SW motor fitment to stock 10:1 Crayford focuser - great improvement!

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Merlin66
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SW motor fitment to stock 10:1 Crayford focuser - great improvement!

Post by Merlin66 »

I use the SW accufocus motors on almost all of my gear - cheap and does the job well. I have these focuser motors on my ED80 for Ha solar imaging and the C11 for spectroscopy...
Just before I left Belgium I managed to aquire a Baader Herschel Wedge and a TS 102 f11 Achromat.
The TS102 has been converted to a modded PST as well.
This scope has the generic 10:1 Crayford and I needed a fine focus control for solar imaging.
The attached images show the set-up:
Based on the Std SW/Orion focuser motor...
I already had a 28 tooth wheel and 80 tooth belt from another project (!!)
I measured the "gap" below the Crayford body as 9mm and found a piece of MDF and a 1.6mm aluminium plate which stacked up.
By removing the two small M3 screws from the base of the Crayford and drilling a 6mm diameter hole (to clear the locking screw) I managed to come up with a pretty compact solution.
Pretty self evident, but works very, very well for fine focusing with the DMK camera.
Any questions let me know.
I should have said the belt just drops off for rough focusing with the main knobs....











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Re: SW motor fitment to stock 10:1 Crayford focuser - great improvement!

Post by MapleRidge »

Hi Ken...

Great adapatation of the motor for focusing.

I used a simalar motor and controller to motorize the tilt tuning on my LS50 and LS75 etalons...made a long reach much less necessary ;)

Brian


Brian Colville

Maple Ridge Observatory
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Re: SW motor fitment to stock 10:1 Crayford focuser - great improvement!

Post by Merlin66 »

Brian,
I just use the "Patented Vegemite tilt controller" for the DS etalons on the ED80 ;-)


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Re: SW motor fitment to stock 10:1 Crayford focuser - great improvement!

Post by swisswalter »

Hi Ken

that is a great, compact and clean mod :thumbsup:


Only stardust in the wind, some fine and some less fine scopes, filters and adapters as well. Switzerland 47 N, 9 E, in the heart of EUROPE :)

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Re: SW motor fitment to stock 10:1 Crayford focuser - great improvement!

Post by Merlin66 »

Thanks!
"No ants were killed in the making of this mod"


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Re: SW motor fitment to stock 10:1 Crayford focuser - great improvement!

Post by swisswalter »

Hi Ken


that is a major improvement during developping of solar stuff :) :whistle:


Only stardust in the wind, some fine and some less fine scopes, filters and adapters as well. Switzerland 47 N, 9 E, in the heart of EUROPE :)

from 7 am - 7 pm http://www.nanosys.ch

from 7.01 pm - 6.59 am http://www.wastronomiko.com some times vice versa ;)
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Re: SW motor fitment to stock 10:1 Crayford focuser - great improvement!

Post by marktownley »

Nice mod there Ken! :)


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colinbm

Re: SW motor fitment to stock 10:1 Crayford focuser - great improvement!

Post by colinbm »

I like it Ken
But I don't have a Crawford yet :(
Is any Crawford OK ?
What / who is the motor from ?
How is it controlled ?
Col


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Re: SW motor fitment to stock 10:1 Crayford focuser - great improvement!

Post by Merlin66 »

It will work with any Crayford focuser....
The motor and handcontroller is the standard Skywatcher/ Orion AccuFocus DC focus motor.


"Astronomical Spectroscopy - The Final Frontier" - to boldly go where few amateurs have gone before
https://groups.io/g/astronomicalspectroscopy  
http://astronomicalspectroscopy.com
"Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs" and
"Imaging Sunlight - using a digital spectroheliograph" - Springer
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colinbm

Re: SW motor fitment to stock 10:1 Crayford focuser - great improvement!

Post by colinbm »

Thanks very much Ken
That looks like what I need, I struggle with focus.
I am saving for a Crawford & will add this to my wish list.
Col


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