Snicker...

It's all about the toys.

Update:

I ventured out into the cold again to see how this scope would handle Saturn.

With patchy fast moving clouds and very windy conditions, it was not a fair evaluation of the scope, but it did deliver.

Centering Saturn with a 25mm, I could clearly observe the rings and the familiar yellow shade I have observed over the decades. Popping in a 17mm, the scope was holding resolution well, and it took magnification well.

But still, the planet was small in the FOV.

Used to the performance of the C11 and displaying a large disk, I wanted some more "arc". I slid in a 2x Barlow with the 17mm ( creating a 8.5mm), and got a decent Saturn. The OTA was being shaken by the winds, but from what I could catch, the views were ok and clear.

Tomorrow promises to be clear and we will take the 90mm out again for a calmer, less windy early morning test...and maybe even catch the comet hanging by Saturn, Venus and Spica.

Man, are you a geek!!

Meh, I called an end to my scope season a few weeks ago. More than likely, I won't be hauling out the C8 mini-beast again until the Spring thaw. However, during my recent vacation to WDW, I think I may have found my perfect Winter hobby/obsession... hydroponics! I took a behind-the-scenes tour of Disney's "The Land" ride and I am hooked! If everything works out right, I should be harvesting fresh strawberries in my basement garden in 4-6 weeks!!!

Well, not really. I would actually have to start the project before I can begin the countdown. But it was still really cool and I can't wait to try this out while my astronomy passion simmers in the background over the winter!

Winning this 90mm cheapo Ebay refrector, I did not expect Apo scope performance...but it ain't too bad. It was apparent that I could improve this scope before I put it into service - as not only a guide scope for the C11, but as a stand alone instrument. But the workshop is not heated and I needed to wait until spring.

With a bit of a warm couple of days, I started to take apart the scope. I attempted to break the tube apart when I got it last November, but the components just wouldn't budge!



Using these strap wrenches, the objective lens holder just held fast and wouldn't come off. So, I left it for the winter in the workshop for later. Then...coming back to it...the damned thing came apart easily, without the straps and just brute hand force. I guess I learned it good.

Slipping off the large dew shield, brought the objective into proper light for initial inspection...



It needed attention, but looking more closely, there was something else...



There's a palm print on the lens!

Some goof assembling this scope shoved it in place with his/her bare hand, leaving an imprint. And considering that this scope is entirely made out of plastic, (not a bad thing), these must be Meade rejects and why sold so cheap.

And so we start the disassembly..



Inspecting the assembly some more, we need cleaning badly...




There are three screws holding the lens housing to the tube and comes off easy. Three globs of glue secure the lock ring to the lens holder...



I attempt to remove the glue with a utility knife, but a chisel handles it better....



With the ring removed, the glass pops out easily...



It did occur to me that maybe these lenses might be air spaced, but considering how cheap the whole thing is - doubtful...



Glued...and that's fine.

I mark which way is front temporarily...



Using the Giotto air blower and clean brush, we remove loose debris...



There seems to be a smudge of sorts on the lens....



...and the palm print most evident on the backside.

I use the same cleaning formula utilized last year when I took the C11 apart, using many cotton balls and lightly clean in a linear motion...



Works well, but that smudge isn't going anywhere. I bring in the POR cleaner, made for greasy deposits like this - and using several Q-tips, we win....



I buff with lint free cleaning pads, but there is still a hint of the palm print that I cannot remove and suspect after all this time, has eaten into coatings. It only shows up when I fog the lens with my breath and won't make a lot of difference, but still....



I also darkened the edges of the lens with a black marker to increase contrast and limit the bouncing light...



But an odd phenomenon occurred before I was 1/4 done...



The unmarked portion of the lens edge had already become dark...very cool. I complete the edge blackening and making sure a good solid coat is applied.

With some more cleaning with the solution and more buffing, my once filthy dirty lens is now back in the holder and pristine...



Satisfied, I set the lens aside and move on to the next phase.

Attaching a dovetail bar to the tube....

I'm a fan of tube flocking, especially for urban astronomers.

Anything to limit the external lighting from bouncing around in an instrument is good and well worth the effort involved. At a dark site location, it isn't as vital, but in cities where street lamps, car lights and the ever present light pollution glow, the flocking makes sense.

Don't let those smugly state that urban astronomy is futile and all you gonna get is the Moon and some planets. Nonsense. With proper actions, one can limit the intrusive light pollution and enjoy city skies - uncovering secrets of the cosmos - and flocking is one of them. The flocking I performed on the C11 makes a great difference in observations, kicking up the contrast nicely.

Although the interior of the tube is painted flat black as shown in the above pic, it's still pretty bright in there. And since the 90mm is already apart, might as well.



Using scraps from my C11 flocking of last year, it looks like I will have enough for this tube without having to cut into my virgin roll of material.


Taking many measurements, I get my dimensions for the first leg of the flocking...



A dry fit looks good...



Spray adhesive is the way to go here, with plenty from the last scope project...



Spraying and waiting until tacky, I ease the material inside and tamp it down using a roller and direct pressure from fingers. And already the welcomed darkness is making it's way into the tube...



And I do the other end too and we have flocking on both sides of the internal baffling...



This is good, but now looking at the focuser tube...it's much too shiny and must cut it down...



I applied the flocking material on all visible surfaces including the movable draw tube and the operator side of the inner tube housing...



Using two scrap pieces, it's quite apparent with only half applied - that the flocking will dramatically cut down on undesired bouncing light.

And now, we have pitch black surfacing...



And as always, I install a Chicago Astronomer business card...



This is great and I hope that this additional mod will make a cheapo refractor...a better one. But wait, I'm not done yet. I peek at the inside of the dew shield and the objective lens holder...and they too are a reflective plastic surface...not good. With scrap pieces still at hand, I flock them as well...



I use sticky tape to remove any fuzzies and other debris, over and over again...




Reinstalling the pieces all back together now, looking down from the dew shield to the focuser end - it's pretty dark in there now...



...as opposed to what I started out with.

But, some of the adhesive got onto the outside of the dew shield by my clumsy fingers and looked nasty. How to remove the glue? I tried some Turpentine and WD-40, but it made a splotch - even if it did remove the glue. I decided to refinish the surface with rubbing compound and finish it off with the polishing compound...



Meade put on a matte finish on all the black parts. The polishing made the surface glossy, which made a nice contrast with the matte.

So now, with a cleaned objective lens and total flocking, I was anxious to try it out. Chicago Astronomer Bill called for a brief session the day after the project was completed and I was a go...



Sky conditions were not optimal that evening, but enough to peek at the crescent Moon and Saturn...sorta. The clouds were thickening and didn't look hopeful.



The tube, now with a dovetail bar, fit smartly into the saddle mount and was rock solid. Very cool.

The performance of the 90mm refractor is good. With the added flocking and cleaning, the contrast is better than what I observed during the winter, (when I attached the telescope to the mount with bungee cords and tape!... )

I caught a brief glance at Saturn, and although small, with only a 25mm, ( I forgot my 1 1/4 eyepiece case), and a 32mm of Bill's - I observed a sharp ring system. Slewing to the Moon, which was battling clouds and near the horizon, it too was sharp, but with a slight chromatic aberration - skewed slightly to the yellow. I bet I could knock this out with an adjustment to the internal baffle for a color balance, but I'll live with this.

Before the Moon vanished behind the skyline, I took a crude handheld pic through the 90mm of a bubbling sphere...



Testig FOV sharpness, there is a drop-off near the edges, but acceptable - getting about a 80/90% sharp center focus.

It was not a true test of performance that evening, but it was good initial trial run nevertheless. More later, including a star test.

The next phase is to craft the tube rings and base configuration in order to attach the 90mm cheapo Meade refractor to the C11.

(With a 60mm wide field finder scope already on the C11, Meades riding atop a Celestron is sacrilegious... )

Perhaps during the weekend I'll work on the next phase, but I am very satisfied in this modification project.

Patrick....

It's 3am now, Saturday morning.

Perhaps I go work on the next phase now...but first some leftover pizza.

Paulie,

It ain't no Taki, but it'll do.

On the advice of Dion over at AstronomyShed, I checked out his Guide Scope Rings tutorial.

So I picked up a set on 100mm rings from ModernAstronomy, some plastic bolts with wingnuts from fleaBay, and an ST80 from Rother Valley Optics.

Here's the result ...

Now I've ordered a prism-type vixen dovetail clamp from Wolfi at TelescopeService, a pair of 14" vixen dovetail bars from First Light Optics, and a SkyWatcher SynGuider, also from First Light Optics.

I have the 8" imaging reflector - it's made by GSO, but sold as Astro-Tech in the US, and as Altair Astro in the UK.

What's left? EQ6 Pro to sit it all on and a camera to take some pictures. Camera will probably be a modified Canon DSLR.

This imaging malarkey is a mess of bits and pieces to get things all hooked up together isn't it? ;D

I collect astronomical stuff from all aspects of opportunities. Gifts, castoffs, finds and buys. I have been carrying this 90mm refractor in a foldable chair bag. Worked, but so uncool.

A well known institution was cleaning house and among the many goodies I was gifted with...was this elongated blue Meade bag. I had no use for it at the time and thought perhaps I would use it for auxiliary equipment and such. But instead I just threw it in the C11 floppy carry bag, (also a gift of the clean out), and forgot about it.



While replacing a stripped visual back attached to the JMI motor focuser, I came across this bag again, empty and calling out for some usage. The same day, I done some minor solar observation and while putting things away, I noticed the bag laying to the side...and a marriage was at hand. Fit's perfectly and could have been originally paired together.

The bag is padded, velco secure straps around the tube and a handy side pocket.

Everything comes in handy...everything.



And we hang it on the pedals of a bike.

The belly of astronomy revealed....

Holy crap! Personalized rings! The Chicago Astronomer IS going big time!

Earlier, whilst cleaning and modding the C11, I had attached the two dovetail brackets and gave the 90mm refractor a test run...




astronomer.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=ATM&action=display&thread=3208

The brackets seemed to hold ok to the great looking Marzec rings, but during the shake-out session for the C11, the 90mm ring bases slipped out of the cheapo brackets and fell to the ground...cracking slightly the dew shield and a dimple on the tube.

Not cool, even if is a $30.00 scope.....

Rick's crafted rings and the generic dovetail bases I got months before, just don't mate as good as they should - and slip out...



The bases of the rings tilt a bit and there isn't much of a bite from the hold down screw. I thought to drill a small set hole, so that the screw could set into and prevent the base from slipping out...



...after the drilling, the screw did in fact set nicely in the hole, but it tilts the base and there is a bit of a wobble. Not good for a guide scope.

What I need for this un-natural couple is a stop, to prevent it from slipping out. And since the stars are above, there's just one angle to deal with.

I drilled a small hole in both dovetail bases...



...and installed these two pieces of metal I had laying around.

Not a prefect fit, but it will work and is solid...



I eased the corners of the metal bits, because you know a finger or palm is going to get dragged across those corners at a star party. I should have contoured the bottoms to fit the curvature of the OTA...but whatever...

I slide a ring bases in and it's a good fit...



I painted the two little metal stops the same color as the bases while I was at it.

But, I still ain't digging the two little hold down screws. One cannot provide enough torque to lock the rings down, so I install these nice chrome wing nuts I have in my assortments of nuts, bolts and washers. (Never throw anything away...it'll all come in handy one day.)...



With these, I can bear down properly and tighten them securely.

I attach the refractor...



...and it all feels solid. No wobble, tilt or movement...and it all looks good.

Also...

I covered the dew shield with pleather material to hide the chip from the fall it took at the shake out session...and I like it. It's removable and I can change colors at a whim....like the varied materials I will wrap the C11 with.

I'm thinking about painting the refractor the same as the C11...and possibly doing a warp on it too....to keep things uniform.

There are star parties this coming weekend and let's see how this fix works. The 90mm Meade provides surprisingly decent and sharp images for being such an affordable scope and I think will serve the Chicago Astronomer well for astrophotography pursuits.

wwpierre,

I think that the 90mm will come in very handy for quick images - with out the hassle of a long set up and alignments.

I have yet to try it out on a longer tracking session for DSOs...but I think it will deliver the goods well.

I'm thinking about getting another one...the blue one!

Finally got around to doing some pictures of my guidescope mount ...





The whole thing is a reversed dovetail arrangement so I can mount the one guidescope onto any vixen dovetail bar.