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SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2020 3:55 am
by Grakrob778
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Hello and first post here. I need some help. I bought a SM3 90mm scope with a BF15 earlier this month. I decided to go ahead and also order a replacement ITF from Oliver at BelOptik in Germany. Then I decided to inspect the ITF in my current BF15 and found no rust but the diagonal flat appeared to have a coating issue after posting on another site. I asked for a replacement and Meade had one sent to me in two days. At the same time I ordered a SM2 variant BF15 from Woodland Hills site in California. Both came in the same day and I disassembled them all to compare. These are the photos. It appears the free replacement on the far left is identical to the original in the middle, but the SM2 type doesn't look anything like the other two. I did have a chance to compare views today and saw no apparent difference. My question is: Does anyone recognize this and could someone with a SolarMax 3 scope and BF take theirs apart and see if their flat looks like this?

Thank you so much for the help!
Graham

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:27 am
by marktownley
Yuck! Those mirrors look filthy, does the detritus come off?

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:13 am
by Grakrob778
Pretty sure these are like Bob Y. advised me..grossly deteriorated dielectric coatings.
I removed the flats and shined a flashlight through the back, which is black. You can clearly see the deterioration. On a good note I had a good flat that I placed in the new diagonal. This with the Beloptik ITF should be a rust free and up to standard blocking filter to observe with I hope. Since this condition appears to be new and no one has talked about it, I think all should be warned. If I hadn't spent 700 dollars extra for another I would've been stuck with a substandard filter. I appreciate the fellow above checking his. I'm new to this site but have met Steven one time at my old club. Was hoping he would chime in. Again everyone should be aware of this defect although I'm unsure of the product from such coating failure.
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Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 1:49 am
by Grakrob778
I will check tomorrow. I get your point now. I have three to test. You mean the 6A sub nanometer filter on the eyepiece side. Understood and thank you. Will post results.

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:29 pm
by marktownley
Soft coated dielectric, doesn't surprise me really!

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:08 pm
by DeepSolar64
When you own a Coronado this is disturbing! I have not noticed anything odd with mine but I am certainly nervous now. I am a bit afraid to take my BF15 apart to look at it. The view is nice and red through the scope.

I was very new to Ha solar astronomy when I bought my scope. If I did it again with what I know now I would certainly go Lunt.

James

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:35 pm
by Grakrob778
Sub 6A BF15 #1
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ZWO 7nm 36mm Ha CCD
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It appears all sub 6A filters look the same, so I did not post pics of them, but do have them if you want. They appear to leak green/yellow light when compared to the ZWO CCD Ha filter. All ITFs are sealed around the edge. None appear to have rust. After comments I do wonder if I can optimize my scope further by utilizing the CCD filter? Also, I do have a 2" Baader UV/IR mounted filter that I am not using. The Beloptik ITF has yet to arrive. Been almost three weeks now. What do you all think?

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2020 2:55 am
by Grakrob778
Thank you for your help!

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 6:10 am
by mdwmark
The 6Ang filter is just a bandpass. So it will have the bandpass at Ha but will turn back on at about 500nm and 780nm. The bandpass will look the same even when it fails. If you are looking at the color. The most common is the wavelength will shift either long or short over time. This will make the image look dimmer. Another way is to look through them at a fluorescent lamp. Then tilt the filter, it should look clear at the different angles. When you tilt the filter you will see the next order of bandpasses as they appear in the unblocked blue side of the bandpass. The simple way is, of course using a spectrometer.
Mark W

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 6:18 am
by Solar-Cologne
Yesterday I spoke with Wolfgang Lille about the Coronado BF blockingfilters
.
Only the PST 5mm block filter is a pure block filter !!!

From the BF15, BF 18 and BF30 all are glued with a prefilter ala a BG38 !!!
Dreadful......horrible

sunny Greetings
Achim

Sorry, I made a mistake.

Only the Coronado PST BF 5mm is glued with a red glass filter .

From the BF 15 upwards they are additional glued with an other prefilter like a BG38.

Visually terrible compared to the BF 5, I tested it myself at the German H-Alpha Meeting in Rüsselsheim.


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Here you see my sun construction in Rüsselsheim.
SW 6 "f8 FH refractor with 135mm front C-ERF, PST 5mm BF with internal ITF filter.
Dietmar Sellner, the organizer of the meeting, came with his selected Coronado BF 15 and put it on my system.
Oh yeah ... cruel no comparison to BF 5 from PST.
Useless !!!

Seen correctly ..... laugh, the ERF is fixed with parcel tape. :D



https://www.ruesselsheimer-sternfreunde ... pha-treff/

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 5:08 am
by DeepSolar64
Does Meade Coronado even make a BF5 outside of the PST?

Hey, I have taped white light filters to my scopes before. It works!

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 5:15 am
by Solar-Cologne
James,

I think and i know, that the BF 5 only used in a PST, W. Lille said the same.

White Light Filter before a H-Alpha Scope ?

sunny Greetings
Achim

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 5:20 am
by DeepSolar64
No, lol. White light filter on a regular refractor.

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 11:22 am
by Bagwell1
Hi, I am new to the forum and did a little searching for a problem I saw with my Solarmax II 60 and BF15. I took off my tailpiece on the BF15 to check the ITF condition and while I had it off found that my diagonal mirror looked less than great. I have only peeked thru the hole the tailpiece mounts into but will take the diagonal apart later on today. Has anyone replaced or had their diagonal replaced on a BF15? I noticed the mirror flat in it now has a chamfered edge and now sure how that plays into the operation and if it is advisable to use another mirror in it or not. Does anyone have the specs on the oem bF15 mirror and know what would be safely usable for a great image visual or photographically from this scope?
Thanks,
Vaughn

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 3:45 pm
by marktownley
Hi there and welcome to the forum.

Post some pics of this. Chamfered edge to the mirror may well be normal - the edge of the mirror would never be used.

Mark

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2020 1:43 pm
by Bagwell1
Thanks for the reply Mark, guess I couldnt get signed in recently and that delayed my response. I took another look at the diagonal mirror in the light and it looks ok out of the diagonal but I see where above the poster removed it from the diagonal back it is attached to and shined light through it. Im not sure if I want to remove it and possibly damage the coating etc. I will study it further to see.

Thanks,
Vaughn

Re: SolarMax 3 BF Questions (Help)

Posted: Sat May 15, 2021 5:56 am
by alpha76
hello
I had the same thing with my Solarmax 90 my BF also had a coating problem
I asked for the replacement to telescop-service who sent me a new one but even problem
so my BF went to the coronado europe ASTROSHOP for reparing