Modding an Old Scope
Modding an Old Scope
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Hi, Lemmians,
I wanted to share my experience messing with an old Dobsonian-style scope. My parents had a Coulter Odyssey 10.1" covered by a trash bag since somewhere around the early 90s. We used to have pretty dark nights back then, but the light pollution crept up over the years, and it probably went a couple of decades without any use, so they sent it with me after a visit.
It didn't take long before I was shopping for eyepieces and realizing the original focuser was a sore spot, as it was only a locking sliding tube--no knobs or gears for smooth, precise adjustment. I started thinking about what else I would change and, with their blessing, I decided to have a little fun changing it up.
Not all my changes were improvements, but it was rewarding to tear into it and put it back together with some of my own taste applied.
Full album: https://imgur.com/a/I9Mj1kT
Great work! I started with the 8" version of the same scope, and yes, the focuser sucked. Are you having any issue reaching focus with the new focuser? I think the focal plane is fairly close to the secondary and some eyepieces may not reach focus even when racked all the way in. I ended up getting a low profile focuser, but have yet to test it.
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