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Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Fri May 13, 2016 8:27 am
by Solar B
Hi Folks

I'm looking to mount a couple SM 40s onto a donor scope as I don't like the
MS 40 OTA ... was looking at getting into Bino viewing this summer to so
kinda need an OTA that can handle that weight ... the only suitable current
OTA I have is an Equinox 66 but as where to obtain an adaptor who knows.
So completely open to offers or suggestions on this one.

Thanks ... Brian

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2016 9:55 am
by Solar B
Hi Folks

Just wondering if anyone can offer any advice at all on mounting SM40s

onto a small refractor of sorts ?

Thanks .... Brian

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:01 pm
by DJD
Brian,
I have asked Mark for specs of the threads for the SM40 adapters on another thread.
Waiting on his reply as the mounting plate I have takes the SM40 thread but not the thread on the tilt adaptor component.
Best wishes,
David

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 10:37 am
by Solar B
Hello David
I have this adaptor (was for
an 80mm) that fits the Tmax tuner
I plan to send it to Mark at Moonraker along with a
dew shield for him to adapt ... is there
anything I can help you with ?
I don't know the thread sizes though !
Brian

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 3:50 pm
by Merlin66
I though a standard filter thread fitted....I don't have access to my files but just measure the outside diameter and find the nearest filter size. M55?
I made a couple of adapters for my 40mm etalon by gluing the filter ring into a think disk of aluminum mounted in an old white light solar filter cell.
HTH

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:00 am
by marktownley
Hi there, sorry very slow to get to this one, been away in the land of no internet for a while.

If memory serves the outer thread end of the SM40 is 55mm, the inner thread end is 52mm. I used standard photographic step up step down rings from flea bay to mount all my bits and pieces together.

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 12:30 pm
by nicosolcy
Mark,

I was waiting on confirmation from my dealer about the inner thread end of the SM40 but you appear to have the answer: 52mm.

I can offer corroborative evidence. A couple of years ago I sold my PST and I had lost the original cap.

The replacement I got was for 52mm, therefore if the SM40 is a screw on job for the PST, it stands to reason that it is 52mm.

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2016 9:38 am
by nicosolcy
Brian,

I got confirmation from Meade that the inner thread end is 52mm. I bit the bullet and a SM40 and BF10 are on the way...

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2016 9:41 am
by nicosolcy
Also, to mount the SM 40 to your scope, this will fit a dew shield of diameter 60 - 80mm so worth checking...

https://www.astromarket.org/solar-astro ... or667897-5

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2016 7:50 pm
by Solar B
Hey many thanks for that :bow2

Do you know if this will fit the pre meade SM40 T Max'.

Brian

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2016 5:00 am
by nicosolcy
It does because I was chatting to Carl (a member here but we were chatting on CN) and he has the Pre Meade SM 40 TMax. He has the same configuration I am working to finalise (Borg 50mm + SM40). The Borg dew shield is threaded for 52mm filters and he has the filter directly threaded on the Borg.

I just enquired with Coronado as I was concerned if any of the specifications of the SM40 had changed after Meade took over, but nothing has changed. The late David Lunt designs for etalons will last as is for a long time.

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2016 9:07 am
by Solar B
Thanks Nick ... I have been in touch with Carl also but on another matter.

Brian

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2016 9:26 am
by marktownley
nicosolcy wrote:Also, to mount the SM 40 to your scope, this will fit a dew shield of diameter 60 - 80mm so worth checking...

https://www.astromarket.org/solar-astro ... or667897-5
Useful link, thanks! :)

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2016 9:36 am
by nicosolcy
Mark,

With you being in the UK and all, I am sure Mark of Moonraker optics can fabricate any part you would need...

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2016 2:37 pm
by Solar B
I contacted Mark at Moonraker last week but no joy I'm afraid .... now thinking the E66 is not suitable for binoviewing though.

Brian

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2016 3:00 pm
by nicosolcy
What's the dew shield outside diameter? Perhaps the SM40 adapter I linked to in my earlier post will do. If you want to talk to someone at AST, just email them and they are very prompt with replies. Probably Jimmy (I think he is the owner) will reply.

Also for binoviewers, the Equinox is 66mm f6 if I am not mistaken? At a focal length of 400mm, if it is for solar 2x 25mm plossls or 32mm Plossls and a 1.9x OCA (there's a 1.6x as well, Teleskop Service in Germany stocks both), you have decent magnifications for solar viewing.

On the cheap side (and since you care only for on axis performance) you can get the Celestron Vites 23mm 62 degrees TFOV and a pair will set you back something like £25. Search for "Celestron Vite" in the eyepiece forum of CN and there is a long thread on these.

They also come out at 10mm and 4mm. The 10 being good again, the 4 getting mixed reviews. But these will give too high a magnification for solar viewing.

Do a search on eBay for these. For 32mm Plossls, again any pair off eBay will do to give it a try without committing to pricey eyepieces.

Another option for the binoviewer to increase contrast and also if you need a part fabricated, is to get in touch with Denis Levatic (you can find him on CN and Astromart).

He supercharged binoviewers and for solar viewing this cuts down on internal reflections (I pick up my supercharged ones on Monday morning from the post office - yay!) and he has someone who can fabricate any part. For €45 he fabricated a custom adapter to turn my Teleskop Service binoviewers to a T2 connection.

As a last resort option, if you are willing to take the risk, you can get the SM40 with. Lunt B600 which has a T2 connection and this connect the binoviewer directly to the diagonal, thus saving 5-6mm.

Carl here on Solarchat has this arrangement with a Pre-Meade SM40 and a B600 and it works fine. I was thinking of doing this as well but in the end I got the BF10, thinking that if I change etalons and scopes in the future, I can keep the blocking filter.

I emailed Lunt and they told me it should work ok (this Frankenstein configuration) but they haven't actually tested it so Caveat Emptor and all...

Best of luck & let us know on final decision. I get my BF10 and SM40 on Monday as well. Pretty excited!

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2016 4:51 pm
by Solar B
Hi Nick

Thanks for all your help "most sincerely" ... I manged to mount one of my SM40s with an adaptor I had (bit makeshift) onto my E66 today with bf10 ... now this obviously worked quite well ! ... but trying it with the Maxbrights and TV 25 Plossl's
I was unable to achieve focus ... looked like it needed more in-focus ... I also tried it with the x1.7 glasspath corrector but
with similar results.
I then tried it with an old AE Magni max as Mark has suggested ... now I was able to achieve focus but there was bad vignetting
and the image was not as easy to view as with previous configurations ... so not persuing further.
Conclusion is that I need some shortened Bino ready small refractor ... I believe that putting barlows of sorts in the optical
path is a compromise , the Badder correctors are not however.
I also think that anything less than bf10 for Bino viewing may also be a compromise so I'm no longer trying binos with a PST.
Very best of luck with your new set up though.

Brian

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2016 4:55 pm
by nicosolcy
Hi Brian,

A 80mm Achro short tube would do well off the used marked. You need to hack a bit of it off, hack a bit of the focuser draw-tube, drill 3 new holes for the focuser on the OTA and then the hard bit which is to fabricate a new adapter for the SM40.

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2016 7:38 pm
by Solar B
image.jpg
image.jpg (196.56 KiB) Viewed 8404 times
Here's a pic of my now 10 yr old adaptor taped to my E66 ... will figure something out :P

Brian

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2016 4:50 am
by nicosolcy
That Moonlite focuser looks huge!!! :shock:

Re: Mounting of DS 40s

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2016 8:18 am
by Solar B
It's does in this poor pic but it actually blends in quite nicely as has exactly
the same finish as the equinox :cool:

Moonlite ... seems right.