where to get Crayford focuser repaired
Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2022 9:45 am
I was having issues trying to get my new Advanced ZWO focuser to work. I tried many times, but concluded it was likely defective. However, I decided to venture into an area I probably should not have and thought my OTA Crayford focuser might have been or contributed to the problem. I noticed the focuser wasn't snug against the OTA body and the focuser tube wasn't centered with the OTA tube. I went ahead and adjusted a few focuser body screws and managed to tighten up the focuser to the OTA body and centered the focuser tube relative to the OTA tube. However, after I did that my fine focuser knob wouldn't function. It would spin but the coarse knob wouldn't spin with it. The coarse knob was OK and unaffected by the adjustments I had done. I went one step further by disassembling the fine focus knob, removing the inner brass "thing", the item with the fine teeth ring that I assumed meshed with the coarse knob. I was able to turn it out and in, but no matter how it moved the results were still negative. The EAF initially would rotate in fast mode very slowly for about 5 to 8 seconds then stop with the focuser alarm sounding. One revolution of the coarse knob took 15 seconds and I thought that didn't seem normal. The slow mode was hardly detectable but that didn't matter to me. No matter how many times I pressed the fast mode button on the hand controller the results were the same, the focuser just stopped each time. I did download the appropriate software prior to starting up. I did hear some talk about a firmware update and in fact I tried to download what appeared to be an update on the ZWO website, but I'm not sure whether the update succeeded or not or if in fact the update was even required.
The Crayford focuser is to an Astro Tech 106APO refractor (first generation with gray/white body). After I fiddled with it some more without success I detached the EAF focuser and tested it without any weight on it whatsoever. It still didn't work and it was then I concluded it had to be defective. I had a JMI focuser connected before without any issues and decided to switch to the ZWO imaging system because their focuser had a higher payload limit.
I looked around today for anyone that fixes Crayford focusers and didn't find anything. I'm upset at the vendor I bought theEAF from, I've left three email messages and two voice messages over the past 1.5 weeks, all without a response.
The Crayford focuser is to an Astro Tech 106
I looked around today for anyone that fixes Crayford focusers and didn't find anything. I'm upset at the vendor I bought the