TS-Optics 2" MONORAIL Focuser with 96 mm Flange
The TS Monorail focuser for many refractors from Skywatcher, Celestron and Orion is an improvement of the time-tested Crayford focusers. Our goal was to offer a focuser for highest loads, like heavy CCD cameras, with very high precision at the same time. We exactly succeeded in this with the Monorail focusers.
The MonorailR96 has a 96 mm connecting flange on the telescope side with three M4 internal threads and a 360° rotation. This allows the connection to ED refractors from Skywatcher and Orion with an aperture of 80 mm or more as well as achromatic Skywatcher, Celestron and Orion refractors with an aperture of 102 mm or more.
Attaching a viewfinder shoe
The grub screws marked on the third picture above can be removed and one or two finder shoe(s) can be attached with one M4 screw each.
Make sure that the screw used does not reach deeper into the focuser than the grub screw! Otherwise, the focuser may be damaged.The advantages of the TS Monorail focusers at a glance:
♦ higher load capacity than with normal Crayford focusers - instead of small ball bearings, a massive stainless steel rail, which is laterally clamped, is used.
♦ more precise guiding of the draw tube and no more tilting when locking
♦ smooth motion and finest adjustment even at loads of up to 4 kg
♦ 1:10 dual speed for accurate focusing
♦ Motor focus can be retrofitted
Operating principle of the Monorail focuser and the advantage compared with Crayford focusers:

Instead of small ball bearings, like in Crayford focusers, a massive stainless steel rail handles bearing and also lateral fixing.
The disadvantage of Crayford focusers with ball bearings: The small ball bearings of the Crayford focuser are loaded if locked. As the locking screw is not placed exactly between the ball bearings, one pair of the bearings is more heavily loaded. This results in tilting and unsharp stars in one corner.
The advantage of the MONORAIL principle: The function of the ball bearings is taken over by the stainless steel bar which is firmly connected to the draw tube. Nothing can bend anymore. Only lateral guidance is taken over by ball bearings. These bearings only fix the lateral position and do not need to take on load anymore.
The drawtube is fixed with a locking screw which is exactly centered at the upper side, so the entire construction is evenly loaded. Tilting is definitively avoided, the draw tube stays exactly at the given position.
With the middle screw of the "quincunx", only the friction is adjusted - see image at left.
The newest reviews:
(4 reviews)* * *
2022-03-18 22:36:13, Kerry Kleckner
The focuser arrived quickly. Hopefully it will work. There were no instructions of any kind included. There is no link for a PDF or other formatted information in the website item description. Teleskop Service was quick to tell me that my order was in shipping and could not be changed - so quick that I was not able to identify and order an adapter that will allow me to connect my camera and/or reducer to the focuser so I was unable to order it. Despite telling me that tracking information would be provided it was never provided. I emailed a question about attaching my reducer. I waited three days only to receive a vague statement saying that my reducer uses threads and the focuser does not. I can only hope that their products are of a higher quality than their POOR COOMUNICATION!
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2021-09-14 04:57:01, Darren Hennig
"Product is superb. Only critique is that there was no instructional link or documents included which would have saved my contacting TS directly before install and use. It was simple, but having that option would have confirmed everything. "
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2021-07-06 07:43:38, Nils Lijster
"In my refractor. It works perfect. Fits precisely"
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2019-12-11 18:47:12, Gabor Juhasz
"Well made focuser, smoothly working mechanics. Fits the 96mm diameter focuser side of my telescope well, assembly with the scope was easy. Recommended product."