What is up everybody Teagan here with High
Point Scientific and today we're going to be talking about the Apertura Dobsonian Performance
Upgrade Kit as well as how to install it. So if you're already looking to purchase the
Apertura AD8 the 10 or the 12 inch Dobsonian the Apertura Upgrade Kit is going to be a fantastic
upgrade to an already incredible telescope. So maybe you already own the Apertura
AD8 the 10 or the 12 so you know how great these telescopes are, then the
Performance Upgrade Kit is going to allow you to just squeeze the last bit
of performance out of these scopes. And if that's your goal this performance upgrade kit is the way to go. Alright so let's talk
briefly about what comes inside of the box. The Apertura Dobsonian Performance Upgrade
Kit comes with several items first you have two sheets of black flocking paper.
Additionally you have collimation knobs, a screwdriver, primary collimation springs
and cleaning wipes and of course our very own QR code which may have brought you
to this video, so we hope you enjoy. First let's talk about the flocking paper
and what this is going to do is just to enhance the contrast of your views and
it's going to do this by preventing any stray light coming into your optical tube
and then bouncing back into your eyepiece. Now for those living in an urban or suburban
area maybe you have neighbors with porch lights this is where the flocking paper is really
going to make a difference. Those porch lights are going to have stray light that
come through and enter your optical tube, the flocking paper is going to diffuse
that light significantly and prevent any of that extra Shine from the
light from entering your eyepiece. Even those viewing with a full moon in the sky
should see a significant difference as well. Next we have the secondary collimation knobs.
These collimation knobs allow for a simple fast and easy adjustment of the secondary mirror. A properly adjusted mirror
lines up with the primary mirror and the focuser resulting
in sharper and more detailed views. Normally one would adjust the secondary mirror
with a hex key or a phillips screwdriver which can definitely be a hassle at night and if you're
not careful your tool can fall down and hit the primary meter of your optical tube with the
Apertura collimation knobs what you have is a simple way to adjust the secondary mirror by
simply turning the collimation knobs themselves. And lastly we have the collimation springs,
the primary mirror cell holds the primary mirror and it uses springs to support
the weight and it allows for adjustments. Now upgrading these springs keeps
the mirror positioned correctly during and after the collimation process. Okay, so those are the performance upgrades that
you can expect when buying the Apertura Dobsonian Performance Upgrade Kit. Let's talk
about some of the tools that come with it. Again it is the screwdriver and the hex
key but there are some additional tools that we think could be very helpful
during the installation process. That includes masking tape and a box
cutter now let's get started with the installation starting with the collimation knobs. First you want to place the scope in a horizontal
position to prevent any primary mirror damage. You'll find four screws now you want to make
sure that you do not touch that central screw as it's going to affect the position of the
mirror itself. When installing the collimation knobs you want to remove one screw at a time and
then insert a collimation screw in its place. After you've installed the first one go ahead and
do the same thing for the second and the third. All right next up is the upper
flocking material which is going to be installed across from the draw tube. Now it is absolutely crucial that you
install your upper flocking material in temperatures above 40 degrees. You
also want to make sure that you clean the area in which you're installing the
flocking material, hence the cleansing. Wipes we recommend that you do a dry run
prior to actual installation to get used to the process a bit rolling out that flocking
material can be a bit awkward if this isn't something that you're quite used to. Now when you are ready to install mark the center
flocking paper itself with a piece of triangular tape line up the triangle with the spider vein
opposite of the focuser making sure that there is less than 1- 8 inch of space between
the spider vein and the flocking material. Now that you've practiced rolling out your
flocking paper you want to add an additional piece of tape on either side of the flocking paper.
This is just going to help with positioning. Now you want to take your cleaning wipe and
clean the installation area. Now this is very important otherwise the flocking paper may
not remain stuck to the inside of your OTA. Now once your tape is set and you are ready peel
the paper backing off the flocking paper about one quarter to one half inch, and use your tape
as a starting point. Press down along the edge so that the flocking paper
has adhered to the tube. Slowly peel the paper backing while
pushing the flocking paper against the side of the telescope. If any wrinkles
formed during this process this is perfectly okay and a utility knife can be used
to release the trapped air underneath. Make sure that when you are installing the
flocking paper that you do not create a gap over the seam inside the OTA, if
you do all you need to do is cut it with the box cutter and then press
it flat against the inside of the OTA this will prevent air and moisture from
getting underneath the flocking material. All right now we're halfway through
with the installation process now we have to work on the primary
mirror collimation springs. For this step you want to position the telescope
so that the back of the scope is easily accessible. Like the secondary collimation
knobs these will be removed one at a time. There are three white knobs and there are three
black knobs behind the black knobs you'll find the springs, these are what we will be replacing,
so no need to even touch the white knobs. The first step is to loosen each
black knob by just a couple of turns. Once finished we can start by completely
removing that bottom knob. Go ahead and remove the stock spring and then
replace it with the upgrade. Tighten that black knob back up
but not too tight now you can replace the other two collimation
springs doing the same process. Now once each spring has been
installed go ahead and tighten up each knob progressively
until they are all secure. All right not too bad so now we are moving on to
the final step that's the primary mirror flocking. First and foremost you want to
clear a flat space so you can put your primary mirror assembly aside
while installing the primary flocking. We recommend performing the entire
installation process with the OTA in the base so for this step you're going
to want to position the scope so that the rear cell is in the uppermost position possible,
this is going to prevent any damage of the OTA once the mirror is removed as it
will want to fall forward anyways. Feel free to place a towel or a rag on the resting
point between the OTA and the Dobsonian base. Once your scope is in position and ready to go Mark
the OTA and the primary mirror with a sliver of masking tape so the primary mirror can be
reinstalled in the same exact orientation. Now we can remove the Phillips
head screws around the perimeter of the scope, saving the top screw for last. Now remove that last screw and then remove your entire mirror assembly and place it in your
cleared area mirror side up. Next up we want to clean the inside
of the OTA with the provided cleaning wipes. Again this is very important
as you want to have a clean surface so your flocking material really
sticks to the inside of your OTA. Now you want to make sure that you clean the
OTA just past the screws that you can see about 15 inches up the tube. you also want to make
notice of a seam running the length of the OTA We're going to use this as a guide when
installing the flocking paper. again take your time and feel free to do a dry run
again just to get used to the Motions. Much like the upper flocking you
want to peel off about a quarter inch of backing and align it with
the seam going down the tube leaving one inch of space between the bottom
of the tube and your flocking paper. Press down and secure it into place. slowly remove a bit of backing at a time while
pressing down on the adhesive to secure it. there is no need to rush here and if wrinkles form these
can be taken care of and won't affect your views. You may see some overlapping in the flocking
material and that's perfectly fine in addition to that you may have to overlap the screws on
the inside of the OTA and that's okay as well. Once you are finished we need to
reinstall the primary mirror assembly. align the mirror with your masking tape
marker, insert the screws and tighten in a clockwise fashion a little bit at a
time until all your screws are secure. Alright so we are finished upgrading the
performance of your Dobsonian using the Apertura Dobsonian performance upgrade
kit and it wasn't that bad. Now you can go ahead and collimate your scope using
your preferred method of collimation. So that is it and we thank you so much for
tuning in to our YouTube channel again. I am Teagan from High Point and if you like this
video please be sure to like this video And subscribe to our YouTube channel so you
do not miss any of our future content. Now that you have your Apertura
Dobsonian performance upgrade kit installed and ready to go, go outside on
that next night and try and really squeeze out the last bit of performance
from your Dobsonian that you can. Good luck and clear skies.
