8472 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Well here i am again! After looking around a few fellow members' fantastic scopes, during the Belper meets, my interest has kind of been sparked about sorting a little issue I have with my scope every now and again. Quite a few folk are using counterweights, of varying description, to balance their Dobs, when full loaded with various eyepieces/Barlows/anti-dew kit etc. Certainly, when I've got my 2" EP, Barlow, Telrad and other gubbins fitted, my scope is ridiculously unbalanced (nose-heavy) and it's difficult to get enough grip in the tensioning handles to hold it steady. I wasn't keen on permanently fixing/drilling/bonding anything to the OTA (In case I wish to sell it on later) so I needed a solution to attach/remove as and when I wanted. Adjustablitily was also on the list, as I needed to cater for the varying weight of EP's. And so I hit on the idea of maybe modifying (don't laugh) a shower riser rail. A bit Heath Robinson, but bear with me... Here's the stuff I bought for my project. A shower riser kit from Tesco, (discarded the included shower head and soap tray) A 1kg barbell weight, also from Tesco A large washer/retaining plate, to hold the weight to the adjusting handle + large rubber washers. x2 countersunk Neodymium Magnets - 9.5kg pull A couple of rubber tap washers, cut in half, bonded to the riser feet (to protect the OTA from scratches, from the magnets) First, I removed the shower head holder from the adjusting handle, then replaced it with the 1kg weight, held on via a centre screw, rubber washers and retaining plate. I then fed the main adjusting pole through it and bonded the two ends on with epoxy. (I should also mention, I swapped the flimsy supplied plastic pole with an identical metal pole I had lying around in my garage). Next was screwing my 2 magnets to the base of the rail's feet. Finally, bonding the halved rubber tap washers either side of the magnets, so when in place, these are the only contact points on the OTA. Then thats it - job done. No need to fumble in the dark for different sized weights, or worry about scratching/denting the OTA. To acheive the correct balance, I simply slide the weight up/down as required, and lock it off with the twist handle. Thats all for now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catman161 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 That is a very clever solution to a common problem. Loving your work there Kev. Can I ask where you got such powerful magnets from? Also are you an engineer by background? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I like it loads, looks extremely neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 A very neat project there Kev. That's one of the few draw backs with a Dob, getting the balance sorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philjay Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Who said the art of ATMing was dead, a neat and useful job there Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8472 Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 That is a very clever solution to a common problem. Loving your work there Kev. Can I ask where you got such powerful magnets from? Also are you an engineer by background? Certainly, Felix - Fleabay is your friend. You need to use Neodymium magnets, though - they are much stronger than the run of the mill ferrite variety. Also available here - http://www.first4magnets.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8472 Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 Who said the art of ATMing was dead, a neat and useful job there Kev Ta - whats ATMing, though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Amateur Telescope Making Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8472 Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 Ahh - I see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 It originated in the USA Kev, have a look on CloudyNights.com there is a huge section on it there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Strings Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Love it, puts my loudspeaker magnet weight to shame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8472 Posted December 19, 2012 Author Share Posted December 19, 2012 Yep, and the larger ones don't come cheap, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazz Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Great idea, and I also like Pats chef knife magnet idea, all very clever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T A WOW Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Quite ingenious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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