Fine focuser for Meade DS-16 Newtonian?

Can anyone help me determine the Feathertouch, or similar, focuser which will attach to the rack and pinion focuser barrel of a 1990-vintage Meade DS-16 Newtonian? The original Meade focuser accepts 2" and 1.25" eyepiece adapters; it has a 55mm barrel with a threaded end and 3" of travel (photo attached).

I need a fine focuser for webcam use on this scope. Many thanks for any and all advice. Mike

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Mike McNeil said:

Can anyone help me determine the Feathertouch, or similar, focuser which will attach to the rack and pinion focuser barrel of a 1990-vintage Meade DS-16 Newtonian? The original Meade focuser accepts 2" and 1.25" eyepiece adapters; it has a 55mm barrel with a threaded end and 3" of travel (photo attached).

I need a fine focuser for webcam use on this scope. Many thanks for any and all advice. Mike

Talk to feathertouch, they can tell you.

Jon

I had one of those scopes and what you really want to do is replace the ENTIRE focuser. No sense in putting a great focuser on top of a pile of crap.

The factory focuser is terrible, with sticky movement (especially when cold) and lots of slop.

Give Wayne at Feathertouch a call and give him the exact diameter of the tube. Then they can machine a base that will match the curvature of the scope.

My only concern is that a modern focuser may only have 2.5" of travel and a lower profile, so you may want a riser to make the new focuser the same height as the old. Again, Wayne can help you with your choice.

Mike McNeil said:

I need a fine focuser for webcam use on this scope. Many thanks for any and all advice. Mike

Have you given any thought of keeping the old focuser and getting an Orion AccuFocus Electronic Focus Driver? The catalog says you can "Choose any speed from coarse to very fine." Looks like it's fairly simple to install and is not expensive.

Jim

Hi Mike,

These are probably not the words you want to hear, but IMHO you need to replace the entire focuser. The one they put on these scopes is not very workable for what you want to accomplish. Ron Newman at MoonLite would be able to set you up with any configuration you need for this scope, including focus travel, tri-knob, tube bezel, color, etc. They are awesome focusers and Ron is a great guy to work with!