Oops!

Recently I managed to drop a 24.5 SWA (part of a bino pair) on the ground. When I got home I discovered the upper potion of the EP had a slight rattle to it. Apparently something has loosened in the stack of lenses. There does not appear to be any visible cracks or chips. I have not attempted to unscrew the upper housing for two reasons:

1. I have never done it before.

2. Number one affirms I would not know what I was doing.

I have read other EP damage stories on this forum with suggestions to return it to Meade. Does Meade actually repair these at there California facility and if so, is the repair charge worth it compared to just replacing it with another used one?

I had a Meade 18mm SWA that rattled all the time. I decided to sell it and someone replied to my ad and told me what the problem most likely was and also how to fix it. The problem with mine and possibly with yours could be a loose field stop (I'm not sure if that's the correct term for it or not..sorry). You can unscrew the metal barrel and look at the bottom of the eyepiece, you should see a piece of black plastic around the edge of the lens. On my eyepiece this was loose and rattled when I shook it. I turned the piece of plastic clock wise with my finger to tighten it and viola...no more rattle.

Hope this helps,

Garry

I've seen plenty of fine performing eyepieces
that rattled. Wouldn't worry about it too much.