4983 replies to this topic

[pierce]

oh, here's the controller.  I've literally never used it.     The N and S buttons do nothing due to lack of a Declination motor, the W button speeds up the RA drive, the E button slows it down or stops it.     The knob for Solar/Siderial/Lunar fine tunes the RA drive speed but the reality is, the difference is very very slight

 

[jgraham]

Yep, LX3. The LX had nothing on the base except a connector for the power cord. All but the late production LX3s had the silvered optics group, though only the secondary was actually silvered. These often deteriorated and needed to be recoated with aluminum. Late production LX3s used the more standard enhanced coatings. My LX3 needed to be recoated and it was worth the effort as the optics are excellent. And yes, the hand controllers from this era were designed to help guide film cameras and not much else. I usually strip that stuff off and just use the R.A. drive. They make excellent star-hoppers.

[jragsdale]

Proper term I guess would be a "Drive Corrector" for the LX3, as it just modifies the AC current frequency to the RA drive motor and gives manual current control to the DEC motor if installed. 

[StarStu302]

Wow! Thanks Folks!  regarding the staining on the corrector, I've now tried lens wipes, warm soap water, Isopropyl Alcohol, then up to Acetone. Still no luck.  Next step vinegar... 

Not looking so good, take a look...

 

The darn mirrors are PERFECT.

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[jragsdale]

Wow! Thanks Folks!  regarding the staining on the corrector, I've now tried lens wipes, warm soap water, Isopropyl Alcohol, then up to Acetone. Still no luck.  Next step vinegar... 

Not looking so good, take a look...

 

The darn mirrors are PERFECT.

Another recommended "product" is saliva. (As recommend by Roland Christen of Astro-Physics), some deposits can be resolved by the enzymes then clean the saliva off with other cleaners afterwards. Just do a test spot.

Edited by jragsdale, 09 November 2024 - 02:43 PM.

[StarStu302]

BTW, thanks Pierce!  Who would have thought I'd get a response from someone showing not only the same scope and drive but showing the box!  Also I wasn't given a tripod or wedge, just what you see.  Thanks for sharing the pics!

[StarStu302]

Another recommended "product" is saliva. (As recommend by Roland Christen of Astro-Physics), some deposits can be resolved by the enzymes then clean the saliva off with other cleaners afterwards. Just do a test spot.

Thanks Jragsdale, Any recommendation for how long I could leave the vinegar or saliva on there?  I tried the vinegar but it didn't seem to have a quick effect so I rinsed it back off with a small stream of water to dilute it off.

[jragsdale]

Thanks Jragsdale, Any recommendation for how long I could leave the vinegar or saliva on there?  I tried the vinegar but it didn't seem to have a quick effect so I rinsed it back off with a small stream of water to dilute it off.

I would try 1 minute, then 5, then 15 on a spot sample to see if it has any effect.

[pierce]

BTW, thanks Pierce!  Who would have thought I'd get a response from someone showing not only the same scope and drive but showing the box!  Also I wasn't given a tripod or wedge, just what you see.  Thanks for sharing the pics!

 

pretty sure these boxes are just generic mid 80s 'foot lockers' and not original.   I modded mine by adding 4 small roller wheels to one end, and putting a handle on the opposite end, so I can stand it on end and roll it on smooth hard surfaces.   they are NOT swivel casters, I tilt it onto two wheels to turn

[deSitter]

I would try 1 minute, then 5, then 15 on a spot sample to see if it has any effect.

A strong oxidizer like high-strength H2O2 might work on mineral deposits.

 

-drl

[pierce]

Wow! Thanks Folks!  regarding the staining on the corrector, I've now tried lens wipes, warm soap water, Isopropyl Alcohol, then up to Acetone. Still no luck.  Next step vinegar... 

Not looking so good, take a look...

 

The darn mirrors are PERFECT.

 

hmm, that might be a badly deteriorated anti-reflection coating.  is it like that on both sides, or just the exterior side ?

 

btw, I hope you marked it with an index, so you can reinstall in the original orientation, that glass corrector plate is NOT planar, it has a very subtle toroidal curve on the inside which is what puts the 'schmidt' into the schmidt-cassegrain, and I believe they were corrected with the primary in place such that if they are rotated to a different alignment, your image quality deteriorates.

[deSitter]

hmm, that might be a badly deteriorated anti-reflection coating.  is it like that on both sides, or just the exterior side ?

 

btw, I hope you marked it with an index, so you can reinstall in the original orientation, that glass corrector plate is NOT planar, it has a very subtle toroidal curve on the inside which is what puts the 'schmidt' into the schmidt-cassegrain, and I believe they were corrected with the primary in place such that if they are rotated to a different alignment, your image quality deteriorates.

The orientation problem is mostly urban legend according to our optics gurus. The important thing is to get the corrector centered in the tube and the secondary centered in the corrector. The correctors are machine-made so they are almost automatically symmetrical. The center hole is the variable part. That might be off center.

 

-drl

Edited by deSitter, 09 November 2024 - 03:17 PM.

[Cavs56]

Try everything else first but if nothing else works very hot vinegar for 12 to 24 hours might remove the coatings. Let it naturally cool and don’t let it run dry.

[flyboyu777]

oh, here's the controller.  I've literally never used it.     The N and S buttons do nothing due to lack of a Declination motor, the W button speeds up the RA drive, the E button slows it down or stops it.     The knob for Solar/Siderial/Lunar fine tunes the RA drive speed but the reality is, the difference is very very slight

 

I had one of those controllers!  Cute little thing!

[flyboyu777]

Another recommended "product" is saliva. (As recommend by Roland Christen of Astro-Physics), some deposits can be resolved by the enzymes then clean the saliva off with other cleaners afterwards. Just do a test spot.

Yep-worked for me many a time. . . . and it's FREE!

[Terra Nova]

My Bardou homage. (1965 Mayflower 60mm x 700mm OTA)

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[CCD-Freak]

Proper term I guess would be a "Drive Corrector" for the LX3, as it just modifies the AC current frequency to the RA drive motor and gives manual current control to the DEC motor if installed. 

The LX3 and LX5 drives ran from 12 VDC but it did function pretty much like a 120 VAC "Drive Corrector"

[jragsdale]

The LX3 and LX5 drives ran from 12 VDC but it did function pretty much like a 120 VAC "Drive Corrector"

The motor is still 120V AC, it has a small inverter inside the unit, so it definitely modulates the frequency of the AC sine wave to accomplish the RA slow/fast buttons

[Russell Smith]

I don't believe that I posted this one before. A conversation on another thread got me thinking about it.

Meade ten inch starfinder on eq mount and my buddy Clark. Sadly, both gone now.

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Edited by Russell Smith, 19 November 2024 - 10:43 PM.

[jgraham]

I guess it was inevitable. A Questar was never on my short list, but like all cats sometimes they find you. This is my shiny new 1969 vintage Questar 3.5 Standard. The scope was refurbed at Questar in 2023, so it's in excellent condition.

 

Ugh. Resistance is futile.

 

 

[Voilam]

Glad to know there are people with the "acient" stuff.

 

Just get this KOL LT-56 in good shape with the original carton box

including manual & tag 

 

 

While most parts are metal,

The lens holder itself is plastic made, thin, soft & easy to lose ** 2 black part in right site - I wonder that how they made these plastic part as low quality in 70s  ?

 

so decide to make a new 3d print for lens holder here in blue

 

Edited by Voilam, 23 November 2024 - 02:18 AM.

[harpo80]

I guess it was inevitable. A Questar was never on my short list, but like all cats sometimes they find you. This is my shiny new 1969 vintage Questar 3.5 Standard. The scope was refurbed at Questar in 2023, so it's in excellent condition.

 

Questar (11-22-2024)-2.jpg

Ugh. Resistance is futile.

That is positively beautiful.

[thierry martin]

While most parts are metal,

The lens holder itself is plastic made, thin, soft & easy to lose ** 2 black part in right site - I wonder that how they made these plastic part as low quality in 70s  ?

 

so decide to make a new 3d print for lens holder here in blue

 

The black color used in internal optical instrument,  is not for making nice, but to kill internal reflexions which have a very bad impact in contrast. The lens can even been darken on the sides because this limits  parasite ligth  diffusion in the glass. Plastic holder cost less but the problem is to keep the focus on the same place to ease the observation. Using plastic create at least 5 time more dilatation than aluminum, which is not ideal in optics too. In optics we are dealing with microns, and it doesnt really matter to use plastic body for short optic instruments like binocular, because for visual use, but can be a problem with long focal lens or when the backfocus is very critical . The new 3D printing technology is an asset to built parts in ATM. But when it is use on the optical pathway, it is wise to calculate the impact . Of course no problem if is just for fixing a instrument which will not be used.

[6642]

Hello,

 

My Syw 60/800 (model CA-60) refurbished.

The optics are perfect and the mount has been completely cleaned, repainted with all the new screws.

I adapted the transport case so that the telescope is well protected. I was able to include in this case my collection of 24.5mm eyepieces and other accessories.

 

Pascal

 

 

 

 

 

 

[deSitter]

Hello,

 

My Syw 60/800 (model CA-60) refurbished.

The optics are perfect and the mount has been completely cleaned, repainted with all the new screws.

I adapted the transport case so that the telescope is well protected. I was able to include in this case my collection of 24.5mm eyepieces and other accessories.

 

Pascal

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice scope! SYW rubs elbows with Astro Optical for quality. I have the Celestron K18 and Or6, very fine eyepieces.

 

-drl