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AZ Goto and heavy metal


Tweedledee

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Had a play with the Skywatcher AZ goto and was disgusted with the supplied blancmange that supports it. The flimsy tripod lets it wiggle about by a couple of degrees just on twiddling the focus knob on the ST120!!!! Had a closer look and tried tightening stuff on the tripod with no improvement. With the tripod at full height, it wasn't tall enough for a comfortable view with a refractor, and at lowest height, although very slightly more stable, it meant kneeling down to get to the eyepiece.

The goto mount itself actually seems reasonably rigid in its operation, and good enough for my visual requirements supporting the ST120. Short of welding some RSJs onto the tripod legs, that thin chrome plated radiator piping with its plastic fittings just had to go.

I used the hand controller to slew it around a little with the ST120 fully loaded with 50mm finder and one of my grenades in the focuser, and it seemed to go smoothly and surprisingly quietly without seeming under strain. It was daytime and the scope was in the garage so no star alignment, but I had entered time and latitude/longitude. Just for a laugh, I punched in NGC869, one half of the double cluster, and it slewed roughly 90 degrees from where I expected it to be at that time in the afternoon. I then punched in the other half, NGC884 and was pleased to see that it very quietly buzzed just a gnats whisker from its previous position. I then messed around punching in several other nearby objects, and it duly moved satisfyingly to about the correct  positions relative to the previous target. So it was looking good so far.

I've heard good reports that providing the handset is setup with the correct numbers, the mount is accurately levelled and star aligned, then goto positioning should be pretty good at least with a wide field of view on this little altaz mount.

Now for the heavy metal :)
I found a portable pier on ABS, which quickly dismantles to just 4 pieces for transport (3 legs and the upright pillar). It was going for next to nothing, but I bargained the guy down further and brought it home from near Derby. The pier had previously been supporting an EQ6 and 10" newt, so it should be up to the job. I have now extended the height and perched the AZ goto on top and it is now rock solid. I devised an easy levelling system using three strong valve springs from a Land Rover, and just twiddle the wing nuts for quick and precise levelling. The adjustments are smooth as silk after applying a little grease to the threads, and the springs are so strong when the pressure is on, that there is absolutely no movement or bounce in the system. Just need to clean, prime and paint the whole thing up to make it look spot on. Very pleased with the results :) ...

 

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That certainly looks like a solid mount Pete , you have put some work into that particular project...

How heavy is the pillar mount ? I'm thinking this is your 'grab and go' setup...

I guess the rickety tripod is in the green bin ☺

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Thanks Mick, it works even better than I expected, even though it looks a bit Heath Robinson :D .


 


Cheers Steve. It is very solid, and is actually lighter than it looks. Definitely grab and go, but a stable one.


 


I will keep the rickety tripod in case I want to sell the AZ goto with it, and keep the pier.


 


Compare the difference, it is just thin section 30mm chrome tube with plastic fittings and the lower section is smaller tube... :D


 


20150629_201012.jpg


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I like this, great effort. It's certainly given me some idea to the design of my future mount.

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Guest peepshow

Yet another great DIY from the house of Pete, engineer par excellence.


I'm getting rather fed up with your  engineering as you are showing up my bodge work more each day. :)


 


When I used my AX  mount I used a small  mirror in order to see exactly over the top of the levelling bubble.


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Cheers Richard,

Your engineering work is far more technical and intricate than mine :thumbsup:

I have lots of engineering type ideas, and can easily get them down on paper, but I'm sadly lacking the necessary engineering skills and experience. But if I take my time, I can usually produce a half decent job that works.

As a teenager I used my limited school metalworking skills to make an excellent mirror cell for an 8.5" Newtonian using a very similar design utilising car valve springs. I also made my own secondary spider, tube and had a second hand Fullerscopes equatorial mount on heavy duty pillar. Everything but the optics. Then I was at the age where motorbikes and girls commanded my interest and I never finished it! :facepalm2:

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I'm now looking to make a portable pilar now, I've been working on the ergonomics as this is most likely going to be weighted for stability and fixed, so I need to fathom the right height for the pilar.

I'm so copying you on this, sorry :)

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Go for it Martin, and post some pics. :2thumbsup:


 


I had to buy a full set of valve springs. You are welcome to my spares FOC if you come to collect them on your R6 :) .


 


Or I can post them if you want.


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Go for it Martin, and post some pics. :2thumbsup:

 

I had to buy a full set of valve springs. You are welcome to my spares FOC if you come to collect them on your R6 :) .

 

Or I can post them if you want.

Cheers.

I don't have the R6 anymore though, I sold it back in April :(

Thanks, I will keep you posted and whatever the bodge job, I will share it here haha

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