Explore Scientific Ultra Light 12" Dob / Holding Collimation
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- Опубликовано: 6 апр 2016
- The Pro SteadyGrip is no longer available. For those wanting one, what I would suggest is to cut a full 1.25" x 1.25" x (a length you find comfortable) of oak or ash and block out the bottom to clear the altitude bearing. (required clearance pictured in the video) Bolt the bottom to the mirror box and run a 3/8" bolt at the top for a handle to turn the dob with. You could slip a piece of rubber or vinyl hose over the 3/8" bolt to cover the threads. To clean things up, run a little chamfer, or sand, the sharp edges on the lever and paint it flat black. NOTE: The 1.25" hardwood lever would be better than the original 1/2" OD lever for the larger 16" ES Ultra Light, as the 1/2" OD would flex too much under the additional weight. Hope this helps. Dakota
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Dakota Starry Nights' Pro Steady Grip Lever arrived yesterday. Thanks to the video i had no problem with the installation. Simple and clever solution!
Glad to hear it. Thanks!
I installed a lazy susan bearing for AZ and it makes all the difference staying on a target. I also use a digital angle finder for ALT. Then just use your astronomy program for ALT/ AZ for the time and go right to your target.
Ordering the ES 16” gen. II
I’ll be ordering this handle as well. Thanks
Thanks a lot for this video reviews. That Lever is a great ad-on !!
+Oscar_L You're welcome. :)
A great solution, this will help mitigate the issue but not eliminate it completely. The trusses still shift slightly just from the inertia of sudden movements, or having heavy equipment such as eyepiece + coma corrector combo in the focuser and using pointing the scope more horizontally (low horizon viewing). This is the main thing keeping me from getting into truss/ultralight dobs. I just stick with my 10" solid tube, it stays in collimation even over multiple nights bringing it in and out of the house! Had a 12" solid tube, preferred the views but it was too heavy and I never took it out.
A 10" solid tube is definitely less hassle setup than a truss tube. And for what you may be giving up vs the 12" it's really not that much, so...
Brilliant!!
I'd just like to add my two cents here as a bit of testimonial. I've purchased the 12" Explore Scientific truss dob (Gen II) and also Dakota Starry Nights' Pro Steady Grip Lever. I HIGHLY recommend it. It's very easy to install, and not only does it work to help maintain collimation over the course of a night of viewing, it makes the scope incredibly easy to maneuver smoothly from one viewing target to another, even as you're looking through the eyepiece. It's really a must-have accessory/upgrade to the stock scope. My thanks to Dakota Starry Nights for making it available.
Nice of you to say so. Thanks.
Bill Hunt where can I purchase the Pro steady grip lever. I am UK based
Thanks a bunch for all the ES truss dob videos. Just got my 16 “ and from this video appears you insert the Hotech directly into the focuser tube without the compression ring attachment when collimating. Just checking if this is the case as I just received my 2in Hotech laser.
I know they say using the compressing ring centers the collimator in the draw tube. Which is true. But my way of thinking is to use the set screws in the focuser in the same sequence (important) as you intend to put the eye piece or 2" to 1 1/4 reducer. Because if you center on the focuser draw tube, then put in an eyepiece that doesn't have the same self centering ring, your eyepiece will be pushed off center by the compression screws. So you want to have the offset the same for the eyepiece and collimator. I hope that makes sense. Big congrats on a big dob!
That makes sense and thanks for that quick reply. I’ve also got the HR coma corrector on the way and watched your video and will be collimating with it attached when in use. Clear skies to you from central Massachusetts.
Hello, thank you for your reviews. I am getting ready to purchase the 16" version. Do you make the Steady Grip in that size?
I for got to add I use a digital compass on the base for AZ, sorry for the oversight. Nothing like using GPS, no guessing.
does the collimination goes wrong after one night just for explore scientific truss dob only or all the other brands ?
AT 5.00 minutes you bend the telescope out of alt alignment (pushed to far) , which corresponds to the position of the collimator laser dot.
Good eye
Great tool ,thanks for sharing. I have also the 12",but have some issue tot collimate, is there a video available showing how to collimate ?
You're welcome., Francis:) There are many collimation videos here on RUclips. But instead of having to go to the back of the dob, you can adjust the primary mirror with the extension tool provided at the front. And the secondary mirror can be adjusted by hand, tool free. It's really the easiest system out there because you can see the primary mirror as you adjust it instead of having someone tell you where the dot is. Thanks for posting!
@@DakotaStarryNights good morning,thanks for the reaction. It is a great tool to adjust the primairy mirror. But how can i place the secondary on the right position ? Is that only by using the 3 knobs with springs ? Many thanks,have a great day.
I would be interested to see how the weight of the eyepiece affects the collimation. I can imagine that sliding in 1kg or more would change the collimation quite a bit.
Yeah, I would say so. The heaver the eyepiece the more drag on the truss due to the fulcrum effect.
Rotate the collimation tool in the eye piece of the telescope, if it does not stay centered, there is still work to do!
Given that the Pro SteadyGrip is no longer being sold, would you be able to provide dimensions and and a parts list so we could build one on our own? Thanks and your videos are great!
I get this question a lot. What I would suggest is to cut a full 1.25" x 1.25" x (a length you find comfortable) of oak or ash and block out the bottom to clear the altitude bearing. Bolt the bottom to the mirror box and run a 3/8" bolt at the top for a handle to turn the dob with. You could slip a piece of rubber or vinyl hose over the 3/8" bolt to cover the threads. And run a little chamfer, or sand, the sharp edges on the lever. The 1.25" hardwood lever would be better than the original 1/2" OD lever for the larger 16" ES Ultra Light, as the 1/2" OD would flex too much under the additional weight. Hope this helps. Dakota
Hello
I have watched many of your videos and you have had some great ideas on improvements for the scope. Well I did a lot of research and decided to upgrade to a new scope and just bought one of these brand new in gen 2. I plan to do some of the upgrades that you did here. Are those levers still available? Would it be possible to get one? If so how? Feel free to contact me if needed.
The Gen2's are reported to be a nice improvement over the one I purchased during the initial release. So, you may not need the upgrade. Even so, they are no longer available. That said, the ES UL12" is hard to be from a price/ performance standpoint. It was one of my favorites, once I sorted out the problems of the Gen 1. Congrats!
Do you ever use your scope in your yard? If so, are you able to roll the whole thing out and back for viewing?
I typically take it out to a dark site. It's breaks down into two components, with the secondary mirror cage sitting inside the rocker box. I find it really easy to move around this way. I guess you could put it on a low platform with caster wheels if you intend to view only at home. But a trip to a good dark site pays off handsomely. At a class one dark site I've seen things with this dob I've never seen before.
Dakota Starry Nights good timing. I received my 16" Gen 2 this week and am trying to figure out a way to do wheelbarrow type handles and wheels. But first I have to balance it.
There is a hole in the mirror box, at the rear, which has a removable
plug. You can pick up a bolt and wing nut at the hardware store and a 5
or 10 lb dumb bell weight at Walmart or sporting goods store for balancing.
For moving it around assembled you could maybe point the scope at zenith and hold it there with some bungee cords attached to some eye bolts on the moving platform. Just some ideas to
kick around as figuring this stuff out is half the fun of it. Clear Skies
Will this work with the newly re-released 10", 12" and 16" Explore Scientific dobsonians?
Currently the Pro SteadyGrip Lever is available only for the 12" Ultra Light model.
Do you still use the scope? How you like it after a few years?
Yes I do. It's the one I use at really good dark sites or the astro-festival at Badlands National Park with night vision. The ES Ultra Light 12" with NV was blowing them away down there. People were waiting in line throughout the night until I finally rolled up. Also had a lot of folks coming back to see some more. But around town I use a 6" refactor or the 8" ES Imaging Newtonian. Again, with night vision and an Astronomik Hydrogen-alpha imaging filter. It cuts clean through light pollution. Thanks for posting.
Hello! Just received my Gen II and was wondering how you collimate the Primary mirror?
Just like you would collimate any dob but much easier because you adjust the secondary AND primary mirrors from the front using the rod they provide. Check out the video below here on DSN at 13:12 in the timeline. Congrats on the Gen II!
ruclips.net/video/1jAFiJ98ipA/видео.html
@@DakotaStarryNights thank you and love your videos!
Darn... only available for the 12”. Oh well, guess I’ll be getting plenty of practice collimating
No worries. The ES UltraLight is easy to collimate. Congrats on the 16"!
What I would suggest is to cut a full 1.25" x 1.25" x (a length you find comfortable) of oak or ash and block out the bottom to clear the altitude bearing. Bolt the bottom to the mirror box and run a 3/8" bolt at the top for a handle to turn the dob with. You could slip a piece of rubber or vinyl hose over the 3/8" bolt to cover the threads. And run a little chamfer, or sand, the sharp edges on the lever. The 1.25" hardwood lever would be better than the original 1/2" OD lever for the larger 16" ES Ultra Light, as the 1/2" OD would flex too much under the additional weight. Hope this helps. Dakot
I've got my the same 12"dob but some scretches in the mirrow made me unhappy😢
Unless it looks like a cat did a tap dance number on it or they or wide deep gouges, scratches don't really degrade the image as much as you think. Lay a string of yarn across the front of the your telescope, and I bet you won't even notice the difference even when staring through the eyepiece the whole time. That yarn is much thicker than a scratch. As long as 99% of the light is going where it needs to go, you won't notice. You can always get your mirror recoated too should it ever become too damaged. 100-200 USD depending on mirror size and what quality coating you go with.
@@NOLASkaGuitarist thank you!be happy!
Hi. Are these still currently being sold? If so where? Thanks
Sorry, they're no longer available.
Ok. Thanks anyways.
Do you make these for the 16” Explore Scientific?
Sorry, but I don't have a 16" so couldn't make one for it.
Dakota Starry Nights Thanks for your videos on the 12”. I just ordered the 16” yesterday and from what I understand they’ve fixed a lot of the issues that you discussed in your review of the 12”. Very cool! Thanks!
Congrats on the 16"! I was seriously considering ordering one but I put a lot of work in my 12" and just recently optimized it for night vision so... Let me know how it goes. Thanks for posting. :)
Dakota Starry Nights Thanks! I’ve been watching your videos and I really enjoy them! I like your observing buddy!
No, I did not. What I would suggest is to cut a full 1.25" x 1.25" x (a length you find comfortable) of oak or ash and block out the bottom to clear the altitude bearing. Bolt the bottom to the mirror box and run a 3/8" bolt at the top for a handle to turn the dob with. You could slip a piece of rubber or vinyl hose over the 3/8" bolt to cover the threads. And run a little chamfer, or sand, the sharp edges on the lever. The 1.25" hardwood lever would be better than the original 1/2" OD lever for the larger 16" ES Ultra Light, as the 1/2" OD would flex too much under the additional weight. Hope this helps. Dakot
Anarchy in South Dakota
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Чоткая труба есть видос как он зырит?