Posts Made By: Norman Breedon

I hope I am not alone in my opinion of the groove cut into the barrel of eyepieces these days.
I think they are an anachronism, for which apparently, Astronomers/Telescope enthusiasts seem to have an inexplicable affection.
They compromise the fit into the holder. They compromise the fit even when using compression ring holders. And, even some of the time they don't match up with the screws that they were put there for in the first place. Using my smooth eyepieces is such a joy by comparison.
I dislike the "dreaded grooves" so much that I will not buy another eyepiece with them. It seems that, just like cars, any extra, option or feature is embraced as an improvement without thought. Doors that lock automatically as soon as you move the car? ( yes, I drive a manual transmission 8) )
There, I've got that off my chest.
I suspect that i'm in the minority. Oh well :-)

Clear skies, Norman.

Tim,
I have a C8 of similar vintage to yours. One of the problems I encountered was that the lubricant in the gears within the motor housing had apparently dried out. I was able to get some oil into the gears and this improved
things somewhat. The thing that I did that made a great difference was to replace the lower bronze bushing with a roller bearing. It is easy to tap out the bushing and the replacement bearing is a standard size which fits perfectly.
You have to see the difference to believe it. You will have to be careful when you release the clutch as the telescope will now swing around on its own. Also, now it is only necessary to tighten the clutch very gently to get the scope to drive.
Hope this helps. Norman