![]() Last updated: 15 September 2003 |
Subject: Fixing a detached flip mirror Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2003 09:41:40 From: travis.whitlow@newarkinone.com I've had to re-glue two of these, one on an ETX60 and one on an ETX70. I think the 105 flip mirror mounting is pretty much the same as these scopes. First of all, it's helpful if you have experience as a brain surgeon or a serious model ship builder. Getting the mirror back in place takes a fine touch. In fact, if it weren't for your geographic problems, your best bet would be to get it back to Meade. What follows will almost certainly void your warranty. I dropped the 60 from a height of about a foot and the mirror popped loose. I put it back (actually, using information someone provided through your site) by positioning the loose mirror through the "eyepiece" tube and the rear port. I moved it out of the way using tweezers stretched wide enough to allow me to grip the mirror by its edges (don't touch the front surface!!). Once it was out of the way, I centered a large drop of epoxy glue (the two-part kind where you mix the components together) on the plastic holder. (I think you can see this holder in the photo you attached to your message.) I then moved the mirror into position and let it "drop" onto the glue. This is easier than it first sounds because the mirror holder has a slight ridge along its bottom edge. If you get the bottom edge of the mirror aligned with this edge, you're set. I then gripped a very large cotton ball in the tweezers and VERY GENTLY pressed the mirror down onto the glue. This has to be done pretty quickly so the glue doesn't get a chance to start setting up. I did this about two years ago and the repair seems to be working fine. No outgassing or misalignment effects. (Actually, I've read in a number of places that the holders for the flip mirrors are poorly aligned at the factory and people have had to devise ways to fix this bad alignment.) The 70 was given to me as a pretty badly misused OTA. The mirror was floating around loose inside the scope, the eyepiece tube was broken off ... it was pretty rough. Because it was in such bad shape, I thought I would just remove the back altogether (I had to do this to replace the eyepiece tube anyway). As it turns out, this made things much easier. Again, I put a dollop of epoxy glue on the mirror holder and placed the mirror carefully in position, being careful not to touch the front surface. This scope has been in use for a little over a year now, and it too seems to be working well. Again, if there's any way to get Meade to fix it, that's the way to go. Otherwise, GOOD LUCK!!
Return to the top of this page.
Go back to the Tech Tips page.
Go back to the ETX Home Page.