JKoelman
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/16/11
Loc: Bangalore, India
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Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
#4669281 - 07/01/11 11:07 PM
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Today my Orion binoviewer arrived. Unfortunately, so far I have not been able to put it to any use. I seem to lack in-travel on the focuser in my 6" StarBlast to attain focus. The same problem occurs with my newly purchased Orion ShortTube with 90° correct image diagonal.
Anything I do wrong (I do have the Barlow installed in front of the binoviewer), or am I dealing here simply with incompatible pieces of equipment? Can I install a stronger Barlow? Any other ideas?
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pftarch
sage
Reged: 09/21/07
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: JKoelman]
#4669455 - 07/02/11 02:52 AM
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Several things at several costs)
Most expensive, probably most effective = call Seibert and have them make a custom corrector for you. (I've never used a Seibert product, but they get talked about kindly here.)
Try putting filter bodies or an extension tube between the nose of your bino's and the barlow. (Search for filter and or extension on this forum and you should see alot.)This will probably work on the Starblast, but be careful with the refractor. It will stick far into your diagonal and may do damage.
Try using the "nosepiece" of a 2x barlow instead of the corrector that came with your bino's. That has always allowed me to hit focus, BUT, it results in about a 4X barlow effect which I find too high.
Try scewing your corrector onto the front of the diagonal on your refractor. (I have no idea how well this works or if it will work at all, but it's free.)
You WILL enjoy them once you get past the "I don't have enough infocus" glitch that has happened to many of us here.
Good luck, and search the binoviewer forum for more info. This comes up all the time, and there is probably a low cost solution here just waiting for you.
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JKoelman
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/16/11
Loc: Bangalore, India
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: pftarch]
#4671030 - 07/03/11 12:22 AM
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Many thanks Pftarch. The ShortTube is close to reaching focus at infinity with the binoviewer + corrector. Your suggestion of putting a 2x Barlow in front of the diagonal indeed allows me to reach focus. The view, however, is very narrow. In the meantime Orion has advised me to replace the correct image (Amici roof prism) diagonal with a standard (mirror reversed image) diagonal. This will reduce the light path just enough to reach focus with the binoviewer.
The problem with the StarBlast, however, seems more profound due to a considerable lack of in-travel. Applying the same trick of using a 2x Barlow instead of he corrector supplied, does not help reaching focus (not even close). Tomorrow at day time I will try at what distance I can reach focus. That will hopefully give more insight in the severity of the problem and whether the extension rings might be a viable option.
Thanks again, for your help. I am really keen to use my StarBlast in stereo vision.
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JKoelman
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/16/11
Loc: Bangalore, India
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: JKoelman]
#4671777 - 07/03/11 02:08 PM
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Quote:
Tomorrow at day time I will try at what distance I can reach focus. That will hopefully give more insight in the severity of the problem and whether the extension rings might be a viable option.
This turned out to be an amusing exercise. With the 1.6x corrector inserted in front of the binoviewer, and using 25mm eye pieces, I could reach focus on a tree about 30m (100 ft) away. At that close distance, the focuser had only a few millimeter of in-travel left. The view was impressive. The branches of the tree jumped out of view in a spectacular manner, not only because of the stereo vision, but also due to the narrow depth of focus.
I then removed the corrector and tried to achieve focus again. I had to try objects closer and closer until I reached focus on a citrus tree about 5-6 m (15-18 ft) away. The focuser was fully racked in. I had ended up with an instrument that blurred the distinction between telescopes and microscopes. As the citrus fruits showed up larger in size than in real life, I guess my StarBlast with bare binoviewer is more a microscope than a telescope...
This, I guess, means bad news in terms of finding solutions to the probkem of reaching focus at infinity. I hope to get some suggestions from Orion after the weekend.
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pftarch
sage
Reged: 09/21/07
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: JKoelman]
#4671949 - 07/03/11 04:09 PM
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I wouldn't give up on the extension approach with the starblast just yet. Do you have a bunch of 1.25" filters laying around? Stack em up between the bino and the 1.6 corrector. It took three of them to get my WO binoviewer to reach focus on my Z10 dob. (I took the filter lenses out leaving only the body, but you could try it with the glass in place on something bright to see if you can hit focus before you screw up your filters.)
Again, it's worth a shot.
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JKoelman
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/16/11
Loc: Bangalore, India
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: pftarch]
#4674275 - 07/04/11 08:31 PM
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Thanks. Haven't given up yet! But the problem is: I have only 1 filter in my possession... (a moon filter)
I hope that Orion will be able to tell me how much extra length I need between the binoviewer and the Barlow to reach focus at infinity.
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CONQUEST1
member
Reged: 12/28/09
Loc: Peoria, Arizona
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: JKoelman]
#4693099 - 07/14/11 11:38 PM
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Hello JKoelman, I'm using WO binos with 2 - OPTCORP 25mm (50mm total) extensions p/n E12525 ($9.95ea.) and the 1.6x corrector to give me enough inward travel with my Orion 8 SVP. This should work with your 6" Starblast.
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JKoelman
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/16/11
Loc: Bangalore, India
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: CONQUEST1]
#4703844 - 07/20/11 10:09 PM
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Many thanks Conquest1, I am going to give this a try!
According to the experiments I did, one 25 mm extension in-between the bioviewer and the 1.6x Barlow should be enough.
As an aside: I am highly disappointed in Orion's service. Despite several specific email questions from my side, they never replied with any specific recommendations. I had hoped they would feel more responsible given that it is their own equipment that appears incompatible.
On the positive side: this forum and its members have been very helpful. Thanks!
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JKoelman
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/16/11
Loc: Bangalore, India
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: JKoelman]
#4716846 - 07/28/11 12:05 AM
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The extension rings have arrived, and tonight I tested the set-up (StarBlast6 with binoviewer, 25mm extension rings, and 1.6x Barlow). It works! As expected, one 25mm ring suffices to reach focus at infinity. (Fortunately, I should add, as even with just one ring in between the binoviewer and the Barlow, the Barlow gets dangerously close in sight to the optical path of the primary.)
Pftarch and Conquest, many thanks for your advice, without your help I would not have reached this solution.
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archer1960
sage
Reged: 07/26/11
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: JKoelman]
#4731559 - 08/05/11 11:53 AM
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Sounds like you have a terrific Macro lens, with lots of stand-off distance!
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stargazerfrank
super member
Reged: 07/09/06
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: archer1960]
#5404885 - 09/05/12 01:19 PM
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I've got a Orion binoviewer and a {Starblast 6i like new 225.00} bought it on criaglist a few weeks ago. I can't reach focus with the bino even with the barlow screwed in there's not enough intravel. I need a little more space between the barlow and the viewer but I did take a Celestron orange filter and took the glass out it gave almost 8mm extension but even doing that there just not enough in travel except when I unscrewed the corrector and the chrome nose piece out a little and then it would reach focus. I need about 10mm extension 25mm is way to much. I hope I can find a right size spacer I'd like to use my filter back like it was. Anybody know where I could find 10mm extension?
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orion61
Vendor(Clear Edge Optical)
Reged: 10/20/07
Loc: NW Iowa BURRRR
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: stargazerfrank]
#5418877 - 09/13/12 10:23 AM
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You need to put a barlow on the binoviewer that will resolve the issue.
I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned it.
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stargazerfrank
super member
Reged: 07/09/06
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: orion61]
#5420067 - 09/13/12 10:07 PM
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like I said I aready did that. The bino comes with one. I also used a shorty barlow still wouldn't reach focus.
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pftarch
sage
Reged: 09/21/07
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: stargazerfrank]
#5421705 - 09/14/12 10:40 PM
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Owl Astronomy sells a 4 color filter set for $24.95.
http://www.owlastronomy.com/colorfilt.htm
My guess is they are about 4-5 mm each (I don't own that set, so I am guessing.) Buy the set, take out the retaining rings and remove the glass, and you will have the ability to go 4, 8, 12, and 16 mm.
I had to use three filter bodies with my 1.6 corrector.
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stargazerfrank
super member
Reged: 07/09/06
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: pftarch]
#5424269 - 09/16/12 07:32 PM
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Using my Starblast 6 last night I've done some more experimenting with using filters as spacers between the Orion bino barlow and the viewer.
The 2 glassless filters I'm using are each about 7.5mm which two together is 15mm using the two together is more than what is needed it works but it causes the bottom of the focuser tube to cross into the light path about .25" looking at Jupiter infocus I pulled out the bino and just looked into fucuser tube and could see the reflection of the primary and focuser bottom clipping into the light path.
From the way it looks now I'll probably just have a 10mm spacer made at the local machine shop using part of a old meade barlow tube that i don't use anymore.
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ariesangel
newbie
Reged: 04/11/11
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: stargazerfrank]
#5443686 - 09/27/12 03:08 PM
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Use a longer Barlow that will work, shorty is too short.
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stargazerfrank
super member
Reged: 07/09/06
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Re: Orion binoviewer - focusing problems
[Re: ariesangel]
#5444161 - 09/27/12 08:32 PM
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looking at the Moon I just tried my old Meade 140 apo barlow it will focus with that barlow but using it the focuser tube blocks some light.For now I'm using 3 glassless filters stacked which gives me close to 23mm of spacing between the orion barlow that comes with the binoviewer and it blocks no light that way and works great with orion 20mm plossls that came with the binoviewer note this is with my Starblast 6.
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