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parracor below focuser?

Started by dcoyle, 09/15/2006 02:38PM
Posted 09/15/2006 02:38PM Opening Post
From reading about the parracor I gather that the point of the tunable top is to allow height variations for different eyepieces. The tuneable top seeems to have 5 set positions. Would one be better off with a variable distance from the eyepiece to the paracorr?
I am thinking about a f/4.5 scope so I have been thinking about building a paracor in, somehow, to optimise performance.
For me in this instance, expense is second to performance, but I note it seems one could also use the less expensive baadder coma corrector if one were providing the tuneablility via a focuser assembly.

Comments?
Thanks,
Dan
Posted 09/15/2006 02:57PM #1
The distance from the top of the Paracorr to the focal plane is on the order of two inches, if I recall correctly. I don't think you could find a focuser that has a low enough profile that would allow you to sandwich it between the paracorr and the field stop.

I also do not know whether the paracorr has to be moved to a specific point in the light path for it to work properly (Does the field lens of the Para-Corr have to be at the focal plane, for instance?) If it does, then you would need another focuser at that point.

Alex
Posted 09/17/2006 04:12AM | Edited 09/17/2006 04:13AM #2
It seems like a nice idea. I think Alex is correct in his
objection that you could not mount the focuser between
the Paracor and eyepiece, since they will be too far apart.
But what if the Paracor lens (or Baader MPCC lens, or Lumicon
Coma Corrector lens) was mounted to the telescope at its bottom
end, and the upper end protruded into the 2" focuser draw tube?
The focuser would be free to move up an down (around the coma
corrector), and the coma corrector could be permanently mounted
at the correct distance from the focal plane.

Might be possible. I know the Baader and Lumicon are threaded
at the bottom end, so it would be relatively easy to do this.
You would need a flange attached to the scope (below the
focuser) with a male 48mm thread to hold the coma corrector.

The Lumicon might be preferred in this setup. It does not change
the effective focal length, and has larger clear aperture than either
the TeleVue photo version or Baader.