A new method to test your Quark uniformity/cleanliness?

[Minhlead]

So after my last rodeo with Daystar (for those who care, read more of it here https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/369967-bad-quark-chromosphere-on-arrival/?tab=comments#comment-4018491) I received a few emails from my courier asking me for the reimport item (since the Quark that I sent out listed as temporary export- reimport later) , otherwise the custom could get involved. I have no way but hold my nose and order another quark (this time from Highpoint Scientific).

The quark arrived today and thank god, there are no visible defect that I can see.

One of my friend told me about a simple way that you can test your quark's uniformity and the blocking filter cleanliness by shining a smartphone's flashlight down the tube asembly with the quark and a camera at the end focused at infinity (your light source must stays still all the exposure duration, otherwise the result gets blurry, I rest my phone's flash light on top of the dew shield and take exposure). Take a 30 sec exposure at unity gain and stretch the result.

Here is what I got: 

My friend claimed that the spots that you are seeing are dust motes inside the quark, behind the barlow. The scratches-like marks are the tools marks that left behind after Mica cleaving of the mica sheets that make up the Quark's etalon. And by looking at this picture you can get a very good idea of how uniform/dirty or clean the optics of your Quark is without opening one and most likely damage yours. It could provide you a more visual way of testing your Quark if you do not have the Sun (Like I am).

Now I do not know how accurate these claims are, but the explaination does looks plausible to me. Especially the scratch like pattern look suspiciously like mica sheets after cleaving under microscope.  I tried to rotate the camera only and take the picture again, the pattern also rotates (implies it is not on my camera). Then I rotate the quark+ camera assembly and the pattern stays (which implies the pattern indeed comes from the quark, not the scope itself). No amount of cleaning the 2 blocking/trimming filter of the quark seems to make the dust motes go away implies the dust (or whatever it is) is inside the quark.

Could anyone here with a quark replicate what I did and post the result here and some one with better understanding of the physics behind the Quark could shed some light on this I'd be grateful.

Thanks!

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by Minhlead

[Minhlead]

Anyone? I'd like to hear from @Davey-T

[Davey-T]

4 hours ago, Minhlead said:

Anyone? I'd like to hear from @Davey-T

Hi sorry only just seen this will have a go tomorrow if its not raining.

Sent Quark off to Daystar a couple of weeks ago but heard nothing from them yet.

Dave

[Minhlead]

2 hours ago, Davey-T said:

Hi sorry only just seen this will have a go tomorrow if its not raining.

Sent Quark off to Daystar a couple of weeks ago but heard nothing from them yet.

Dave

You can do this test inside the house. Just shine a flashlight (a white LED) down the objective and keep it still while you are taking exposure

[Davey-T]

8 hours ago, Minhlead said:

You can do this test inside the house. Just shine a flashlight (a white LED) down the objective and keep it still while you are taking exposure

Scope is mounted outside with a cover

Dave

[Minhlead]

2 hours ago, Davey-T said:

Scope is mounted outside with a cover

Dave

Oh ok. Could you please share your setup/cover here? I am looking to make a ROR shed but if a cover works I will consider it too.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Minhlead

[Davey-T]

3 minutes ago, Minhlead said:

Oh ok. Could you please share your setup/cover here? I am looking to make a ROR shed but if a cover works I will consider it too.

Just under a normal scope cover, just put it out after the winter downtime when Sun is too low, guess you don't have that problem 😂

And yes it's raining 

[Davey-T]

Stopped raining

Dave

[Minhlead]

6 hours ago, Davey-T said:

Just under a normal scope cover, just put it out after the winter downtime when Sun is too low, guess you don't have that problem 😂

And yes it's raining 

No I dont have the problem of sun rising low. My problem is polaris rising too low for polar alignment. And my friends in Southern districts have counterweight gets blocked by the tripod since the mount almost stays horizontal after polar alignment.

You keep the scope out with just a tarp over it? If I do that in my backyard, my scope would be stolen in a heartbeat. Not to mention the electronics would sure go haywire under the scorching sun and lashing rain of a tropical region. Don't you worry about the moisture and heat that would cause problem for your optics and electronics? 

[Davey-T]

1 hour ago, Minhlead said:

No I dont have the problem of sun rising low. My problem is polaris rising too low for polar alignment. And my friends in Southern districts have counterweight gets blocked by the tripod since the mount almost stays horizontal after polar alignment.

You keep the scope out with just a tarp over it? If I do that in my backyard, my scope would be stolen in a heartbeat. Not to mention the electronics would sure go haywire under the scorching sun and lashing rain of a tropical region. Don't you worry about the moisture and heat that would cause problem for your optics and electronics? 

Not had any problems with damp or heat, that mount has been outside permanently for a few years and scope on it for around ten months of the year, luckily crime rate is low and I have 6 foot steel gates.

PA must be a problem being close to the equator, I've heard of folk lowering tripod legs to help align but mounted in a shed on a pier would be ideal.

ATB

Dave

[Sunshine]

Call me a chicken but I cringe at the thought of leaving my scope out under a cover, brave souls.

Edited March 16, 2021 by Sunshine

[Minhlead]

13 hours ago, Davey-T said:

Not had any problems with damp or heat, that mount has been outside permanently for a few years and scope on it for around ten months of the year, luckily crime rate is low and I have 6 foot steel gates.

PA must be a problem being close to the equator, I've heard of folk lowering tripod legs to help align but mounted in a shed on a pier would be ideal.

ATB

Dave

PA is a problem. That's why I am looking to do a permanent setup. Because having the scope put on a very clear night an unable to PA and have to spend time to do drift aligment is suck. 

But PA is not big a problem as some of my Southern friends whom have to use pier/modified counterweight and CEM mount design to have it work at all

Edited March 16, 2021 by Minhlead

[Minhlead]

12 hours ago, Sunshine said:

Call me a chicken but I cringe at the thought of leaving my scope out under a cover, brave souls.

There would be a lot of chicken then because I wouldn't dare too :))

[Minhlead]

On 16/03/2021 at 07:36, Davey-T said:

Not had any problems with damp or heat, that mount has been outside permanently for a few years and scope on it for around ten months of the year, luckily crime rate is low and I have 6 foot steel gates.

PA must be a problem being close to the equator, I've heard of folk lowering tripod legs to help align but mounted in a shed on a pier would be ideal.

ATB

Dave

Đi you manage to find the time do the test?

[Davey-T]

1 hour ago, Minhlead said:

Đi you manage to find the time do the test?

No sorry haven't got around to it yet bit tricky single handed as it a long scope, need help.

Dave

[Minhlead]

6 hours ago, Davey-T said:

No sorry haven't got around to it yet bit tricky single handed as it a long scope, need help.

Dave

There no problem that a bit of duct tape can't solve. If there are, use more duct tape :))