Can someone please help sw mak127 goto not focusing

[Ollienttm]

Just been outside with the mother-in-law to help her with her new telescope the SW Mak127 with goto (I think) we've got it out to have a look at the moon and all it is is a white blob. The focuser makes it's a big white blob one way and then turned the other way makes it a little white ball that looks like a scrunched up piece of paper. We know it wasn't like this when she got it because we've had it out before but now we've come to use it again we can't seen anything all we get is black of the sky and white of the moon, no detail.

[Dave S]

Which eyepiece are you using. On the eyepiece the will be a number such as 12mm.

Dave...

[Cornelius Varley]

Try rotating the focuser knob fully anti-clockwise and then slowly start winding the knobs clockwise, carefully watching the image in the eyepiece. Maks have a large focuser travel so it may take several turns of the knob to bring the eyepiece into focus. My Skymax 90 takes 24 turns of the focuser knob from one end of the travel to the other, but it can be quite easy to go passed focus if the knob is rotated too quickly.

Peter

[Ollienttm]

We tried a 10ml and a 12ml omni ep. I turned the focuser all the way left and all the way right quite painstakingly a few times lol. We have looked at the moon before with the 10ml and it looked nothing like that I did suggest using her 25ml but her b/f has lost it

The major concern for me is this, since talking I now know that her b/f "threw it in the wardrobe" although I doubt literally but it was left in there for a while before being brought downstairs where it appears the grandkids have had the lenes cap off and been messing with it as there was grease all over the glass I am also informed she took it out solo last week and had no joy in seeing the moon then and she may of slammed it down on the floor in fustration. Not the tube but with it being on the tripod. Her b/f has also lost the tray that steadies the legs.

I have let her know this is not how to look after a telescope you paid £400 for and she knows but its happened now and I just want to help her fix it. Could a knock have caused something to move? Looks ok when you shine a light down the tube but nothing in the ep not even stars in the night sky

[Mikea]

Are you sure that the eyepiece is being fitted correctly - fully into the focuser? I don't have a Mak, but I wouldn't imagine they would like being knocked too much.

[Ollienttm]

Yes I am, I have had a couple of smaller ap scopes and have also used this one before when we tried to do the 2 star alignment to no avail months ago when she bought it. She hasnt touched it since until last week and now I find all this out I could blumming scream and how badly its been looked after I know for a fact the EP is in properly, and in the 10ml and 12ml I have seen really nice detail on the moon and star like dots in the EP when scanning the sky looking to align even when I cant find the star I want

I think I will have to go around in the daytime now which is very difficult being a lorry driver, and see if I can make more of it.

[Mikea]

Good idea! You might be able to figure out what's happening by trying to focus on something terrestrial. Good luck!

[Cornelius Varley]

I am thinking that the telescope has been knocked out of collimation with all that jarring. Maks are not the easiest telescope to recollimate, but keep their collimation well if properly looked after. The instruction manual that came with the telescope shows how to recollimate it. Instructions on collimating a Maksutov Cassegrain, this telescope is the same as yours and shows how to check the collimation of the telescope and how to readjust it.

Peter