habsburg8
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/07/05
Posts: 801
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A photograph of my R61-D, serial number 610001, sitting on its equatorial mounting with matching adjustable wooden tripod. The type of wood used in the tripod legs looks like Ash, forming an attractive combination with the gray enamel on the mounting just above.
Attached to the front part of the long optical tube is Royal's camera bracket, an accessory that was advertised along with the main scope in their catalogs. It consists of two thin pieces of felt-lined hinged metal, similar to the construction of the flimsy cradle rings used on the larger Sears 90mm imported refractors.
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woodsman
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/12/08
Posts: 1069
Loc: Colorado Springs, CO
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Really nice photo John. Looks great!
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artisticwoods
C-14 Orange Tube, C-8, C-5, C-90 Astro Model, C8 Schmidt Camera 8" f1.5, C5.5 Schmidt Camera f1.65, SPI 42mm f/19 Refractor, Sears 90mm f/15.56 Ref, Sears 80mm f/15 Ref, Swift 77mm f/13 Model 831, Scope 60mm f/11.7, Sears 50mm f/12
Unitron Model 140 75mm/1200mm, Unitron model 128 60mm/900mm
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Happy-Idiot
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/06/06
Posts: 2801
Loc: 3rd Rock
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Quote:
Another Royal Astro telescope, this time a model marketed by Lafayette Radio Electronics as their "Arcturus." This particular instrument was purchased by the previous owner in 1961. (I have the original paperwork for the telescope.)
The serial number is 070723. I would interpret this as follows:
***The first digit in the sequence is the year in which the telescope was manufactured in Japan, or 1960.
***The second two digits, or '70,' are a direct link to the model number displayed in the Royal Astro telescope catalog. This would make it their Model No. R-70.
***The last three digits tell the order in which the telescope came off of the assembly line at the factory. In this case the "Arcturus" was the 723rd scope made that year.
Any other interpretations of the serial number(s)?
Very interesting, you maybe onto something, that would make my Lafayette an R-71.
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Brian
A small scope that gets used often is a better investment than a big scope that stays in the closet.
Unitrons, you spend more time looking at them than you do through them.
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habsburg8
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/07/05
Posts: 801
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Upon further consideration and with input from other knowledgeable members of this group, the current best interpretation of your focuser label is as follows:
***The first digit of '2' represents the exact year in which your telescope was made, in this case 1962.
***The next number in the sequence, or '7,' is the aperture class of the telescope. All of Royal's refractors with an aperture of 76.2mm are identified with this numeral '7.'
***The last four digits indicate the telescope's position in the production run. In your case, the highly collectable Lafayette 'Arcturus' telescope was the 1557th unit made by Royal Astro.
This particular model was labeled H-5 in their catalogues from the early 1960s. An article about Lafayette's 'Arcturus' refractor can be found in THE ROSETTE GAZETTE NEWSLETTER, published monthly by the Rose City Astronomers of Portland, Oregon. To access the article, titled 'Classic Telescopes: Delving into the deep-sky delights of Scorpius with a Lafayette 3-inch refractor,' go to www.rca-omsi.org/ Select 'Newsletter' from the list of activities at left. Then pick the archived June 2008 issue of the club's newsletter.
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habsburg8
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/07/05
Posts: 801
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This particular label is from a Tasco 20T 4 1/4-inch pier-mounted equatorial refractor, purchased by its previous owner sometime in either 1963 or 1964. This is the exact same type of instrument pictured for many years in Tasco's telescope catalog. These early models have an exposed motor drive mechanism, which was later improved and encased in a hard plastic box. The upper saddle assembly also has a slightly different configuration than that found on later models.
From what I have heard and by looking through my instrument with serial number 210006, these early version Tasco 20T refractors are not as good as ones sold in the late '60s and beyond. It is therefore a poorer optical performer than my other Tasco 20T, serial number 910841, and much less so than the smaller R61-D telescope.
*Serial number interpreted as:
2 = date of manufacture or 1962.
100 = aperture of the telescope in millimeters, or 100mm.
06 = position in the production run, or the 6th Royal Astro R-102 model made in that year.
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desertrefugee
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/06/07
Posts: 1212
Loc: Arizona
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Quote:
***The next number in the sequence, or '7,' is the aperture class of the telescope. All of Royal's refractors with an aperture of 76.2mm are identified with this numeral '7.'
I still don't think that's the whole story. I'd be remiss on this discussion if I did not reiterate the two 76.2mm Royal instruments now in Australia, owned by esteemed members of this forum, that bear the number "4" as their second digit.
So, while I do not dispute the typical significance of the digit occupying that position, there is another factor at play here - either in the numbering of the native Royal scopes themselves, or in the regional distribution of the instruments.
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"Illimitable ocean, without bound, Without dimension, where length, breadth, and height, And time, and place are lost." - Milton
-Darrell
Reflectors - 76 to 305mm (f4.7 to f9.2)
Refractors - 50 to 120mm (f5 to f16.7)
Binoculars - 6x15 to 22x100
N. Phoenix, AZ
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mikey cee
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/18/07
Posts: 3508
Loc: bellevue ne.
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Quote:
These early models have an exposed motor drive mechanism, which was later improved and encased in a hard plastic box.
John are you positive about this? My box enclosure is steel. Put a magnet on it. We must strive for accuracy here at every turn you know.   Mike
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7x35 and 10x50 sears tower binocs, 3" f/10 edmunds reflector, 2.4" f/11.7 manon refractor, 6" f/8 jaegers refractor, "The 8 Ball" 8" f/13.3 brandt refractor, 3" f/15.8 sans&streiffe refractor, 3.1" f/15 selsi refractor(towa 339), 2.4" f/15 sears refractor, selsi 30x30mm spyglass, criterion 5-draw 25x45x75x spyglass(1957), 4.25" f/14.8 tasco 20te.
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Jae
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/13/06
Posts: 559
Loc: near Boston
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Mike, I had the same situation with John's interpretation of Towa 339 focusing knobs. He wrote it was plastic in his very informative newsletter but I was convinced it was metal as it felt cold and very solid. It wasn't magnetic so scraped a small tip of my knob and it was aluminum.  I'm with you we must strive for utmost accuracy in this forum 
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Jae
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mikey cee
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/18/07
Posts: 3508
Loc: bellevue ne.
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JAE....My exact feelings that I posted way back about my 80mm Selsi. They were too cold to the touch to be plastic. Mike
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7x35 and 10x50 sears tower binocs, 3" f/10 edmunds reflector, 2.4" f/11.7 manon refractor, 6" f/8 jaegers refractor, "The 8 Ball" 8" f/13.3 brandt refractor, 3" f/15.8 sans&streiffe refractor, 3.1" f/15 selsi refractor(towa 339), 2.4" f/15 sears refractor, selsi 30x30mm spyglass, criterion 5-draw 25x45x75x spyglass(1957), 4.25" f/14.8 tasco 20te.
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Max Lattanzi
sage
Reged: 06/27/07
Posts: 213
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Quote:
A photograph of my R61-D, serial number 610001, sitting on its equatorial mounting with matching adjustable wooden tripod. The type of wood used in the tripod legs looks like Ash, forming an attractive combination with the gray enamel on the mounting just above.
John,
Found another difference apart from the setting circles.
Both my R61 have a different kind of tripod. Yours look like the one used in Sears scopes.
The legs in the early R61 ar not rounded but squared and straight, as you may see from the pix I uploaded.
Just for your info.
Max
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habsburg8
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/07/05
Posts: 801
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Mike:
This post is in response to your request for more information about the outer casing used for the RA motor drive, found on Tasco's 20T 4 1/4-inch Observatory Model. In turns out that we are BOTH RIGHT! Depending on the particular 20T telescope made by Royal Astro Optical Industries Co. Ltd., they chose either a hard plastic or metal RA housing.
The same exact drive unit was also used on the Sears 90mm F/16 refractor and on Optica b/c's 6-inch Newtonian, again both Royal products. As the following sequence of photographs will show, the drive mechanism consists of either molded plastic or steel.
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habsburg8
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/07/05
Posts: 801
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Mike:
This first photograph shows the original drive unit from my Tasco 20T with a serial number of 210006. It is from an early version of Tasco's 4/1/4-inch Observatory model, with a date of manufacture sometime during the early 1960s, possibly in the year 1962 from an examination of the serial number.
Safety conscious Tasco (and possibly at the urging of Underwriter Laboratories) later decided to switch to the enclosed box-like housing. The exposed bundle of wires constituted a shock hazard, plus they were not very visually appealing to potential buyers. A former owner had unsuccessfully attempted to rewire the drive unit.
The black round motor drive, of solid metal construction, is much heavier than those made for the smaller Tasco #15TE 3-inch F/16 Planetary and 7TE-5 2.4-inch F/17 Solarama refractors.
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habsburg8
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/07/05
Posts: 801
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Mike:
In this photograph of my #210006, I have replaced the older RA motor drive having the exposed wires with a safer one from a Sears #6345 (90mm) equatorial refractor. The internal mechanism and dimensions of the Sears RA drive is identical to that used on newer version 20T telescopes, such as the one that you own.
The outside cover with the markings is without question hard plastic; anyone could tell this by just lightly tapping the box or by its feel and look. It should also be noted that the RA mounting hardware and brackets used on both the Sears 90mm and Tasco 20T equatorial mounting heads are the same and interchangeable.
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habsburg8
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/07/05
Posts: 801
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Mike:
This photograph shows my other Tasco #20T refractor, possessing serial number 910841. The telescope was purchased by its previous owner sometime in either 1969 or 1970, and is all original. It came supplied with the box-like motor drive mechanism as shown.
You can instantly tell that the material used for the outer drive casing is hard plastic. Look at those deep gouges on the outside edges and the scratch pattern! Metal simply does not do this. Plus a light tapping showed hard plastic and it was not cool to the touch like the rest of the scope.
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habsburg8
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/07/05
Posts: 801
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Mike:
This photograph shows another Royal Astro product imported and sold by Optica b/c of Oakland, California during the 1960s. In Royal's telescope catalog it had the number LN-6E and was described as a pedestal-mounted 6-inch Newtonian reflector. (It truly does have superb optics, better than my best performing RV-6 Dynascope and Cave Astrola 6-inch Model 'A' Deluxe.) The finish on the mounting head and pedestal base is black crinkle rather than polished enamel.
Again, the motor drive unit is identical to that found on Royal's R-102, sold by Tasco as their #20T Observatory Model. However, the bracket for attaching it to the refractor's mounting is slightly different.
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habsburg8
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/07/05
Posts: 801
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I forgot to mention that the RA motor drive box or casing on the LN-6E mounting head shown in the previous picture is also made out of hard plastic. So far, this plastic material is winning out over metal.
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habsburg8
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/07/05
Posts: 801
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Mike:
BINGO! This detailed shot of an equatorial mounting head from one of my Sears 90mm refractors definitely shows a motor drive casing made out of steel. (The post cap and latitude adjustment is from my other LN-6E scope, placed on this mounting so that I could attach it to a pier. However, the drive unit has not been switched out and is totally original as received from the factory.)
In this case, ANYONE could tell that this is metal and not plastic. It is simply cold, hard steel! Why Royal Astro used hard plastic cases on some of their scopes and not on others totally escapes me. Just another quirk of that famous Japanese telescope making company!!!
Mike, I think that you beat the odds and got lucky in your telescope purchase, having a Tasco 20T with a metal RA outercasing. I actually highly prefer those over the cheaper plastic versions.
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woodsman
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/12/08
Posts: 1069
Loc: Colorado Springs, CO
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John,
My motor casing on the Sears 90mm I have is hot hard plastic. The number on mine is 990141, so they must have mixed and matched? Some had metal and some had plastic. Interesting thread.
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artisticwoods
C-14 Orange Tube, C-8, C-5, C-90 Astro Model, C8 Schmidt Camera 8" f1.5, C5.5 Schmidt Camera f1.65, SPI 42mm f/19 Refractor, Sears 90mm f/15.56 Ref, Sears 80mm f/15 Ref, Swift 77mm f/13 Model 831, Scope 60mm f/11.7, Sears 50mm f/12
Unitron Model 140 75mm/1200mm, Unitron model 128 60mm/900mm
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rfic1
member
Reged: 10/25/05
Posts: 95
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The drive casing on my 90mm Sears is also plastic.
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woodsman
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/12/08
Posts: 1069
Loc: Colorado Springs, CO
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Quote:
The drive casing on my 90mm Sears is also plastic.
Have you ever posted photos of your Sears, and if not, could you? Also, are you on John's list of 90mm owners?
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artisticwoods
C-14 Orange Tube, C-8, C-5, C-90 Astro Model, C8 Schmidt Camera 8" f1.5, C5.5 Schmidt Camera f1.65, SPI 42mm f/19 Refractor, Sears 90mm f/15.56 Ref, Sears 80mm f/15 Ref, Swift 77mm f/13 Model 831, Scope 60mm f/11.7, Sears 50mm f/12
Unitron Model 140 75mm/1200mm, Unitron model 128 60mm/900mm
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