Red dot finder

[Chefgage]

11 minutes ago, Beardy30 said:

I’ve tried both ways - neither works as the screws just turn and don’t thread at all - supplier is sending me a new one but tbh it’s a terrible item and needs upgrading ASAP it was way off last night and it’s very poor quality 

Regards it being way off I have replied to your other thread and described how to set it up. They are not set up ready to go when you buy them as everyone's scope will be different. You need to adjust it using the adjustment screws/wheels to align to your scope.

Edited April 20, 2020 by Chefgage

[miguel87]

35 minutes ago, Chefgage said:

Remove the screws from the plate on the right hand side. The raised collar under the screws head is the threaded part. The screws need to go through the hole on the left hand plate (in your picture) and the end of the screws should just come out through the raised collar on the right hand plate which is threaded.

This is the answer. In your picture, the piece of plastic with the screws already through should be the only threaded part.

[John]

25 minutes ago, Chefgage said:

Regards it being way off I have replied to your other thread and described how to set it up. They are not set up ready to go when you buy them as everyone's scope will be different. You need to adjust it using the adjustment screws/wheels to align to your scope.

Quite right - 1st thing you need to do when you get a scope - adjust the finder so that what the red dot points to is as exactly as possible what you see in the centre of the eyepiece of the scope.

Distant targets such as chimneys and telegraph pole tops are useful for doing this in daylight. The target needs to be many hundreds of metres away though to get an alignment that also is accurate for stars and planets.

[John]

I've added green arrows to this pic showing where the only threaded section of these rails is. If the threads have stripped or are not present in yours then a replacement is required:

[Beardy30]

Thanks guys it’s all resolved now as they are sending me a new one 👍🏼Thanks for all your help and advise 

[fifeskies]

As a stop gap till you get your replacement some longer screws with nuts on the end would get you working in these rare clear nights we're having just now. You can use some plastic sleeving as a spacer if you need to.

An untidy solution but will work.

 

Red dot finders are OK , was the first finder I used , but I also second a Telrad as a good upgrade to the basic RDF.

Edited April 20, 2020 by fifeskies

[Beardy30]

Would a telrad fit the 8se

[fifeskies]

Telrad is possibly a bit on the big side for an 8se

but have seen them used even on small refractors as their benefit for finding is often worth the unwieldy look

sure someone on here with an 8se can advise you if they tried one , its little brothers 6se and 4se would struggle to fit one i'm sure but you have the larger one from the series.

 

unclips easily from the base for packing away.

 

 

pic from web

Edited April 20, 2020 by fifeskies

[johninderby]

Or Rigel Quikfinder which is a much smaller finder that would fit easily on the 8SE and is one of best  finders of it’s type. Some prefer the Telrad and #ome prefer the Quikfinder so not much in it performance wise.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/finders/rigel-quikfinder-compact-reflex-sight.html

[Beardy30]

This has been recommended to me also 

Celestron Starpointer Pro Finderscope

[johninderby]

I use one on my dob as it is light weight and compact.

 

Edited April 20, 2020 by johninderby

[Beardy30]

I believe it sticks on ?? 

[johninderby]

Can be stuck on using the foam pads or some silicone sealer or bolted on.

Found a couple of pics of one on a C8.

[Beardy30]

Would I need to unbolt the base plate that came on the scope first 

[johninderby]

Yes if you want to fit it in the same place but I would just stick the Quikfinder base down so that you could fit a right angle optical  finder as well later on if you wanted too. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by johninderby

[Cosmic Geoff]

In case anyone else needs to know, the likely solution to this problem is as follows, as I have just remembered:

If you try to hold everything in place and insert the screws, with the screws and plates correctly orientated, it doesn't work as the screws don't quite reach and get a grip (presumably because something is not perfectly aligned.) But if you pre-assemble the two v-plates with the two screws and then slide everything together, you can then tighten the screws.

As for the screws being badly made or stripped, I am not convinced. These things are mass-produced and should all be the same, so that if mine work properly, so should everybody else's.  It would require a great deal of force to strip the threads and the damge should be obvious. 

I have accumulated three of these basic Celestron red dot finders, and while the finders are unreliable I have not had any problems with the bases.

[Beardy30]

2 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

In case anyone else needs to know, the likely solution to this problem is as follows, as I have just remembered:

If you try to hold everything in place and insert the screws, with the screws and plates correctly orientated, it doesn't work as the screws don't quite reach and get a grip (presumably because something is not perfectly aligned.) But if you pre-assemble the two v-plates with the two screws and then slide everything together, you can then tighten the screws.

As for the screws being badly made or stripped, I am not convinced. These things are mass-produced and should all be the same, so that if mine work properly, so should everybody else's.  It would require a great deal of force to strip the threads and the damge should be obvious. 

I have accumulated three of these basic Celestron red dot finders, and while the finders are unreliable I have not had any problems with the bases.

Well i suppose it would be boring if we we’re all the same Geoff 

[Cosmic Geoff]

Different generations. I learnt DIY from my Dad.

On the othe hand, I am baffled by "Zoom." 😕

[Beardy30]

Now that I can help you with ! 😂