NEW StellaLyra Dobsonian Telescopes

[Orange Smartie]

Like this. With hindsight, I would probably put it level with the RACI base, bit it's OK......I only occasionally hit myself in the eye with the finder. 

[johninderby]

Or a Telrad perhaps. 😁

[cajen2]

23 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Or a Telrad perhaps. 😁

Getting a bit crowded up there....🤔😄

[johninderby]

I find the Telrad easier to use than the Rigel.

[Mr Spock]

I put my Telrad the other side of the RACI so I can use it with my left eye.

[Astro_Dad]

I have mine to the right of the RACI. The position @Orange Smartie and others have shown may be more comfortable for you, just depends how you prefer to be positioned.  No right or wrong. 
 

[Spile]

I went for the eyepiece-RACI-Telrad order as well.

https://astro.catshill.com/finding-and-finder-scopes/

Edited January 23, 2022 by Spile

[Astro_Dad]

I’ve just tried applying bar magnets with adhesive strips to the Rigel base on my new dob - this looks to be an excellent means of experimenting with different positions without the hassle of peeling off / removing adhesive residue.  I was interested in the position suggested by @Orange Smartie and others - recommended so far as very strong magnetic attachment - with opportunity to adjust the position as needed. 

[cajen2]

59 minutes ago, Astro_Dad said:

I’ve just tried applying bar magnets with adhesive strips to the Rigel base on my new dob - this looks to be an excellent means of experimenting with different positions without the hassle of peeling off / removing adhesive residue.  I was interested in the position suggested by @Orange Smartie and others - recommended so far as very strong magnetic attachment - with opportunity to adjust the position as needed. 

Perhaps I'm being a bit thick here, AD, but the magnets seem a lot longer than the Rigel base....? And the base looks curved...? So how exactly did you apply the magnet(s)?

Plus, where did you get them - have you got a link? I've been looking at magnets myself in case of balance issues. Talking of which, does the magnet with the Rigel cause any balance problems? Sorry about all the questions!

[cajen2]

@FLO I notice the 6" SL dob has disappeared from your website. Is this significant?

[Astro_Dad]

11 hours ago, cajen2 said:

Perhaps I'm being a bit thick here, AD, but the magnets seem a lot longer than the Rigel base....? And the base looks curved...? So how exactly did you apply the magnet(s)?

Plus, where did you get them - have you got a link? I've been looking at magnets myself in case of balance issues. Talking of which, does the magnet with the Rigel cause any balance problems? Sorry about all the questions!

Might just be the perspective of the photo - if you zoom in to the top one you’ll see it’s an almost exact size fit. 60mm length. The magnet is flat and attaches in the same way a Wixey angle gauge does. The other side uses the supplied self adhesive double sided tape to attach to the Rigel. 
Balances fine as far as I can tell so far - just a case of adjusting the tensioner if needed?
 

Neodymium Bar Magnets, 10 PCS Waterproof Rare Earth Rectangular Magnet, Strong Disc magnets for Crafts, Science, DIY and Refrigerator Magnets (60 * 10 * 3mm, Black) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Y4WJYJ6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_14APQ5E8JPP391FHF675?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[Mr Spock]

Scope is so big I put the Telrad inbetween.

[cajen2]

Well, I've got my 8"SL now, and very pleased with it too, though I haven't had the clear skies yet to give it a proper test. Thanks @FLO!

I've adopted AD's system (cheers for that-great idea!) with two small bar magnets to position the Rigel to the right of the RACI temporarily - the only problem with the Rigel is adjusting it in daytime (the circles are very faint). The leftover magnets make very satisfactory balancing weights when swapping eyepieces!

Does everyone else need the focusing extension? I seem to.

Edited February 21, 2022 by cajen2

[Mr Spock]

My beast is outside, cooling, ready for this evening 

[Mr Spock]

Just had thirty minutes tweaking collimation and finders. Ready to go! Even in twilight the Pleiades look spectacular with the 22mm LVW (x69). A bit of coma though, but then I'm not using a coma corrector (yet).

[cajen2]

Just come inside from its first light. In those brief moments when I could find what I was looking for, I got amazing views.......

Problems:

When setting up the scope in daylight, I needed the extension to focus.  Outside at night, I had to take it off! 😚

Likewise, I thought the RACI was aligned and focused, but no....

I'd just started to sort it all out when the clouds came over and I came inside for a warm.

In between, I found the focuser very smooth and the stars pin sharp. I couldn't get on with my 5mm Pentax with no finder but the 14mm was just about manageable. Off now to try again! 😄

[Mr Spock]

My first light was good too. I do like the focuser - very smooth. No problems getting to focus. I though the mount a bit flimsy though. My first light report is up - more observing info in there.

[johninderby]

I do wish mass market dobs would use marine ply for the base but suppose that would be too expensive. 

[Ricochet]

13 hours ago, cajen2 said:

When setting up the scope in daylight, I needed the extension to focus.  Outside at night, I had to take it off! 😚

The closer an object is to you the further out the focuser has to be to focus. Needing to use the extension during daylight but not at night indicates that you set up your scope during that day using a target that was too close. As a result of this, there would have been significant parallax between the scope and finder, hence it not being aligned at night. 

[cajen2]

Yes, I realise that but I had no choice. From my house, I can't see anything more than about a third of a mile away.

[cajen2]

14 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

My first light was good too. I do like the focuser - very smooth. No problems getting to focus. I though the mount a bit flimsy though. My first light report is up - more observing info in there.

Interesting about the mount on yours, MS. In what way do you find it flimsy? Mine seems very substantial but it's a much lighter scope.

[Ricochet]

13 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

I though the mount a bit flimsy though.

Is the problem the rocker box itself or is the flex in the axis? If it is the former fitting some braces at the joints will probably stiffen things up. 

If the problem is the az axis I had a bit of play in the az axis on my bresser. The bearing is simply a bolt in the centre with three Teflon pads around the perimeter of the base board. The play between the bolt and the base board meant that the rocker box could slide a small amount as well as rotating. Adding a stack of Teflon disks around the central bolt both took the weight of the scope, making rotation smoother, and removed the side to side play and stiffened things up. If your issue is similar then perhaps the same method will work for you. 

[FLO]

On 12/02/2022 at 01:04, cajen2 said:

@FLO I notice the 6" SL dob has disappeared from your website. Is this significant?

The 6" model has been updated so we need to make new photos then a new product page. Hopefully not long now 🙂 

HTH, 

Steve 

[cajen2]

1 minute ago, FLO said:

The 6" model has been updated so we need to make new photos then a new product page. Hopefully not long now 🙂 

HTH, 

Steve 

Ah, ok, cheers. Updated? Any hints?

[FLO]

30 minutes ago, cajen2 said:

Ah, ok, cheers. Updated? Any hints?

It will not be the only new Dobsonian in the photo studio ...  🙂