used to what and how to enter it.

like a hand grenade huh 😄 

Both are optically very good tho but the 8-24 does need consideration to the balance of the rig.

to give a sense of scale, pic shows the SV171, SV135 and regular NPL 20mm and TAL 25mm plossl

Note the overhang on the SV171 which can obstruct/lean against the eyepiece retaining/locking screw. Did I mention it's pretty heavy? 😉 

No reason not to try the SPC webcam. I hooked mine into the LT70 some days ago and was able to get mars into view, ableit struggled to focus etc and its non-tracking so that fast became a chore. Not got around to trying a more modern webcam so far as I ended up using that for the skycam instead but when prices get back to more sensible levels I might give that a go too 🙂 

I'd imagine they are a bit like hen's teeth these days 🙂

I recall reading somewhere tho that there is/was a potential contact either back at the manufacturer or linked to who used to be able to supply the motor gear parts. 

30 minutes ago, Pixies said:

Celestron appear to have chosen a selection from their range of beginner - lower-intermediate scopes and added the StarSense setup to them.

StarSense is much more than a gimmick. It isn't a basic star-map app with a compass/accelerometer to detect direction. It is an actual plate-solving system, which uses the mirror in the phone holder to direct a view of the stars. The app analyses the star patterns and works out where it is facing. A few on SGL have bought the cheaper models, removed StarSense for their own scopes, and passed on the remaining scopes to family members. The app requires a license key that comes with the kit. I recon that if Celestron marketed the StarSense kit seperately, it'll make a killing.

 

So, if you really want StarSense, these scopes are what is available. If it's not that important (ie. you are happy to learn how to find things in the night sky and locate them in the scope yourself) you should be looking at other options. Although there are other GoTo systems available (at a price).

So true Pixies and I'm guessing only a few have tried out the scope supplied given the dearth of comments on it 😄 

For me I was curious and while I left the supplied accessories in the box other than the diagonal, I was pleasantly surprised. Using my TAL and Vixen eyepieces and the SVbony zooms the scope gave a creditable performance for such a low price point. Little false colour and quite sharp and I pushed it to x200 with reasonable views. The wobbles in the mount are the biggest detractor really, plastic focuser does work just fine but can be improved with a little DIY. Tempted to try mount it onto one of my EQ5's to give it a stable mount and see what it can really do, but then as it stands it's the easier of my gear to just pick up, plonk in the garden and start viewing so as a result I have used it quite a few times since it arrived given the brief non-cloudy periods between the endless rain lately.

I believe Celestron also do a more expensive starsense setup that's in-built to the mount using its own camera, or at least used to. A big up-step in the price curve tho.

16 minutes ago, Sluke321 said:

So the DX model may be better build quality but the telescope itself will be the same quality as the LT models? 

no the DX models will have better quality scopes too. The DX130 I don't think is a BJ type from a quick look at the specs tho I can't be certain there.

For the refractors, take the LT80 for example

Same all plastic focuser as my LT70. On the other hand the DX102 is very different

The focuser looks more substantial. Sad to see the same plastic diagonal pictured here tho so a better scope but mediocre accessories. Notice too the levers on the DX model for SloMo control, absent on the LT model other than the altitude control attached to the scope tube.

So the DX will be smoother to operate but then I'm comparing the LT80 at £179 to a DX102 at £349 so you would expect the DX to be a lot better 🙂 

17 minutes ago, Sluke321 said:

Hello,

 

thanks for the reply. Why is that one more expensive than the DX 130? And what makes these so much better than the ones I previously mentioned? Thanks again for the help

The DX models are on a more stable and expensive mount. Plus that 102 scope is a better build quality - focuser alone from the images is a non-plastic type where on the LT70 for example is all plastic and has a degree of flop as you adjust. So a chunk of that price uplift will be for the better quality components. The 102 aperture will be good for light gathering but more expensive to manufacture than the DX130 which uses mirrors. From what I can tell tho both the DX130 and DX102 are similarly priced with variation depending on supplier.

If using by the sea, the salt air and spray might not be so good for a reflector scope over time being it is an open tube so both mirrors will be exposed to the elements, others may have experience here and be able to comment on that aspect. A refractor is closed so only the main objective lens would need occasional attention to carefully clean it.

edit - I should add tho at this price point you could also look at something else on an AZ-GTI mount , a SW MAK 127 for example which others have good experience with. I can't advise there as I've no experience of those scopes