Finding replacement parts

[StarGazer20190]

Greetings all!

I can't believe all the knowledge I have gained through reading people's posts and watching YouTube videos. Its interesting how the short simple videos are usually the best!

Anyway, I came across a person selling a Celestron NextStar 5 SE telescope today. When I went to see it, the only issue I saw was that it was missing the secondary mirror and the corrector plate. Everything else on the unit works. I am not sure why the gentleman was selling it, but I could not pass on the deal. The scope was $699 new and he was asking less than 10% of that! Even if I have to pay top dollar for the replacements, I still come out ahead ... and I have a Schmidt-Cassigrain telescope to go along with my Celestron AstroMaster 114 EQ!

I have contacted (via email) the Celestron support folks, but was wondering if anyone in the group knows where I can buy the spare parts I need. I joined the local astronomy club, so I will ask them also.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Steve

[Bigzmey]

Unfortunately, there are good reasons SCT telescopes with shattered corrector plates are sold at junkyard prices.

1) corrector plate is the weakest spot and almost always breaks first.
2) you will be hard pressed to find a spare corrector plate. Because of reason one and also Celestron doesn't sell them.

Still, if your broken Celestron NextStar 5 SE came with working Nexstar SE mount you got a very good deal. New mount alone is $429.95.

[StarGazer20190]

Bigzmey,

The mount works great. If I can't find a corrector plate ... I will sell the mount for what I can get.

Thanks for the reply ...

Steve

[turboscrew]

You could check here...
https://www.toscanoptics.com/schmidt-ca ... ctor-plate

[Lady Fraktor]

Typically the corrector and primary are matched as a set so just replacing one is not very common.
The company in the link above does down to 150mm corrector plates though so maybe you will get lucky.

[turboscrew]

Yes. I just thought a non matched would still be much better than none.

[Lady Fraktor]

Not by much, turn your glasses over so your right eye is looking through the left lens.

Bauch & Lomb built 100mm, 150mm and 200mm SC telescopes with mismatched optics during the Halley Comet excitement, at best they were mediocre.

[turboscrew]

Not by much, turn your glasses over so your right eye is looking through the left lens.

Bauch & Lomb built 100mm, 150mm and 200mm SC telescopes with mismatched optics during the Halley Comet excitement, at best they were mediocre.

Tried my glasses upside down, and temples forward. Not much difference to the normal, if any. But without glasses, reading a paper is almost impossible. And I have double images.

[StarGazer20190]

All,

I contacted Celestron and they suggested I send them the unit and they will tell me how much it will cost to repair it.

I have also done a preliminary search of the internet to find another new or used OTA that could fit the mount.

Actually, this is quite a lot of fun since the weather has been lousy for viewing!

[Bigzmey]

All,

I contacted Celestron and they suggested I send them the unit and they will tell me how much it will cost to repair it.

I have also done a preliminary search of the internet to find another new or used OTA that could fit the mount.

Actually, this is quite a lot of fun since the weather has been lousy for viewing!

Many OTAs will work with Nexstar SE mount: 5", 6" and 8" SCTs, Maks 90mm, 1002mm and 127mm, small refractors. Keep checking CloudyNights and Astromart classifieds.

[Lady Fraktor]

Any short tube telescope will fit onto the SE mount, you will need tube rings and a Vixen style dovetail plate to attach it.
You just need to watch the overall length so the telescope tube does not hit the mount.

For small telescopes many people like the SLT mount version as it has a curved arm that allows the telescope to miss the mount allowing it to be able to move to zenith.
This is my Stellarvue 80mm on the modified SLT mount
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4zx4dgtezgs14 ... t.jpg?dl=0

[StarGazer20190]

So I sent my OTA to Celestron for a repair estimate and they came back with a quote less than $200, which I approved. I figured that I only spent $25.00 for the entire unit, so I was coming out ahead of the game.

I have already checked out the mount, and it works perfectly.

Once my OTA comes back, I will have 2 complete scopes!

Thanks to all for the posts!

Steve

[Baurice]

So I sent my OTA to Celestron for a repair estimate and they came back with a quote less than $200, which I approved. I figured that I only spent $25.00 for the entire unit, so I was coming out ahead of the game.

I have already checked out the mount, and it works perfectly.

Once my OTA comes back, I will have 2 complete scopes!

Thanks to all for the posts!

Steve

All's well that ends well.

[Bigzmey]

So I sent my OTA to Celestron for a repair estimate and they came back with a quote less than $200, which I approved. I figured that I only spent $25.00 for the entire unit, so I was coming out ahead of the game.

I have already checked out the mount, and it works perfectly.

Once my OTA comes back, I will have 2 complete scopes!

Thanks to all for the posts!

Steve

Not bad, I thought it will be more expensive. I wonder if they have a surplus of 5SE OTAs and will send you a replacement instead of trying to fix it.

[gregl]

...
Not bad, I thought it will be more expensive. I wonder if they have a surplus of 5SE OTAs and will send you a replacement instead of trying to fix it.

I'll bet that's what happens. Think about it. How much is their shop time worth? Materials? If the plate has to be matched to the mirror in any way, it would be much cheaper just to replace the whole unit. Their raw cost for a complete unit would more than likely be less than the time to fix one. Since these are made in Asia, I'd bet the raw cost for a 5-inch OTA by itself is $50 or less.

[mikemarotta]

So I sent my OTA to Celestron for a repair estimate and they came back with a quote less than $200, which I approved. I figured that I only spent $25.00 for the entire unit, so I was coming out ahead of the game. Steve

Celestron's customer service has always exceeded my expectations. I will give them that.