One step forward and two steps back again :-(

[radioactive]

All smiles earlier on today having being able to unstick the focuser from the SCT thread on the C11 and put in between them the 6.3 focal reducer So thinking I am now cooking with gas and its now downhill the rest of the way

Gosh just how wrong can I be??? I now cannot get focus on an eyepiece 32mm 24.5mm 12mm I am at a loss now what to do

just not enough in focus available to me I get it no further than being able to tell its an out of focus star and looks carp for colimation too

its always been boasted that the C11 has a shed full of in focus available to it!! what can I do now why can I not get focus I have tried a direct ep straight into the focuser tried originally with a diagonal so whats going on why should it not be able to focus look at the picture this is how I had it before I just gave up with it when a bank of cloud moved in

[MikeP]

The following is educated guesswork ...

The original focuser moves the mirror. Presumably that means the eyepiece remains in a fixed position and the mirror eventually ends up in a position where the image is in focus. As you say, the C11 has tons of focus, but that is with the mirror moving.

I don't know how your new focuser works or how the old one has been disabled, but presumably the mirror needs to be in a position so that focus is somewhere near the middle of the range for the new focuser.

Is it possible for you to use the old focuser to move the mirror?

Mike

[radioactive]

The following is educated guesswork ...

The original focuser moves the mirror. Presumably that means the eyepiece remains in a fixed position and the mirror eventually ends up in a position where the image is in focus. As you say, the C11 has tons of focus, but that is with the mirror moving.

I don't know how your new focuser works or how the old one has been disabled, but presumably the mirror needs to be in a position so that focus is somewhere near the middle of the range for the new focuser.

Is it possible for you to use the old focuser to move the mirror?

Mike

Yes Mike thats exactly how I use it I get a fairly good focus using the C11 focuser then just use the motorised one for real fine focusing its just that with the extra length of putting this motorised fine focuser in line which is ok I can get focus with an EP and then the extra bit added when putting the focal reducer in line as well seems to be just too much but if that's the case then how do other people get away with it??? at the moment I am at a complete loss with this and its thick cloud now so cannot experiment further

[iancandler]

Is that a dust seal between the scope body and the focal reducer??

If it is I would try removing it and screwing the focal reducer direct to the back of the scope.

Ideally you want to keep things to a min on the back and that lot has to be adding around 5" to the light path when a diagonal is taken into account.

[radioactive]

no dust seal no its just the sct thread which then allows the F/R which has the same male thread for to attach then the motorised fine focuser this seems to be the shortest path to allow for focal reduction with a fine focus inline too the fine focuser is more for imaging when the rain goes away I will try again with it

[Martin 2]

Yes, I think you should use your scope's focuser to get near and fine tune after that.

M2

[Jeff RV]

Hi all,

On my lx90 12" i mounted an f3.3 reducer after the microfocuser simply because its a lot of hassle to remove if i want to use the scope for visual, I dont seem to have any problems and the further away the greater the reduction "I think".

May be worth a try.

Jeff.

[Tinkerbell]

Lo Martyn

Don't know if You have sussed it yet, so here's my take.

The focal reducer is too far away from the EP for you to reach focus. the max distance is around the 50mm mark :?

Hope this helps

[radioactive]

Lo Martyn

Don't know if You have sussed it yet, so here's my take.

The focal reducer is too far away from the EP for you to reach focus. the max distance is around the 50mm mark :?

Hope this helps

Yes Mate I take on board what you are saying have a look at the pictures here question is using a 6.3 focal reducer can only fit where I have it placed the fine focuser is placed only where it will fit also I have the C11 focuser screwed completely anti clockwise and the fine focuser completely inwards this gives the best nearly focused view of a star but just not quite enough to achieve proper focus so my remedy now is to try a Alan Gee

focal Reducer flattener as this will not increase the train at all its on order now so hope to get it here by the weekend

[Tinkerbell]

Lo Martyn

Just posted a way around Your problem in the other thread.

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Martyn, if your focuser will do 2", you might be able to use one of these.

http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/antares/astro-camera-adaptor/2inch-sct/camera.html

Stick it in the focuser with the black bit off, screw the FR onto the chrome bit and add your visual back on the end. Then you just take the VB off and add the camera. I've got one you can borrow if you're not sure if it will work, because I have no idea.

Kaptain Klevtsov