help finding the right motorised focuser

[red dwalf]

hi all,

i`m off to the Astro show this coming Saturday and am on the look out for a motor focuser for the Starwave 80 ed and ideally to fit the Celstron 8" sct, does such a universal focuser exist ? i was thinking of the Skywatcher auto focuser which i can then one day use as a usb ascom controller device with the hitec astro controller box that`s bought seperatly, but do any makers have a reasonalbly priced all in model ? i know a few of you have motor focusers on you scopes so any advice or help would be gratefully recieved before i go and buy the wrong thing, also i can`t run into hundreds of pounds for one of those moonlight jobs L.O.L. wife just booked hoilday so i am skint for a couple of months. 

all the best

Rob

[+Graham]

Hi there.

Never come across a focuser that will work across the range of scopes.

My advice would be buy the SW  one and than make adapters to fit it to your other scopes.

I have in the past knocked up adapters to fit these to all manner of scope including the sct's

[Antares_Paul]

I use the Skywatcher auto focuser via the Hitecastro DC focus on my ED120 and it perform flawlessly. Admittedly it's a straight bolt on.

I also have a Starwave ED80 that would benefit from remote focussing so I'm watching this thread carefully to see if you go this route/Graham turns out a bracket.

 

No help to you Rob, I know, but I can aid in dimensions etc to help manufacture of said bracket. Then you'll have 2 customers Graham 

 

Regards.

[glider]

I've got some angle bracket left from when I put a Skywatcher unit on my TS 80/f7 that you can have.

 

[andyboy1970]

If you go the skywatcher route, Modern Astronomy do the motor and Hitec control for £100. They are at the show and Dion from astronomyshed is on their stall.....

http://www.modernastronomy.co.uk/accessories.html#accFocusers

Edited May 13, 2013 by andyboy1970

[Astrocookie]

Hi Rob

 

What did you go for.

 

Did you make a purchase from IAS?

 

I'm in the process of making a focuser to drive the fine focuser knob via a belt so I can disengage easily for manual focus.

 

 

I've got a circuit to drive a servo motor, modded for continuous rotation,speed control 0 to 90% duty cycle and two way thumb control.

 

Just in the process of fabricating the bracket to suit my SW ED80 Pro

 

Proper cheap solution.

 

Paul