The patented Advanced Crayford design, with the Original 10:1 Reduction Fine Focus assembly, gives the Starlight Instruments Feather Touch Focuser a buttery smooth feel, allowing you to achieve perfect focus with a minimum of effort. All high load areas are precision ground-hardened steel on hardened steel. The Feather Touch just won't wear out, but for extra assurance Starlight Instruments offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty!
Starlight Instruments Feather Touch Focuser Standard Features
- Ultra-smooth coarse/fine focus knobs (10:1 Ratio)
- Durable hardened stainless steel, steel, and aluminum construction
- Standard Draw Tube with nylon-tipped stainless steel set screws (gentle on eyepieces)
- 52 mm threaded Draw Tube. This will accommodate permanent or semi-permanent filters if desired, such as Light Pollution Filters, clear filters for dust protection, etc. Step down adapters that reduce the 52 mm thread to 48 mm threads are available.
- Glare resistant black internal baffling
- Anodized aluminum fine focus knob
- Ultra-Low backlash system for accurate control
- Sleek aesthetic design
About the Feather Touch Compression Ring
The brass Compression Ring acts as a buffer between the thumb screws and your eyepieces so that it will not mar them. The Compression Ring also has improved holding power over the nylon tipped screws. There are two thumb screws on draw tubes with the Compression Ring. The right screw is used for 2-inch eyepieces and the left screw is used for 1.25-inch eyepieces. The left thumb screw is nylon-tipped and can also be used in addition to the right thumb screw. When used with the 1.25 to 2-inch zero length adapter, the left thumb screw is used to hold the 1.25-inch eyepiece in place.
About the Internal Brake System
The brake option was designed to allow users of refractor type applications the ability to gradually increase the friction between the pinion and the drawtube. In the non-brake version of the Feather Touch Focuser a thumb screw is used to lock the pinion shaft and to also increase the amount of drag on the drawtube. This system, however, has very little range when trying to control the drag. The brake consists of an internal leveraged leaf spring that is tightened with a thumbscrew, thereby allowing a much greater control of the drag. By adjusting the thumb screw on the pinion block this lever presses a friction pad onto the pinion , thereby increasing the torque that is needed to turn the focus knobs. If the thumb screw is turned all the way in, the pinion shaft and the draw tube will be locked. Opposite this thumb screw is a small set screw that is factory set and should not be adjusted by the customer.
The image shows the 2-inch Feather Touch with a 1.5-inch drawtube. Remember, the drawtube you will get if you buy this model will have 0.8-inch of travel. Other than that, it will look the same as the 1.5-inch model.
