Hi Rob, my name is Jaime and I have been following a modification like this since Astrosuhaib made a video about this topic. Your images are very nice and sharp. I think I will give it a try, I have a C11, not Edge, also I have a Skywatcher quattro which it came with coma corrector. I will carefully take the measurements , then need to figure it out how to make your version of adapter to mounting the coma corrector in front of the telescope. Thanks for you excellent work and for documented the modification. Greetings from BelloCielo - Chile.

@sevenskiesastro

7 күн бұрын

Thank you Jaime. I am getting back to the conversion soon. I hope it all goes well for you down there in Chile. Clear skies.

Very interesting! I never thought about converting a Meade Casagrain to an F2 focal length! Great images and great work!

@sevenskiesastro

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for your kind words. Clear skies

A labour of love Rob! That was a sore one with the screw thread ? Really looking good you must be delighted with the results. Keep smiling my friend.

@sevenskiesastro

6 ай бұрын

Thank you Tam. Getting there little by little my friend. Clear skies mate

Nice images, Rob! From a 40 year old telescope I don't think you could ask for more. I have an 8 inch 1960's version I think I will convert, it's 20 years older than yours! You really inspired me. Thanks for all your time spent on the project. Great job my friend!😊

@sevenskiesastro

6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. If it can get any of the old scopes gathering dust a new lease of life then thats a good thing. Hope it goes well and clear skies bud.

I don't understand why you aren't as pleased with the outcome. The images look very good, overall. Are there aberrations in the star shapes around the edges of the field, or field curvature? I have a newer Meade (10" f10 Advanced Coma-Free SCT) that I'd consider converting just to have a complimentary widefield imager to my 16" f8 Ritchey-Chretien. But your lack of enthusiasm regarding the imaging results has me now second guessing.

@sevenskiesastro

4 ай бұрын

Hello. I think sometimes we're our own worst critics. The stars were a bit comet like in corners but this was before the blurxterminator update. That fixes any star issues when pixel peeping. I my mind its certainly worth doing with my old meade as it will give it a new lease of life. Not had many clear skies to continue experimenting. Thank you for your comment and clear skies

Don't have a 3d printer or access to one and am a bit of a dummy DIY-wise but I do have two Meade 8 inch SCTs and was thinking of selling one (one's an old LX10, still fork mounted -great scope though - and the other is an old LX90 mounted on an EQ5). I'd love to convert one into a "RASA" but could a DIY dummy do it? And how without a 3d printer? I simply haven't kept up with technology but what you've done here is excellent and inspirational.

@sevenskiesastro

4 ай бұрын

Glad you like the idea behind it. Overall its not a hard mod but as ive said before i dont know the sizes of the 8 inch version of the meade sct. I will be making the plans available when i complete them. Thanks again and clear skies

What a terrific breakthrough., I've been trying to convert a 10'' Meade LX 6 screw secondary to a F/2 system for over a decade and to date cannot find any older vintage Starizona 1990's Meade conversion kits for the 10'' of 14'' scopes (the very few that exist and) for the Meade v.4hyperstar to fit to the corrector plate. Have you decided that you have attained culmination with your f/2.0 mod yet. with the new screw sets you added in part II of your video. Has your focal reducer attained a true f/2.0 value as you indicated in your video. If your mod has turned back speeds of up to f/2.5 to f/3.0 with a standard f/5.0 focal reducer that's still fantastic. If it is up and running and can turn around sharp images in 1/20th to 1/30th the standard of the native f/10 system. that's incredible. If its working for you. I'd like to discuss a request (if your willing) and (for a reasonable fee) to print up your Meade 'hypered' conversion device along with a adapter and accessory list and ship the printed 'hypered' conversion device to my residence in the U.S.A. Incidentally the Meade conversion kits (the very few that exist) were short run exclusively for Meade at the time that Meade branded the SCT's as RC designs. The manufacturer of the original RC scopes sued Meade and Meade lost the suit and had to remove their RC designations of the corrector plate rings of their SCT's., and, the suit put Meade out of business after that and as that result Starizona stopped the modification of the Starizona 1990's Meade conversion kits and the Meade v.4hyperstar. GREAT JOB., Please re - post me on this item. . . If your interested in further discussions on your project. Acc. . . StarGuy 👍👍👍

@sevenskiesastro

4 ай бұрын

Hello. Thank you for you kind words. The mod does reduce the 2500mm to 506mm focal lenght. Collimation does work but i di have trouble with the back spacing for the aplanic comma corrector. I believe it will be sorted as best as i can in the final one of the mod. I shall be making plans free of charge for personal use and a list of materials ive used in the mod. Unfortunately i have just not had the clear skies at the moment to finish it. Its been a hard project as i didnt know how to do C.A.D. so had to learn a bit. I will continue this though and i believe you can fix any star issues with star xterminator version 4 of the A I. on that video i done it corrected the stars from the meade after 2 passes. Thanks again and clear skies

@starguy9137

4 ай бұрын

@@sevenskiesastro Hi., Rob, thanks for you generous offer on the 'final mod' plans. I eagerly and patiently await your project completion. I was wondering what your actual measured differentials in exposure times were with the recent modifications. i.e. at f/10., 2500mm to f/2., 506mm showed for actual exposure differences. I definitely like the ability to shorten exposure times by a factor of 30 from 1/2 hour to 30 seconds., Maybe you have had better results that that.,and, with all the cloudy skies occurring these days every faster exposure time and every minute counts to shoot between the cloud breaks for imagery during clear sky opportunity's.👍👍👍👍👍

@starguy9137

3 ай бұрын

Hi Seven Skies., I had another thought., In addition to your external set screws and locks (on the focal reducer insert) on the external side of your corrector plate. Have you given any thought to using the Meade f/6.3 focal reducer (expressly designed by Meade for their F/6.3., F/8.0 and F/10 scopes) back in the late 1980's and mid 1990's. The optics in the said' f/6.3 focal reducer may have a better 'cleaner principal image' and overall more efficient corrective effect in cleaning up the corner imagery of the coma 'aberrations' in the star fields. The Meade f/6.3' Focal Reducer still come up on the market from time to time., and, the jump from your Celestron f/4.0 Focal Reducer to the Meade F/6.3 will not sacrifice that much F-speed overall and the Meade Focal Reducer product designed for you Meade Scope may be the perfect match along the the external set screws to clean up the corner coma aberrations once and for all. What's your thoughts. . .

@sevenskiesastro

3 ай бұрын

Hello i understand what your saying. The problem is the F6.3 reducer which i do have only works on such a long focal lenght. The 10inch one i have has a focal lenght of 2540 and with the reducer 1600mm. It would not correct the coma as nearly so well as the skywatcher aplanic corrector that is made for the faster optics and shorter focal lenght. The F2 gives me a focal lenght of 500 or so which is a lot nearer the 800 it is made for. I have a feeling that a 12 inch version would be accordingly better as the F2 focal lenght is longer if you get my meaning. Still a work in progress. Clear skies

I think it's coming along nicely some bits to iron out but it's definitely doable. Shooting at F2 does present its own problems like with my RASA which was it poor health when I got it but when its dialled in it's a great piece of kit. Will you be doing a part 3 of this project?

@sevenskiesastro

6 ай бұрын

Thanks Tich. Yes ill do a final part but clear skies are at a premium atm. There are some other projects and targets i need to get on so i will come back to it. Clear skies mate.

@Tony-Elliott

6 ай бұрын

Hi Rob nice video mate and the images look brilliant

@sevenskiesastro

6 ай бұрын

@@Tony-Elliott Thank you Tony. Yes its a work in progress but images are not too bad. Definitely potential here as there are a lot of these old scopes laying about unused. Clear skies bud.

Hi, How's it going with this project? I've got an 8" Meade that I was going to have a play with. Do you have any of the 3d files I could have a play with as I'm sure I'll have to mod it to fit the smaller diameter

@sevenskiesastro

6 күн бұрын

Hello. Yes i do have the files upto now and ill add them to the next video i do on the subject. Clear skies

@pwe169

6 күн бұрын

@@sevenskiesastro Thats great - it's will be a good project to do during the summer

Thank you for the post, it's promising. Are you going to share the 3D files?

@sevenskiesastro

6 ай бұрын

Hello there . Yes i will share the files when ive perfected them. Thank you for watching and clear skies.

Could you display the drawings of the device you have created? Plus your problem with stripping out the threads in the plastic. Use helicoil inserts.

@sevenskiesastro

6 ай бұрын

Hello there. I will be putting the plans up when i have finalised the project. Thanks for watching and clear skies

Rubbish is deffo the technical term for uk weather :(

@sevenskiesastro

6 ай бұрын

It certainly is. Thanks for watching bud.clear skies