Celestron C8 repair

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zong
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Celestron C8 repair

Post by zong »

Hi all, this is my first post in Singastro since i joined about 2 months ago... I have a problem. My school astro is using a Celestron C8, but it has recently 'acquired' some mould on the circumference of the lens...

Our school is having year-end exams now so it's a good time to service, since no one uses it...

I will have to bring it for repair, but can someone please enlighten me on where to repair it, how much will it cost for a total clean-up of the telescope or if it is better to buy a new one... and if I can repair, what's the contact number and place to send it to?

If more details are needed, I will post ASAP. Thanks for all your help!

Regards,
Zong
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Post by Quasar »

Well, from my understanding, the moment optics acquires mould, it's pretty much done for... since the mould like produces some acid or what chemical that eats into the anti-reflective coatings on the scope... (anyone of us cares to enlighten me if otherwise?) Maybe should tell the teacher to get a dry cabinet for all the equipment instead so that the rest can be saved.
Perhaps one of our local dealers might be able to do something about the objective?
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Post by Grievous »

Well well, thats very bad indeed. I dun think you can do anything to it for now. Even if you were to clean out the mould, there will be still be markings left. I'll say leave it as it is or get your dealer(Where your school bought the scope from) to have it cleaned up...professionally.

But as a stern advice, have ample time for the scope to shed off its humidity gathered after each session, and have thorough checks once a month for moulds. Invest in a dry cabinet or have Thirsty Hippos in your cupboard at least.

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Post by Airconvent »

Yup, once your scope has mold, regardless of how minor, its selling price is practically nil. Since its a school scope, I assumed you must have bought it from Astroscience in the Science Centre , so logically, you should go back to them for repair but be advised they will charge a fairly high price for such a support service, typically around at least $300 from experience.
Incidently, once cleaned, I guess there's really no issue for "normal" use since I very much doubt you will be able to tell the difference through the eyepiece..All those cleaned mold spots would be out of focus through the eyepiece anyway...
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zong
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Post by zong »

Whoa... as you describe it I feel my luck is running out... any more advice? Or our school astro would have to ram into the school budget for more scopes... and risk getting shut down!
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Post by Grievous »

Wait, where are the moulds situated? On the mirror cell or the glass lens?
Well, if your club were to shut down. Do have a heart and donate your equipment to the SingAstro Rent-A-Scope Scheme. ;p

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Post by Airconvent »

zong wrote:Whoa... as you describe it I feel my luck is running out... any more advice? Or our school astro would have to ram into the school budget for more scopes... and risk getting shut down!
The key to keeping your club alive is wholesome activities.
Since you have the scopes, you can make do and cut expenditure to a minimum. Conduct astro classes, discussions, etc.
Else can consider low end scopes such as 80mm refractors like the ones Sam is selling..
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Post by zong »

Hm... I'd rather fight my way for another new telescope, a good one at that. I can't afford one, so I'll get the school to buy and then use for myself :D

Anyway I'd like to know where I can still do a repair and touch-up for this scope, even if performance goes down the drain. It has gotta be cheaper than buying a low-end scope, right? And I'll just hope that the performance would be still satisfactory...
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Post by acc »

Get Astro Scientific's service to remove the mould. It will cost some money but you get to salvage the scope. As Airconvent said, there will be no discernible impact on the image; good think you discovered the mould early.

The key is to get your school to invest in a dry cabinet to keep all the expensive optics. It will be a waste to buy expensive equipment if they are not well taken care of.
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chris shaw
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Post by chris shaw »

Call Albert at Astro Scientific. They stock Celestrons and may charge a fee to fix it.
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