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Connecting NexImage CCD to rear port on NexStar 4SE

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  • 15-11-2012 8:03pm
    #1
    ceejay
    Registered Users Posts: 456 ✭✭


    I asked the question over in this other thread about how the NexImage CDD camera could be connected to the back port on the Celstron NexStar 4SE to allow the built-in mirror to be used to switch between looking through the eyepiece and using the camera - all to help me focus better.

    I did some digging, and the NexStar 4SE is a little different to the larger NexStar OTAs in that it's a Maksutov-Cassegrain (MAK) rather than a Schmitt Cassegrain (SCT) and as such the back of the scope and the ports available are different. The "photography port" on the 4SE as I think Celestron calls it is a standard MAK thread and size which is also used on some other Celestron scopes and Meade ETX scopes amongst others. So any adapter would need to use this connector, and Celestron does produce a suitable T adapter. The only problem is that the NexImage doesn't use the T adapter approach like a SLR would, it uses a 1.25" nose to insert just like an eyepiece into the OTA. So another adapter is needed, in this case a T adapter to 1.25" eyepiece holder.

    What I've actually gone for is two Baader adapters.
    paar-bp-nx4etx-1.jpg
    paar-bp-eyehold1_sq.jpg
    The first is a SCT/T2 Universal Adapter for ETX / NX4 / C90 Mak/SCT Telescopes (Baader #2958500) which has two parts. The first piece converts the MAK size and thread port on the scope to standard SCT size and threads, which offers a lot of flexibility to use other SCT-compatible accessories. The second piece is essentially a SCT compatible T adapter. This combo gives me some additional flexibility compared with the Celestron T adapter, and some future proofing if I ever go to a larger SCT scope :)

    The second adapter is a 1.25"/T-2 Budget Eyepiece Holder (Baader #2458120), and this screws into the male T adapter threads on the first adapter to give me what is essentially a visual back for the scope into which I can insert any 1.25" eyepieces as well as the NexImage camera.

    I've actually ordered these two from http://www.robtics.nl/ and they should be here next week, so I'll report back on how the setup works - hopefully with pictures too :)

    In the meantime I plan to make my own Bahtinov mask over the weekend :)


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