Yes, mounting a small refractor on a riser on a 14" D Plate would raise the focuser knobs above the plate, allowing the telescope to be shifted forward to provide balance with heavy eyepieces. But as I mentioned in my Opening Post, "I don't want to increase the size and weight for grab-n-go." A big D Plate would definitely increase the size and weight for grab-n-go. The D Plate would also require a larger, more heavy-duty head and tripod. Not what I want to do.
Mike
Sorry. I guess the thread seemed to have drifted a bit from your original question and I drifted along with it. That being said, it appears from your description as if the Microstar is already near its limit given your combination of OTA, diagonal and eyepiece, so here’s a possible solution that I’ve used successfully in the past.
Make a set of risers out of wood, preferably a stable hardwood like hard maple. I’ve done this to make my focused knobs just clear the dovetail plate thereby giving me more room to slide the OTA and balance the rig. The advantage of wood is 1) It’s relatively cheap, so prototyping won’t break the bank, 2) it’s light, 3) you can customize it as needed to match the type of rings and plate you’re using, and 4) you can make the risers just tall enough to solve any clearance problems thus keeping them nice and light for your grab-n-go rig. I promise, they will work just as good as aluminum ones. The last set I made took me about 15 minutes to make and weighs maybe a bit over two oz. at most. If you don’t have your own, find a buddy with a drill press to bore the holes, but everything else can be done with hand tools. In any case, good luck!
(If you like, I can dig mine out and send you a photo)
Doug
Edited by dhormann, 04 December 2019 - 02:19 AM.
