Crayford focuser for CPC 800 SCT

[Andymarrison]

Having for the first time observed Saturn at about 250x last week, I now understand what "mirror flop" is! I'm now looking to upgrade the focuser on my Celestron CPC 800 to get rid of this in the future, and so am looking for a Crayford type for round the £100 mark - can't stretch to the £200 plus price tag commanded by Baader etc. The Skywatcher/Revelation focuser seems pretty good (http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/revelation-sct-crayford-focuser-dual-speed_d5289.html) but I'm worried that with a 2" diagonal attached I will start to foul the base of the mount if the scope is pointing close to the zenith - I've seen the Skywatcher focuser and it's a pretty big piece of kit!

The only low-profile alternative available seems to be this Antares model: http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/new-antares-dual-speed-crayford-focuser-for-sct-s_d4882.html which looks fine but a little more expensive (still OK price-wise though - just!).

Does anyone out there have experience with Crayford style focusers on a Celestron CPC? Is clearance close to the zenith a problem with a standard size focuser plus 2" diagonal, and does anyone know of any low-profile alternatives to the Antares?

[biz]

Having for the first time observed Saturn at about 250x last week, I now understand what "mirror flop" is! I'm now looking to upgrade the focuser on my Celestron CPC 800 to get rid of this in the future, and so am looking for a Crayford type for round the £100 mark - can't stretch to the £200 plus price tag commanded by Baader etc. The Skywatcher/Revelation focuser seems pretty good (http://www.rotherval...peed_d5289.html) but I'm worried that with a 2" diagonal attached I will start to foul the base of the mount if the scope is pointing close to the zenith - I've seen the Skywatcher focuser and it's a pretty big piece of kit!

The only low-profile alternative available seems to be this Antares model: http://www.rotherval...ct-s_d4882.html which looks fine but a little more expensive (still OK price-wise though - just!).

Does anyone out there have experience with Crayford style focusers on a Celestron CPC? Is clearance close to the zenith a problem with a standard size focuser plus 2" diagonal, and does anyone know of any low-profile alternatives to the Antares?

Hi. I use a ultra low profile dual speed crayford focuser built by www.crawmach.com Have a look at their site under telescope accessories and im sure you like what you see... This particular focuser is built to allow clearance for your type of mount.

Mine works fine and im totaly satisfied.

cheers.

Graham.