Orion Optics UK Upgrade Advice

[webboid]

I have had my 12" OOUK dob for a few months now & I am really pleased with its performance. However the original focuser is not so great.

I am considering upgrading to a better one maybe Moonlight or a Baader Steeltrack or other but as these are a considerable financial investment would appreciate advice.

My concerns are:

The current focuser has a 50mm extension tube in it to achieve focus so would I continue to use that with the new focuser directly attached to the tube or block up the focuser by 50mm & do away with the extension tube.

Will I have to make new holes to fix the new focuser & or enlarge or reduce the hole for the focuser tube.

The travel on the current focuser is 30mm so would a longer tube intrude into the light path e.g moonlight 38mm tube.

Is it necessary to have a dual speed focuser if the quality is so good.

How would a feather touch attach to the tube.

Your experiences, guidance & recommendations please.

[swamp thing]

Hi Paul

Why not contact FLO about the feathertouch, they can give you the guidance you need. I have a square base plate that came with mine but this is designed for truss scopes as it is flat.

The focuser is held to the base plate with Allen bolts. Here's me tightening the Paracorr section onto the base plate with the Allen bolts that usually hold just the focuser.

You can see the adjustment screws and fixings here too

[faulksy]

Hi Paul

Why not contact FLO about the feathertouch, they can give you the guidance you need. I have a square base plate that came with mine but this is designed for truss scopes as it is flat.

The focuser is held to the base plate with Allen bolts. Here's me tightening the Paracorr section onto the base plate with the Allen bolts that usually hold just the focuser.

You can see the adjustment screws and fixings here too

mmmm, lovely

[NGC 1502]

Hi there. Whilst I cannot help with all your queries, perhaps I can comment on some.

My basic OO Dob, one of the early ones, has a generic 2" R & P single speed focuser.  I improved it in several ways.  I stripped it down, cleaned out the lubricant, reasembled with tiny amounts of good quality grease.  While it was in bits, I replaced a plastic block that was under the tension adjustment, and the focuser tube runs on, with thick Teflon.  After reasembly, I used the two tiny allen key adjustments to remove focuser tube wobble.   I also fitted a larger focuser wheel to make fine focusing easier. The result is that I'm happy with it.  Obviously I don't know exactly what type of focuser you have, but maybe it could be worked on to improve it ?

Having said that, I do appreciate that some of the replacement focusers are very nice indeed, and a worthwhile improvement.  To achieve focus, you will need the new focuser to put the eyepiece the same distance from the tube as the original. Maybe a potential replacement has measurements of it's range of movements to help you decide ?   It's a matter of opinion, but I'd sooner put a spacer between the focuser and tube, than use an extension tube.   I agree, I don't like the focuser tube to intrude into the light path.  Maybe it doesn't make a noticeable difference, but its a bit annoying to think about. Again, perhaps a new focuser has specs to help ?

Hope that helps, at least a bit, Ed.

[jetstream]

I have had my 12" OOUK dob for a few months now & I am really pleased with its performance. However the original focuser is not so great.

I am considering upgrading to a better one maybe Moonlight or a Baader Steeltrack or other but as these are a considerable financial investment would appreciate advice.

My concerns are:

The current focuser has a 50mm extension tube in it to achieve focus so would I continue to use that with the new focuser directly attached to the tube or block up the focuser by 50mm & do away with the extension tube.

Will I have to make new holes to fix the new focuser & or enlarge or reduce the hole for the focuser tube.

The travel on the current focuser is 30mm so would a longer tube intrude into the light path e.g moonlight 38mm tube.

Is it necessary to have a dual speed focuser if the quality is so good.

How would a feather touch attach to the tube.

Your experiences, guidance & recommendations please.

Which OOUK focuser do you have?Mine has a USA patent # & is made in Taiwan.It is very good....with the adapter,most eyepieces focus so not much of the drawtube intrudes the light path.I called Starlight before I tried this focuser,they can make the adapter.

[Dave_D]

I had a similar problem when i replaced the Vixen R&P focuser with a GSO crayford on my OO GX250. Well worth doing but my problem now is that, and i don't know if it's just lazyness on GSO's part or plain old cost cutting, but there is no way to collimate the focuser without having to mess with shims. I may end up drilling the base plate and adding my own collimating adjusters like the ones in your pic above because i sure as hell wont pay the extortionate amounts asked for a base plate with a couple of extra bolts in it.

[webboid]

Thanks for the replies

The focuser is a crayford style one. The OTA is about 7 years old

The base plate has some tiny hex screws like Swamp things photo shows.

Regards

[Laurie61]

The extension tube is to allow you to use a camera with the scope and still reach focus, you tend to need more in focus adjustment with a camera and you achieve this by removing the extension piece. If you would like to retain the option of using a camera you will need to keep the extension tube arrangement with whatever focuser you use.  My OOUK focuser is an OC1 single speed with the electronic focus option, after tweaking it has been fine so far with  my 55 mm 2" TV plossl and also an afocal planetary imaging set up using a canon G9   

[jetstream]

Orion may have one like this that might fit directly,which could simplify things for you

[scarp15]

You might be able to fit a moonlite, both CR1 and CR2 models - 50mm travel versions (for visual) are excellent (I use to own a CR1). You will need to check though, perhaps with OOUK and / or FLO, to see if the installation kit (for 12" tubes) if compatible. If it is then it ought to be relatively straight forward to fit. The spacer blocks provided, combined with an extension tube (1.5" might be enough) should suffice for focus travel.

My own OOUK focuser, is a baader steeltrack, which was already fitted to the scope when purchased. If you went for this, you will need to drill holes and use your 50mm (2") extension tube.

[Naemeth]

I agree with Steve, contact FLO for advice regarding the Feathertouch. If you're going for an upgrade, why not go for the best, right?

[webboid]

I agree with Steve, contact FLO for advice regarding the Feathertouch. If you're going for an upgrade, why not go for the best, right?

It is a very good scope so it makes sense, I guess, but then I looked at a SIPS focuser & the cost is more than I paid for the scope.

A separate paracorr plus say a Moonlite is nearly the same cost but I think I need a coma corrector. How to convince myself now is tricky!!!!

[Naemeth]

It is a very good scope so it makes sense, I guess, but then I looked at a SIPS focuser & the cost is more than I paid for the scope.

A separate paracorr plus say a Moonlite is nearly the same cost but I think I need a coma corrector. How to convince myself now is tricky!!!!

The cost of a Feathertouch and Paracorr probably is a bit expensive, do think about it though. I'm quite sure with these two you won't need to worry about upgrading at any point (these items anyway!)

[swamp thing]

It is a very good scope so it makes sense, I guess, but then I looked at a SIPS focuser & the cost is more than I paid for the scope.

A separate paracorr plus say a Moonlite is nearly the same cost but I think I need a coma corrector. How to convince myself now is tricky!!!!

You don't have to get the SIPS version. I only got it because it works out cheaper than buying them separately. I must say though its a superb piece of kit. This was my treat to myself after years of the awful focusers on most commercial scopes.

[estwing]

Mine too Steve but I got the paracorr in a sale I wanted the best...as the saying goes "when you by quality you only cry once!

[Naemeth]

Mine too Steve but I got the paracorr in a sale I wanted the best...as the saying goes "when you by quality you only cry once!

I've thought about that, and then thought again. While it's true you only cry once, you only cry once per item because you feel like you have to replace the whole lot .

[webboid]

You guys certainly aren't making this easy. I've been debating with myself all day as to whether I should go the feathertouch route but would have to save longer & then get SIPS or a paracorr later or Moonlite then paracorr then wish I had got the feathertouch. After all I would not put medium priced tyres on my Ferarri if I had one.

Some pros for the feathertouch or Moonlite in your experiences please might help.

[estwing]

If you get the moonlite you will wonder what a feathertouch is like....I don't wonder what a moonlite is like!

[John]

I have a Moonlite on my ED120. It's the smoothest of my focusers but I'm really not too fussy about them and I'd never spend a lot on one. As long as they move the eyepiece in and out, hold it at the scopes focal plane and are properly aligned with the optical axis of the primary, then I'm happy.

The one that I have used that I did not like was the Orion Optics OC-1. No matter what adjustments I made to it I could never get it to work smoothly and firmly. 

I'm obviously not a focuser connoisseur !