Small newtonian focuser option - Orion Starblast 4.5

[doublevodka]

This thing is then bane of many people's lives when it comes to small newtonians, it's the same on many different models of newt around the 4 to 6 inches sizes and in a word, it's sloppy and moves around a lot when focusing.

I tried the usual tweaks of adding tape etc but I still wasn't happy with it so I started digging and found there wasn't really a cheap aftermarket version that could just be bolted on so I dug a little further and came across this helical focuser adapter.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5968601/files?fbclid=IwAR32ukwq8eRQZpgt1Q6lrlz-_6xKy1XnBofN1-r77rtorPpYbghiDPm-iNI

I don't own a 3d printer but know a few guys that do so outsourced the print to one of them, then I needed the focuser itself.

Amazon happened to have them on sale so I picked up one from there, it came with adapters I didn't need, but for a fiver I wasn't complaining! (since gone back up in price) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Svbony-Precision-Telescope-Guidescope-Compression/dp/B07PVJWPPV?ref_=ast_sto_dp

After a long wait for the print to arrive I finally installed it last night

Blackened the important bits with a Sharpie and it works! Now I no longer need to work about the focuser shifting around when collimating 👍 Yet to try it under the stars as the weather is rubbish currently, but I think I'm going to very happy with this and it's a great little ota to start with, have also flocked it and planning to install a primary mirror mask at some point as it appears to have a slightly turned down edge.

Hopefully the info helps someone else with a rubbish focuser in the future 👍

[doublevodka]

Well I finally got to test it last night and it works 👍 focusing is nice and easy and no sloppiness! For anyone who's printing it themselves I'd recommend doing it as high resolution as you can, mine wasn't so it was a little tricky to attached the focuser to the adapter, but I got there eventually