Hi guys,
I own a Celestron C8 since 1997 that I proudly use for deep sky imaging. Of course I am a Kstars/Ekos user and I would like to take advantage from the huge power of the software as much as possible. For this reason, I would like to mount an electric focuser of my instrument. This is the issue...
My telescope has not the possibility to block the primary mirror and it is equipped with the classical manual focuser (I attach an image of the focuser in this post). Of course the focuser should be compatible with the INDI drivers in order to be used with Ekos.
Do you know if is it possible to mount such electric device to my C8? Are there some devices that are suitable for my aims? Do exist some ready-to-use solutions that can I mount in my telescope?
Thank you for your availability.

Regards,

Frank

There's a Celestron electric focuser that may fit. It is designed for the later Celestron mounts but could fit your older mount, possibly with some adaptors. The two things are the adaptor to the three screws that hold the manual focuser and if there is an adaptor to replace the manual focuser knob.

Celestron may be able to help, probably no one else.

Have also a look to the ESATTO focuser from PrimaLuce.
I bought one for my celestron 8 HD but not tested yet. The other focuser from Primaluce (SESTO SENSO 2) works great with Stellarmate.

I have also ordered an ESATTO focuser for my C8 but still waiting for it after almost two and a half months. It seems to be a very good option as Primaluce offers many adapters for different scope and camera combinations.

There is not dedicated INDI driver for it yet but a member of this group is working on it. In the interim, the Sesto Senso 2 driver is supposed to partially work with the ESATTO.

Can't wait to get mine and put it to work.

I have the Pegasus Cube on my Edge 8HD. Very happy with it.

Hi guys, thanks for your replies!
I read that you have the HD version of the C8 telescope, or perhaps some recent versions of it.
My telescope is of the 1997 and then I don't know if the primaluce lab solutions are suitable for my case. Are these systems good also for the older versions of C8 telescopes?

My C8 (Super C8) is from the 1984 era, prior to the Halley's comet craze, and if I understand correctly, the rear port flange is standard and past and currecnt accessories should fit the thread size without problem.

Whenever I get it, hopefully very soon, I will let you know if there are any issue, which I doubt but ... one never knows.

DIY way is to connect a stepper motor focuser knob and control it with Astroberry Focuser.

Would love to do the DIY way for my C8 (~2000). I see a lot of mentions for this, but I have not been able to find instructions to do this. I have a Pi4 with 4GB, and I have seen the Adafriuit Hat which seems a decent choice. I assume I need to install AstroBerry, but would love to see understandable assembly instructions for this.
Thanks! Bill

I found a complete list of focusers that are compatible with INDI drivers.
Which one of these focusers could be mounted in my C8 in your opinion?

I forgot to post the web page with all the listed focusers:
www.indilib.org/devices/focusers/all.html

You can add the PrimaluceLab Esatto focuser to the list but there is no dedicated driver yet, it works with the Sesto Senso 2 INDI driver but with likely limited capabilities. I got mine very recently and installed it on my C8. It's a very nice and very solid piece of work; I can't wait to put it to work, under a cloudless sky.

You can also look at the Pegasus Astro DMFC (or whatever replaces it) as it can be purchased with an SCT adapter. I use a DMFC with my small refractor and it works very nicely. This option is cheaper than the Esatto but as it connects to the C8 focus knob, you are likely to encounter mirror shift issues.

The Esatto connects to the C8 rear flange and is a Crayford type focuser. You can pre-focus with the C8 focus knob, lock the mirror if your C8 supports it, and then use the Esatto to perform fine focus adjustments.