I want to add a flip mirror so I can easily flip between the straight-through CCD camera as per usual, and then flipping to use a Watec 910hx video camera for occultations. This page is to see if this can be done with different flip mirror options I can find online
Vixen 2" Flip Mirror $129 from OPT
First question: Can I have the f/6.3 reducer upstream of the flip mirror so I get the image compression on both the SBIG camera and also the Watec camera? Apparently the body of the flip mirror is "a bit more than 2 inches" so that is a bit more than 51mm so maybe 54mm? Compare to the current distance from the f/6.3 lens surfact to the SBIG chip, which looks to be about 114mm. That's bigger than the supposed 105mm "back focus" for the f/6.3, but is that on an f/10 12"? Maybe that's for a smaller scope. Anyway, I clearly have good focus as the picture below shows, so it seems that the Vixen is clearly not too big to make worry about back focus
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this one has less depth and so more forgiving of backfocus needs. Perhaps also wider (2"?) hole through, than Vixen? The Watec chip is 1/3 inch = 9mm, compared to 16mm for size of prism.
worry: If I'm taking out the Moonlight, I'll get mirror shift when using the Meade primary mirror focuser for everything. I see recommendations against relying on that focuser. I can't remember why I got the Moonlight, but maybe I too was unhappy with the SCT focuser. I don't have enough backfocus to both have a flip mirror and the Moonlight and f/6.3 I believe. Maybe the whole idea is not going to work??