Celestron Scope Repair

Hi all,
I may have an opportunity to purchase a C-5 but was told that the corrector
plate is cracked.
I'm wondering how much would it cost me to have it fixed by Celestron. I
have tried to email to Celestron but seems they did not include an email
contact.
Is it possible to repair the damage myself if I can get Celestron to send me
the corrector plate assembly or does it need special alignment at Celestron
? I live in S.E. Asia.
Thanks and best regards

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yes, I'd second that. However low the price might be, it almost certainly
isn't a bargain. I'd recomend you pass

Krill

"Al" wrote in message
. net...

"Jornada" wrote in message
...
Hi all,
I may have an opportunity to purchase a C-5 but was told that the
corrector
plate is cracked.
I'm wondering how much would it cost me to have it fixed by Celestron. I
have tried to email to Celestron but seems they did not include an email
contact.
Is it possible to repair the damage myself if I can get Celestron to
send
me
the corrector plate assembly or does it need special alignment at
Celestron
? I live in S.E. Asia.
Thanks and best regards

--
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Thanks


If you are considering this purchase, replacing the corrector could be
expensive (living in Asia, it will probably be more expensive). This is a
job that should be done by Celestron, as it may also require that the
primary mirror be changed. To the best of my knowledge, mirror and
corrector are a matched set. Since you live in Asia, I don't believe that
Celestron will deal with you directly. You may have to go to the
Celestron
dealer in your area for more information. You may want to take a pass on
this purchase.

Al

Hello,

Do *not* buy the scope.

Just my advice

- John

"Jornada" wrote in message
...
Hi all,
I may have an opportunity to purchase a C-5 but was told that the
corrector
plate is cracked.
I'm wondering how much would it cost me to have it fixed by Celestron. I
have tried to email to Celestron but seems they did not include an email
contact.
Is it possible to repair the damage myself if I can get Celestron to send
me
the corrector plate assembly or does it need special alignment at
Celestron
? I live in S.E. Asia.
Thanks and best regards

--
If replying directly, please delete "abc" from e-mail address.
Thanks

"Jornada" wrote in message
...
Hi all,
I may have an opportunity to purchase a C-5 but was told that the
corrector
plate is cracked.
I'm wondering how much would it cost me to have it fixed by Celestron. I
have tried to email to Celestron but seems they did not include an email
contact.
Is it possible to repair the damage myself if I can get Celestron to send
me
the corrector plate assembly or does it need special alignment at
Celestron
? I live in S.E. Asia.
Thanks and best regards

The corrector plate requires special alignment to function correctly.

It will have to be returned to either the local Celestron agent or more
likely to the US factory for repair via the local agent. Cost for such a
job is going to run in to several hundred USD in shipping costs plus the
cost of the repairs. Frankly it's not worth considering unless the scope
is in the USA.

Ian

Please excuse a different viewpoint, but if this is inexpensive enough,
it might be worth a try. I don't know the price for a replacement
corrector plate, but I believe the procedure is simple enough, and no
more complicated than replacing an objective in a refractor.

The catch can come in matching the corrector plate with the primary
mirror, and it would be necessary to determine if they must be matched,
or not. I think that on the C5, it might not be required, while on the
larger Celestrons, it is desireable, but not rigidly required.

Just my two cents worth.

hdh

Jornada wrote:

Hi all,
I may have an opportunity to purchase a C-5 but was told that the corrector
plate is cracked.
I'm wondering how much would it cost me to have it fixed by Celestron. I
have tried to email to Celestron but seems they did not include an email
contact.
Is it possible to repair the damage myself if I can get Celestron to send me
the corrector plate assembly or does it need special alignment at Celestron
? I live in S.E. Asia.
Thanks and best regards

--
If replying directly, please delete "abc" from e-mail address.
Thanks

The other obvious [???] question is what degradation does the current crack
induce? Undoubted some stray light scattered by the crack, but unless the
corrector plate is physically deformed, it should still perform its job. If
the scope is cheap enough, maybe the views are acceptable.

Or, am I just misunderstanding something?

Jim

"Dwight Huffman" wrote in message
...
Please excuse a different viewpoint, but if this is inexpensive enough,
it might be worth a try. I don't know the price for a replacement
corrector plate, but I believe the procedure is simple enough, and no
more complicated than replacing an objective in a refractor.

The catch can come in matching the corrector plate with the primary
mirror, and it would be necessary to determine if they must be matched,
or not. I think that on the C5, it might not be required, while on the
larger Celestrons, it is desireable, but not rigidly required.

Just my two cents worth.

hdh

Jornada wrote:

Hi all,
I may have an opportunity to purchase a C-5 but was told that the
corrector
plate is cracked.
I'm wondering how much would it cost me to have it fixed by Celestron. I
have tried to email to Celestron but seems they did not include an email
contact.
Is it possible to repair the damage myself if I can get Celestron to
send me
the corrector plate assembly or does it need special alignment at
Celestron
? I live in S.E. Asia.
Thanks and best regards

--
If replying directly, please delete "abc" from e-mail address.
Thanks

I'd look real hard at a new 5" Celestron's price first. Personally, I'm
not sure I'd want to deal with this if someone *gave* me the scope --
and I live two miles from Celestron, so logistics would be easy.

Also -- not clear if this is a total system, including mount, or just an
OTA he would be buying. If the latter, I would compare it to buying a
new 5" OTA. If the former, he might get a good mount ot of the deal,
however the OTA issues turned out.

Repairs and parts do not come cheap. I had my C5+ recoated and
recollimated by Celestron in June and the cost was $175. Worth it to me
(small, portable and has a really good mount, wedge and tripod).

BTW -- I wonder how stars look through a cracked corrector?

Phil

Dwight Huffman wrote:
Please excuse a different viewpoint, but if this is inexpensive enough,
it might be worth a try. I don't know the price for a replacement
corrector plate, but I believe the procedure is simple enough, and no
more complicated than replacing an objective in a refractor.

The catch can come in matching the corrector plate with the primary
mirror, and it would be necessary to determine if they must be matched,
or not. I think that on the C5, it might not be required, while on the
larger Celestrons, it is desireable, but not rigidly required.

Just my two cents worth.

hdh

Jornada wrote:

Hi all,
I may have an opportunity to purchase a C-5 but was told that the corrector
plate is cracked.
I'm wondering how much would it cost me to have it fixed by Celestron. I
have tried to email to Celestron but seems they did not include an email
contact.
Is it possible to repair the damage myself if I can get Celestron to send me
the corrector plate assembly or does it need special alignment at Celestron
? I live in S.E. Asia.
Thanks and best regards

--
If replying directly, please delete "abc" from e-mail address.
Thanks

Just thinking Jim,
isn't the purpose of the corrector plate simply to make the mirror
"think" it is parabolic as opposed to its spherical figure?
At only 5 inches, a sphere and a parabolic figure are so close,
that he may not even need the corrector plate at all! How much
different is a sphere from a parabola at only 5 inches?
FWIW
Clear Skies,
Tom W.




Jim Hewitt wrote:

The other obvious [???] question is what degradation does the current crack
induce? Undoubted some stray light scattered by the crack, but unless the
corrector plate is physically deformed, it should still perform its job. If
the scope is cheap enough, maybe the views are acceptable.

Or, am I just misunderstanding something?

Jim

"Dwight Huffman" wrote in message
...

Please excuse a different viewpoint, but if this is inexpensive enough,
it might be worth a try. I don't know the price for a replacement
corrector plate, but I believe the procedure is simple enough, and no
more complicated than replacing an objective in a refractor.

The catch can come in matching the corrector plate with the primary
mirror, and it would be necessary to determine if they must be matched,
or not. I think that on the C5, it might not be required, while on the
larger Celestrons, it is desireable, but not rigidly required.

Just my two cents worth.

hdh

Jornada wrote:

Hi all,
I may have an opportunity to purchase a C-5 but was told that the

corrector

plate is cracked.
I'm wondering how much would it cost me to have it fixed by Celestron. I
have tried to email to Celestron but seems they did not include an email
contact.
Is it possible to repair the damage myself if I can get Celestron to

send me

the corrector plate assembly or does it need special alignment at

Celestron

? I live in S.E. Asia.
Thanks and best regards

--
If replying directly, please delete "abc" from e-mail address.
Thanks

that's a fine point you make (despite my earlier suggestion to pass on
this). I hadn't considered the value of the mount. If it is going cheap, and
includes the mount, it might be worth buying it, discarding the OTA and
buying a new one. C-5s have pretty good equatorial mounts, I believe

Regards
Krill



"Phil Wheeler" wrote in message
...
I'd look real hard at a new 5" Celestron's price first. Personally, I'm
not sure I'd want to deal with this if someone *gave* me the scope --
and I live two miles from Celestron, so logistics would be easy.

Also -- not clear if this is a total system, including mount, or just an
OTA he would be buying. If the latter, I would compare it to buying a
new 5" OTA. If the former, he might get a good mount ot of the deal,
however the OTA issues turned out.

Repairs and parts do not come cheap. I had my C5+ recoated and
recollimated by Celestron in June and the cost was $175. Worth it to me
(small, portable and has a really good mount, wedge and tripod).

BTW -- I wonder how stars look through a cracked corrector?

Phil

Dwight Huffman wrote:
Please excuse a different viewpoint, but if this is inexpensive enough,
it might be worth a try. I don't know the price for a replacement
corrector plate, but I believe the procedure is simple enough, and no
more complicated than replacing an objective in a refractor.

The catch can come in matching the corrector plate with the primary
mirror, and it would be necessary to determine if they must be matched,
or not. I think that on the C5, it might not be required, while on the
larger Celestrons, it is desireable, but not rigidly required.

Just my two cents worth.

hdh

Jornada wrote:

Hi all,
I may have an opportunity to purchase a C-5 but was told that the
corrector
plate is cracked.
I'm wondering how much would it cost me to have it fixed by Celestron. I
have tried to email to Celestron but seems they did not include an email
contact.
Is it possible to repair the damage myself if I can get Celestron to
send me
the corrector plate assembly or does it need special alignment at
Celestron
? I live in S.E. Asia.
Thanks and best regards

--
If replying directly, please delete "abc" from e-mail address.
Thanks

Hi,
Thanks to all for your advice. I have decided not to purchase the scope.
Apparently, the corrector plate is not cracked but gone! The owner attached
reattached the secondary mirror via 3 spider legs, much like a
Newtonian...heh...
regards

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"Bored Huge Krill" wrote in message
...
that's a fine point you make (despite my earlier suggestion to pass on
this). I hadn't considered the value of the mount. If it is going cheap,
and
includes the mount, it might be worth buying it, discarding the OTA and
buying a new one. C-5s have pretty good equatorial mounts, I believe

Regards
Krill



"Phil Wheeler" wrote in message
...
I'd look real hard at a new 5" Celestron's price first. Personally, I'm
not sure I'd want to deal with this if someone *gave* me the scope --
and I live two miles from Celestron, so logistics would be easy.

Also -- not clear if this is a total system, including mount, or just an
OTA he would be buying. If the latter, I would compare it to buying a
new 5" OTA. If the former, he might get a good mount ot of the deal,
however the OTA issues turned out.

Repairs and parts do not come cheap. I had my C5+ recoated and
recollimated by Celestron in June and the cost was $175. Worth it to me
(small, portable and has a really good mount, wedge and tripod).

BTW -- I wonder how stars look through a cracked corrector?

Phil

Dwight Huffman wrote:
Please excuse a different viewpoint, but if this is inexpensive
enough,
it might be worth a try. I don't know the price for a replacement
corrector plate, but I believe the procedure is simple enough, and no
more complicated than replacing an objective in a refractor.

The catch can come in matching the corrector plate with the primary
mirror, and it would be necessary to determine if they must be
matched,
or not. I think that on the C5, it might not be required, while on
the
larger Celestrons, it is desireable, but not rigidly required.

Just my two cents worth.

hdh

Jornada wrote:

Hi all,
I may have an opportunity to purchase a C-5 but was told that the
corrector
plate is cracked.
I'm wondering how much would it cost me to have it fixed by Celestron.
I
have tried to email to Celestron but seems they did not include an
email
contact.
Is it possible to repair the damage myself if I can get Celestron to
send me
the corrector plate assembly or does it need special alignment at
Celestron
? I live in S.E. Asia.
Thanks and best regards

--
If replying directly, please delete "abc" from e-mail address.
Thanks