48 replies to this topic

[Digital Don]

StargazerLuigi, on 26 Jan 2025 - 10:42 AM, said:

The 4800 has a layer of foam at the bottom, two layers of pick and pluck, and the eggshell foam at the top.
 
To fit the Seestar, I had to remove foam from both of the pick and pluck layers. Even with that there is a fair amount of compression when closing, which I think is okay. By the way, I am not a fan of the latches on the side and on the front ...
 
There is plenty of room for other accessories. I need to print a case for the Baader solar filter holder I printed and find a place for the USB cable, but, as you can see plenty of room.

Looking good!
 
Don

[geoffl]

Given the handle strap weakness shown in posting #6, I added some extra support for the existing handle. I wanted to add support for the webbing, but with minimum disturbance to the webbing structure or the hard plastic case latch.

 

I drilled a 2.5mm (3/32") hole, near the top of the hard plastic case latch, at about 45 degrees to the case surface, and then used a 1 1/2" long screw through the latch body, the webbing, and into the soft case plastic. By using an angled hole I got good retention, without breaking-out into the tripod cavity. This photo shows the screw, and where I fitted it.

Geoff

[sanford12]

The case my Seestar came in doesn't have a black handle it's red. I've tugged on it and it's firmly attached. Found that dew shield will fit around a tripod leg so it's easy to store.. 

[Phil Perry]

I just try to be careful not to jerk the handle when picking it up. Take up the slack gently, and let the semi-rigid handle absorb some of the energy (by bending). Note that the handle slides along the webbing strap, so you might do well to keep it roughly centered so one mounting point doesn't take all the strain when you lift it. Hopefully that will be enough care to make the handle last a good long time.

[tommyr]

The case my Seestar came in doesn't have a black handle it's red. I've tugged on it and it's firmly attached. Found that dew shield will fit around a tripod leg so it's easy to store.. 

Mine is red too. 

[Digital Don]

Now that my S30 is here, I can show a picture of both scopes in my Plano 701 toolbox.

 

Don

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[PFJs Customs]

Hello all, finally got around to taking care of this repair. Upon further thinking I ended up purchasing a luggage handle replacement and a slotted steel plate along with some 1-1/4 bolts. See the pictures below, turned out good! Definitely makes me feel better than the original handle that came with the case. Hope this helps others going through a similar situation.

 

 

 

[NC Startrekker]

Wow! That looks more professional than ZWO’s original. 

[Phil Perry]

A lockwasher on the bolts would give some security that the handle won't come loose. Also consider either acorn nuts or a plastic cap to go over the nuts (or just a glob of caulk or RTV sealant). Your knuckles will thank you when they brush against the bolt ends/nuts in the dark. Even a little exposed bolt end can be surprisingly sharp. Filters, masks, cables, and whatever else stuff you have floating in that compartment will be happier, too. Finally, be careful about how much anything sticks out there if you want to continue carrying the original tripod.

[PFJs Customs]

A lockwasher on the bolts would give some security that the handle won't come loose. Also consider either acorn nuts or a plastic cap to go over the nuts (or just a glob of caulk or RTV sealant). Your knuckles will thank you when they brush against the bolt ends/nuts in the dark. Even a little exposed bolt end can be surprisingly sharp. Filters, masks, cables, and whatever else stuff you have floating in that compartment will be happier, too. Finally, be careful about how much anything sticks out there if you want to continue carrying the original tripod.

 

Hey Phil thanks for your suggestions. I actually will be removing the installed nuts and replacing them with some lock nuts to make sure they won't be going anywhere. As far as the idea of covering the nuts, I made sure the bolt was flush with the nuts to prevent any issues when reaching in and out of the case. 

[Digital Don]

Hey Phil thanks for your suggestions. I actually will be removing the installed nuts and replacing them with some lock nuts to make sure they won't be going anywhere. As far as the idea of covering the nuts, I made sure the bolt was flush with the nuts to prevent any issues when reaching in and out of the case. 

That's a very professional looking repair!

 

Because the case material is foam, the only thing I would suggest would be adding fender washers under the lock nuts to spread out the load.

 

Don

[PFJs Customs]

That's a very professional looking repair!

 

Because the case material is foam, the only thing I would suggest would be adding fender washers under the lock nuts to spread out the load.

 

Don

Thanks Don appreciate the compliment. In terms of using fender washers that is why I used the slotted steel plate to help spread the load through out the entire length of the plate. 

[GabeRossi]

The first picture in this thread clearly shows that the mounting hole removes most of the webbing material, so making it very weak. A sudden jerk could break it very easily. The weakness is not obvious from the outside, and "looks" robust at first glance. Normally, I do not have to move mine far, so I tend to leave the handle body stowed in its case cut-out, and just grip the sides of the case. I developed my shoulder-strap modification (2nd set of photos in this thread) for portability, rather than to replace the handle.

Geoff

I had mine break after 2 years of owning the s50 and that’s many trips up and down my stairs at home. The handle snapped and the entire scope and case took a tumble down the stairs. I highly recommend a better case.

[geoffl]

I had mine break after 2 years of owning the s50 and that’s many trips up and down my stairs at home. The handle snapped and the entire scope and case took a tumble down the stairs. I highly recommend a better case.

Because the rubber handle is free to move on the webbing strap, a break at one end will cause the strap to pull theough the handle, with little friction. A quick solution, would be to add a small fillet of glue, at each end of the handle, to attach the handle to the webbing. This should, at least, prevent a rapid pull-through at the handle. Also, for extra safety, a few stitches of cotton thread through the handle and webbing, would lock the two together.

 

However, the OP's replacement handle, or similar, as shown in #32, is the safer option.

 

Geoff

[AstroPotamus]

I know I'm coming late to this conversation but this is obviously known problem with these cases. Mine snapped in the same way. Here's the PDF document that I received from ZWO to fix it. I, too, I'm going to switch to an Apache case however.

https://helpdesk.zwo...ndle Repair.pdf

[groom]

Thanks for posting the link, AstroPotamus! I looked at it and just fixed my case.

Peter Groom

[AstroPotamus]

You're welcome. I was a little disappointed that they're basically giving instructions instead of replacements but I'm a multi- Apache case owner for other things and I'll buy one for the Seestar when it next goes on sale.

[PFJs Customs]

I know I'm coming late to this conversation but this is obviously known problem with these cases. Mine snapped in the same way. Here's the PDF document that I received from ZWO to fix it. I, too, I'm going to switch to an Apache case however.

https://helpdesk.zwo...ndle Repair.pdf

Thanks for sharing this AstroPotamus. To me this shows that ZWO has been aware of this issue and had various customers dealing with this.

For me personally it doesn't make sense to proceed with this solution as it would just repeat itself down the line. Why would I risk my Seestar to get damaged from a second failure of the handle strap?

Ended up coming up with my own solution, and that has worked flawlessly so far.

[AstroPotamus]

Yeah, if they've got a PDF with pictures of the hacky fix, that tells me it's very common. I'm grateful that it came with a decent case but its time to retire it for something better. I'm an Apache case hoarder so I'll likely be printing a Griddinoty system to store it and some accessories in a 4800.

[Phil Perry]

I would feel better about this repair if they suggested a good way to reinforce the strap at the hole, so it won't tear out again a few months down the line. Perhaps some glue between the hole and the nearest edges? That's where it failed before. Unfortunately, you need to stretch out the hole before applying any glue, as the peg greatly distorts the shape of the hole.

 

I wonder if one or two heavy duty staples on each side of the hole might work? The idea would be to distribute the load around the hole. Even sewing it with some heavy thread might do the job. Anything to carry the stretching load away from the thinnest part of the web and around the hole and up the handle.

 

I think I might just pass on any thoughts of a repair, and get a case large enough to carry not only the Seestar+attached dovetail but also my Skywatcher EQ mount attached to the taller tripod I got. Trouble is, the only cases large enough are for long guns, and are not thick enough. I may have to custom-build something.

 

Add: Putting a rivet or two through the handle (and webbing) itself would at least stop the handle (grip) itself from sliding off if one end of the strap breaks, and prevent the case from falling to the floor. That alone would be an improvement, as both ends are unlikely to break simultaneously.

Edited by Phil Perry, 13 June 2025 - 08:52 AM.

[PFJs Customs]

I opted to repair the case it came with because I like the fact that the size is so small! This adds to the portability of the Seestar whether going camping or just grabbing views at a local dark site you grab the case with all in one hand and can take your iPad and other accessories in the other and out you go.

[AstroPotamus]

I'll probably repair the case with the luggage handle approach.  That seems to be good.  But I'm literally minutes away from heading to Harbor Fright for another 4800 case.  

[AstroPotamus]

The Apache 3800 (the mid-sized one) works perfectly for a Seestar S50.  I throw out the pluck-foam crap.  The scope itself is tall enough that it compresses the top eggshell foam and doesn't move.  Plenty of room left for some other stuff, too.  I'm going to print up a Gridfinity base for the empty space and put some bins in there for the solar filter and cable (both of which are crammed under the tripod right now), a battery pack, cleaning cloth, and a Pan/Tilt webcam that I use with my Seestar so I can stream what the Seestar sees at the the same time as a camera next to it that streams seeing the Seestar.

 

The 4800 case is simply too big for my tastes for this scope (but I do own a bunch of them for other purposes).  I didn't have a spare 3800 lying around; this one was stolen from my grab-n-go Canon DSLR rig, but the next time Harbor Freight does a coupon/sale on the 3800s, I'll be getting a pair.  One for the Seestar and one as a spare (I usually have an extra lying around; wife must've stolen it for beading!).

 

If you're worried about it rolling around, things are way too tight for that, even without anything in the space on the left.  With the Gridfinity 3D printed bin system in place, there won't be any room for it to roll into.  Looking forward to building this, once my printer frees up from its current print and I can do the Gridfinity baseplate.

 

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[Rocky Top]

After thinking about how much I liked the original case, I decided to try and keep it. 

 

I had a fanny pack (from Amazon) left over from a library telescope build and the strap is the same size.  I put some slots in the case with a drill and dremel tools.  Then secured the strap as shown with the plastic strap holder and staples. Be sure to burn the cut ends of the strap.

 

 

Works well, maybe better than the original.

 

https://www.amazon.c...in_title_1&th=1

 

 

 

 

 

 

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