Skymax 150 or 180 Top Dovetail bar?

[Laurieast]

Can you fit a top dovetail bar to either the Skymax 150 or the 180? 

I did a search and found somebody had done it with rings, but I would prefer not to do that.

Thanks for any insight!

[Steve Ward]

You could fit one the same way that Skywatcher do.

But it would mean dismantling the OTA though , drilling holes , bolting on the dovetail , reassembling and realigning everything ... !

Personally I'd go with rings myself as my Mak 180 has never needed collimating in the eight years or so I've had it , and although I'm more than capable of performing the operation I'd be reluctant to start DIYing on an £1100 tube ... 😯

[Laurieast]

11 minutes ago, Steve Ward said:

But it would mean dismantling the OTA though , drilling holes , bolting on the dovetail , reassembling and realigning everything ... !

😱

I was thinking something more like this:
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-telescopes/stellalyra-8-classical-cassegrain-vixen-style-dovetail-bar-radius-blocks.html

Edited September 3, 2022 by Laurieast

[nfotis]

You may want to check this video (I watch it at 2x speed due to their length), where this guy adds lots of stuff on his Skymax 180:

 

 

[Laurieast]

I did find some tube rings made of plywood at TS Optics. Made to order 133.61 Euros 🤔

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p11070_Multiplex-Rohrschellen-Ma-anfertigung-fuer-Teleskop-Tuben-von-201-250mm.html