Mewlon 210 moonlite dual speed focuser

[muletopia]

Oh learned people,
I guess that someone on IIS has fitted a Moonlite dual speed focuser to a Mewlon 210.
Would they tell me what is involved please.

If it looks feasible I will go down this path when I can.
Cheers
Chris

[multiweb]

It works good. All you need is an adapter ring. That you can get from the moonlite website.

[muletopia]

Thank you Marc, I appreciate your trouble to take the picture and reply.
Chris

[multiweb]

No worries. That's an old pic I had, I sold it since. Got a CN-212 now.

[Dennis]

Here is a series of images I took when fitting a Moonlite to my old Mewlon 180. several years ago.

Hopefully the configuration hasn't changed to much to make these obsolete.:)

Cheers

Dennis

[muletopia]

Thanks for the sequence Dennis,
that looks fairly straight forward.
Chris

[Dennis]

Hi Chris

The Moonlite Focuser fitted to my M180 has the long motor shaft and a fixed telescope flange.

I could not screw the assembly directly onto the M180 rear thread as the motor shaft fouled the finder eyepiece and the focuser knob.

So, I had to unscrew the eyepiece from the finder and peel back the rubber sleeve on the focuser, to reveal small Allen Key grub screws, which allowed me to remove the focuser knob.

Cheers

Dennis

[multiweb]

Hi Dennis it's interesting to see the focusing knob has crub screws that you can loosen to remove it. My CN-212, I had no idea how to remove the knob. I think you have to remove a retaining ring on the other side of the cell and remove the whole mechanism and slide it out.

[Kerber1955]

I'm slightly puzzled regarding the replies - they suggest to me that the Moonlite focuser attachment method has changed.

I bought a Moonlite dual speed focuser for my Mewlon 210 early this year, and with the adapter from Moonlite it was as easy as unscrewing the Tak backplate and screwing on the Moonlite items.

I definitely did NOT have to play around with the focus mechanism or any other parts of the Tak mechanicals. No grub screws to find or remove or anything else of that sort.

And the system works very well. Because it gives a dual speed focus without moving the primary mirror, focus shifty is eliminated. Just have the mirror settled (counter-clockwise slight focus move) then do everything with the Moonlite.

A very nice improvement to the telescope, and cost me slightly less than Tak's own rack and pinion device. I bought the Moonlite as I expected it to be better than the Tak r&p. It works beautifully.

[muletopia]

Gee, I do hope that Keber1955 is correct.


Chris

[UniPol]

I fitted a Moonlite focuser to my Mewlon 180c (same mounting thread as the Mewlon 210) and only needed to separate the Moonlite flange and adaptor as the Moonlite focuser interfered with Tak coarse focuser knob. I have the Tak R & P focuser fitted with an MEF-3 fine focuser and must admit it is no where as smooth as the Moonlite and it cost a fair bit more. I think the Moonlite uses up a fair bit more back focus than the Tak though. The arrangement shown just comes to focus with a Tak 1.25" diagonal so a 2" diagonal isn't in the race.

[Dennis]

Hi Marc

The only reason I had to remove various components is due to my Moonlite having a fixed flange and a long motor drive shaft extending out of the focuser body.


I could not screw the flange onto the Mewlon rear thread, without the motor shaft fouling both the eyepiece and focuser knob.:(

It looks like the current series of Moonlite Focusers have a 2-part flange; a component that you can screw onto the Tak rear thread, then the focuser body which clamps on, presumably rotatable and secured by grub screws?:shrug:

I wish mine would have had that design.:(

Cheers

Dennis

[sharpiel]

Dennis,

Is your Moonlite an older version? The designs have changed over time particularly with the motor options which in the past have been long cylindrical housings but which are now shorter thicker square housings.

My Moonlites, which are relatively new (one for an SCT and one for a refractor) also both came with interchangeable flanges.

[Kerber1955]

Regarding back focus, I can use both my 1.25-inch WO diagonal and 2-inch GSO diagonal without any problems on the Mewlon 210 with (recent) MoonLite focuser added.

It does appear that MoonLite systems are now fitted differently due to a design change. I would not have bought the unit if it had required the kind of mechanical changes described for the older version.

[Dennis]

The JPGs I posted have a file date of Oct 2007 so I guess that is a looong time ago by today's standards.:)

I understand that the current range of Moonlite focusers bypass the steps I had to take to cater for the fixed flange and long motor shaft, a good thing.:)

Cheers

Dennis