Help me....my ed hurts

[Chubster]

Was thinking of upgrading my focuser to one of these http://home.comcast.net/~wyorock/wyorock.html but then CC mentioned a electric focuser. Would a electric focuser on my standard rack and pinion be better than any manual focuser that i could install. Obviously dont want to upgrade the focuser then put a electric one on.... thus making the new focuser redundant ! As it seems you cant manually use the focuser once a electric one is installed.

Phew...Im sure I could have asked that in a lot simpler way but hopefully you get the jist of what im trying to say

Cheers Chub

PS was thinking it would be a good night tonight blue skies ALL day...get home...p******g down

[magician]

HI Chubster,

Some manual focussers are almost works of art, certainly the engineers art, I can't afford one, But I do have the Skywatcher Electric Focusser,this is ideal for me ,it does away with any 'Handshake' and when set to slow speed virtually no image jump,-Why do you want to continue to focus manually?

Cheers FRank

[Chubster]

Why do you want to continue to focus manually?

.....thought these things needed to be connected to a power tank or something...but it appears they just run on batteries....so...I guess....I dont

[magician]

Hi Chubs,

Yes it runs on one of those little 9V Batteries, but I modded mine by adding a small socket in the base, so that it WILL run from the power tank, its another cable but there is no way I am goint to run

out of power!!

Cheers Frank

[centroid]

Apart from the motorised Micro Focuser, that comes as standard on the LX200GPS, I have also added A JMI MotorFocus to the course focus control.

I also have another JMI MotorFocus on the ED80 Refractor, which does give very 'fine' control. This doesn't replace the existing Crayford 'type' focuser, but drives this via a brass gear wheel, that 'sits' on the inside 'face' of one of the focus knobs.

Both of these JMI units run from a 9V PP3 battery, that's contained within the hand-controller. Both batteries have been in 'on and off' use for over 12 months.

As has already been said, the major advantage is being able to focus without touching the scope, and the associated image shake.

In my case, as everything is controlled from within the 'warm-room', I can focus while watching the camera image on the PC.

My only negative comment, is that at £140 each, they are IMO, overpriced for what they are.

Dave