Vixen 102 fluorite focusser advice needed

[inspectapart]

I`m hoping that some of you guys are llike me, and lucky to own a Vixen 102 fluorite. I have a 2" rack and pinion focusser on my scope with an adapter for 11/4" eps. I would like to be able to use both 11/4" and 2" eps at some time in future. At the moment I only have 11/4" eps but I am trying to buy both 11/4" and 2" compression type ep holders. The 11/4" adapter / holder that I have at the moment is the old screw type which marks the ep barrels.

Any ideas where I can obtain these compression type adapters to fit the old Vixen 102fs ??

Bob

[Moonshane]

could you use a short extension tube? not sure if there's enough capacity in the out focus. nice scope I believe?

[Moonshane]

or would this fit? http://stargazerslounge.com/classifieds/item/356-compression-ring-upgrade-for-skywatcher-crayford-focusers/

[E621Keith]

Does you scope uses Vixen M60 thread? If it does, you can replace the 1.25" visual back with a Vixen 75971 2" compression ring visual back or a Baader 2956260 M60-2" Clicklock adapter.

http://www.vixenoptics.co.uk/Pages/eyepiece_adapters.htm 75971

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p4666_Baader-2--KlickLock-Klemme-fuer-Vixen-M60-Gewinde.html

[John]

My decade old Vixen ED102SS uses the M60 (female) thread on the drawtube. I use an M60 - 2" low profile adapter (Vixen, set screw) to attach my 2" diagonal. The diagonal has compression rings on both the 1.25" and 2" apertures so the eyepieces don't get marked but the barrel of the diagonal has been marked a bit by the set screw adapter. I may look into getting a Vixen 75971 adapter for the scope in due course. The scope came with an M60 - 1.25" adapter and extension tube but I've never used these.

[inspectapart]

Thanks guys. Now I need to check that my focusser tube has the m60 femail thread. if it has, the Vixen 75971 part should do the trick. The Baarder click lock looks even better but is a bit pricey me thinks!

All I need now is to also decide wether it`s worth replacing my excellent WO 11/4" diagonal for a 2" model. I sometimes wonder if 2" stuff is worth the extra cost?

What do you think?

[John]

I've always used 2" diagonals whenever the scope will take them. I use a Tele Vue Everbright diagonal on my Vixen and it's quality is what you would expect from the brand ..... and the price !

To be fair though, the Revelation 2" dielectric diagonal I have on my ED120 is optically as good as the Everbright, it's just not built quite so well.

I guess you could stick with a 12.5" diagonal if you never intend to use 2" eyepieces though - the WO 1.25" is a decent enough diagonal.

[ollypenrice]

Personally I couldn't care two hoots about marking the EP barrel and consider those compression ring things an infernal work of the devil. There is no industry standard on width or location and they distort, creating the risk of a half-snag which will land your EP on the floor. This is how I lost a 35mm Panoptic. (Twenty inch Dob on the zenith. No hope of mouth to mouth...) I don't blame the user, I blame the silly brass strip. Even Takahashi into Takahashi led to a distorted strip and I finally tore it out with pliers and aimed it at the next village. Go there if you will but I will not have them on my own kit at any price.

Olly

[John]

If they did not put those "safety undercuts" on eyepieces then compression rings would not have anything to snag on.

[Moonshane]

I agree John. My BGOs never snag!

[inspectapart]

I've always used 2" diagonals whenever the scope will take them. I use a Tele Vue Everbright diagonal on my Vixen and it's quality is what you would expect from the brand ..... and the price !

To be fair though, the Revelation 2" dielectric diagonal I have on my ED120 is optically as good as the Everbright, it's just not built quite so well.

I guess you could stick with a 12.5" diagonal if you never intend to use 2" eyepieces though - the WO 1.25" is a decent enough diagonal.

Cheers for that. Is there an advantage in using a 2" diagonal if you step down to 11/4" eps. or does the advantage only show when using 2" eps?

[inspectapart]

Personally I couldn't care two hoots about marking the EP barrel and consider those compression ring things an infernal work of the devil. There is no industry standard on width or location and they distort, creating the risk of a half-snag which will land your EP on the floor. This is how I lost a 35mm Panoptic. (Twenty inch Dob on the zenith. No hope of mouth to mouth...) I don't blame the user, I blame the silly brass strip. Even Takahashi into Takahashi led to a distorted strip and I finally tore it out with pliers and aimed it at the next village. Go there if you will but I will not have them on my own kit at any price.

Olly

I never thought about there being any probs with compresion type holders. I have used them befor without a problem.

Bob.

Has any one else had probs with distortion on the strips?

[John]

Cheers for that. Is there an advantage in using a 2" diagonal if you step down to 11/4" eps. or does the advantage only show when using 2" eps?

The main advantage for me is that some of my 1.25" eyepieces are large (ie: 13mm Tele Vue Ethos) and a 1.25" diagonal just does not seem secure enough for them (see photo below of the Ethos in a 1.25" diagonal). I've read theories that 2" diagonal mirrors have a larger area that is really flat because figuring accuracy falls off towards the edge of a mirror - I'm not sure whether there is anything in that though. I've been using heavy 2" eyepieces for some time now though so the 2" is mandatory for those of course.

For what it's worth, I've never had any issues with compression rings either, but clearly Olly has !.

[ollypenrice]

I never thought about there being any probs with compresion type holders. I have used them befor without a problem.

Bob.

Has any one else had probs with distortion on the strips?

This has come up before and others have had snagging problems. I just take the compression rings out and feel the whole setup works better. In my case an incredible number of different visiting EPs and camera nosepieces get put into my scopes so maybe I meet more incompatible combinations than most but I feel they serve no useful purpose and, since there is no industry standard, they create a risk. The EP catches on the ring, the fingers slip off the EP, the EP falls out. Give me a marked barrel any day. I look through the glass bit!!!

Olly

[E621Keith]

I've used compression ring with eyepieces with safety undercut with out much problem so far. They do snag sometimes, but I've never experienced a situation that can lead to the eyepiece being drop.

However, I think (un-)safety undercut is a dated design and the more modern tapered safety cut (found on Explore, WO and Nikon eyepieces) is the way forward.