OOUK VX14 Upgrade

[CedricTheBrave]

Well after many frustrations with collimation, tube flex thermal expansion, collimation and collimation! I bit the bullet and got rid of the flimsy alloy tube on my VX14 and stuck all the bits into a carbon fibre one! 

It's 9mm thick and weighs about the same as the alloy one but so much stiffer everything feels very solid now and hopefully will keep its collimation for at least 5 minutes!

Did I mention Collimation?

 

[Space Hopper]

The upgrade looks great. I really like those CF tubes.

I've owned a OO CT10 before (used) but they are expensive to buy new.

Although i'm not an imager i always found my old OO VX12 F4 held its collimation

pretty well with only very minor tweeks needed. 

[Craney]

That Bahtinov mask could double up as a clothes airer   😉

[CedricTheBrave]

9 minutes ago, Space Hopper said:

The upgrade looks great. I really like those CF tubes.

I've owned a OO CT10 before (used) but they are expensive to buy new.

Although i'm not an imager i always found my old OO VX12 F4 held its collimation

pretty well with only very minor tweeks needed. 

Mine would go out quite often even after a meridian flip

[fwm891]

Is that an Orion UK carbon tube upgrade or from somewhere else?

I have a VX10 and am thinking longer term about a carbon tube upgrade....

[CedricTheBrave]

23 minutes ago, fwm891 said:

Is that an Orion UK carbon tube upgrade or from somewhere else?

I have a VX10 and am thinking longer term about a carbon tube upgrade....

It was direct from the guy in Germany who makes them for OOUK and Teleskop-express 

 

http://www.klaushelmi.de/en/

Edited July 9, 2023 by CedricTheBrave

[fwm891]

Many thanks

[The Lapwing]

Wow, I am amazed you had collimation issues. I had the 10 inch version and took it all over the place, once up to Northumberland and back for a week and it held collimation for the duration. Perhaps it’s the additional girth and length. I thought the mirror cell was a work of art. 

[CedricTheBrave]

6 hours ago, The Lapwing said:

Wow, I am amazed you had collimation issues. I had the 10 inch version and took it all over the place, once up to Northumberland and back for a week and it held collimation for the duration. Perhaps it’s the additional girth and length. I thought the mirror cell was a work of art. 

the weight of the mirror i think contributed to the issues.

14inch glass would be twice the weight of a 10inch

[The Lapwing]

1 hour ago, CedricTheBrave said:

the weight of the mirror i think contributed to the issues.

14inch glass would be twice the weight of a 10inch

Yeah, I guess it would be. 

[The Lapwing]

Anyway good job you did there, very nice outfit you have indeed. Nice 👌