FOD found in the LX10 OTA
After calling it a night one evening during the late summer from the OTA covered in dew, I brought the scope in as always to let it sit until the corrector plate
dried up before covering it. When rotating the OTA I heard faint sounds like sand rolling around inside. Once the dew cleared, I found what looked like a piece of raisin cooked inside the OTA behind the main mirror.
Well, needles to say I though someone was eating a cookie during assembly and a piece fell inside and got lodged behind the mirror. When tapping the rear of the OTA, more pieces began to fall out.
I was worried the ingredients would leach from the pieces if they fell on the inside of the corrector plate and mark the UHTC coating. So I decided to take the OTA apart. After figuring how to take the corrector plate off (Meade puts a witness mark on the corrector plate and outer rim to ensure you put the two back in the same position....excellent!) and removed the main mirror.
I was shocked to find dried, crusty droppings from some rodent. Even dried urine trails were evident. After taking pictures to show people what was probably never seen before, I began to scrape the "crap" off.
It took me an hour to clean and sanitized the rear cell. At least I got to see how well the OTA was made and put together. I couldn't even feel any mirror flop. The quality is excellent, except for the poop.
Well, several weeks later I told the folks at the place I bought the scope at, the story and they insisted I send them the pictures. I told them that unless a rodent got past my two cats, used suction cups on their four feet to get up the
smooth, slippery legs, unscrewed the dust cap, and crawled inside, then it had to come from the casings sitting in the factory awaiting assembly. They showed their Meade rep the pictures during a visit. Even though he denied it was Meade's fault, he told them to give
me a free LPI. Darn....I should have claimed emotional distress....maybe I could have received an LX200!
