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My EQ Platform Project


8472

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Hi Kev long time no see, hope you are keeping well.

 

I'm impressed it looks very well made. Also love the website you linked to, full of wonderful reading.

 

Great job and well done.

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Ayup Kev, good to see you again. That's a lovely looking build there, I look forward to seeing how you get on with it.

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That looks a really professional job. :thumbsup:

 

Thanks for the website link, some really interesting stuff on there.

Edited by Tweedledee
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Thanks for the comments, folks. Yes, I'm still around. I just hope it does what it says on the tin.

 

If not, it'll make a nice paper weight! 

 

Hope to catch you all at a darkest meet in future. 

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Has the drive roller been coated with anything. 

Just curious as metal on metal will be very prone to slippage. 

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Glad you brought that up, Graham, as that was one of the most head scratching points of the project. Both points of contact are stainless steel, so grip is virtually nonexistent. 

 

It took a bit of experimentation, but I'm currently using heat shrink tubing. I'm not sure how robust this will prove to be. It has survived about 45 minutes abuse so far, but time will tell. 

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On 10/18/2016 at 07:27, 8472 said:

Glad you brought that up, Graham, as that was one of the most head scratching points of the project. Both points of contact are stainless steel, so grip is virtually nonexistent. 

 

It took a bit of experimentation, but I'm currently using heat shrink tubing. I'm not sure how robust this will prove to be. It has survived about 45 minutes abuse so far, but time will tell. 

 

Good plan.

Should last quite a while I mean it is not exactly moving at high speed. :lol:

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Made a small alteration to the south side fulcrum the other day . Seems I didn't pay attention to the 7mm offset of the pivot point, so I've rectified it. I've also radiused the north segment edges, that I also earlier missed.

 

Not had the opportunity to put it to the test yet, but I'll keep you posted . 

Edited by 8472
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  • 1 year later...

This project has sadly taken a back seat with my imaging pursuits lately, but i have definitely not completely abandoned it.

 

A recent mod has been the addition of a spare RACI used as a crude polarscope.

Depending on how effective it is, I may end up replacing it with a purpose made item. But as the view virtually requires peering through the scope at ground level, a RACI (with the inner circle representing Polaris's path around celestial north) might have to do for now.

 

20180525_115351-2016x1134.thumb.jpg.1a17476fa493a809e59cecc5c77b58de.jpg

 

Mounting bracket is obviously angled to my local latitude, but there is fine tuning adjustment in the finder bracket. 

 

My anticipated alignment workflow should go something like:

 

1) Initial rough platform visual polar alignment.

 

2) Platform levelling with Wixey. 

 

3) Sit Dob on platform, pointing to Polaris (with Dob's setting circle zeroed and platform position fined tuned to achieve this). 

 

4) Remove OTA and calibrate polarscope to Dob's Polaris position with fine adjustment screws. Refit OTA

 

5) Nudge entire platform to correct currect Polaris offset position, using polar finder app.

 

In theory this should improve tracking accuracy (together with a couple of other wobble-reducing mods i have up my sleeve) but as of writing, it's all untested and like all of us, I'm waiting for clearer skies and darker nights. So we'll see!

 

 

Edited by 8472
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