It took a bit of figuring things out, as far as how to use this thing and what it is telling me each step along the way. It was not long before I started figuring out why the images are not as good as they should be.
It is obviously a used scope, but who knows how many hands it has been through in its life.
Getting the scope and collimator all squared-up took some time. Watching the YouTube video sure helped. But it became clear rather quickly (kind of a reverse pun there I guess!) that there were at least a few things wrong. The video says that setup is 90% of the work...Not!!!
The secondary/holder was definitely not centered in the optical path. Unfortunately, this older LX200
With the ring removed, I could see various pieces of spacer material on the outer corrector edge. It looks like someone tried to center the corrector plate using paper-like material. This was not going to be fun using this method. There had to be a better way. I put everyting back together to let the brain think about things a bit.
The secondary centering in the corrector plate: I am thinking about applying some sort of rigid material around the assembly so that it fits more snugly in the corrector lens. It almost seems like some sort of spacer is missing. There is simply too much play right now. Once I get this tighter, I will tighten the assembly on the corrector so that it will not come loose.
In the Hotech video, they mention how the EdgeHD scopes have screws to adjust secondary positioning (by shifting the corrector plate in the tube). Certainly nothing like this on this old Meade, but makes me wonder if I should drill and tap three holes and put in a set-screw/locking screw in each. That way I can adjust the secondary position without using the Paper method. Maybe not.
I am hoping things will be easier once the secondary holder and corrector are rigid. Wondering what others may have done to get corrector centering accomplished.
As far as corrector orientation, I will put it in the position that it was in, but who knows if this is actually the right position (e.g. have previous owners rotated the plate). Not sure how I could check to see if the orientation is in fact correct.
I was just about ready to flip a coin and order a new 10"