MoonLite CR2 Dual Rate Crayford

[gooseholla]

Hi, I've owned this focuser for about 6 months and would like to share some thoughts on it. It is installed on my custom made Obsession style dobsonian.

The focuser was purchased from FLO for £229. Originally ordered orange but there was a wait for it to come in so opted for red in standard 50mm travel.

Positives

The focuser is rock solid. It comes well packed in a couple of boxes and lots of packing material. It is also easy to install, line it up drill 4 holes for the bolts, tighten the washers and away you go.

It is ultra smooth. There is no judder when turning it. This makes it good for dobsonians as things drift across large fields of view. The addition of the micro adjustment wheel is certainly worth the extra money over the CR1 version. The knobs are all fairly large and easy to find in the dark and turn. I have found it to be far better than any other focuser I have had on my other telescopes where they only came with one speed adjustment. The lack of judder, sticking action and slop make collimating the telescope and using it a joy.  

There are allen adjusters on each of the four corners that allow it to be collimated which is a nice bonus and one I had to use. However, if you haven't got the right sized allen key and have to use one in that you put into a manual driver handle there isn't really enough room and you end up scratching the nice finish of the Moonlite.

Negatives

For the price though there are some negatives but nothing too major.  

Inside of the focuser is a brass ring which tightens against the eyepiece as you turn the screws. This moves about and twists around so that sometimes it finds its way out to where the screw for the 1.25" adapter goes. Not a huge deal but annoying.

Secondly, when the focuser is racked in, or near racked in, the screw by the "M" of the Moonlite logo is hard to adjust, well for my large hands anyway. It is fine when the focuser is racked out.

I suspect this last problem exists because I didn't buy a mounting ring, but if you are installing it onto a focuser board, the main wheel for focusing hasn't got much clearance. You could easily make your own spacer block if it became annoying though.

So overall it Is a really good product to have for any telescope, but especially for dobsonians. The lack of judder and being able to fine adjust make it especially great for planets. That extra few seconds of being able to see detail without having to constantly nudge it back to the middle and wait for vibration to die down is a real benefit. Certainly worth the money and a way to upgrade and improve the viewing experience for about the price of a decent eyepiece. Not perfect but few things are.

4/5

John

[Mrbloke]

Nice review. I must admit I do like the look of these focussers. They seem to be beautifully engineered. If they came with a click lock style thingamajig I might have already bought one.

[John]

Nice report on a very nice focuser upgrade

I've just fitted a Moonlite CR2 to my Orion Optics 12" dob. I've had 2 sessions with it and it's lovely to use. I used a couple of spacers between the focuser and the tube so the knobs are well clear of other things.

Having been happy to make do with stock focusers for many years I've recently become aware of just the sheer pleasure in using a really well made one so I'm putting Moonlites on my 2 refractors as well as my dob.

[wuthton]

I have the refractor version and the only fault I can find is the fiddly compression screws. 

I also have the motor focus unit (the reason I chose Moonlite) which is frankly superb. All other motor focus offerings seem to be an afterthought involving belts, cogs or hamsters rather than being designed specifically for the focuser.

[jabeoo1]

Agree a spacer block is essential.  Mounting the focuser onto a base & spacers before attaching to the OTA to gets the most out of it.  Mine is only raised by 18mm and it makes all the difference to the position.   

[Wayne_Ford]

I use a Sct larger format version and can't complain at all about it

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk

[swamp thing]

Nice review John

After years of using duff standard focusers, an upgrade like this is utter joy IMO.

[gooseholla]

Agree a spacer block is essential.  Mounting the focuser onto a base & spacers before attaching to the OTA to gets the most out of it.  Mine is only raised by 18mm and it makes all the difference to the position.   

Yup I will be making a mounting ring out of some scrap wood.

John

[groverro]

Hi Everyone,
I have posted this before but thought I may get more insight on this post. I am trying to install my moonlite CR2 focuser on a Skywatcher 12". I am wondering if someone can assist me on how the spacers should be placed before attaching the focuser unit. I have attached two images below: Image 1 has the hole fully visible, and image 2 hole not fully visible. Any advice will be greatly appreciated

Thank you.

 

[gls]

Have you had any luck fitting it yet? I'll take mine apart tomorrow and see how I fitted it if you haven't.

[gls]

Did it tonight instead. 

Hope this helps. 

 

[gls]

Looking at it again. I would say your second picture is correct but everything is upside down. The base plate and the 1" adaptor.

[John]

59 minutes ago, gls said:

Looking at it again. I would say your second picture is correct but everything is upside down. The base plate and the 1" adaptor.

I'm glad you think that - it was what I thought and I was going to take mine apart and post some photos to help but you have kindly beaten me to it

Mine looks like yours - I think groverro needs to change both the base plate and the adaptor around so that they match your photos.