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Skywatcher Skyliner 250PX Black Diamond AUTO


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john i'm planning ahead here, did you use any washers under the bolt head to spread the load or is it safe enough against the base surface ?. i cant see any washers in the pics but thought i'd check to be sure

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john i'm planning ahead here, did you use any washers under the bolt head to spread the load or is it safe enough against the base surface ?. i cant see any washers in the pics but thought i'd check to be sure

I didn't put any washers under the nut as the 10mm x 40mm bolts were barely long enough. I would suggest 45mm bolts if you can find them or shorten some 50mm bolts and use some washers. The locking nuts that I used are fairly large in diameter and haven't damaged the surface at all.

John

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I just came across this thread after posting about a fan for a 250px OTA. Is that fan 'customised' or is it something you can buy and fit relatively easily? I would be very grateful if you could possibly give me a bit more info on it???

Many thanks

Adam

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Hi

Any standard 80mm computer case fan will do. The one I used was a fancier aluminium one just because I liked the look of it really. You'll also need an 80mm fan grill and some M4 bolts that go through the fan housing and into the bolt holes already there in the mirror cell. I put some washers in between the fan and the mirror cell so that the air could blow right across the mirror.

You'll need a 12v socket.The wires attached to the fan are more than long enough to reach to the socket. There are normally three wires coming from the fan. Cut off the yellow one and just connect the other two wires to the socket. You won't damage the fan if you connect them the wrong way round so just hold the wires in place to test it. The fan should blow onto the mirror. I had a power lead with a 2.1mm plug so I bought the same size socket.

I drilled a hole in the side of the end ring on the OTA to fit the socket because it's more convenient to have the socket on the side of the OTA than the bottom. Before you drill the mounting hole use masking tape to completely seal up the end of the OTA so no debris can get onto the mirror. Drill a hole the right size for the socket through from the outside. Now the trickier part is to drill a 10mm hole from the inside and about halfway through to give clearance for the body of the socket to fit. The bigger hole will be at a bit of an angle, but that won't be a problem.

John

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John, sorry to bother you again but where did you get the fan from and how do you power it. Steve

eBay was cheapest http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/80mm-x-80mm-x-25mm-Aluminium-Ball-Bearing-Case-Fan_W0QQitemZ260442024958QQcmdZViewItemQQptZComputing_ComputerComponents_Fans_Heatsinks_SR?hash=item3ca38debfe

It runs off 12v so I just use a telescope powertank or battery. Just buy a 12v socket (photo below) of the same size as any power lead that you may already have. Either 2.1mm (Celestron) or 2.5mm (Meade).

John

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John, where did you get the handle from and how did you fix it to the scope? I'm a bit of DIY disaster area, but I think a handle would be useful on my dob.

Hi

The handles came from WDS Ltd and cost about £10.00 each. Great company that does all sorts of bits and pieces that come in handy for astro use and very helpful even if you only buying a few quids worth of bits.

http://www.wdsltd.co.uk/products/Machine-Parts/Handles/WDS-8532-Handle-177/

The hardest part of installing the handles is making sure that you mark where the holes are to be drilled accurately. I put masking tape on the OTA first. The handle near the focuser was easy as a triangle made from a piece of card can be pushed up against the end ring and a straight line drawn on the OTA.

The handle at the other end is a bit trickier. First measure between the mountings on the OTA to get the centre line. Then wrap a large rectangular peice of card around the tube next to the tube mountings and tape in place. Take the card triangle that you used for the other handle and hold it against the edge of the large piece of card and mark a straight line down the tube.

The bolts come with the handles and fasten from the inside of the tube. You'll have to remove the mirror cell form the OTA first.

John

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  • 3 months later...

It's a Revelation crayford from Telescope House, but with the focus knobs from a SkyWatcher Low Profile crayford as available from FLO.

I had installed the SkyWatcher crayford as it was a straight bolt on but found that the Revelation that I had on another scope felt better and it would fit directly onto the SkyWatcher base so I swapped it over. However I liked the SkyWatcher knobs better so swapped them over.

John

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  • 2 months later...

Hi.

I fitted the exact castors mentioned in the posts above on my 250px. Absolutely perfect mod - very easy to do and makes moving the scope about a pleasure.

Nice one!

Alex

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