Hi all, I finally bought the andrews binoviewer and a couple superviews. I had a first attempt at it tonight. It achieves focus by simply using a 2x Barlow which surprised me. The views of the moon are unbelievable. Very close ups of crater impact zones that I have never seen with a single EP. Didn't really observe anything else with them. They take a bit of fiddling around with the individual .EP focusers. I can't actually seem to focus on a star so it is pinpoint. Is this usual for a binoviewer or did I not get the focusing spot on?. Also, the way they stick out of the focuser, it would be beneficial to use a diagonal. It would just be a lot more comfortable for me. If I do this, obviously I wil need counterweights which are on their way. Is it too much glass in the chain? I already have a Barlow, the bino prisms and EP's. would adding a diagonal change the image quality. Also, do they compensate so that I will not lose the ability to focus?
You should be able to get a single star to focus. One thing you can try if moving the eyepieces up and down doesn't achieve it, is turning the eyepieces around within each holder, and adjusting the distance between eyepieces. At the end of the day, the binoviewer has to be collimated exactly like binoculars - when you alternately open and close each eye, the image shouldn't be jumping around, else you'll get a headache.
Not sure about using the star diagonal. If you put the Barlow into the diagonal the binoviewer won't come to focus. If you put the diagonal into the Barlow, the magnification will be a lot higher, but should work. Maybe, if your diagonal has threads, and if your Barlow unscrews at the bottom and has the same thread, then you can screw the bottom Barlow lens into the diagonal - and that may work, or may not.
Regards,
Renato
intravel doesnt seem to be a problem, It seems to come to focus around the middle of the travel so plenty each way. I read that to focus the EP's you close the left eye and turn the right focuser until sharp and vice versa. I tried this and it was getting better but it was hard without counterweights as I had to keep holding the scope up to keep the star in view. maybe an eye patch might help. A diagonal might not be a good idea. My focuser is already crying out for help. Maybe focusing on a terrestrial target during the day would be easier. Thanks Renato, I will try turning the EP's in the holder. It looks like I am going to a dark site on the weekend and good weather so I will have plenty of time to work it out.
Jas here is what I do with focusing.
Focus using my dominant eye, left in my case, with the focuser knob. When thats sharp shut left eye and focus right eye using the helical focus on the bino's, not the focuser. For me the left helical is all the way in and the right ends up most of the way out somewhere around 8mm difference. You set up might/will be totally different
Matt
Thanks Renato, I will try turning the EP's in the holder. It looks like I am going to a dark site on the weekend and good weather so I will have plenty of time to work it out.
No problem. Actually, that was in the instructions of some binoviewer or other or mine, on the internet. But in practice, I've only ever had to do it when I was using two zoom eyepieces.
Regards,
Renato
Hey guys, just an update on the binoviewing. I'm still having the same problem. I took the scope away for the weekend and had plenty of time to test. The best image I can get looks like I've turned the focuser until a star is a pinpoint, and then turned it a quarter turn too much. As I mentioned before, Intravel doesn't seem to be a factor, I have tried focusing the individual ep's and I have tried turning them in their holders. The next thing going through my head is attempting to collimate the unit. Any other suggestions from binoviewers? It's not the gso ep's coz I put my tak le 24 in and tried to focus. Same issue.
Hey, don't know if this means anything,but I just decided to put my laser collimator in the ep holders of the binoviewer. Both ep focusers were all the way in to keep it constant. Here's what I got. First image is left, second is right.
Hey guys, just an update on the binoviewing. I'm still having the same problem. I took the scope away for the weekend and had plenty of time to test. The best image I can get looks like I've turned the focuser until a star is a pinpoint, and then turned it a quarter turn too much. As I mentioned before, Intravel doesn't seem to be a factor, I have tried focusing the individual ep's and I have tried turning them in their holders. The next thing going through my head is attempting to collimate the unit. Any other suggestions from binoviewers? It's not the gso ep's coz I put my tak le 24 in and tried to focus. Same issue.
Let's see - you can't get either eyepiece to focus? As you focus in one direction the out of focus discs get smaller and smaller, but never hit focus. As you focus in the other direction, the discs just get bigger. If so, the unit can't reach focus.
But if each eyepiece does reach focus at some time, the unit does reach focus - it's just a matter of getting your left eyepiece right by focusing with the focuser, then lifting the other one out of the holder to reach focus and lock it in. Or vice versa.
Regards,
Renato
I haven't yet reached focus Renato.as you say, the rings get smaller until almost focused and then start getting larger.
So, you're rotating the focuser in one direction only, the discs get smaller, and smaller, and suddenly start getting bigger while still rotating in the same direction? Without achieving focus?
That has me beat. That hasn't happened with either of my binoviewers. And it wouldn't be a collimation issue.
I await with interest the experiences of other binoviewer owners.
Regards,
Renato
I was just reading a post on cloudy nights where someone couldnt get a sharp image. the reply was that 90% of binoviewer focus issues occur due to the IPD being wrong. So, trying to focus the individual ep's may not do anything if this distance is wrong. Tonight I will open it right up and try and focus using the individual ep focusers and slowly close this distance, trying to focus at many different positions. Hopefully, I find the sweet spot. If not, Im out of ideas
I have a 3x barlow. I cant even get close with that. The travel just isnt there.
2 more things to try tonight. Maybe I need to bring the EP's a couple of mm out of their holders, or maybe only one of them. And I will try experimenting further with the IPD as in the previous post. I will post the results tomorrow.
I have a 3x barlow. I cant even get close with that. The travel just isnt there.
2 more things to try tonight. Maybe I need to bring the EP's a couple of mm out of their holders, or maybe only one of them. And I will try experimenting further with the IPD as in the previous post. I will post the results tomorrow.
I didn't mean a higher power Barlow - I meant a physically longer Barlow - to get it physically closer to the secondary mirror. Years ago they used to make them a lot longer to get good images, but with better glass, they've been making them shorter.
Regards,
Renato
