CELESTRON STARSENSE EXPLORER 8 INCH DOBSONIAN REVIEW

[markse68]

A quick search of cn found a few others having issues with Galaxies so it could well be the phone. I guess with so many different hardware platforms out there and the app needing low level control of the camera/imu it must be hard to get it right for them all. I’m using an old iphone and i guess they probably prioritise iphones as there’s fewer models and they’re popular phones. Anyway I do hope you manage to get it working Elrond

Mark

[paulastro]

Morning Elrond.

Not guilty on the cult front, thats the term I use for small Takahashi enthusiasts this side of the pond 🙂.

I can understand your frustrations, it's also very difficult to know what's going on with it unless you can actually be with someone having problems and observe what they are doing.  It could be something really straight forward.  

Just a couple of questions, is it in night vision mode when it fails to work on the night sky?  Also have you tried to do the alignment  procedure at night?  It might be worth a try if not.  If you do, it's easy to think that there are no stars visible when you first look at the screen, but they pop into view if you pinch the screen outwards to zoom in. (the star images are harder to see at low magnification.)  Of course best to do it on a bright star or planet anyway.

 

 

[markse68]

could also be the camera not focussing on infinity but I expect you checked that already. May just be a problem with the plate solving for some reason

Mark

[Elrond1998]

Thanks for the comments,  I will try a few things on my next clear night. I'm going to continue to attempt to contact celestron for their assistance.

[bosun21]

Hi Elrond, I transferred the Starsense unit from the LT70 to my 8” & 12” dobsonians. It worked flawlessly for months then one night I had the same problem as you with the unit not recognizing the sky. I tried all over the sky to no avail. I then removed my phone and discovered a fingerprint on the camera lens. I cleaned it and the mirror on the unit with a microfiber cloth then restarted my phone and app. Voila, it was now back to normal. I hope you find a resolution.

[wookie1965]

On 03/03/2023 at 21:11, Sunshine said:

As an owner of this telescope I can agree with everything you have said, though I made two improvements to its mechanical function which make it a smoother dobsonian. 

What did you do to make it smoother if you don't mind. 

[Sunshine]

3 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

What did you do to make it smoother if you don't mind. 

H!, i found it to be very creaky when moved on either axis, it would make squeaky creaky sounds as though everything was loose and rubbed together. Closer investigation revealed it to be the main plastic pivot hubs attached to the OTA on either side, the plastic rubs the metal ota when moved. The solution was to lay the OTA flat, remove the mirror cell by removing the 6-8 small screws which hold it to the OTA then reach inside and hold the nuts that secure tue hubs to the OTA while unscrewing the screws on the hubs. When the plastic hubs come off i applied clear silicone to all the surfaces which make contact with the ota, the perimeter of the hub and the tops of the honeycomb like grid pattern of plastic within the hub. When the hubs are reinstalled there will be a thin layer of rubber silicone tp prevent squeaking, the telescope felt different and silent after that. In the image below, I highlighted the hub where i applied silicone around the perimeter (with hub removed) so that there is an anti squeak barrier between the OTA and hub. Once the hub is reinstalled there will be a bit of excess silicone squeeze out but of you run your finger around the edge it will finish nicely and invisible.

Edited April 21, 2023 by Sunshine