garret

Disaster after 'pushing' the home button! Last week I had finally some clear nights to test the focusser after the repair at ASA. Right after pushing the Home button a disaster happens; very louds noise from was coming from the focusser, first a thought it was a tangled cable connector, but it was't, it was the focusser it self, the motor was not stopping at end of the travel; it was very hard trying to push out the focusser draw tube! I quickly cut of the 12 volt power, but the damage was already made: several brass parts (teeth) was coming out of the focusser. I learn from a fellow astronomer, inside the focusser there is a end-switch, after we open the focusser, first we saw the brass-gear was completly damaged. We found out a wire inside the motor- housing at the connector side was lose, after solder it back on the connector-pin, we try homing, and this time it works fine, however, the focusser needs several new parts because for now its useless. My question for now is May this happen after a repair?, and May this happen for a focusser only 1.5 years old? At this time I consider the FLI Atlas focusser. I will also e-mail ASA. Garret van der veen

Hello. I have a z focusser on my ASA, a few weeks ago I want to unscrew the camera from the focusser tube, because it was firmly attached at the focusser tube I use force to unlock the camera. The result is I have now a sticky Z focusser; when I click '0,1mm move' once (+ or -) at the OK3 software nothing happened but the I do hear the motor!, a second click '0,1mm move' still nothing, only after 0,3mm/ 0,4mm of movement on the software the focusser tube is moving a large amount. For tiny movements of 0,02mm i must click 10 times or so before the focusser actualy moves. I can check focus with 'Life-view' on the canon camera (if there is a clear night). I know you can make adjustments with the two brass screws on the Z focusser housing, But How? (Or send the focusser to ASA, but then I receive a large repair bill and cannot use the scope for a couple of months). What I already have done is make a tiny locking screw in the focusser tube; no more fixed cameras!, and grease the ball bearings with Dupont Krytox teflon grease. Garret