Looks a very worthwhile upgrade and well made piece of kit.

Thanks Dave.

I've been eyeing that focuser on eBay for my Skywatcher 12" dob. Thanks for posting this.

Great video :) I would love to see a follow up where you adjust the tilt!

@DavidCotePhotography

14 күн бұрын

Yup, it is in the works. I am planning on first light in July (weather permitting), so that is on my to-do list, and I will do a video of the process.

@tostativerdk

14 күн бұрын

@@DavidCotePhotographylooking forward to it :)

Nice video. I noticed that one of the small washers (grommet ring) went out of place when you were showing it to us at 11:50. In the video, you subsequently installed the metal ring on top without realigning the grommet ring. Just thought you should know, in case it’s not been corrected later. Cheers.

@DavidCotePhotography

14 күн бұрын

Yup, I saw that when I was reviewing the video and went back and corrected it. Thanks for the catch!

I've gotta say Skywatcher Crayfords are poor at best & I upgraded mine although at the time I couldn't find any rack & pinion focusers in my budget so went with another generic crayford which is miles better & holds my camera just fine. Interestingly enough I bought the same kit for my other halfs 150 PDS but i found the mirror mask to be to big as it doesn't hide the clips so I never fitted it in the end unless I'm missing something of course. Clear skies

Thanks for this video Dave. I have the 8in Quattro and have had the same slipping at times. It is able to tighten up o.k. for my image train. I really like the f4 speed of the optics. Cs Ray

First.. Great video on that Focuser... I would agree it 100% better than the stock unit. But this has always been a concern with anything made in China? Don't think you said the total cost $200 ish and worth it. Now how will it perform with the EAF and NINA? How will it work a year or 2 later, these are unknown. But I do like the lower costing focusers for A.P imaging but the quality is a concern... Please do a longer video, no quickly on the adjustments, please...As always thank you!!

@DavidCotePhotography

14 күн бұрын

Yes, I was wondering about the quality as well. It is not a Feathertouch, but the build quality appears to be sufficient. I will not really know until I have tried it out after a season or two. I could do a teardown of the focuser and see how it is constructed, and I might still do that if I find the time this summer. It is really hard to find a focuser for this size telescope. I wanted to put on an Esatto 2" focuser, but they only have adapters for the Quattro 200P and the 250P. So, this was one of my only options. I still might pick up an Esatto for my 10" Newt, but that would be a later addition if I decide I need it. CS!

I did this mod last summer. EAF focusing is 100x better than with the stock focuser especially with heavier loads. Have you found a solution for replacing the clamping ring at the top though? It’s kind of janky and can be difficult to tighten/loosen in the cold.

@DavidCotePhotography

14 күн бұрын

I got a compression ring from First Light Optics in the UK, and I plan on using it. I don't feel comfortable with the blue ring that comes with the focuser; it looks too sketchy to me, LOL!

@mattysastropics

14 күн бұрын

@@DavidCotePhotography could you share a link to that?

@DaveUrbanAstro

14 күн бұрын

@@mattysastropics www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/astro-essentials-2-inch-compression-ring-adapter-for-sky-watcher-newtonians-and-72ed-refractor-m54.html

I've noticed that people upgrade the spider vanes on the secondary and add a mirror clip mask on the Quattro 150P, do these upgrades need ( or should?) be done on the other Quattro models ?

@DaveUrbanAstro

13 күн бұрын

Great question. I don't have any experience with the Quattro 8 or 10 inch Newts, so I can't say. I do know that a mirror mask is always a good idea, but as for the spiders, I think it depends on whether the mask is sufficient to hold the secondary mirror without any flexure. The 6" Quattro's are known for their flimsy spiders, so I replaced mine to avoid having to do that later. CS!

Im a newbie and have experienced one focuser. How would i know if its not very good or not? It seems ok....

@DaveUrbanAstro

9 күн бұрын

It depends on your use case. If you are doing visual, then it is sufficent. If you are just putting on a small camera like the 294 or 183, it is most likely sufficent. But if you have a large camera like the 2600 series from ZWO and a filter wheel and a rotator, then it gets pretty heavy and the focuser just isn't up to the job. Again, it depends on what you put on it.

@jesuschrist2284

9 күн бұрын

@@DaveUrbanAstro ty for the answer. Dont have or plan to have more than a imx533 cooled camera and filter drawer so i should be ok