broken corrector plate on SCT

[davieradio]

Woops I have just broken the corrector plate on my Orange C8 SCT ,are they worth fixing?

Are the corrector plate and the primary mirror a match pair?

They all have serial numbers etched into the corrector plate

My allen key just fell hit the edge cracked it and broke it in two.

How unlucky can you get.

Davieradio :x

[GordonCopestake]

Ouch! If you contact Celestron tech support they can probably sell you a replacement (maybe via David Hinds, there UK distributor) however i would guess they are excessivly expensive. You might be better off selling your C8 on astro buy/sell for use as a F2 farstar system and buying a new one. Second hand C8's can be had for £400, so this gives you some idea.

[Martin 2]

Thats bad luck, cant offer any advice but hope you get it sorted without breaking the bank.

M2

[GordonCopestake]

Strangly a farstar system has just come up on astro buy/sell for £140. http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=6445

This would convert your broken C8 to a f2 wide field photographic jugernaut! Just a thought.

[radioactive]

sorry to read of your accident on the orangetube I have one my self use it as my main scope I know you must be pretty devasted I have read up on your problem and found they are indeed matched optics so the scope would have to be sent away to get a new corrector lens fitted and matched to the remaining mirror by way of a light beam all very techy stuff

sounds very expensive sorry to say

link here tells you something along the lines of how they achieve these tasks modern day I know the c8 orangetube were all hand figured back in the pre auto assembly line days

http://www.celestron.com/c2/technology_view.php?TechnologyID=2

[davieradio]

Yes That's what I thought, the corretor plate has a serial number eteched into to the glass

I've been told it can be replaced ,but they were only going to replace the corrector plate , I think to do the job properly they need to replace the main mirror as well.

after all it 's job is to correct for sherical aberatins with that and only that mirror.

for somthing that cost me £475 I don't think it will be worth it.

I am insured, Direct line ,new for old does that mean I can get a new C8?

It would have to be motor driven and have two forks like my orange C8

Davirradio

[GordonCopestake]

If you have the reciept then you can phone your insurance company and ask. You might get a nice shiny new Nexstar 8i or CPC which would be nice.

[davieradio]

Yes the nextstar only has one fork(I think) My orange C8 has two and is motor driven, and of course the wedge and the tripoid will not fit a new system anyway so I supose it has to be a CPC

that would be comparible.

That would be nice to dream about.

I understand that Celestron have a new GOTO system as well which is suposed to be dead easy to align, I could add some cash to gend ct a goto.

Ah! well one can dream.

But the way I see it both the primary mirror and corrector plate need to be replaced and matched with a pair that nulls out spherical abberations

Davieradio

[mark RD]

Thats really unlucky, Your not the first to do it though Daz took a chunk out his mirror with a screw driver, Hope you can get it sorted, dreams do come true sometimes. Well I believe in them anyway

RD

[MartinB]

What a bummer! Bob's knobs rule! Your best bet is to talk to David Hinds.

Gordon, you need the corrector plate for the fastar. The Fastar lens replaces the secondary mirror.

[radioactive]

wish you all the luck in the world re getting a replacement scope from off the insurance people check the fine print first to make sure which way to proceed if you get the drift!

if you get a replacement you may still get something for your busted one who knows

[GordonCopestake]

What a bummer! Bob's knobs rule! Your best bet is to talk to David Hinds.

Gordon, you need the corrector plate for the fastar. The Fastar lens replaces the secondary mirror.

Oh, i didn't know that, i thought the farstar replaced the entire corrector plate. Oh well, scrap that idea then!

[davieradio]

The insurrance company insisted I send it to their approved repairers, It came back with a note they can't repair it, So now it is away to David hinds to look at he says that only the corrector plate need to be replaced.

So It may just be viable

but my scope has now been down to englandshire twice!!

I tried to send it by parcelforce the asked if it contained glass .. yes I says. then are you aware that our system uses moving convayer belts and the packages are dropped off the end, and we can offer no insurance ....mmmm forget it ,it is away by Citylink, so watch out for Parcelforce!

[mark RD]

The insurrance company insisted I send it to their approved repairers, It came back with a note they can't repair it, So now it is away to David hinds to look at he says that only the corrector plate need to be replaced.

So It may just be viable

but my scope has now been down to englandshire twice!!

I tried to send it by parcelforce the asked if it contained glass .. yes I says. then are you aware that our system uses moving convayer belts and the packages are dropped off the end, and we can offer no insurance ....mmmm forget it ,it is away by Citylink, so watch out for Parcelforce!

Thats is very true, I had to send a mirror to be recoated once, it went Special delivery and cost me a small furtune

[davieradio]

Latest in the Saga, David Hinds can repair it but cost.... £530 inc shipping and VAT, Is this scope worth it?

A 1970 orange C8 well maybe not, perhaps i could come to deal with the insurance company and put a bit more money to a secondhand scope.

trouble is I really liked the orange C8, but I suppose things have moved on in optics and technology.

Dave

[MartinB]

£530 inc shipping and VAT, Is this scope worth it?

:shock: :shock: Unbelievable. If the primary mirror is in good nick difficult to see why newer scopes should be that much better but it's an awful lot of money to spend on a 36 year old scope. Maybe time to renew with the help of an insurance payout.

[GordonCopestake]

You can buy C8's second hand for £400