I got my new filter wheel and camera set up. Finally, screwed in the 2 inch nosepiece supplied with the filter wheel. Unfortunately, when I tried to slip the nosepiece into the two inch focuser sleeve on my moonlite focuser, I observed a significant amount of resistance. I even unscrewed the nosepiece from the filter wheel and tried again without success. Enough resistance was observed that I feel uncomfortable forcing it into place. My old ST7 and its 10 position filter wheel's 2 inch nosepiece fit easily/well. Unfortunately, I cannot use that nosepiece because it is designed for the older filter wheel and is smaller at the filter wheel end. Has anyone with a new Aluma camera and FW8 filter wheel seen a similar circumstance? It is a nicely baffled and flocked nosepiece BUT just too tight a fit. Don't want to push too hard. Don't think it should be this tight?Thought about lubrication but don't really want to put an oil or other lubricant on the nosepiece? Any other new owners observed this problem? Can tech support give me some advice? Ken
Unfortunately the 2" nosepiece "standard" isn't much of a standard. There's no tolerancing on the dimensions and everyone does it differently. We deliberately undersize our nosepieces slightly. It should be 1.990" + 0.000 - 0.005". Can you check it with a caliper?
Doug: I took out my caliper and did some measurements (10 replicate measurements each). It was an interesting exercise! First I measured the new FW8G-AL3200 nosepiece. As you can see in the attached photo (927), the nosepiece has a thin "ridge" at the front and back end and a longer narrow section in the middle. Measurements (mean and std) are shown in the attached spreadsheet and summarized below: FW8G Nosepiece Outer Ridge OD = 1.9990 +-0.0007 Inner Section OD = 1.9763 +_0.0028 I then measured the older FW10-ST7 nosepiece. As seen in its attached photo (731), this nosepiece has a longer "ridge" at the front. FW10 Nosepiece Outer Ridge OD = 1.9937 +-0.0015 My conclusion is that the new nosepiece does not conform to your spec. The old nosepiece is narrower. This probably explains why the new nosepiece does not fit. Options? Ken PS: Remove .txt to open the spreadsheet.
Hi Ken, Indeed, the batch of nosepieces we have seem to average out closer to 2.0" in diameter, not 1.990". I have one shipping out to you today that I measured at 1.994", which is very close to your FW10 nosepiece. Please let us know if it fits okay! Thanks, Colin
We are working with our supplier to resolve the out-of-spec batch. We will also be adding an extra step to our incoming inspection process for these parts. Fortunately most users will not encounter a problem, as most manufacturers make the focusers oversize - in some cases significantly so.
Hi Ken, Sorry for the trouble with the nosepiece. To make up for your inconvenience, we are issuing you a 2 year complimentary license extension for MaxIm DL Pro. Kindly, Colin W
The replacement nosepiece fits in my moonlite focuser! The camera is now installed. Rebalanced the scope a bit to account for new camera/filter wheel. Thanks for the MDL extension. THANKS VERY MUCH for your personal help. I found the tech support response to be EXCEPTIONAL! Ken
Hello, I have come across this same issue with the unit I just received (Aluma 814) trying to attach the 2 inch nonspecific to the filter wheel.
Thanks for contacting us. Can I ask for the camera's serial number and when and where it was purchased? Is the problem that the nose piece does not thread in properly into the filter wheel adapter plate, or something else isn't right, like the adapter plate is the wrong size? My colleague @Tim will likely need to assist by arranging to get the right part or a corrected part.
Hi Colin, This was purchased from OPT in early November 2019 (Camera, filter wheel, and filter pro kit). Doug's description above is exactly what I am experiencing - just as the threads of the nosepiece catch those on the filter wheel, it gets difficult to tighten (~1/2 turn) any farther and I don't want to strip anything. I don't have the camera in front of me right now, but I can get the S/N ASAP. Thank you.
Ok, thanks. I expect @Tim will want to send you a replacement part, and have you fill out an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) form. This will be covered under warranty. Am very sorry to hear that you ran into this issue. We'll make it right!
Can you submit the following form with your shipping details, and we will get a replacement shipped out to you? http://diffractionlimited.com/returns
Thank you Tim, I will get that submitted. Our S/N is 18081702 for the Camera and FWA180518 for the filter wheel.
