Re: ioptron smartstar 8500 dob telescope mounts backwards. cant align
Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:53 pm
Hey realflow,
Not sure if this is going to be of help now; I did this before I read your post on the broken part... It was for mounting your dovetail on the other side of the scope and having it line up.
For what it's worth... I'd recommend taking out the primary mirror. It'll be much easier, and you can use some tape to mark the mirror cell and tube so they line up when putting it back together.
To do this, you'll need your dovetail, scope, a piece of 8 1/2 X 11 or what have you piece of paper, some quality painters tape, a ruler and a sharpie or pen or pencil. Also some quality metal drill bits, preferably from about 1/16 or 5/64 to about 3/8". Oh, and a drill....
First, figure out where you want the dovetail to go. Once you've done that, cover that area on the tube with a few strips of painters tape. Put about three to five layers on. The idea here is not only to have a surface you can make a mark on, but also a place for the drill-bit to get some "bite". I know from experience it's hard sometimes to drill a hole on a curved and painted metal surface, and you don't want to use a center-punch on this
The tape will keep the bit from wandering, trust me.
Next get your piece of paper. It has natural 90* angles, and it is also flexible. Really Mark?? So what you want to do is align the short side of the paper with the bottom of your tube, and have it so the long end goes about halfway across your tape on the tube. A picture is worth a billion of my words for sure:
Next, get your ruler and line it up with the edge of the paper,
and mark a line like so:
Fun stuff. Next, get your dovetail and line up whatever holes you want to use for mounting with the line on the tube so the line in centered in the hole.
Then, get your writing instrument of choice, and scribble inside the holes while the dovetail is lined up with the line on the tape. You'll end up with the exact place(s) you need to drill your holes, all squared off
As a recommendation, I would start with a small drill-bit, and work up from there. Once you have that small "pilot-hole", you're good to go. And go slow with the drill; no need to have it full power as the tube is pretty thin metal.
Once your holes are drilled, tip it so the metal shavings fall out where the mirror cell goes. A shop-vac or even some tape around your hand, sticky side down, will also work for picking up any leftovers in the tube.
I've done this a few times with refractors and reflectors, never had a problem. Trust me though, it's a bit of a challenge on a 60mm; I had to get my daughter to thread the nuts onto the bolts as my hand wouldn't fit into the tube!!
Alrighty, hope this helps and I'll leave you be
All the best,
Not sure if this is going to be of help now; I did this before I read your post on the broken part... It was for mounting your dovetail on the other side of the scope and having it line up.
For what it's worth... I'd recommend taking out the primary mirror. It'll be much easier, and you can use some tape to mark the mirror cell and tube so they line up when putting it back together.
To do this, you'll need your dovetail, scope, a piece of 8 1/2 X 11 or what have you piece of paper, some quality painters tape, a ruler and a sharpie or pen or pencil. Also some quality metal drill bits, preferably from about 1/16 or 5/64 to about 3/8". Oh, and a drill....
First, figure out where you want the dovetail to go. Once you've done that, cover that area on the tube with a few strips of painters tape. Put about three to five layers on. The idea here is not only to have a surface you can make a mark on, but also a place for the drill-bit to get some "bite". I know from experience it's hard sometimes to drill a hole on a curved and painted metal surface, and you don't want to use a center-punch on this
The tape will keep the bit from wandering, trust me.
Next get your piece of paper. It has natural 90* angles, and it is also flexible. Really Mark?? So what you want to do is align the short side of the paper with the bottom of your tube, and have it so the long end goes about halfway across your tape on the tube. A picture is worth a billion of my words for sure:
Next, get your ruler and line it up with the edge of the paper,
and mark a line like so:
Fun stuff. Next, get your dovetail and line up whatever holes you want to use for mounting with the line on the tube so the line in centered in the hole.
Then, get your writing instrument of choice, and scribble inside the holes while the dovetail is lined up with the line on the tape. You'll end up with the exact place(s) you need to drill your holes, all squared off
As a recommendation, I would start with a small drill-bit, and work up from there. Once you have that small "pilot-hole", you're good to go. And go slow with the drill; no need to have it full power as the tube is pretty thin metal.
Once your holes are drilled, tip it so the metal shavings fall out where the mirror cell goes. A shop-vac or even some tape around your hand, sticky side down, will also work for picking up any leftovers in the tube.
I've done this a few times with refractors and reflectors, never had a problem. Trust me though, it's a bit of a challenge on a 60mm; I had to get my daughter to thread the nuts onto the bolts as my hand wouldn't fit into the tube!!
Alrighty, hope this helps and I'll leave you be
All the best,