HELP I think I broke my telescope!!!

[04Stefan07]

Holy crap.

I am looking at adding an electronic focuser to my scope so I removed the focus knob so I can get a few pictures of the dial. I had the telescope upright then a few seconds later I heard this thump and the focus dial fell into the scope.

I looked at the front of the mirror and it looks like it has been pushed forward or something????????

Have I totally broken it??????? :confused2: :(:(:(

I need help!

[casstony]

It looks like the mirror has fallen forward off the baffle and is resting on the secondary baffle? There could be some scratches on the mirror but they'll be hidden from the light path by the secondary so the scope will probably be fine once it is properly reassembled. Just don't move around and rub the mirror on the secondary baffle any more than necessary.

I haven't owned one of those little Maks but someone else here should be able to advise regarding reassembly.

[04Stefan07]

Just my luck!

Thanks mate, might need to take it to Bintel to check it out.

I am hoping it won't be expensive to fix if anything is damaged.

[casstony]

In Schmidt cassegrains the focuser positions the main mirror on the greased primary baffle and the tube needs to be horizontal or pointing up if the focus knob is removed. There is also a C ring that stops the mirror from sliding off the baffle by mistake but perhaps the Mak doesn't have the C ring/safety ring at the end of its baffle?

In any case Bintel will be able to fix it for a modest fee I imagine.

[04Stefan07]

I am hoping there is no serious damage.

I will pop into Bintel and let you know how I go.

[multiweb]

As others said no big deal. The mirror focuser thread moved out of the knob. Easily fixed. Don't stress.

[04Stefan07]

OK I went to Bintel and they didn't have the correct tools to fix it.

They also do not deal with Celestron products. They gave me a contact up in Sydney who is giving me another contact to some optical repair shop.

If courier and cost of the repair gets a bit much I might just buy a new OTA and sell this one as is along with my 130SLT tube.

[casstony]

Don't ship it with the main mirror loose inside the tube. There should be a way to get either the front or rear cell off the tube or a way to remove the curved front lens so that the mirror can be pushed back onto the primary baffle and the focuser reconnected.

Can you post some photo's from the side of the tube - are there screws that can be removed?

[04Stefan07]

There are some screws at the back then just the screws for the dovetail on the side.

There are 2 holes at the top but not really confident in opening it up.

[Nico13]

I totally agree it must handled gently until it's fixed.
This should be a relatively simple job to pull it appart and reconnect the focuser etc and yes can you show some side on pictures of around the base and front lens so we can see how it's attached. Look for those screws mentioned.

[casstony]

The screws at the back are for collimation - don't touch :)
I'd say there's a ring that unthreads in front of the meniscus (front curved lens) allowing the meniscus to be removed. If so you could unthread the ring and use something like wooden icy pole sticks to get the meniscus out. Do it on a table with the scope on a few layers of towel and use cotton gloves to avoid getting finger prints on the optical surfaces should you inadvertently touch them. Use a pencil to mark the side of the meniscus and the tube so it goes back in in the correct rotational orientation.

It's good to get some practice in on stripping down scopes and you may as well start with a cheap optical tube like this one. You can find articles on the internet about disassembling Schmidt cassegrains that would be good to read to give you an idea of how to proceed.

That's my 2 cents, feel free to ignore :)

[04Stefan07]

Photos below.

[casstony]

The ring at the front has two small holes - if there are grub screws in those they'd need to be loosened before unscrewing the ring, otherwise use a small screwdriver or similar in each hole to unscrew the ring. There might be an IIS member in Melbourne who could help with the job?

[04Stefan07]

Yeah that's where Bintel didn't have the right tool for the job.

They highly recommended to use the right tool as using the incorrect one will damage the scope even further.

All the instructions are guides are appreciated but when it comes to this sort of thing I would rather get a professional to have a look at it. If not I may sell it as is.

[Robert9]

Why not an email Celestron for advice. Also, what kind are the "specialist" tools?

Robert

[multiweb]

Seems a bit excessive to have to ship the scope to rectify this. You just need to do a bit of fishing and get the threaded rod likely attached to the mirror cell back into that hole. Here's what I would do. Telescope pointing up. Push the mirror up with a screwdriver and rotate it until you see the rod. When you have it back in the hole the mirror will go back all the way down. From there secure it and you're good to go.

[LewisM]

Exactly Marc. I honestly believe a 2 minute job, even for an unskilled numby like RB :P

I was going to suggest tilting it vertically and see if the mirror goes into place. Jiggle it if it does not.

Heck, pay shipping both ways and i will do it free. If I pull apart Takahashi's and fix them, I am sure I can pull apart a Celestron.

[ZeroID]

Biggest problem with shipping with a loose mirror is that it will probably get more damage. Opening it up yourself is going to be no loss if it wouldn't survive anyway.

I IR modded my old DSLR recently and it worked, ... for about 3 days. But it had no value as it was never going to be used as a camera again and had little if any resale worth. The experience was worth it so next camera I will be more careful but I'll have another go for sure. Just gotta find another cheapish camera ... ;)

I'd at least be having a go at Marcs suggestion.

[AndrewJ]

When you look through the open hole with a flashlight, can you see the threaded rod at all???
If so, and it wont slide under its own weight, you may be able to make a small lasso out of thin twine. Slip that over the rod and pull it tight, and use that to pull the mirror back.

Andrew

[multiweb]

That's the biggest worry indeed. A lose primary can drop and break the front corrector as it already seems there's no retaining clip, then game over.

[LewisM]

Wooden dowel with a pencil slip-on eraser on the tip - push it through the hole, contact the mirror, and move the mirror until the focuser pinion is lined up with the hole. Gravity then should do the rest.

[04Stefan07]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

However as I mentioned before as telescope repair isn't my profession I will pass it onto someone else.

I have ordered a new tube yesterday which is exciting.

If this was a broken computer then I would have taken it apart already since I would be confident in what I am doing. :)

Enjoy the weekend! At derby day today. Hopefully the weather stays decent.