quick skymax question

[nightfisher]

hi all, does any one reliably know if the little nut and plate inside a skymax that the dove tail screws locate into are captive? my 180 tube rings and dove tail have arrived and im eager to make the conversion, but if i remove the dove tail the last thing i want is the internal components rattling about

[Macavity]

Certainly, nothing was "captive" in the old style (Gold) MAK150.

However, if the Black 180's follow the same general principal, there is [iMO] no REAL problem in quickly removing the corrector cell, to extract things that "fall off". I seem to remember the retaining screws are M2.5 hex bolts. It's worthwhile (essential!) to mark the rotational correspondence between the OTA and the corrector cell though.

A (relatively) DUST free environment... surgical gloves, if you must. If in doubt, desist? But overall, these things may not be as daunting as (I too) imagined. Collimation is retained etc.

P.S. MAKs are simple beasts. Caveat: The MAK127's have a rubber seal at the mirror end.

On internet anecdotal evidence, I certainly didn't want to get involved with THAT one...

[nightfisher]

No they are not captive, but job done, with care and the inside of the corrector treated to an air dusting