Arctic_Eddie
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/30/07
Posts: 595
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
|
|
A few months ago there was a lively discussion about adding a FR/FF to a 6/8SE. Several ideas came up including Ray's Bracket, Ron's Rail, and my version of the rail. Recently, I came up with a mounting block to attach directly to a 6SE so that the 13" Orion rail could be used. Here is a series of posts that show the blocks, rail, and mounting hardware. All of the original hardware should be removed from the scope tube. Below is the first photo showing the new blocks, rail, and screws. A set of screws has been put into the scope temporarily to show their position. The blocks are made from 6061-T6 aluminum. Their mounting screws are M4-0.7x16mm flat head socket. These protrude through the scope wall slightly but do not interfere with the mirror movement. The next shorter size is 12mm which I feel doesn't engage enough threads to be reliable. The Orion rail is attached with a pair of 1/4"-20x3/4" flat head socket screws. All screws are stainless steel and in the US can be obtained from Ace Hardware.
--------------------
The shortest distance between one point is an infinitely small circle.
73's de KF4JU
|
Arctic_Eddie
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/30/07
Posts: 595
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
|
|
This photo shows the blocks attached with four M4 screws. Do not over tighten as the threads in the body can be stripped out. A very slight amount of silicon grease will help in their removal years later. After mounting the blocks carefully measure the distance between the two 1/4" mounting holes. Each scope is slightly different which is why the original scope rail is slotted on the front end. The hole at the end of the Orion rail needs to be enlarged to 1/4" clearance and countersunk. The new hole needs to be accurately positioned, bored, and countersunk.
--------------------
The shortest distance between one point is an infinitely small circle.
73's de KF4JU
|
Arctic_Eddie
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/30/07
Posts: 595
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
|
|
This photo shows the complete assembly. Notice the extra rail to the rear of the scope. It provides plenty of length for heavy accessories requiring extra clearance. The end of the rail does not interfere with any viewing activity.
--------------------
The shortest distance between one point is an infinitely small circle.
73's de KF4JU
|
Arctic_Eddie
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/30/07
Posts: 595
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
|
|
This photo shows the completed project. The FR/FF is the Celestron F/6.3, the diagonal is the Celestron 2" XLT, and the eyepiece is an Agena 2" SWA 26mm. I have an Autocad drawing for the blocks but it needs to be worked over before posting. I'll work on it tomorrow and add to this thread.
Hope this is useful to fellow Nexers.
--------------------
The shortest distance between one point is an infinitely small circle.
73's de KF4JU
|
ibase
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/20/08
Posts: 1531
Loc: Manila, Philippines 121*E 14*N
|
|
Eddie, congrats, great work! 
Surely, this new improved design will be useful to other 6SE owners. Thanks for sharing. Clear skies.
Best,
--------------------
Hernando
Nexstar 8/CG-5 ASGT; WO Megrez 102ED SV; Antares 6" 1529; WO ZS66SD; Orion ST80
TV Naglers 5T6, 9T1, 12T2; Panoptic27; Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom,21mm; WO 7.5-22.5mm;
BO/TMB 2.5/3.2/4/6mm;UO HD 5;BGO 6;Meade-RGO 7;UO-V 9/12.5;Brandon 16mm;Ultima18
TV 2x,3x barlow&8/11/15/20/32plossl; Aspheric31;Siebert36-OB;Paragon40;Meade56Smoothie
C-f/6.3FR;OIII,UHC,SkyGlow,U-block,8"S-flter;GLP/Telrad/MRF/9x50RACI; NexImge;Canon RebelXS
|
Peter9
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/30/08
Posts: 801
Loc: Yorkshire - Born & Bred
|
|
Wonderful solution which will benefit so many owners of the 6se and, with slight modification, the entire se range. I for one have made a note of the thread for future reference. Well done Eddie.
Peter.
--------------------
------------------------------------------------
Some of the pleasure I get from life I owe to Astronomy.
Astronomy does not owe me a thing.
-------------------------------------------------
Nexstar 8se
150mm Helios Newton Reflector EQ 3 G.E.M.
6.3mm 10mm Plossls. Celestron 25mm & 40mm E.Ps. 8mm x 24mm Baader Hyperion Zoom. 2x Barlow. 9x50 R.A.C.I Finderscope. G.L.P and Bracket. Dew Shield. Home made Solar filter. Home made H.C Holder.(Great Asset). Maplin's 12V 17ah Auto Start Unit.
|
Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1177
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
|
|
Neat Eddie, very neat
Art
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
|
Arctic_Eddie
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/30/07
Posts: 595
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
|
|
Well folks, I spent the entire afternoon relearning AutoCad after 15 years of idle time. Here's the drawing of the mounting block. Some dimensions may seem to be missing but remember the two views are symmetric about a centered vertical line. The spacing/size of something on one side is the same as the other. The description of the M4 holes is misspelled. The M4 screw holes are clearance and countersunk. The CC should have been CS.
All dimensions are in inches. The reference to the M4 screw clearance and countersink are 0.160" and 0.320" respectively.
Enjoy
--------------------
The shortest distance between one point is an infinitely small circle.
73's de KF4JU
Edited by Arctic_Eddie (05/26/09 06:38 AM)
|
Midnight Dan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/23/08
Posts: 2737
Loc: Brockport, NY
|
|
Nice job, Eddie!
Did you have those blocks specially machined? Or did you find some kind of aluminum extrusion that you could cut a couple of pieces off of?
-Dan
--------------------
Scopes: Celestron NexStar 8SE, Orion EON 72mm ED/APO, Orion ShortTube 80
Mounts: NexStar Alt/Az GoTo, Orion Astroview (EQ3) w/single axis drive
Eyepieces: Baader Hyperion 36mm (Aspheric), 21mm 13mm, 8mm, 5mm;
Other: 2x & 3x Barlow, 0.63x Focal Reducer, Dew-not strips, DewBuster controller, SQM Meter
|
Arctic_Eddie
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/30/07
Posts: 595
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
|
|
The two blocks were machined from a single piece of bar stock. One dimension was correct so it was just a matter of splitting it into two chunks and squaring them up. A fellow retiree is a master machinist and he owes me for keeping his computer running. Nice trade. I used to have a mill and lathe but started selling stuff off after retiring due to lack of use.
--------------------
The shortest distance between one point is an infinitely small circle.
73's de KF4JU
|
rick rian
The Lockster
Reged: 08/03/04
Posts: 21159
Loc: Upper Midwest
|
|
Very nice solution, Eddie! 
Thanks for sharing.
--------------------
Rickster
NexStar 8i
TV85
Canon 15x50is Bins
Quondo omni flunkus mortati
|
coutleef
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/21/08
Posts: 1706
Loc: Montréal and Saint-Donat, Québ...
|
|
Nice solution Eddie,
i hope somebody from Celestron reads these posts as they are good suggestions to improve their scopes.
If they do not do it, we will!!
--------------------
François
Scopes: Nexstar 8 SE with Ron's rail and Denk S1 Powerswitch. EPs list is on my Bio.
|
RAKing
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/28/07
Posts: 2071
Loc: West of the D.C. Nebula
|
|
Eddie,
That is the best, most elegant solution to our problem. I drafted up a couple of blocks that were similar to yours, but don't have access to the necessary equipment any more.
Thanks for proving the concept.
Ron
--------------------
Time spent looking at the stars is added to your life.
|
Bob Griffiths
Postmaster
Reged: 10/10/05
Posts: 6556
Loc: Frederick Maryland
|
|
The diagram should be put in the Stickey section of this forum... so it can be easily referenced...
Would the same dimensions work on an 8SE ??? or even on the 8i
Bob G.
--------------------
CPC1100
Nexstar 8i + GPS & Rays Brackets
Denk S1 power switch
Orion 100 mm Refractor
Meade LXD 55 ...AR-5 127 mm Refractor
Exploradome Observatory S.I.E. (Smiling Irish Eyes)
Gerbring Heated Motorcycle clothing in the winter
39*21'03" N
77*28'12" W
The sky over my head....
|
Arctic_Eddie
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/30/07
Posts: 595
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
|
|
I think one of the moderators would have to declare it a sticky. The entire thread should stay together due to the sequential assembly photos. I found it hard to get good photos with a file size limit of 105K. Shiny aluminum and black parts are a bad combo to photograph. My original photos at about 1MB were ok but the posted versions suffered.
The blocks should work on the 8 provided the mounting screw spacing is 0.875". I don't have access to those models so someone else will have to do the measurements. It might also work on the 5SE. The protruding part of the oval head end bell screws might hit the underside of the block but they can be replaced with flat heads. I had that problem on mine which caused a redesign of the blocks for additional clearance.
--------------------
The shortest distance between one point is an infinitely small circle.
73's de KF4JU
|
Russ S.
member
Reged: 12/16/08
Posts: 61
Loc: Low Country, SC
|
|
So Eddie, any plans to start manufacturing and marketing the blocks? I'd be interested if they worked on my 8i.
--------------------
NexStar 8i SCT
Denk II BV & S2 Diag w/PxS
|
Arthur Dent
Galactic Hitch-Hiker
Reged: 10/23/08
Posts: 1177
Loc: South Yorkshire, UK
|
|
Hi Eddie,
Thanks for sharing.
Quick query (although I'm sure I know the answer)!
All dimensions are in INCHES are they not?
Art
(Here across the pond, we tend to use metric now  )
--------------------
If I like it, the wife says that we can't afford it!
=======================================================
Meade ETX105 (a nice "Grab & Go" scope) & Celestron NexStar 6SE with Bob's Knobs.
Various EP's from 6mm to 26mm, Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom, a 2x Barlow, 2" diagonal and 7Ah PowerTank.
MRF and Antares 8x50 RACI finder scope - both for the 6SE's OTA, whilst the ETX gets a plain RDF.
Canon EOS 400D DSLR (un-modded) and SPC900 webcam. Finally climbing the AP Learning Curve!
|
Arctic_Eddie
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/30/07
Posts: 595
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
|
|
Art, all dimensions are in inches. I'll add a comment to that post.
Russ, no plans on making anymore of the blocks. It's labor intensive on a manual mill. The only feasible way would be to start with a CNC mill, make hundreds of them, and start with 1/2"x2" bar stock.
--------------------
The shortest distance between one point is an infinitely small circle.
73's de KF4JU
|
ibase
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/20/08
Posts: 1531
Loc: Manila, Philippines 121*E 14*N
|
|
Quote:
So Eddie, any plans to start manufacturing and marketing the blocks? I'd be interested if they worked on my 8i.
Russ, these off-the-shelves would work with your 8i:
Dovetail bar:
http://www.amazon.com/Orion-13-Dovetail-Mounting-Plate/dp/B000YPTZU2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1243365696&sr=1-1
Curved blocks:
http://astronomics.com/main/product.asp/catalog_name/Astronomics/category_name/CUHH9F3HKV579LMJ8CC9R6WV80/product_id/VCB8
Used it on my Nexstar 8. Clear skies.
Best,
--------------------
Hernando
Nexstar 8/CG-5 ASGT; WO Megrez 102ED SV; Antares 6" 1529; WO ZS66SD; Orion ST80
TV Naglers 5T6, 9T1, 12T2; Panoptic27; Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom,21mm; WO 7.5-22.5mm;
BO/TMB 2.5/3.2/4/6mm;UO HD 5;BGO 6;Meade-RGO 7;UO-V 9/12.5;Brandon 16mm;Ultima18
TV 2x,3x barlow&8/11/15/20/32plossl; Aspheric31;Siebert36-OB;Paragon40;Meade56Smoothie
C-f/6.3FR;OIII,UHC,SkyGlow,U-block,8"S-flter;GLP/Telrad/MRF/9x50RACI; NexImge;Canon RebelXS
|
Tel
Post Laureate
Reged: 03/31/06
Posts: 3963
Loc: Wallingford England
|
|
Quote:
The diagram should be put in the Stickey section of this forum... so it can be easily referenced...
Would the same dimensions work on an 8SE ??? or even on the 8i
Bob G.
How about also placing (Ron King's) "Ron's Rail" as a "Sticky" here ? It's surely an equally excellent and simplistic solution to the all too common, "base of the mount" clearance problem.
It would be a great shame if this clever idea were to get lost to us, concealed by the day by day ever increasing number of threads.
Best regards
Tel
--------------------
Truth is the cubed root of Verbosity.
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
[Re: 