212 replies to this topic

[33_Patitude]

Hi,

 

Does anyone have any idea if a Celestron 8"-inch SCT C8 black tube orange writing on a forked motorized base (has the motor box protrusion on the otherwise round base.) three-hole pattern would fit on a Golden Pyramid Criterion as seen here (and like the one above I believe):

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/356538496097

 

 

Or just search Golden Pyramid Criterion.

I believe they made them for 6" and 8"-inch scopes.

I remember reading somewhere somebody said their dad's C8 fit perfect on one. But couldn't find that post again.

 

Right now I got my C8 on a modified Orion tripod and I just kind of push it in an alt-az fashion. Anything would be an improvement. Too large and I could modify it. But if this GP Criterion is too small it's just a waste.

 

 

 

 

Thanks

Edited by 33_Patitude, 10 February 2025 - 02:15 AM.

[Goofyboy1]

Yes this combination will fit.

[Goofyboy1]

I bought this mount including the criterion 8” secondhand. My English is very bad and I hope I understand your question good enough too answering it. This mount and mount holder is the same as for mine criterion 8” telescope fork mount.

[Goofyboy1]

I have this one

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[Bomber Bob]

My Most Disappointing Old Scope -- 1974 Criterion Dynamax 8:

 

 

Did it have to be So Pretty, too??  I invested a lot of $$$$ in this beautiful Rig.  My < $300 '86 C8 runs rings & rings round it...

Edited by Bomber Bob, 10 February 2025 - 04:47 PM.

[Goofyboy1]

??? I don’t understand what you mean?

[33_Patitude]

My Most Disappointing Old Scope -- 1974 Criterion Dynamax 8:

 

DX8 - Golden Pyramid Tripod S01.jpg

 

Did it have to be So Pretty, too??  I invested a lot of $$$$ in this beautiful Rig.  My < $300 '86 C8 runs rings & rings round it...

So you can know for sure if the C8 fits on the hole patterm of the Golden Pyramid Criterions? This is really good that you can see it firsthand. Please let me know.

 

 

Yes this combination will fit.

I'm hoping so. I want to leave the C-8 forked for now and if it fits on this, this is great. This would let me do this.

 

Thank you all.

Edited by 33_Patitude, 11 February 2025 - 01:17 AM.

[fullthrottle_man]

This is my first DX8. I picked it up for a total of $125. It came with a bunch of eyepieces and pretty much every single piece and option Criterion offered them with! Adjustable clock drive, Criterion OAG with illuminated crosshairs eyepiece and illumination box, extensions, multiple visual backs and 90°s, table legs, you name it this $125 scope came with it! 

I spent a lot of time carefully cleaning and measuring and adjusting everything in and on that scope. It's absolutely beautiful on the outside. It hurts me seeing such a gorgeous piece of equipment fall on its face at higher powers. It's good up to about 200x (10mm eyepiece), but more than that it goes really soft. Now that I have an original Nexstar 8 OTA, the Dynamax pretty much just stays in its original trunk now. 

 

[Bomber Bob]

If I hadn't been so aggravated by my DX8, I would've kept the gray wedge & GP Tripod, and plopped a used glossy black Byers C8 on it.  Not as pretty, but MUCH Better performance.

 

But... the Buyer wanted to whole Rig, so out it went.  Last I heard, he keeps it at a cabin in the woods, and does low to mid power DSO viewing & imaging with it.  (He asked about DSO's a lot during the sale.)  He's thrilled with it.  So, it turned out good.

[fullthrottle_man]

The second DX8 I bought ended up being a parts one. The guy was in a hurry when I met him at a gas station 3 hours away and had it in the trunk of his car. For $200 I figured, "can't be that bad". Gave him the $200, transferred everything to the trunk of my Jag, and off I went. Once I got home, the dismay set in. It had been sitting outside for who knows how long, uncovered. The corrector was broken into 4 pieces in place. There was mouse droppings and seed shells inside the tube. And not just some. It was completely full to the top. The nasty crap had ruined the coatings on both mirrors, so those were junk. I kept a few miscellaneous things from the whole setup, but most of it went right to the trash. The rear cell was loose from the tube, too. I kept the Golden Pyramid, the drive base and forks, and the visual back and diagonal. But I'm pretty sure that was all I kept.

[Bomber Bob]

I kept the Golden Pyramid, the drive base and forks, and the visual back and diagonal. But I'm pretty sure that was all I kept.

 

IMO, you got more than $200 in great hardware.  Same Series, different scope, but same kinda project:  Put an ETX-90 OTA on a B&L 4000 fork mount...

 

Maybe... I can keep my Edmund 4" Cass skinny enough to fit one.

[33_Patitude]

Yes this combination will fit.

And fit it did, by just heavenly 1mm clearance on each side of my Celestron PowerStar4 C8's motordrive protrusion.

Came today, had it set up tonight. I'm truly happy with the sturdiness of this Golden Pyramid Criterion.

The seller packed it great and got it to me next day, $220.

Considering the available OEM Celestron stands were more than twice that, I couldn't be happier.

 

The three holes fit great, it clears the mount supports for my 33-degree wedge needs by just a hair.

But, it has this little humpy stop on the bottom of the mounting plate that I guess was good for the Dynamax C8.

I need to grind/file it off for a flush fit.

 

Well, the Dynamax C8 may have been an albatross, but this stand, at around 50 years old! Is just great.

These tripod mounts are a lot beefier in real life. This thing has thick legs.

 

The top of the tripod mates with the wedge-side disc with this rubber-like in-between disc. I want to know what I can put on that to make it turn smooth. I was thinking of lithium grease, just a dab.

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Edited by 33_Patitude, 15 February 2025 - 03:00 AM.

[fullthrottle_man]

A dab of lithium grease will work wonders for the sandwich plate. The plate in both of mine is actually like a fiber disc, so mine spins pretty easily when released anyways. Be careful how much you use, though. More than a thin film and it might not hold tight when the center nut is tightened to hold the wedge in place, allowing it to spin.

Edited by fullthrottle_man, 15 February 2025 - 06:35 AM.