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Interesting ultralight 12" from Explore Scientific

Started by Cathal , Feb 01 2014 11:52 PM

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68 replies to this topic

#1 Cathal

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Posted 01 February 2014 - 11:52 PM

Explore Scientific Ultralight Dobsonian

This looks interesting, and a reasonable price for what it is. A 12" f5 mirror and collapsible truss construction with aluminium casing and tool-free setup. The UTA stores inside the mirror box, and the ground board forms the top of the box.

Looks interesting at about €920 euros or so delivered within the EU.

Thoughts?

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#2 Chaz659

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 12:04 AM

That is a very attractive design. I'll be watching for reviews.

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#3 Gilbert D

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 01:19 AM

It says there will be TWO cases and trusses.
One is the mirror box.
Another one is the rocker box+UTA.

I've been looking for a low price portable 12". This may be it. Thanks for the info.

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#4 acochran

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 01:56 AM

Interesting secondary adjustment knobs.
Andy

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#5 Astrojensen

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 03:55 AM

Explore Scientific Ultralight Dobsonian

Someone has been paying attention to what observers have been saying for years, it seems. This scope has (at least from what I can tell now) everything we criticized the other commercially available dobs for not having: Collimation from the front, so you don't have to be on your knees in the dirt. Boundary layer fans, for better performance. Large altitude bearings. Real Teflon. An UTA light shield that actually covers an area large enough that it will work with modern wide-field eyepiece designs. A very solid secondary mirror support. No tools collimation. The whole scope collapses into two small boxes, plus truss tubes.

I am almost salivating at the moment, especially given the ultra low price. I *must* have one! It's too attractive to ignore! Heck, it even has features many premium-priced dobs don't have, yet it cost the same as the 12" Meade Lightbridge!

They deserve to sell thousands of these.

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

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#6 Fireball

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 04:14 AM

If they come out with bigger ones than 12" I would definitely buy it.
Still hoping for 20" (or maybe 18").

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#7 Astrojensen

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 04:55 AM

A 12" is such an incredibly nice size! My 12" Lightbridge taught me that very quickly. Big enough to show tons of details (even with a worse than poor mirror), yet small enough to not be unmanageable.

But if they could pull off an 18" - 20" of the same design for, say, less than $3000, that would surely turn quite a few heads in their direction. I know I would be extremely interested.

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

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#8 nicknacknock

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 07:16 AM

At 29.8 kilos it ain't exactly ultralight, but still a fine addition to the available offerings especially at the price offered.

Interesting secondary assembly though. Would really like to know how it works out for ease of collimation.

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#9 nirvanix

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 08:13 AM

Someone listened, that's good. So happy to see the end of pressboard. Of course I'm wondering who makes the mirror? GSO, Synta or Hubble? :question:

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#10 Jon Isaacs

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 08:24 AM

At 29.8 kilos it ain't exactly ultralight, but still a fine addition to the available offerings especially at the price offered.

Interesting secondary assembly though. Would really like to know how it works out for ease of collimation.

Good catch. 30 kgs is not an Ultra-light for a 12 inch. There are some interest departures from normal design, it will be interesting to see how they work.

In any event, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. Questions that come to mind. I see a red dot finder.. how will the scope balance with a Telrad, a magnifying finder, a coma corrector, heavy eyepiece plus a shroud?

The trusses and upper cage don't inspire confidence as to the stiffness. I wonder if the focuser position can be changed, some people like horizontal focusers and they are a necessity in a large scope (ladder) but in a 12 inch f/5, it makes viewing at low elevations awkward even with a top notch chair.

Always the skeptic...

Jon

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#11 nicknacknock

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 08:26 AM

Jon, mine is a 12" f4 solid tube and I observe seated. Getting that observing chair proved to be a great investment...

So, someone needs to test this thing. Any takers???

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#12 Pinbout

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 08:54 AM

they had the prototype at NEAF two years ago.

I wouldn't call it an ultralight as others call ultralight like obessions 18uc. but it is probably light weight.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=SxvRioCx3n0

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#13 Astrojensen

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 09:58 AM

how will the scope balance with a Telrad, a magnifying finder, a coma corrector, heavy eyepiece plus a shroud?

Probably no worse and likely much better, because of the large altitude bearings, than the Meade Lightbridges, which also comes with a red dot finder and seems to be balanced for that plus a medium-heavy eyepiece. A 7x50 finderscope plus a 30mm ES82 puts my 12" Meade in a lot of trouble.

The trusses and upper cage don't inspire confidence as to the stiffness. I wonder if the focuser position can be changed, some people like horizontal focusers and they are a necessity in a large scope (ladder) but in a 12 inch f/5, it makes viewing at low elevations awkward even with a top notch chair.

I'm no engineer, but the UTA looks fine to me and not radically different than so many others I've seen. The focuser angle is something I've noticed myself, but it doesn't look like it would be a difficult fix, if you wanted to change it.

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

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#14 Pinbout

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 10:08 AM

Im more interested in the spider/2ndry holder.

The truss ends are asymmetrical.

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#15 Astrojensen

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 10:38 AM

From what I can see, the secondary holder is brilliantly well made. It is impossible for the secondary to rotate under its own weight, for example, and the spiders are wide and are bolted together with the collimation system, which should make for near bomb-proof secondary collimation in the field.

I very much want one. It seems to elegantly adress all the (mostly minor) issues I had with my Lightbridge, without introducing new ones. I just can't afford one at the moment.

Should I set up a crowdfunding page? Goal: $500. I then buy one and review the heck out of it. :grin:

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

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#16 backwoody

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 11:17 AM

And, I'll be very interested in the quality of the optical elements. That could be a deal breaker.

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#17 Achernar

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 11:54 AM

It looks like a very nice, well made and thought out telescope. If the optics are as good as the mechanics appear to be, I would say this one is a winner. I'm very curious to see what sort of reviews it will get.

Taras

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#18 schluterdude

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 12:18 PM

Brilliant! Someone bringing this State side???

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#19 Pinbout

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 12:24 PM

I'd like to get a better view. Kind of reminds me of strock but in the photos the coll bolts look not directly effecting mirror plane.

When I moved the one at NEAF it was too freely moving all on roller bearings on alt and ax planes no dampening.

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#20 Mike B

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 04:50 PM

I wouldn't call it an ultralight as others call ultralight like Obsession's 18uc. but it is probably light weight.

Agreed. Looking at Ob's website, their UC-15 is THE same weight as this 12"... ~65 lbs. So i think the name is a bit of a misnomer. Just like the several instances of 68* EPs being marketed with the term "Ultrawide".

In that the UTA "nests" withing the mirror-box reminds me of my Starsplitter Dob, which also follows this design... and which its competitors remarked actually ADDED to its weight, as it means the mirror-box must be wider/larger than otherwise necessary; look at the Obsession "Classic" design- no "nesting" here! The mirror-box could no-way accommodate the UTA- by design! It's so small, the pole clamps even mount on the EXTERIOR of the box, NOT the inside. So the convenience of "nesting" buys you yet more weight! Hardly a "lightweight" feature.

Yet one more example of the many trade-offs & compromises involved in such pursuits. :lol:

Otherwise, looks like an intriguing scope! I'd be game for an 18-20 inch version.

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#21 Pinbout

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 05:33 PM

But tom clark nested his dobs and his 16 was about the weight of this 12.

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#22 Astrojensen

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 05:43 PM

In that the UTA "nests" withing the mirror-box reminds me of my Starsplitter Dob, which also follows this design... and which its competitors remarked actually ADDED to its weight, as it means the mirror-box must be wider/larger than otherwise necessary;

I'm not sure if you're talking about the Obsession UC or the ES "ultralight", but the UTA of the ES dob nests in the rocker box, not the mirror box. The mirror box of the ES dob is quite small, judging from the photos.

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark

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#23 Mike B

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 05:53 PM

...but the UTA of the ES dob nests in the rocker box, not the mirror box.

Had to look twice myself... the pix can be a bit confusing, as BOTH rocker AND mirror boxes have hand-hold cut-outs, and on the SAME side. But it is, indeed, the rocker-box the UTA "nests" into. My bad.

Yet the "lightweight" point remains, in that the mirror-box is large, with the pole-seats mounted on the IN-side... that's added weight, versus a smaller mirror-box.

But I like the sounds of the "aluminium-sandwich construction"... the "Dew-resistant because of aluminium construction: no deforming press board..." This is a significant selling point! :bow:

Interesting, too, that the altitude trunnions detach & stow with the "nested" UTA. That's new.

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#24 Astrojensen

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Posted 03 February 2014 - 03:58 AM

in that the mirror-box is large, with the pole-seats mounted on the IN-side... that's added weight, versus a smaller mirror-box.

If you look at the mirror box in the zoomed-in view, you'll notice that the mirror sits *quite* tight to the sides of the box, so it's not super-overly-large. My guesstimate is that it's 16" on the outside.

Clear skies!
Thomas, Denmark