Accessories for Mak 127.

[tico]

Hello, I just bought a SW Mak 127. It comes with a 1.25" diagonal star, 2 ep., red dot finder. In your opinion, would I need any other essential accessories for this telescope? Thank you. Tico.

[bosun21]

A DEW SHIELD!!

[Ratlet]

5 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

A DEW SHIELD!!

Also going to say a dew shield.  Maybe a dew heater.  Doesn't have to be fancy.

Don't go nuts with eyepieces.  Get it out and give a whirl and try to figure out what it needs.

[Zermelo]

An adjustable seat, if you don't already have one.  It makes a surprising difference to what you can see. It doesn't need to be a "proper" astro version - some people use drummer's stools.

Then just try it out, as @Ratlet says.  At some point, you will probably want to try upgrading the eyepieces. The Skymax is capable of a lot more than the stock EPs will show you.

If you find that you struggle to find objects with only the red dot (because the Mak has quite a narrow field of view - and especially if your local skies aren't very dark), then you might want to invest in an optical finder like this, plus something more capable to replace the red dot - perhaps this or this. 

You don't say if you already have a tripod/mount that you're happy with?

[SwiMatt]

I agree with everything that has been said above. I have the same scope and I love it. The first upgrade I did was to get a better short focal length eyepiece (the 10mm that came with mine was horrible to use with spectacles). Consider that, because of the long focal length, your optics is quite forgiving for eyepieces of "lesser" quality. If you like what you see in the 25mm and 10mm that came with it, stick to them. My 25mm lasted me until last month and I only upgraded it now because I had a chance to get a nice eyepiece for a bit cheaper.

For info, I've had my Skymax 127 for a bit more than a year, I now have upgraded all my eyepieces but the quality of your skies is still the most important factor for good views. My next upgrades will be an optical finder (Right Angle Correct Image, or RACI) to go with the red dot finder to improve star hopping possibilities (I find targets manually with an atlas), and then I will think of buying some really good short focal length eyepiece because I absolutely love lunar views. But remember, many possible updates will depend on what you like to observe (which may well change with time) and your observing habits.

 

[PhilB61]

Not a must have but definitely a nice to have is an electronic focuser. My Mak 127 bought used came with a basic JMI focuser with hand controller, not having to touch the scope when focussing is a real benefit especially if you are mounted on a lightweight mount/tripod, zero shakes or settle time.

[LaurenceT]

2 minutes ago, PhilB61 said:

Not a must have but definitely a nice to have is an electronic focuser. My Mak 127 bought used came with a basic JMI focuser with hand controller, not having to touch the scope when focussing is a real benefit especially if you are mounted on a lightweight mount/tripod, zero shakes or settle time.

Absolutely right, the most appreciated upgrade I made to mine was fitting a Sky watcher electronic focuser.

[Ratlet]

As a budget friendly option for fine focus control I would recommend a clothes peg on the focuser.  

[hal9550]

Perhaps someone who has this could confirm if it takes a SCT 2" Adapter as a Visual Back? I have seen mixed reports - trying to pin this down before i take the plunge

If it doesnt perhaps someone could tell me if the BRESSER 5" does allow this?

Thanks so much in advance

[Zermelo]

2 hours ago, hal9550 said:

Perhaps someone who has this could confirm if it takes a SCT 2" Adapter as a Visual Back? I have seen mixed reports - trying to pin this down before i take the plunge

If it doesnt perhaps someone could tell me if the BRESSER 5" does allow this?

Thanks so much in advance

Yes, you can do this, with the possibility that you may notice some vignetting.

You need an adapter ring to mate between the SW Mak thread and the standard SCT.

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/336529-sky-watcher-mak-127-visual-back/#comment-3662339

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/271220-skymax-127-visual-back-upgrade/#comment-2970101

 

Edited Tuesday at 15:27 by Zermelo

[hal9550]

1 hour ago, Zermelo said:

Yes, you can do this, with the possibility that you may notice some vignetting.

You need an adapter ring to mate between the SW Mak thread and the standard SCT.

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/336529-sky-watcher-mak-127-visual-back/#comment-3662339

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/271220-skymax-127-visual-back-upgrade/#comment-2970101

 

I really appreciate that, i guess it relates to my wanting to max out my eyepiece kit - theres a few 2" eyepieces i have which are only a few mm beyond 1.25" size, so if i can gain that, and make use of the Aadded AFOV -  i will surely do it!

[PeterC65]

I've done the 2" visual back conversion for my Skymax 127 and can now use it with a 2" diagonal and Baader Hyperion Aspheric 36mm eyepiece to give me a 1.5° field of view. I don't notice any vignetting and the much increased field of view makes the scope useful for quite wide field objects as well as the more usual narrow field targets at which the scope excels.
 

[Zermelo]

1 hour ago, hal9550 said:

I really appreciate that, i guess it relates to my wanting to max out my eyepiece kit - theres a few 2" eyepieces i have which are only a few mm beyond 1.25" size, so if i can gain that, and make use of the Aadded AFOV -  i will surely do it!

The other benefit is that a 2" diagonal feels more secure with heavier EPs.

[bosun21]

Changing the visual back not only allows you to use 2' eyepieces for a wider fov but also allows better security. The existing supplied visual back comes with the one solitary screw to hold your expensive eyepieces and diagonals. There's also no compression rings to prevent eyepieces and equipment getting marked up with clamping.

[Geoff Lister]

+1 for the dew shield. A cardboard tube-shape with sellotape & velcro works wonders on damp evenings.

I found that replacing the straight-through 6x30 finder with its RACI equivalent made Synscan 2-star alignment much easier, particularly if the alignment star has an altitude greater than 45 degrees.

Geoff

[SwiMatt]

On 24/09/2024 at 19:04, PeterC65 said:

I've done the 2" visual back conversion for my Skymax 127 and can now use it with a 2" diagonal and Baader Hyperion Aspheric 36mm eyepiece to give me a 1.5° field of view. I don't notice any vignetting and the much increased field of view makes the scope useful for quite wide field objects as well as the more usual narrow field targets at which the scope excels.
 

Ooooh I have so many questions. This looks like a super-easy mod that would increase the potential use of the Mak - as someone always strapped for space I'm so curious about this.

Questions:
- Does the stock focuser gets in the way? I'm happy with it and wouldn't want to change the focuser too (too much hassle, and costs).
- I would expect that you're limited in choice of 2" eyepieces that would make sense with this mod, right? After all, the whole is still less than two inches... or am I wrong?
- Does the mod make sense as an upgrade for someone who doesn't own any 2" eyepieces yet, or is it more the kind of mod that makes other gear usable on more telescopes?

[PeterC65]

10 minutes ago, SwiMatt said:

- Does the stock focuser gets in the way? I'm happy with it and wouldn't want to change the focuser too (too much hassle, and costs).

If you mean the standard focusing knob on the back plate of the Skymax 127, then no it's not in the way. Here's a photo ...

I generally use a clothes peg fitted to the focus knob to adjust the focus which is well out of the way of the visual back.

13 minutes ago, SwiMatt said:

- I would expect that you're limited in choice of 2" eyepieces that would make sense with this mod, right? After all, the whole is still less than two inches... or am I wrong?

Yes the hole in the back of the Skymax 127 is less than 2" in diameter but that doesn't stop it from illuminating a 2" eyepiece, there just might be some vignetting with wider field eyepieces. Personally I don't see any with the Baader Hyperion Aspheric 36mm 72 degree eyepiece though.

It's worth mentioning that the Baader Aspheric is a bit rubbish on faster scopes and only works well with the Skymax 127 because it is slow (F11.8).

18 minutes ago, SwiMatt said:

- Does the mod make sense as an upgrade for someone who doesn't own any 2" eyepieces yet, or is it more the kind of mod that makes other gear usable on more telescopes?

I think it makes sense, and if fact I made the mod to my Skymax 127 before I had any 2" gear (eyepieces or diagonals). I did it because it gave me a much stronger visual back connection, and allowed me to use a 2" Baader Clicklock which is solid and easy to adjust.

My 1.25" diagonal is fitted with a 2" nosepiece and a 1.25" Baader Clicklock so it does the conversion from 2" to 1.25" which I need for most of my (1.25") eyepieces. I use the same setup on my refractor which has a 2" focuser (most refractors do).

Having done the 2" mod early on, I later purchased a 2" diagonal and the Baader Hyperion Aspheric 36mm to give me a much wider field of view as I'd always felt the Skymax 127 was too narrow field when fitted with 1.25" gear. This has greatly improved the usefulness of the scope I think.

 

[SwiMatt]

42 minutes ago, PeterC65 said:

If you mean the standard focusing knob on the back plate of the Skymax 127, then no it's not in the way. Here's a photo ...

I generally use a clothes peg fitted to the focus knob to adjust the focus which is well out of the way of the visual back.

Yes the hole in the back of the Skymax 127 is less than 2" in diameter but that doesn't stop it from illuminating a 2" eyepiece, there just might be some vignetting with wider field eyepieces. Personally I don't see any with the Baader Hyperion Aspheric 36mm 72 degree eyepiece though.

It's worth mentioning that the Baader Aspheric is a bit rubbish on faster scopes and only works well with the Skymax 127 because it is slow (F11.8).

I think it makes sense, and if fact I made the mod to my Skymax 127 before I had any 2" gear (eyepieces or diagonals). I did it because it gave me a much stronger visual back connection, and allowed me to use a 2" Baader Clicklock which is solid and easy to adjust.

My 1.25" diagonal is fitted with a 2" nosepiece and a 1.25" Baader Clicklock so it does the conversion from 2" to 1.25" which I need for most of my (1.25") eyepieces. I use the same setup on my refractor which has a 2" focuser (most refractors do).

Having done the 2" mod early on, I later purchased a 2" diagonal and the Baader Hyperion Aspheric 36mm to give me a much wider field of view as I'd always felt the Skymax 127 was too narrow field when fitted with 1.25" gear. This has greatly improved the usefulness of the scope I think.

 

Thank you so much for the answer. I think it will end up directly in my list of upgrades! It would be great to be able to use my Mak for wider field views, a dream I did not know I had 😁

[tico]

Thank you. It has already seen its first light, although without the red dot finder installed, I was able to see with the ep. of 25mm WA the asterisk called ET in Cassiopeia, right in the field of vision but it entered, very nice... the eps. and the star diagonal look very plastic and weak... the screwed visual back looks a bit weak to properly hold the standard 1. 25" star diagonal, and this one is very light.. Any ideas to change this? Something more robust? Or if you change to 2", what adapter would be appropriate? Thanks again. Tico.

[Geoff Lister]

10 hours ago, tico said:

the eps. and the star diagonal look very plastic and weak... the screwed visual back looks a bit weak to properly hold the standard 1. 25" star diagonal, and this one is very light.. Any ideas to change this?

I have 2 Skymax 127 setups, one at home, and one on permanent holiday at a friend's house in France. I have not found any structural weaknesses or poor optics retention in the supplied OTA's visual back, diagonal or eyepieces. I tend to start observing with a (1.25") 32mm Plossl eyepiece, then an 8-24mm zoom to find the best magnification, and then a fixed length lens from my collection.

Geoff

[tico]

Hello again, Thanks for all your opinions. If I stayed with the 1.25" option (star diagonal and eyepieces), what options would I have? Since the visual back that comes standard with the Mak is very weak... is there a more robust accessory or piece that provides greater stability to the back of the telescope? Thanks again. Tico

[Geoff Lister]

26 minutes ago, tico said:

Since the visual back that comes standard with the Mak is very weak... is there a more robust accessory or piece that provides greater stability to the back of the telescope?

It is possible that Skywatcher has changed the design of the optical back, and used inferior materials, but I have not found any obvious weakness in my two units. They are over 10 years old. I have used my 127 Maks with my DSLR and binoviewer (fairly heavy and uses 2 extra eyepieces).

Geoff

[tico]

Thank you Geoff!! 

[Johnny81]

39 minutes ago, Geoff Lister said:

It is possible that Skywatcher has changed the design of the optical back, and used inferior materials, but I have not found any obvious weakness in my two units. They are over 10 years old. I have used my 127 Maks with my DSLR and binoviewer (fairly heavy and uses 2 extra eyepieces).

Geoff

This is an interesting point. I've had my 127mm Mak since 2015 and it is pretty sturdy to me. There's always discussions on upgrades especially the diagonal but a straight through vs diagonal use never looked any different to me (talking from a non - 2'' upgrade perspective)...  Are they not called Skymax now? I don't know the difference if any.

[PeterC65]

I don't think the standard rear components of a Skymax 127 are going to snap off, it's just that to many of us they feel a bit inadequate when you have something heavy hanging off a long optical chain, a heavy eyepiece or a binoviewer for example. It's as much to do with the standard diagonal and the poor quality 1.25" clamps (one thumb screw, no compression ring) as anything.

If you feel this way then I'd recommend upgrading to a 2" visual back and just fitting a 2" nosepiece to a 1.25" diagonal, or using a 2" to 1.25" converter with the standard diagonal. I'm not aware of any options for replacing the visual back with a sturdier 1.25" setup, indeed I think it is the 2" arrangement that makes it sturdier.