ETX TECHNICAL TIPS Last updated: 15 September 2003

Flip Mirror Repair

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!!

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