Focus Improvement or Replace OOUK 10" focuser

[Alan White]

My OOUK 10" focuser which is of 2007 vintage and the OOUK own OC1 model is worn and slipping.
Adjusts from slip/slop to too tight with less than 1mm turn of the allen keys.
Any ideas or your experiences please.

I know it is probably time to replace, the scope was used by its earlier owner for imaging so it's carried a load.
If this is the case what have you done, why and what do you think of it now?

 

Edited September 28, 2019 by Alan White
typos of course

[markse68]

Hi Alan, not sure what wears in that focuser but it looks like a copy of the Moonlite focusers and depending how close a copy it is there’s a German Ebay seller called classic-telescopes who has some nos moonlite focuser tubes at the moment- I just ordered and received one- he’s a very nice eBay seller, they’re a good price I think and the postage is a good price too. If it is the tube that’s worn might be an option?

Mark

[Alan White]

Mark, that is a good suggestion, but no idea how sizes compare.

The OC1 May look Moonlite like, I think that was intentional, but that’s the only similarity I think, if the sizes are the same then happy days.

Have you got the Moonlite measurements at all?

[Moonshane]

I did what is suggested in this video and it improved the performance substantially

 

[markse68]

3 hours ago, Alan White said:

Have you got the Moonlite measurements at all?

I will measure them shorty for you

Mark

[markse68]

4 hours ago, Alan White said:

Have you got the Moonlite measurements at all?

Here they are- tube diameter is 57mm and across the flat is 56.2 or there abouts

Mark

[Alan White]

Thank you @markse68, very much appreciated for taking the effort.

Clearly the OC1 is not a direct copy as the dimensions are smaller.
Diameter of tube 56.15 mm
Distance at flat 54.6 mm mainly but varies with the wear.

Thanks @Moonshane, I have done similar on other focusers, but this one has irregular wear in it.
I think this is from where it has sat loaded with photo kit in its previous life.
 

[Alan White]

So what focuser to buy then.

A Feathertouch, sadly, no. Way outside my funds as much as they are so nice.
A Moonlite OC1, I am used to the single speed?
A Baader Steeldrive Diamond NT?
A good old R&P unit of some kind if I can find one?

Your experience and thoughts please folks.
 

Edited September 29, 2019 by Alan White

[Moonshane]

I have Moonlite and the Baader Steeltrack and both are excellent. I'm visual only though 

[Stu]

I do like Baader Steeltracks I must say. Not stupidly expensive and very well engineered.

[Chriske]

Go for a dual speed.

[CraigT82]

Remember you need to factor in the cost of the base for the moonlite, around £50 if I remember correctly. 

 

[Chriske]

woow £50 for just the base...?...🤪

[CraigT82]

I've often looked at this focuser, probably what I'll go for when I upgrade the revelation astro crayford on my newt.  I have the single speed, non-monorail version and it's very well made and lovely to use. 

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p3700_TS-Optics-MONORAIL-2--Newtonian-focuser-with-Micro-Transmission.html

[NGC 1502]

 

Hi Alan, emailed you with a possible solution.......

Ed.

[Moonshane]

I was never impressed with the monorail I had. It slipped a lot and there was quite a lot of slop which despite several attempts could never remove.

[CraigT82]

1 minute ago, Moonshane said:

I was never impressed with the monorail I had. It slipped a lot and there was quite a lot of slop which despite several attempts could never remove.

Oh dear... not good

 

[markse68]

1 hour ago, Chriske said:

woow £50 for just the base...?...🤪

well it is quite a hunk of anodised CNC'd aluminium- it's not really a bad price for the quality. I've been looking around to get a base 3D printed in Nylon for mine and the cheapest I can find is about £70!! CNC'd one off would be about 200+!

[Chriske]

I have absolutely no idea how a base like that looks like. I did a  60 sec drawing(about 120x120x25mm) and put it in slicer. It gives me : 1.60€

[Alan White]

5 hours ago, Moonshane said:

I have Moonlite and the Baader Steeltrack and both are excellent. I'm visual only though 

So am I Shane.
Visual and very happy with that sitaution too.

[markse68]

2 hours ago, Chriske said:

I have absolutely no idea how a base like that looks like. I did a  60 sec drawing(about 120x120x25mm) and put it in slicer. It gives me : 1.60€

Where did you get that quote? Are you talking your own machine and filament cost?

[Chriske]

Yep, after a quick drawing I ran a simulation in my slicer.
My slicer gives me an estimate value of the filament length required to print that thing, estimate time to finish that part and also the cost to print it.
In one of the settings of slicer I need to fill in the cost of 1kg filament.

[Alan White]

Looks like I might have found an interim solution with the offer of a working OC1-M single speed.
This will get me back observing for now, which is great.

Thank you for the offerup of the focuser. 😁  You have to love SGL for the camaraderie.

[markse68]

58 minutes ago, Chriske said:

Yep, after a quick drawing I ran a simulation in my slicer.
My slicer gives me an estimate value of the filament length required to print that thing, estimate time to finish that part and also the cost to print it.
In one of the settings of slicer I need to fill in the cost of 1kg filament.

Ah ok yes you could do that but I was talking about getting it made in nylon on an sls  machine which is a bit more pricey and puts the moonlite cost into perspective (did for me anyway ;)) Actually I was really shocked by the quote having had other parts made by the same company and finding their prices quite reasonable for the quality. But I checked around and they were still by far the cheapest 😳Much cheaper than Shapeways for example

Edited September 29, 2019 by markse68

[Chriske]

Why nylon..?