SW Flextube Auto Dob - tube swap?

[A McEwan]

Hi all,

I was just 'reflecting' (ha!) on various options in the 10" Newtonian market. For roughly the same sort of money I could buy a 10" f5 Skywatcher Flextube Auto Dob with all the bells and whistles of built-in tracking and a decent optical system, though at f5, OR...

An Orion UK VX10L 10" f6.3 OTA with 1/6th wave Hilux coated optics and f6.3 optics, which I'd prefer for ease of collimation and enhanced planetary views. BUT, I'd probably upgrade the optics to 1/8th wave which would add on £65, so it comes out a "little" more pricey than the SW option.

But the thing is, in an ideal world I'd have the Orion tube on the SW driven Dob base!

Has anyone tried swapping a different tube assembly into their SW Auto Dob base yet? Was it successful? Have you heard any stories of such a thing?

Not having looked at a SW Auto base in person I don't know how the connection is made between tube and controllers, but I'm assuming it is the trunnions that are actually controlled by the handset, and the computer wouldn't know what was stuck inside the trunnions, so long as it was balanced?

Any thoughts gratefully received...

Ant

[Moonshane]

I think I am correct that for visual anyway, you could possibly get away with the (relatively light) OOUK 10" tube on your GP mount? Others might be able to confirm or otherwise.

I can see no reason why you couldn't make the swap of tubes, it's just a matter of drilling holes in the right place for the alt bearings I suppose.

[A McEwan]

Hmm, possibly, but I really don't like EQ-mounted Newts! Been there, done that, had the therapy.

Ant

[John]

The OO 10" tube has a smaller diameter than the SW equivalent so that would need to be allowed for. Personally I'd move the OO 10" F/4.8 mirror set into a SW tube - SW's mechanicals are at least as good, if not better than OO's, at least at the Europa level.

[spaceboy]

I have noticed that SW goto & tracking dobs only come as truss so I am assuming this is to keep the weight down. Putting a solid tube on the Lazy Susan cradle may cause tracking issues just like putting a heavy OTA on an inadequate EQ mount.

[Hypernova]

I have noticed that SW goto & tracking dobs only come as truss so I am assuming this is to keep the weight down. Putting a solid tube on the Lazy Susan cradle may cause tracking issues just like putting a heavy OTA on an inadequate EQ mount.

The truss is primarily employed to make storage and transport of the tube easier and not to keep the weight down. In fact the truss tube OTAs weigh more than their solid tubed counterparts.

[spaceboy]

The truss is primarily employed to make storage and transport of the tube easier and not to keep the weight down. In fact the truss tube OTAs weigh more than their solid tubed counterparts.

I stand corrected

If this is so I think they should have done a solid tube 12" goto It has been made aware that truss dobs suffer light scatter issues so why not offer the 12" as this is on the boarder of portable as a solid OTA..