Hotech T-Adapters
Nov 20 08 12:27 Filed in: Equipment
Impressions
Every so often, you come across a product that fills
a need wonderfully and that is just plain well
thought-out. About a month ago, I was at Nightfall 2008 and I met David Ho
of Hotech. He was there doing demos
of his self-centering laser collimators. The
trick to these devices is that they have a set
of rubber O-rings along the barrel that can be
compressed by twisting a knob. This compression
makes them expand which is how they self-center
and lock solidly to your focuser’s
drawtube.
“Neat idea!”, said I, and continued, “but you know you really should make a version of this that goes from
your 2” expanding
nosepiece here to T-threads. This has always
been a real problem as it’s tough to get
your camera to stay locked in place in the
focuser drawtube.” He let me go on for a
good minute or so about my travails before
reaching under the table and bringing forth the
exact thing I was describing. It was the
prototype and he was planning on releasing it
soon (along with a 1.25” variety).
I’ve now had a chance to have a better look at it and I must say, I’m taken with it. The thing just works. No matter what kind of attachment system your focuser drawtube has (single set-screw, compression ring, etc.), the device works the same. Screw your camera onto its T-threads and slide it into your drawtube. Then twist the big, black, knurled knob to compress the O-rings. Give it a few good twists and what once might have been a jiggly connection becomes rock solid. I might as well have epoxied the camera onto the focuser drawtube. Well, had I, I’d never get the camera off, but here all you do is untwist that knurled ring and then slide the camera out.
Great idea and great solution to a vexing problem. Well done Hotech!
Now, for my next request... can I get this style of nosepiece onto my focal reducers / correctors? (Well, ones other than the 2” or 1.25” filter-size ones that will screw right into the bottom of the adapter already.) Really, if we must use tube-style fittings and not threaded ones, this kind of nosepiece should be on every device that needs to be held solidly and squarely in place.
“Neat idea!”, said I, and continued, “but you know you really should make a version of this that goes from
I’ve now had a chance to have a better look at it and I must say, I’m taken with it. The thing just works. No matter what kind of attachment system your focuser drawtube has (single set-screw, compression ring, etc.), the device works the same. Screw your camera onto its T-threads and slide it into your drawtube. Then twist the big, black, knurled knob to compress the O-rings. Give it a few good twists and what once might have been a jiggly connection becomes rock solid. I might as well have epoxied the camera onto the focuser drawtube. Well, had I, I’d never get the camera off, but here all you do is untwist that knurled ring and then slide the camera out.
Great idea and great solution to a vexing problem. Well done Hotech!
Now, for my next request... can I get this style of nosepiece onto my focal reducers / correctors? (Well, ones other than the 2” or 1.25” filter-size ones that will screw right into the bottom of the adapter already.) Really, if we must use tube-style fittings and not threaded ones, this kind of nosepiece should be on every device that needs to be held solidly and squarely in place.