Electric Focuser - LXD75 SN-8 to 10

Electric Focuser Project To Add A 1240 Electric Focuser To A LXD75 Meade at this time does not offer an electric focuser for my LXD75 SN-10 AT (2/2005). I do hope Meade will offer us LXD75 owners a electric focuser option in the future. I am interested in imaging and found that a electric micro-focuser is almost a must or "have to have" item. I located several high quality replacement focusers with electric capabilities. Unfortunately they also came at a high price (over $500). What I wanted was a responsible priced focuser that would plug into my LXD75 control panel. I reviewed all of Meade’s electric focusers and found one that appeared to be just about right. I purchased a Meade 1240 electric focuser unit from telescopes.com for under $70. As always it arrived quickly and after unpacking it I knew it was just perfect. I was able to alter the mount on the 1240 and attached it within an hour. It operates perfectly, plugs right into my AutoStar auxiliary port, has 4 speeds (micro-fine to coarse) and you can still use the manual focus to boot. It also operates from my laptop when I am imaging with my Meade LPI or DSI. Again the Meade 1240 is not designed for the LXD75 (right out of the box), however, if you are even a little mechanically inclined you can modify the 1240 in no time. You do not have to alter your scope, it is the 1240 that gets modified. If you are interested in getting more information on the steps I took to attach the 1240, just review the "Electric Focuser Project Video" . If you still need additional information please email me at jim@sightsabove.com and I will do my best to answer your questions. "Click On Image to Enlarge" Click Here for Video You can purchase a Meade #1240 Electric Focuser from www.telescopes.com - Telescope Accessories - From The Netherlands! Below is a note I received after Paul completed his project to install a 1240 electric focuser onto his LXD75 SN-8. Paul is from the Netherlands and is interested in amateur astronomy and deep space imaging. Paul plans to put his LXD75 to the test and after reading a few of his emails I am convinced that he will do just that. Thank you Paul for sharing your "Lesson Learned" with us. We wish you the greatest success and hope to see a few images when your skies are clear. Jim, I've attached the electric focuser on my lxd75 sn8. I had no problems during the construction. Your instruction video was a great help. Thanks! I've included two photo's of the finished project. As you can see, I've used an aluminum U profile as a spacer. It's strong yet soft enough to work with. I glued it with a two component glue. I could not find a hose clamp so I used two black Tyrips. I'm very pleased with the result, As soon as I have some clear sky (can take a while in the Netherlands) I will try to take my first deep sky image. Paul Gerlach "Click On Image to Enlarge" From The UK! (England) Thank you John Fulcher for your photo of your LXD75SN-10 1240 project. Jim, Video works fine and is easy to grasp, done a good job there. John "Click On Image to Enlarge"