12 improvements for a cheap telescope

Step 3: The rules of the game

1. Keep your hands away from the main objective lens !

Whatever you do, don't mess with the main objective lens and the buffers in the tube. You may cause a misalignment that you may not manage to repair. Keep the objective always covered when you are working on the tube.

2. Make all changes reversible

This is important.  After making a change you  may find that it worked better before, specially if you do not have much experience. All changes proposed in this instructable are reversible (with the exception of the box modification).  When replacing small parts e.g. screws and nuts always keep the old ones.

3. Spend your money wisely

Buy things that will be also useful for other scopes such as eyepieces and optical add ons . Think always in terms of added value.

4. Build the more you can !

  Making things is a part of the hobby of amateur astronomy and one of the major motivations to get into it.