Takahashi FS-60C Doublet Fluorite Apochromatic Refractor

The FS-60C "Baby" Takahashi is shown above ready for imaging. This pint-sized refractor is a f/4.4 design with the attached FS-78 focal reducer and provides a 3.25° x 2.20° field of view with my ST-10XME CCD camera, making it an ideal wide-field instrument. The telescope is supported on two 80mm Borg mounting rings (P/N # 7080) and MRB2 riser blocks, which sit atop a custom fabricated aluminum baseplate attached to a Losmandy DA dovetail plate adapter. A black anodized aluminum plate on the upper side of the mounting rings rigidly secures the entire assembly and provides a convenient pick up point. A further enhancement for imaging includes a Robo-Focus unit affixed to a custom fabricated bracket. Below you'll find additional images showing
some of the assembly details.

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The Robo-Focus motor bracket was designed and fabricated to be held by the two factory finder scope holes on the telescope's focuser assembly (left)

The bracket and Robo-Focus motor and brass coupling as seen from the rear of the telescope (right)

 

Because this is a "short tube" model of the FS-60C, a Keitel extender is required to achieve focus for imaging. The extender is threaded directly onto the rear of the focuser drawtube. A FS-78 focal reducer is then threaded onto the male output end of the Keitel extender. Finally, a custom fabricated 24.85 mm long adapter ensures the required 72.2 mm back focus
spacing for imaging with the focal reducer when used with my
ST-10XME/CFW8/Muscle Plate camera assembly. This custom adapter has female threads on the input side to mate with the male threads on the focal reducer, and a standard male
T-thread on the output side to attach to my ST-10XME's
Muscle Plate. Fred Garcia at Texas Nautical in Houston was instrumental in having this adapter machined specifically for my imaging train arrangement.

 


A Pelican 1550 case easily accommodates the entire telescope assembly and miscellaneous parts.