New Espirit 80 focuser

[The_bluester]

A friend and I are trying to help someone inexperienced get imaging equipment set up while in lockdown. He has a new Espirit 80mm Skywatcher and it has a Primaluce Sesto Senso focus motor fitted to it.

The issue is that the focus motor is rotating quite freely on the end of the focuser. I am 99% sure he has simply not sufficiently tightened the machine screw which is supposed to close up the clamp on the focuser boss and lock it in place (Per the picture linked below)

I am just concerned at giving someone without enough mechanical knowledge or mechanical sympathy a direction to go a bit harder then sitting back and watch him make an expensive mistake on brand new gear. I really doubt if I could give him a newton meters torque figure he is going to be able to do anything with that information.

Anyone have any experience with the focuser on the new Espirit 80? The only other option to the machine screw being too loose I could see is that the part the focus motor is attached to is rotating on the focuser, but the video we can see is not quite sharp enough to make that out.

https://nimax-img.de/Produktbilder/normal/57537_1/PrimaLuceLab-SESTO-SENSO-robotic-focusing-motor.jpg

[LewisM]

Paul,

You'd have to show an image of his exact setup or the video so we could see what is going on. Could be many things.

[vlazg]

Hi Paul,
It does sound like he needs to tighten the main screw but he also needs to tighten the 3 grub screws as well. I have no problem with mine.

[The_bluester]

I will see if I can obtain some video, but it seems to me that he just needs to tighten the main locking machine screw up more to close up the clearance, just I am even more hesitant to direct him over the internet to go harder than he is to do it.

A couple of questions on the focuser itself if you have one George. With the knobs removed to allot fitting the focus motor, is there a silver (can’t tell if it is alloy or steel) boss that is fixed, that the focus motor clamps to? Secondly, the focus lock under the focuser, is that a shaft lock or does it lock the drawtube?

I am really thinking of recommending that he removes it and focuses manually for the time being until the lockdown he is under relaxes enough that he can get someone I who has the knowledge to do it for him, or at least advise over his shoulder.

[The_bluester]

George, I assume from your reply that you have this particular combination? Any chance of a close up photo of the focus motor attachment to the focuser itself? Or if you just have the scope, a photo of the fine focus side?