gabs Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 Hi, I was trying to understand why my focus is so bad when I need to use for photography and I found out that the knob wasn't tight enough so basically was quite loose. The mechanism itself is not so brilliant and it seems to be the weakest part of the scope. The absence of any electronic focuser on the market for this model of telescope makes everything a bit more complicated. I am a bit disappointed to see that the focus knob has already lost his grip considering that the telescope is new and bought in December last year and the box came without any key or tools to do a proper maintenance So, to my personal opinion is a very good scope for observing but definitely not so good for photography. If someone has had the same issue i would be interested to see how was sorted. gabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazAstro Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 Looks like some sort of angled gear is used ? Might have to strip and have a look. Found this on another site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabs Posted April 23, 2021 Author Share Posted April 23, 2021 10 minutes ago, GazAstro said: Looks like some sort of angled gear is used ? Might have to strip and have a look. Found this on another site. Yes I saw it too.. at least I don’t feel alone ... someone seems had the same problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazAstro Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 So, is it loose here ... If so, you could remove the knob and file a flat area on the shaft for the grub screw to hold position better maybe ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabs Posted April 23, 2021 Author Share Posted April 23, 2021 19 minutes ago, GazAstro said: So, is it loose here ... If so, you could remove the knob and file a flat area on the shaft for the grub screw to hold position better maybe ? Both were loose I managed to sort where the green arrow is but unfortunately for the red one I need a special key which I don’t have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazAstro Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 OK, thats an Allen key - should be cheap on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabs Posted April 23, 2021 Author Share Posted April 23, 2021 8 minutes ago, GazAstro said: OK, thats an Allen key - should be cheap on Amazon. Yes I have fully set of Allen key but no one of them so tiny to do the job. I will research again. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstronomyUkraine Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 5 hours ago, gabs said: Yes I have fully set of Allen key but no one of them so tiny to do the job. I will research again. Thank you! I believe the ETX focus knob has an allen key size of .05", which means a metric allen key is no good. The nearest metric equivalent would be 1mm, but that might be too small to fit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabs Posted April 23, 2021 Author Share Posted April 23, 2021 25 minutes ago, AstronomyUkraine said: I believe the ETX focus knob has an allen key size of .05", which means a metric allen key is no good. The nearest metric equivalent would be 1mm, but that might be too small to fit. It seems that I need to use a toothpick or a needle !😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carastro Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 Gabs I seem to recall reading on your posts that you bought this is the recent past, if it is still under guarantee why not get your retailer to sort it out. Carole 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 Amazon sell sets of imperial Allen keys too fairly cheaply. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabs Posted April 24, 2021 Author Share Posted April 24, 2021 1 hour ago, Carastro said: Gabs I seem to recall reading on your posts that you bought this is the recent past, if it is still under guarantee why not get your retailer to sort it out. Carole Thanks Carole, I will try to contact the seller on Monday and see what they say. However I saw other people complaining with the same issue so I guess is a common problem with this telescope. gabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkAR Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 Worth investing in a set of Imperial Allen keys, also making sure there's a flat on the shaft for the screw to locate on is a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabs Posted April 30, 2021 Author Share Posted April 30, 2021 On 4/24/2021 at 6:52 PM, MarkAR said: Worth investing in a set of Imperial Allen keys, also making sure there's a flat on the shaft for the screw to locate on is a good idea. Thank you Mark, allen key set has arrived the good thing is there are 2 sets at the price of one. I have tight up a bit the focus knob now I just need to check if I did correct . Unfortunately the weather doesn’t seem to be good in the next day ... let’s see I will keep you posted! gabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazAstro Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 Fingers crossed 🤞🏻 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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