Feathertouch focuser issue

[eagle101st]

I have a Feathertouch focuser on my Tak Sky 90 and I can't get the thing to move it. I can focus the scope with the course knob on the left but when I move the knob on the right it does not have enough power to move the scope for fine adjustments. I have taken it off and checked its alignment and everything is fine. The only thing that I noticed is that when I adjust the course focuser knob it is really stiff so I can see why the feathertouch does not move. I just don't know how to fix it.

Has anyone had a similar issue?

[fogfire]

Do you have a lock / tension knob on the bottom? IF not I don't know that is the only adjustment I know

[eagle101st]

Hmmm..not sure what that would look like or how to check for it. I am new so I am just figuring out how to use it I attached an image of what it looks like from the bottom.

Ft.JPG

Do you have a lock / tension knob on the bottom? IF not I don't know that is the only adjustment I know

[skaven]

I believe (but am not 100% sure) the two hex screws in that picture are the tension adjustments. Try loosening them slightly and see if it loosens up the mechanism.

Is the coarse knob silky-smooth, or does it feel pretty tight and jerky when you turn it?

[eagle101st]

Ok...I need to get some small hex screws and try it out. I bought the telescope used so I need to get some parts to tweak it.

The course knob is not silky smooth and it takes some might to crank it around. It feels tight and jerky as you described. I focused on Saturn last night and it was a bit of chore as I could use that feathertouch feature

I believe (but am not 100% sure) the two hex screws in that picture are the tension adjustments. Try loosening them slightly and see if it loosens up the mechanism.

Is the coarse knob silky-smooth, or does it feel pretty tight and jerky when you turn it?

[skaven]

OK yeah it definitely sounds like the tension is set way too tight.

The feathertouch focusers are supposed to be (as their name suggests) super silky smooth adjust. There should be two things you can adjust. One is the tension, which adjusts how "stiff" the focus knobs feel. Tighter means a jerkier movement, but that it can support more weight (such as a heavy camera). With a high-end focuser like the Feathertouch, though, it should be able to support a heavy 2" eyepiece and still be silky smooth.

The other adjustment is a lock screw, that prevents (or tries to prevent) the focus tube from moving. This is mostly for photography, where you want to lock the prime focus in and not let it move during the imaging session.

It seems unlikely that the previous owner of your scope had the tension set so tight that it would be difficult to adjust. It's much more likely that the focuser lock is engaged, which is NOT going to be the two hex screws you took the photo of. There should be some other adjustment (that does NOT require a tool -- it's likely a thumb screw) that is the lock. It should be loose (zero tension) when in normal use.

[fogfire]

It seems unlikely that the previous owner .....

I buy a lot of used stuff.. and have been generally pretty happy.. but a phrase like that will just lead to disappointment

[b .nordstrom]

Hmmm ! I have a feather touch FT3035 on my NG 127mm Triplet APO and its the best focuser I have ever used . Period .
Looking at the photo tho , your FT is differant to mine on the under side as mine does have a tention adjustment knob on the bottom and yours does not look to have one ,, Hmmm .
Even when mine is tightened right up mine is still very smooth , abit a little stiffer .
If you touch the small allen head screws , do it in very small increments , less than 1/8 a turn at one go , and count them so you can return it to its origonal position if it all turns to custard .
Good luck .
As said these should be ,,well ?? , a feather touch .
Brian.

[MLaferriere]

Is it possible there is a small screw inside the fine adjustment knob which may be just tight enough to hold the knob on but not tight enough to grab the focuser axle?

[skaven]

Is it possible there is a small screw inside the fine adjustment knob which may be just tight enough to hold the knob on but not tight enough to grab the focuser axle?

This is an interesting point -- when I got my GSO crayford focuser, I found that the fine adjustment knob was pressed up against the coarse adjustment knob enough that it made turning the assembly rough. I loosened the set screw on the fine adjustment knob and moved it out about half a millimeter then tightened down the set screw again. This made the movement nice and smooth.