Improving the Off-Axis Performance of the WO 66Petzval ED Telescope.

By Scott Walker, final, 6/2/06

Introduction Many users like the WO 66 Petzval telescope for its compact design and sharp visual images, but others have been disappointed in its imaging performance at the corners with cameras like the Canon Digital Rebel (350). They were expecting sharp corners due to the Petzval design. The standard production design of the WO 66 Petzval telescope shows the signs of uncorrected coma, when used with large sensor camera like the Canon Digital Rebel (sensor diagonal about 27.5mm). Some users have confused this with an error due to field curvature. The affect of coma can be greatly reduced by changing the distances between the two doublets, though this does affect the compactness of the scope. This paper will detail, with images, the affect changing the lens spacing has on coma. Details are also given so that the user can make his own changes to reduce the coma in the scope. Background A Petzval design has two widely spaced doublets. In the classic implementation the first lens has twice the focal length of the second and the two doublets are separated by the focal length of the second. The effective focal length of the scope is half that of the front lens. In general this design has three major advantages over a doublet design. The first is chromatic aberration is improved. The classic design will have about 30% less color than a doublet using the same glasses. The second advantage is spherical aberration can be better controlled in the Petzval design. The third advantage is that field curvature can be greatly reduced with a Petzval design. One of the main drawbacks of the classic design is that it is longer than the doublet design by about 50 percent. The WO design is a little different than the classic design. The first lens has a focal length of about 589mm. The rear lens has a focal length of about 709mm. The rear lens is mounted to the focus tube so its distance, with respect to the front lens, varies with focus tube position. This rear doublet has an ED glass element that is assumed to help improve the color correction of the scope. Though the WO design is different than the classic design, it should still have all of the above advantages, though perhaps in a different proportion. This assumes that it is well designed. Scott Walker decided to learn more about optics and used this scope as a learning tool. He discovered that the WO scope was not the classic Petzval design and a few other characteristics that were odd about the scope design. First he noticed that the rear lens holder was the limiting aperture in the system. He also noticed that the field curvature, though better than a 400mm doublet, was not as good as he expected. He also noticed that the specified 400mm focal length was only reached when the focus tube was in it most back position. These observations were later confirmed in the Sky and Telescope May

article. S&T measured the effective aperture to be 63mm with a focal length of 388mm. These measurements were made with the focus tube in its mid-travel position. Scott wrote a short posting about his finding to the WO Yahoo group. Erland Langsrud wrote back and commented that he found the coma to be large at the edges of his images. When properly designed, a widely spaced two-doublet design should have no coma. Given that the production configuration seemed to be working away from its design point and that increasing the lens spacing seemed to bring it closer to the intended design, Scott decided to test the scope with different lens spacings. Below are the results of these tests. Method To test for coma the stars of Orions belt were used as the target. These three stars are of similar brightness, form a nearly straight line and are nearly equally spaced. The total separation is about 2.8 degrees. This uses much of the field of view of the Canon Rebel 350 camera, when mounted to the Petzval 66. The images were taken on a German mount with a tracking drive. The exposure was chosen so that no pixels were saturated. This allows a true view of the coma, because it shows the true ratio between the peaks and the edges of the blur spot. A .25 sec exposure at an ISO setting of 100 was used for most of the images. The 6523 image was taken on a different night and used a .16 sec exposure. These exposures produced peak pixels around 220, nice and bright but not saturated. Because of the short exposure time, precise tracking of the mount was not important. The pixel spacing is about 6.4 micro-meters/pixel at the image plane. Using the above method, the coma for different lens spacings was tested. Some of the spacings tested required special modifications to the scope. Results The below table shows the four different spacings that where tested and if a scope modification was needed. Image file Space between, lenses back to back (mm), estimated 215 247 292 321 Distance of back of rear lens to sensor plane (mm) Scope modification required? Approximate focal length (mm)

6510 6512 6516 6523

246 222 202 184

no no yes yes

388

434

The resulting images from the four different spacings are shown in Figures 1 through 3. Figure 1 shows the image of the center star of Orions belt, which is near the center of the field of view for each image. One should be careful not to draw conclusions from subtle

differences between these images. Differences could be due to small differences in focus and not due to the lens spacing. The images are at the maximum magnification from Photoshop. The squares seen in the images are the individual pixels. Figures 2 and 3 show the difference in off-axis performance due to spacing. Figure 2 shows the left star and Figure 3 shows the right star in Orions belt. Notice how the star becomes brighter with less of a tail as the doublet separation increases. Image 6510 is approximately the spacing expected when using the WO SCT to 2-inch adapter combined with the WO standard photo adapter. Image 6512 shows the image with the farthest spacing that can be obtained with the present production configuration of the scope and a custom photo adapter. Notice the modest improvement in coma. The next two spacings required the rear doublet to be in a special mount that allowed it to be moved back into the focus tube (It normally mounts to the front of the focus tube.). Though not necessary to reduce coma, the front element was also moved forward in the last two tests. Figure 4 shows the same images as Figure 3, but levels was used in Photoshop to brighten the image and to saturate the bright sections. The images in Figure 4 are more what one would likely see in a long exposure shot. It should be noted that the two distances given in the above table are not independent from each other. For the testing, the distance between the back of the rear lens to focus plane was measured. The spacing between the two doublets was estimated later. As can be seen from the images, the off-axis image quality can be greatly improved by changing the separation between the two doublets. The coma in image 6523 looks to be nearly zero. The star also is nearly round and as sharp as the center star; therefore field curvature seems to be well corrected with this spacing. The ideal doublet space is likely just a little larger than that for 6523. The on-axis image for 6523 looks a little worse than the others. This is likely mostly due to miss focusing. It is possible that the color correction on-axis is slightly degraded by the spacing change. With the wider spacing, the rear doublet does a smaller proportion of the refraction. Since the rear doublet is the ED doublet, this may reduce the overall color correction of the scope. This effect is expected to be modest. May/gray, cloudy skies have not allowed for further testing to better test on-axis performance.

Figure 1. On-axis star images.

Figure 2. Off-axis star images. Left side

Figure 3. Off-axis star images. Right side

Figure 4. Same as Figure 3, but with brightness increased with levels in Photoshop.

Solutions The below sections are provide as a service to other users. Scott Walker assumes no responsibility for any damage that could occur as a result of trying to make any of the modification described below and /or due to any errors in the text. Tape is used to make many of the modification. Different tapes could damage your optics and/or metal parts. Choose tapes that you trust. Technically any modification the user makes to his scope without written permission from William Optic will void ones warrantee.

In order to improve the coma to the level shown in 6523, the spacing between the two doublets needs to increase, and the distance between the back of the rear doublet and the focus plane needs to be about 180mm. This changes what will be called the working length of the scope. The working length will be defined as the distance from the front of the front lens cell, to the focal plane. For the 6513 configuration this distance is about 486mm. For the 6523 configuration this distance is about 530mm, 44mm longer. In the production configuration the distance between the front of the lens cell to the back of the focus tube is 370mm with the focus tube in its most back position. The WO SCT to 2inch adapter and photo adapter add about 81mm, and the T-mount and camera add about 55mm. The total is 506mm. This means that some sort of 24mm, or greater, extension needs to be added to the system in order to make the scope work in the 6523 configuration. This extension can occur at either end of the scope or with a combination of front and rear extensions. At the rear of the scope there are many options. One can change the SCT to 2-inch adapter. There are other brands available that are longer. One could achieve at least a 10mm extension with this change. One advantage to a longer adapter is that it gives one room to add a filter to the end of the photo adapter. I believe that the WO SCT to 2-inch adapter is not long enough to allow a filter to be mounted to the photo adapter and still allow proper seating of the photo adapter in the SCT to 2-inch adapter. There are simple T-mount extension tubes that can be bought to extend the system at the T-mount. These come in several lengths and can be stacked to achieve almost any length. One can get extensions for the 2-inch bore. The needed extension can also be done at the front of the telescope. This is not as easy as at the rear. To extend the front of the telescope, the lens cell will be moved forward which requires the removal of the cell. To remove the front lens cell, unscrew the front ring on the dew shield. This will allow you to slide the dew shield back and expose the lens cell. The lens cell unscrews from the main tube. The baffle assembly screws into the back of the lens cell and also holds in the lens. The lens cell and baffle assembly all comes out as one piece. This baffle assemble is an aluminum tube for about 3 inches back

and then it becomes plastic. The aluminum tube is slightly smaller in outer diameter (OD) than the main tubes inner diameter (ID). If one shims the baffle tube, one can get a good snug fit between the baffle tube and the main tube. Figure 5 shows a shim on the tube. There are three shims spaced 120 degrees apart. Standard (not foam) double back tape is used to hold the shims in place. In addition tape was wrapped a round the shims in the section of the plastic part of the baffle, which has a smaller ID. With the shims in place the front element can be extended forward. In the one test case an extension of up to about 47mm felt secure. To allow the scope to still fit in the case, the front lens should not be extended by more than about 30mm. With 30mm of extension, the insert for the rear 1.25 adapter needs to be removed in order for the scope to still fit in the case. One can cut a disk out of cardboard that can be used as a dust seal. The disk fits in the threaded piece of the 1.25 adapter. The threaded piece can still be threaded to the end of the scope and protect the rear tube threads. With the disk, the tube is sealed from dust.

Figure 5. Lens Cell with baffle assembly and shim.

Figure 6. Tape wrap to hold baffle to main tube. Tape is used to secure the extended cell in place. Figure 6 shows the cell with tape. To better get to this joint, remove the mounting foot of the scope. This will allow you to slide the dew shield back farther and out of the way. The tape should be wrapped with tension and in many layers. Reduce the tension in the last few inches to keep the tape from unwinding due to the tension. Though tape does not sound very strong, when done properly, the baffle will be very secure to the main tube. Remember the shims are aligning the baffle. The tape is only used to keep the baffle from moving in the in-and-out direction. The lens cell is secured to the baffle with aluminum threads. Once one decides on the extension method/s then the rear lens needs to be repositioned. To do this a special mount needs to be made. This mount will allow the rear doublet to be mounted anywhere in the focus tube. First one needs to remove the rear doublet from the telescope. To do this, the main tube needs to be removed from the focus assembly. Just unscrew the tube from the focus assembly. One needs to be very careful not to overstress the rotable focuser. One should hold the part right next to the tube thread and not the focuser, see Figure 7, to unscrew the tube. Once the tube is removed one can see the rear doublet, see Figure 8. The doublet is in a mount, which will unscrew from the front of the tube. The mount unscrews so that the lens can be removed, see Figure 9. Be very careful handling the bare lens. Wear cloth gloves and handle the lens on its

edges. Work on a padded surface so if you drop the lens, it will not break. A carpeted floor works well. Lay a clean towel over the carpet for a clean surface.

Figure 7. Where to hold the scope to unscrew main tube.

Figure 8. Rear lens mounted to front of focus tube.

Figure 9. Disassembled Rear Lens Cell To make the mount you will need a piece of straight tubing with an OD a little smaller than the ID of the focus tube. It turns out that 1.5 inch copper tubing meets this requirement well. It is really 1.625 inches in OD. The only problem with copper is that it is different than the aluminum used for the focus tube. There is always a concern with dissimilar metals. One will see that the two metals are isolated from each other so there is likely no problem, but use copper at your own risk. One can also find aluminum tubing in the same size but it is much more difficult. (Scott Walker will provide a piece of aluminum tubing for those who would like one at no cost, provided that the demand is not too great. He requires that you send him a postage paid container and that you are in the USA. You can E-mail him through the group for details.) The lens and the tube will be taped together. Additional tape will be wrapped around the tube so that it will fit snugly in the focus tube. The assembly can be positioned in any required location in the focus tube. The following are the detailed instructions to make the mount:

The tube needs to be cut perpendicular to its length. The lens will sit on the end of the tube so this surface will align the lens. If one is careful, a good 90 degree cut can be made with a quality tube cutter. The tube should be about 40mm long. Deburr the tube after cutting. One may want to use a permanent maker to darken the outside and ends of the tube. Also darken the inside of the tube for about 5mm from the end. Flocking should be used for the inside of the tube, but it is good to darken the inside towards the ends just in case. Flocking the tube may be easier before the lens is attached. Before the lens can be attached to the tube, tape needs to be wrapped on the lens so that its OD is equal to the OD of the aluminum tube. Remember to work on a well-padded surface. It is easy to drop the lens when wrapping it with tape. The tape width should be narrower than the lens. When wrapping the tape, make sure that it does not overlap the end of the lens. You want the lens to directly contact the aluminum tube for alignment reasons. In case you have to cut the tape to width, have the straight edge next to the end of the lens you intend to mount to the tube. If you plan to mount the lens near the back of the focus tube, then the front of the lens will contact the tube. If the lens will be in the middle or front part of the focus tube then mount the rear of the lens to the tube. The convex surface is the front of the lens. Keep track of where you started the tape wrap. End the wrap before the point that you started the wrap. This will keep the thickness of tape uniform. For example, if you need 6 layers of tape to bring the lens up to the same diameter as the tube, do the following. Note where you start the wrap. Wrap 6 layers of tape around the lens, but stop just short of were you started the wrap. This means that there are 6 layers of tape everywhere, except in a short section between where the wrap was started and where it end. This is better than going too far, which will produce a lump where there is a short section that is 7 layers thick. A finished wrap is shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10. Lens wrapped with tape.

Figure 11. Final assembly Once the lens is the right OD the lens can be attached to the tube. One must be careful here. The lens will butt up against the tube. If you slip, and slide the lens across the tube you may scratch the lens. You may want to get help for this step. While applying axial pressure between the tube and the lens, overlap the tube and lens with a layer of thin tape. Use a lens cloth between the lens and your gloved finger to apply the pressure. Once you have a whole layer of tape, check to see if the lens is well centered on the tube. If not, remove this layer and start again. If is looks good, add another layer or two and like before, end the layer before the point you started the wrap. Make sure at there are no wrinkles in the tape. Tension in the tape will get rid of wrinkles. Use thin tape and only two to three layers. At this point it should still require a couple of wraps of tape for the assembly to fit snuggly in the focus tube. With the lens now attached to the tube, now place two wraps of tape on the tube. These will make the surfaces that will mate with the ID of the focus tube. One wrap will partially overlap the tape that holds the lens to the tube. This wrap should not overlap the lens at all. This will help reduce the stress on the lens. The second wrap will be near the non-lens end of the tube, see Figure11. Make these wraps so that the assembly will fit

snuggly into the focus tube. You will have to just experiment with the amount of tape until it feels right. You want it to take enough force so you will not have to worry about the lens moving in the tube on its own. Test both wraps separately by inserting each end into the tube and feeling the friction due to each wrap. Both should be snug, but not hard to insert by hand. To position the assembly deep into the tube you will need a tool. I use an empty toilet paper tube. The size is perfect. Always push on the non-lens end of the tube. You can also use this as a measuring gauge to measure the distance the lens is from the end or front of the focusing tube. Insert the cardboard tube until it hits the lens. Mark on the cardboard tube the location of the focus tube end. Remove the cardboard tube and measure the length between the end of the cardboard tube that touched the lens and the mark. This is the distance from the lens to end of the focus tube. With the rear lens in place the scope can be reassembled. Examples I always find examples helpful. I will present three. 1) Assume you own the WO SCT to 2-inch adapter and WO photo adapter and do not what to buy additional parts. You will need to increase the working length of the scope by at least 24mm. Since you are not changing the adapter in the rear you will need to move the front lens forward. I would recommend that you move the front lens the maximum 30mm forward. This will allow you to reach focus at a little less than infinite focus. To reduce the coma to near zero the back of the rear lens will need to be about 180mm in front of the focus plane. The back of the focus tube is about 136mm from the focus plane, so the back of the rear lens will need to be positioned 44mm in front of the rear of the focus tube. With the scope in this configuration, test to make sure that you can focus on infinity. Almost, full back travel on the focus tube will be required. If you cannot reach focus but it is very close, just reposition the rear lens a little forward in the focus tube. With this configuration you should also be able to focus with an eyepiece and a 2-inch WO diagonal. If you have the WO SCT- 2inch diagonal there should be a nosepiece available in June or July that will convert your SCT into a 2-inch diagonal. 2) Assume you change to a longer SCT to 2-inch adapter and have the WO photo adapter. The Televue long adapter will produce about a 10 mm extension compared to the WO adapter. It will allow you to use filters on the WO photo adapter. This extension is still not enough to fully correct for coma, so the front lens will need to move forward. I would still move the front lens 30mm forward. This combined 40mm of extension will allow the scope to focus on closer objects so it can also be used for terrestrial use. The distance from the focus plane to the rear of the focus tube is about 146mm; therefore the back of the rear lens needs to be positioned about 34mm from the rear of the tube. The distance between the back of the rear lens and the focus plane does not need to exact. Remember we have changed this distance by about 60mm, so if you are 10mm off, you should still expect to have a large improved the coma.

3) Assume you have the WO SCT 2-inch adapter and the WO photo adapter, but you dont want to move the front lens. You can still reduce, but not eliminate, coma by moving the rear doublet back in the focus tube by about 35mm. This should reduce the coma by about a factor of 2. You will have to use the new nosepiece on the diagonal to reach focus with an eyepiece. Besides reducing coma, all three of the above examples reduce or get rid of the reduction in the effective aperture due to the rear lens mount. This mount has a 38.5mm ID. With the lens moved back into the tube this mount is removed. The focus tube is 42mm in ID. This increase, keeps the front of the tube from limiting the effective on-axis aperture of the scope for focus tube positions behind the middle position. If the front lens cell is moved forward by 30mm then the focus tube only affects the aperture in the most forward position. A Little Bit About Astigmatism Even before making modifications to the scope I have had problems with astigmatism with this scope. I have found that at least for my scope, astigmatism can be greatly reduced by rotating the lenses with respect to each other. After you have made the modifications to your scope check it for astigmatism. See if it changes when you rotate the focuser. If it is reduced in a certain focuser position, you may want to note it and just work in this position. One can also rotate the rear lens to see if this fixes the problem. By rotating the rear lens I can find a position with little to no astigmatism, but there is only one focuser rotational position that produces this no astigmatism position. To have zero astigmatism at all focuser rotational positions, each lens needs to be aligned which is beyond the scope of this paper. I hope this paper has been helpful. Scott Walker