Repair help on ES Maxvision 16mm Plossl needed!

[trynda1701]

Ok, I have a request to ask of my fellow Stargazers. Last night, while observing the crescent Moon with my Heritage 130P Flexitube, I was using my ES Maxvision 16mm Plossl eyepiece as shown below...

 

I was adjusting the eyepiece cup when I felt something loosen, and when checking, found that the rubber top cap, and lower silver piece have loosened from the main body of the eyepiece, as shown below...!!!

 

 

I think I've been trying to raise the eyepiece cup as in the BST Explorer/Starguider range, where just the upper cup is adjusted, whereas with the Maxvision, you need to grab the bottom of the main body to raise the eyepiece cup! My own fault, I'd been going between the 16mm Maxvision, and the 8mm BST.

So, my question is this. The eyepiece still works fine, but what can I use to secure both pieces on again. I thought I'd ask before just trying something as simple as superglue in case that is NOT advised. Can anyone advise me on what to safely use on the eyepiece to secure this?

Mark

[Louis D]

You've inadvertently decloaked your Maxvision.  If you want to finish the job, just unscrew the small screw holding the bushing in the eye guard slot and remove both it and the bushing, then the entire metal part can be slid off.  You'll have more eye relief and less weight and girth to deal with.

If you really do want to reattach it, I'd recommend contact cement so it can be removed later if you change your mind about decloaking it.

BTW, it's not a Plossl at all.  It's a Panoptic clone.

[ronin]

Isn't there a Loctite thread something or other that causes them to grip better but doesn't quite set as does superglue ?

Just thinking superglue is a bit permanent, just keeping the option partially open that you might want to take the thing off one day. Otherwise I would simply reassemble and tighten it up again with nothing and carry on more or less  as you have been - except try not to unscrew the eye cap, just pull it.

[Louis D]

8 hours ago, ronin said:

Isn't there a Loctite thread something or other that causes them to grip better but doesn't quite set as does superglue ?

Just thinking superglue is a bit permanent, just keeping the option partially open that you might want to take the thing off one day. Otherwise I would simply reassemble and tighten it up again with nothing and carry on more or less  as you have been - except try not to unscrew the eye cap, just pull it.

Loctite can dissolve some plastics as I found out the hard way with a vacuum cleaner and loose screws.  I wouldn't try it with rubber, either.

[trynda1701]

23 hours ago, Louis D said:

You've inadvertently decloaked your Maxvision.  If you want to finish the job, just unscrew the small screw holding the bushing in the eye guard slot and remove both it and the bushing, then the entire metal part can be slid off.  You'll have more eye relief and less weight and girth to deal with.

If you really do want to reattach it, I'd recommend contact cement so it can be removed later if you change your mind about decloaking it.

BTW, it's not a Plossl at all.  It's a Panoptic clone.

@Louis D

Can you advise on the correct contact cement, first link I tried in Google was actual cement as in construction, not a type of glue! The next link was to types of Evo-Stick, is this what you mean? Preferably a UK source, I noticed you are in Texas! Excuse the questions, I'm not particularly DIY inclined!

 

So the Maxvision is not a Plossl type eyepiece? I'd seen mention of Panoptic before, but had assumed it was a brand name!

 

Mark

[Louis D]

4 hours ago, trynda1701 said:

@Louis D

Can you advise on the correct contact cement, first link I tried in Google was actual cement as in construction, not a type of glue! The next link was to types of Evo-Stick, is this what you mean? Preferably a UK source, I noticed you are in Texas! Excuse the questions, I'm not particularly DIY inclined!

 

So the Maxvision is not a Plossl type eyepiece? I'd seen mention of Panoptic before, but had assumed it was a brand name!

 

Mark

Now that I think about it, rubber cement like Elmer's E904 No Wrinkle Rubber Cement would work better.  Contact cement would grab too quickly and you wouldn't be able to slide the rubber covering down.  Just apply a thin layer toward the bottom inside edge and slide it on before it can get tacky and stop you from being able to slide it at all.  As it slides on, the rubber cement will smear upward to coat the rest of the rubber.  Rubber cement seems to be what was used originally based on the dried residue I've found when decloaking my eyepieces.

The Maxvision 68 degree line is leftover production of the Meade 5000 SWA line that Explore Scientific is clearing out.  Optically, they are the same as the ES-68 line which is a clone (unauthorized copy) of Televue's Panoptic line.  TV gave up trying to patent their optics in the 90s because other companies found it easy to slightly modify TV's designs to avoid patent infringement as in the case of Meade's 4000 series of SWA and UWA eyepieces.  They were near clones of TV's patented Wide Field and Nagler Type 1 eyepieces, respectively.  Televue, like Pentax, Nikon, Leica, and Zeiss, designs their eyepieces in house and markets them exclusively under their own brand name.  Vixen and Takahashi might as well.  I'm not sure about Baader.  Most of the rest are brand names assigned to eyepieces designed and manufactured by various Chinese, Taiwanese, or Japanese optical design and manufacturing companies.  Explore Scientific is the house brand for Jinghua Optical Electronics Co (JOC) eyepieces.  They are the only Chinese manufacturer trying to push toward the higher end with not only clones, but unique products like their 9mm ES-120 and 12mm and 17mm ES-92 eyepieces marketed under a captive brand name.  Guan Sheng Optical is a Taiwanese design and manufacturing company that sells under their own name and sells to others to remarket under other brand names.

[trynda1701]

@Louis D

Thanks for your advice on the cement. And for your info on the Maxvision eyepiece and the other info. I have learned something today.

 

Mark

[Rick_It]

Yes, as you can see from the 24mm disassembly topic, Meade 5000 SWA / Maxvision / ES68 are Panoptic. You are very lucky; I have the 28mm and I really want the 16mm Maxvision but it seems to be sold out everywhere. A characteristic of the Panoptic is that they do not use a Smyth / Barlow lens: they are a scaling design like plossl and Ortho. As such, they barlow well but can't be made in shorter focal lenghts.

 

PANOPTIC - A modified Plössl designed for Takahashi and Tele Vue having a 2-1-1-2 form. It has a highly corrected 68 ̊ field and 0.7Fe eye relief. Orthoscopy is excellent and lateral colour and astigmatism suppressed. Contrast is also excellent.

[TheLookingGlass]

I've owned the 28mm, 24mm and 20mm Meade Series 5000 eyepieces, which are identical. I've also purposely "de-cloaked" them to lose some weight on them. Best thing to do, IMO, is not use any glue.

Put the green part on first, then match up the sections where the top rubber eyecup goes and just leave it on that way. 

Cheers!

[trynda1701]

On 04/03/2017 at 00:04, trynda1701 said:

Ok, I have a request to ask of my fellow Stargazers. Last night, while observing the crescent Moon with my Heritage 130P Flexitube, I was using my ES Maxvision 16mm Plossl eyepiece as shown below...

 

I was adjusting the eyepiece cup when I felt something loosen, and when checking, found that the rubber top cap, and lower silver piece have loosened from the main body of the eyepiece, as shown below...!!!

 

 

I think I've been trying to raise the eyepiece cup as in the BST Explorer/Starguider range, where just the upper cup is adjusted, whereas with the Maxvision, you need to grab the bottom of the main body to raise the eyepiece cup! My own fault, I'd been going between the 16mm Maxvision, and the 8mm BST.

So, my question is this. The eyepiece still works fine, but what can I use to secure both pieces on again. I thought I'd ask before just trying something as simple as superglue in case that is NOT advised. Can anyone advise me on what to safely use on the eyepiece to secure this?

Mark

For reference purposes, I'm reposting the two pics from my original post as the links from Photobucket were broken.

16mm Maxvision intact

 

16mm Maxvision inadvertently 'decloaked'!

 

Mark

[happy-kat]

I very much like this eyepiece and also use it in the same telescope. I've also undone it by accident but never so far as to separate.

[trynda1701]

Yes, the Maxvision eyepieces are very nice indeed. I see the 24mm version, and the currently available ES 24 mm 68° equivalent recommenced as the perfect low power eyepiece for the Heritage.

 

Mark

[happy-kat]

Yes because it is almost the same tfov as the maximum that the heritage can show but with increased magnification over the commonly used 32mm.

[Rick_It]

I'm very happy, because I found a 16mm Maxvision! Now I have the 28 and the 16mm.

Two nights ago, I used the 16mm with a 70/900 refractor. Stars were pinpoint all up to edges Yes, eye relief is a bit short....

I have to resist buying all the others!

On 7/3/2017 at 08:00, Rick_It said:

Yes, as you can see from the 24mm disassembly topic, Meade 5000 SWA / Maxvision / ES68 are Panoptic. You are very lucky; I have the 28mm and I really want the 16mm Maxvision but it seems to be sold out everywhere. A characteristic of the Panoptic is that they do not use a Smyth / Barlow lens: they are a scaling design like plossl and Ortho. As such, they barlow well but can't be made in shorter focal lenghts.

 

PANOPTIC - A modified Plössl designed for Takahashi and Tele Vue having a 2-1-1-2 form. It has a highly corrected 68 ̊ field and 0.7Fe eye relief. Orthoscopy is excellent and lateral colour and astigmatism suppressed. Contrast is also excellent.