etx90 RA - looking for diy repair

[therealsuperdave]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask. (Mods, please move if appropriate.)

just received an old ETX90 RA in otherwise pristine condition. The problem is both forks appear to have sheared off at the motor base. Each fork had 3 plastic attachment points that were attached with screws from inside the base. Has anyone found a way to repair/restore the attachments? I have photos demonstrating the issue.

[therealsuperdave]

I tore down the motor housing and found a plate where the anchoring screws were originally attached. Since the the bottom of the forks contained remnants of the sheared off plastic attachment points, I drilled holes all the way thru into the hollow forks, following the path of the original screws. I substituted small threaded bolts for the original screws and used small nuts inside the forks. So far, the forks feel rigid and are solidly affiixed to the base. Reassembly was a challenge, requiring a steady hand, tweezers, flashlight, patience, etc, etc. Looks good as new, if it continues to support the scope.

[Ylem]

OK, looks like you got it covered.
I was thinking epoxy in there also. Something like JB weld.

Nice scope, worth the repair

[therealsuperdave]

First time out tonight to check the controls and to verify the forks are secure. Fist look ever thru a telescope was at Vega, Arcturus, and Spica tonite. Finder scope was difficult to use, much easier just to eyeball along the Scope tube. All fine tune controls worked fine. DIY repair worked and I learned how to completely disassemble/reassemble the forks/base. Cheers.

[pakarinen]

I was going to suggest maybe looking for somebody with a 3-D printer at first.

[Greenman]

Nice job, reminds me I have a EXT80BB that needs repairing always jams at the same spot. Ah, well - a roundtoit job...

[mikemarotta]

"... much easier just to eyeball along the Scope tube."

Some people call that "gun sighting" with the telescope. You ought to be OK with that.

What you need to do is get one of those big and bright stars in the center of the telescope, then align the finder scope to it. It's not much different from learning to use a scope versus iron sights.

Let us know how you get along with the cellphone. Most people here will probably say that the best common cellphone mount is the $49.95 XYZ from Celestron. I am not a hands-on person. So, for me, there was a lot of fussing and cussing (5 hours over four nights) before I got a picture of the Moon. But you fixed that mount, so you'll do OK.

[Greyfox]

OK, looks like you got it covered.
I was thinking epoxy in there also. Something like JB weld.

Nice scope, worth the repair

JB Weld... the 21st century version of duct tape and binding wire