Lens caps for Asteria TCR 204-8 R35 telescope

[jaymocha]

Greetings Ales;

I was wondering if you have developed lens caps for my TCR style scope?  It would require two lens caps to protect the lens from dust and other nefarious substances.  Currently I am using rubber bands and plastic wrap to protect them, which seems to perform well enough but is just not very attractive.

Please let me know.

Thank you,
Jason


Link to photo... for some reason I can't seem to get the image to appear in line.

www.flickr.com/photos/86467741@N04/17320543135/in/photostream/

[mikey cee]

I thought those were Istar's covers! Learn something new every day!! Mike

[jaymocha]

They were the temporary, complimentary covers Mike. But my rubber bands keep breaking. I'm running out of my supply quickly.

[jaymocha]

Anyone??? anyone know if iStar has lens caps for the Asteria line?

[jaymocha]

Okay, so I just found this information on iStar's FAQ page:

iStar Optical Lens Caps
We ship all scopes with a specially designed lens cap. You can decrease or increase friction inside of the dew shield by loosening or tightening the two silver bolts. When you tighten them the diameter of the foam ring will increase therefore increasing the friction inside the dew shield. They look unlike any other lens cap on the market and of course and they work better than any other lens cap.

www.istar-optical.com/faq.html

So I guess my question is does "all scopes" include the Asteria line of scopes because they seem fundamentally different than the standard tube style refractor?

Patiently waiting....

[Ales - iStar Optical]

Hello Jay,
we never proceeded with lens caps for TCR style scopes. Mainly because most observers use the scope without the dew shield assembly and the only way to cover the lenses would be to create some kind of cap for the lens directly. I was thinking about having a nylon or fake leather flexible caps made which could be used when the dew shield is attached, but than I scrapped this idea, I did not like it. There could be CNC machined caps fitting directly over the lens, both front and back, but cost of machining would be high, I think minimum 100 USD for set of two of these. Most other TCR owners did not ask for a lens cap but if you are OK with some added cost, we can produce those which would fit directly over the lens, the scope would have to be stored in horizontal position though. The friction might not hold the cap if you move the scope around and I dont want to make it too deep, cost of material would be just unbearable for something so simple as lens cap.

So let me know, if there are others interested in the same, I need to know how many of these caps to design and produce. Sorry it is taking so long, but we are phasing production of TCRs since most people do not see the benefits these scopes offer.
best regards,
Ales

[jaymocha]

Thank you Ales for your reply. I don't think I will order one if you don't already have them made. I work on a military base and they have machine shops here that I can fabricate something like that if I need to. Right now my method is working just fine. I just thought if you had them already I could buy one. But since no, don't worry about it. I will figure something out.

Jason

[jaymocha]

Oh, and just for your info, i started a thread on Cloudynights about the iStar Asteria TCR scopes here...

www.cloudynights.com/topic/498396-istar-asteria-tcr-204-8-r35/

and I also posted pics of my scopes in this thread towards the middle of the page...

www.cloudynights.com/topic/460728-post-a-picture-of-your-refractors-part-7/page-40

It does seem like there is quite a bit of interest in the TCR line but I am not sure if it's just interest in the novelty of it or if there is a legitimate buying interest. Either way people seem to like it so you may want to keep it on the back burner for now... it may be that people just aren't ready for them yet.

v/r,
Jason

[Ales - iStar Optical]

Hello Jay,
thank you very much for your understanding regarding the TCR lens caps. If you have access to a machine shop, you can have caps made directly for the lens cell. Say 15mm deep lined with thin, about 0.5mm thick felt. That will increase friction and both caps should stay on securely. Let me know once you are done, send some photos.

I read the CN posts, very nice. Funny how most people are still not aware of the TCR existence. Well, we will continue producing the 204mm versions as long as there is some interest in these scopes.

By the way the enclosed tube near focuser has baffles and the entire scope is designed based on CAD ray tracing. This is why you get a high-resolution image both visually and photographically. There is one baffles inside F8 rear tube and 3 baffles inside F12 version. I hope this explains, share this with CN crowd.

have a wonderful day, talk to you soon,
cheers,
Ales