SkyWatcher mak 127 some black some white?

[i-CONICA]

Hi, I've got a 127 mak, the skywatcher one with the black glittery finish. Mine has a white front ring and white rear cap, but the ones in the pictures have black front ring and black rear cap.

Does anyone know the difference? I know newer ones have the black diamond finish rather than the blue paint, but nothing mentions the difference (or which is newer) between the white/black parts.

[Cornelius Varley]

Some are black/black, some are black/white and some are blue/black. All use the same optics. The blue/black ones are the original version, the black/black are used on the AZ GOTO mount (the dovetail plate is positioned to suit the mount) and the black/white on the EQ3 mount.

Peter

[BazMark]

Mine is a black diamond finish with white on the front and back on the AZ GoTo but on the ad I purchased it from it was all black. Had it nearly two years now I think. Great scope!

[i-CONICA]

Hi, Bas. Yeah mine is the same. I'd prefer the all black like in the ad and box, etc., I assumed the all black was a previous version and they just kept the same print materials when they changed to the white ones. Maybe if all black, they thought people would walk into them? :S Or maybe the ones with black front and back parts are newer and people complained the white bits were distracting...

Either way, I'm having to take my mount back, I have the AZ GOTO too, and the alt motor is kaput, barely moves with a fast/slow varying struggle...

[BazMark]

Maybe if all black, they thought people would walk into them?

I wondered if that's why Skywatcher have their Dobs made in white as opposed to the dark colours of the Orion scopes. I prefer the look of the Orion Dobs myself but at the end of the day it's what is inside that counts.

As for your motor problem, you have probably already tried this, but did you make sure that the scope was balanced equally either side of the centre point at which it rotates. I use a RA 9x50 viewfinder and that combined with a TS Planetary HR EP makes that end of the scope quite heavy, so I have to remember to move the scope forward a bit to balance it out otherwise I have a similar problem. Goes like crazy in one direction and slow as a snail in the other.

[i-CONICA]

I wondered if that's why Skywatcher have their Dobs made in white as opposed to the dark colours of the Orion scopes. I prefer the look of the Orion Dobs myself but at the end of the day it's what is inside that counts.

Yeah, agreed, on both points.

As for your motor problem, you have probably already tried this, but did you make sure that the scope was balanced equally either side of the centre point at which it rotates.

HA! Balanced? I tried without a telescope at all!

I swapped it for a replacement, and it turned out that not only was my altitude motor really rubbish, but both were running really loudly. The new one still has some slight unevenness to the sound of the slewing, but it's much quieter in both directions which is a bonus.

[BazMark]

Glad you got it sorted. You would think they were tested before they sent them out.

Clear skies!