Hello and help please! eq2 mount/skymax 102

[john d]

I'm sure a lot of you a familiar with these telescopes, especially the 127. Mine is 102, bought 2nd-hand last Saturday.

My problem:

Unlike the reflectors/refractors in this range the tube isn't mounted by rings, it's mounted with a screwthread type assembly.

Irrespective of how tightly I screw the thing the scope is free to swivel on the mount. :/

Looking at the manual I cannot see any other way in which to attach the scope on to the mount, so I don't think I'm doing anything incorrect!

Confused.

[Dave S]

Hi John

You don't say which part you are tightening but I have the same scope but on a different mount and this scope takes a standard dovetail bar.

Which bit is swivelling? is it the scope attachment or is it one of the axes?

I bought a second hand EQ3 mount only to discover that a previous owner had forced it round without loosening it off first. The result was stripped teeth on the gears so it wouldn't lock and turn with the worm drive it just wobbled around.

Dave...

[john d]

Hello Dave.

The scope is functionally perfect afaik.

The whole scope, new, comes with this adapter:

Antares EQ2 Adaptor Plate | Telescope Accessories | Rother Valley Optics

It is this that secures (or rather, doesn't secure) the scope to the eq2. According to the manual it is the design for all of the maksutovs. the others used typical rings.

As you can see it's a fitting like you'd have for a camera.

Unsuprisingly, a much heavier scope just moves quite freely against it - even when at maximum finger tightness.

[Glider]

Ahhhh, have you screwed this Antares adaptor into the shoe on the optical tube assembly?

If you have then the dovetailed shoe itself should fit direct into the slot on the mount head.

[john d]

Thanks,

I'm not sure what you mean by 'shoe' but I think you mean the black base secured to the tube by two screws. It has a screw thread that is where the adapter fits into. It is a smooth plastic surface otherwise.

No dovetails.

That is why the Antares adapter (topped with a cork surface) slides freely against it.

: /

[Dave S]

Hmm

This is not as it seems.

The 102 with EQ2 does indeed have a strange connecting method. Check out the extract from the manual.

John. Are you sure the adapter you have is the original?

or it could be you've not been supplied with the wench (no I didn't misstype check the spelling in the image).

Dave...

[Worzsel]

You definitely need a better wench

Other than that I have no advice.

[Dave S]

You definitely need a better wench

Yup. I could do with a better wench

If we don't find a solution by then I'm going up to Rother Valley Optics on thursday. I'll have a chat with them.

Dave...

[john d]

Hi.

(lol @ the 'wench' typo.)

The adapter secures to the eq2 really well. I have the wrench and finger tightness is plenty good enough.

It's the connection between the adapter and the scope.

I'm linking to a couple of photos on my flickr account, becaue I think I'm now confusing people oher than myself; I began this confused!

S73R1614 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

S73R1611 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Oh, I have all the manuals too.

[Dave S]

Hi john.

Don't worry, you're not confusing me. I just hadn't seen this way of attaching a scope for a while.

Does the thumb wheel appear to tighten correctly. If it does then we can rule out a stripped thread in the scope mounting block (shoe). Also from your photo the cork on the adapter doesn't look like its worn smooth.

I have come across this problem with cameras with the same method of attachment in the past. The screw tightens but there is not enough friction to hold it secure. a method I have used to get around that was to glue a rectangle of pond liner rubber onto the shoe with the rough side up. This gives the cork a bit more grip. Ideally if you have a telescope shop somewhere close they may be able to suggest something we've not thought of.

[john d]

Thanks.

I think I figured it out. The thread that screws into the shoe is fractionally too long; meaning it fails to get the purchase needed between the two surfaces when maximally tightened.

I've crudely shped a piece of thick, roughened card between the two and while that helps, there's still some slippage.

Your idea for a pond liner is a much cleverer one. Would you attach it to the shoe? That seems to be the 'slippiest' of the surfaces.

[Dave S]

Ah. Sounds like the adapter isn't the original. Being too long would explain the problem. If a bit of thickness is required you could glue a piece of cork matting to the shoe instead of pond liner. Should be able to get it from a craft shop or even an old coffee mat.

Glad to hear it wasn't a design flaw with the scope. At least now you can experiment with a fix.

Dave...

[john d]

Yes, thanks for the help.

You know, I feel sure it is the original kit; all of it.

My mate bought it five years ago from Sherwoods-Photo(I use them for my bins.). He used to complain idly that he'd used it twice and found everything was so light-polluted and invisible to him that he got bored, boxed it all back up and put it in the attic!

I picked it up from him last weekend and it was like a 2005 time capsule.

Everything mint, receipts, unopened copies of SkyatNight Mag! What I think is that this scope has been refined since that particular model.

Unless the wrong adapter was included in the box then I know for a fact he's bought nothing for it since.

[Dave S]

Hi John.

You could well be right about the model being refined in later versions.

At least we know what the issue is and you can monkey around to find a fix that works for your kit.

Let us know how you get on and what you do as the info will be useful for others to read about.

Dave...

[jgs001]

There is another option... I'm not sure, and it'd be worth checking with the provider of the kit, but... the short SW dovetail bar, is I believe designed to fit on the eq1 and eq2 mount heads... then you get a pair of tube rings to fit the Skymax 102 and you have a 2 point securing setup. I use tube rings on my Skymax 102, I've removed the foot and duck taped the holes.

[john d]

There is another option... I'm not sure, and it'd be worth checking with the provider of the kit, but... the short SW dovetail bar, is I believe designed to fit on the eq1 and eq2 mount heads... then you get a pair of tube rings to fit the Skymax 102 and you have a 2 point securing setup. I use tube rings on my Skymax 102, I've removed the foot and duck taped the holes.

...and I think that's the option I wish to take.

I've managed to make he think 85% secure but I just don't like the design at all. When everything except the maks in this range come with tube rings I don't see the need for the difference?

It looks like a cheap way to treat a relatively expensive scope.

Thanks all.

[Dave S]

This is quite perplexing. I have the Skymax 102 but with the goto mount. Mine has a dovetail bar directly fixed, no need for rings (or tape). I totally agree that this seems a cheap way to treat such a good scope.

Dave...