6
place. The tips of the tensioner and nylon screws should seat
into the wide groove on the rear of the finder scope’s body.
Slide the base of the finder scope bracket into the dovetail
holder near the focuser. Lock the bracket into position by tight-
ening the knurled thumbscrew on the dovetail holder.
Installing the CorrecTension (XT) Friction
Optimization System
Perhaps the most exciting new feature of the SkyQuest
Dobsonians is the CorrecTension Friction Optimization sys-
tem. Because of their light weight, 6" and 8" Dobsonians have
always been plagued by insufficient friction on the altitude
bearing surfaces. As a result, such telescopes move up and
down much too freely. This causes problems when the observ-
er tries to accurately center and track an object for viewing,
especially at higher powers. Also, the telescope becomes very
sensitive to balance, requiring additional equipment such as
counterweight systems or adjustable side bearings to com-
pensate.
SkyQuest Dobsonians employ a simple yet effective remedy
for the friction problem that obviates the need for such cum-
bersome countermeasures. CorrecTension Friction Optimization
utilizes a spring coil to “pull” the tube assembly down onto the
altitude bearing pads, thereby increasing the friction by just
the right amount. With CorrecTension, you can change eye-
pieces, or add a barlow lens or solar filter without having to
tediously adjust the telescope’s balance as you would with
other Dobsonians. The altitude friction will roughly equal the
azimuth friction, ensuring optimal performance.
To install the CorrecTension assembly, follow these steps
while referring to Figure 7:
1. Put one of the black nylon spacers on a black Phillips-head
screw. The spacer should be oriented so the narrow end
seats against the head of the screw. Slip one of the black
1/4" washers over the end of the screw. Now, thread the
screw into the hole in the base side panel just below the
cradle. The screw will thread into the preinstalled insert in
the hole. Use a Phillips screwdriver to tighten the screw.
Repeat this procedure on the opposite side panel.
2. Next, insert one of the screws with a round plastic knob
attached through the end ring of one of the springs. Slip a
black nylon spacer onto the screw. Orient the spacer so
the narrow end is closest to the knob. Thread the entire
assembly into the hole in the center of the telescope’s alti-
tude side bearing until tight. The end ring of the spring
should seat onto the narrow end of the spacer. Repeat this
procedure for the other altitude side bearing.
3
Attach a pull loop to the free end of each spring. Slide the
loop through the opening in the ring on the end of the spring.
4. Now, pull each spring down using the pull loop, and posi-
tion the spring’s end ring over the head of the Phillips
screw (installed in Step 1) and onto the narrow part of the
nylon spacer, as shown in Figure 8. You needn’t attach
both springs simultaneously; one at a time is fine.
Figure 7.
Close-up view of the CorrecTension system, which
pulls the tube assembly down onto the altitude bearing pads.
Black nylon
spacers
1/4" washer
(black)
Altitude side bearing
Screw w/round knob
Spring
Phillips-head
screw (black)
Pull loop
Figure 8.
(a)
To attach the spring to the base, grip the pull loop
with your index finger and pull down on the spring.
(b)
While pulling
down, slip the end ring of the spring over the bolt head and onto the
narrow part of the nylon spacer, then release the pull loop.
a.
b.
