Help! My scope had gone blury

[Inky]

Not sure if I'm posting this in the right place. I was out looking at the moon this evening with my Skywatcher 127 Mak, all was going well then I chemged from my 25 to my 8 eyepiece and the moon went blury. I tried to focus the scope but nothing seemed to change. In the end I put the 25 back on and that too was now blury. In short somthing seems to have happened to the focus and the focus knob (which is defiantly turning the brass bar inside it) doesn't seem to be working. What can I do?

[VikN46]

Hi have you checked for dew on the lenses/mirrors not familiure with a mak so whatever it has.

[Dave In Vermont]

I think you've done a good job of analyzing the problem - your focusing-mechanism. Have you turned the knob full-counter-clockwise and clockwise to it's travel limits? It may have locked-up for unknown reason, and that MAY fix it. I've seen similar problems with SCT's. 

Let us know,

Dave

[Dannae]

Hi Inky,

Is it possible that a part of your optical train is dewed up? It is certainly a cold one tonight in Leicestershire. The way to test if your focuser is playing up is to invert the scope so the focuser is vertically below the corrector so the weight of the mechanism is fully on the focuser knob, then see if there is any movement during daylight hours.

Regards

Dannae

[damnut]

I think the folk ahave it above. The meniscus lens on  Maks attract dew like flies to doggy doo doo.. Dew shield and heater needed!.

[Grotemobile]

Had the same problem with the
CPC 800 last week.I had a dew
shield on the scope, but forgot
to plug it in  .It took a bit of

time to clear it.

steve

[Inky]

Cheers for the responses. I had a dew filter on at the time and I think you would still sees me change in the image even through a bit of dew so I'm not sure it was that. I certainly turned my focus knob every which way and saw no change. It was odd the way it just seemed to happen while swapping lenses and that threw me for a while but once I put the 25 back on and couldn't get it to focus I was pretty sure that was the problem. I loosened and then retightened the tiny hex bolts on the focuser just to make sure it wasn't spining without turning, if you know what I mean. I don't think I know enough to start opening up the telescope so not sure what to do. I'll try holding it as Dannae suggests.

[LeeB]

are you sure the it wasnt dew on the eyepiece, if you put a cold one in and breathed on it. Try it in daylight to see if it now works. My eyepieces last night needed warming.

[Carbon Brush]

I have had numerous big issues with scopes when it is cold and dark and I'm tired. They become blindingly obvious in warm and daylight.

I'm sure today will bring the answer very quickly.

[hobsey]

are you sure the it wasnt dew on the eyepiece,

I would also say it was this as it happened while changing eyepieces.

[Grotemobile]

I would also say it was this as it happened while changing eyepieces.

 

I leave my EPs, in the tray under the

scope,to stop this happening.

Steve

[Inky]

Total disaster! What I'm about to tell you will seem so mind bogglingly stupid, but I have to confess in order to get help. Nothing suggested worked so far. I took it out in the day and again the focuser didn't seem to be working. I then, in an act of total madness, took the telescope inside and, with the cover on (like that was going to save me from myself) I set the telescope on a table front end down. I then, without a clue of what I was doing, proceeded to undo all the little hex bolts on the other end in the hope of uncovering the focus mechanism so I could take a look at it. Well, as I'm sure you can already guess, as I lifted the cover off the internal mirror assembly started sliding off the central tube and the whole lot crashed to the other end of the scope. Unbelieveably it does not 'look' broken but I don't know what damage has been done. Then, to make matters worse, the rubber gasket around the join has split and in the end I have just had to bolt the thing back together best I can just so I can put it down. I am beside myself with sorrow and despair. Can anyone suggest my next move (try and resist the temptation to suggest anything too unhelpful if you can).

[Davesellars]

Ouch...  Sorry to hear that.   Where did you buy the scope from?  Perhaps you can get some initial advice from them first before tinkering any more (perhaps it could be refurbished), otherwise you may just have to get intimate withe internals of your scope to essentially do it yourself.   Take is slowly and avoid moving the scope about if the primary mirror is essential laying on the baffle (i assume it has one of these) of secondary.  The good news is that at least you shouldn't have touched the secondary but your primary may well have scratched in the process although this may not be the end of the world.  Moving it about any more won't help matters so you'll need to extract it again with care...   Then figure out how to attach it again to the focuser.  I'm sure someone with a similar Mak may be able to offer further with this!   Good luck...

[IanL]

Don't panic and make it worse. A scratch or a chip on the primary mirror or the corrector won't be the end of the world. After all there is a huge hole in the primary and a big obstruction in the corrector to start with. The most critical component in a Mak or SCT is the secondary. Hopefully there is a baffle that has protected it from direct impact by the falling mirror.

I don't know the internals of the 127 but usually the focus knob pushes a threaded rod in and out of the scope as it turns. That rod should attach to some kind of arm sticking out to one side of the back of the primary. There may be a hole in the end of the rod that fits over a pin on the end of the arm for example. The moving rod slides the mirror up and down the baffle tube to focus it. I suspect your original fault was that the rod and arm became separated so the mirror stuck or slid down and couldn't be moved.

I don't know what the rubber bit that split is so some photos or a description would help here. You may be able to put it all back together, but if there is any chance of getting help from someone who knows scopes I would do so.

[Inky]

Cheers for the support guys. Quite incredibly I managed to disassemble and then reassemble the whole thing in the end without too much damage I think. I tried it very quickly outside and it focuses once again (I was able to see some leaves on a tree in great detail about 100 yards away at least). I'm sure it's all a bit out of alighment or something but it doesn't seem to be broken beyond repair or anything, amazingly.

[Astro Imp]

Great to hear you seem to have had a good outcome, you had me really worried reading your earlier posts.

[Inky]

Thanks for your concern. So I guess my next question is; can anyone tell me how to collimate my scope?