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Let me get this right...Steppenwolf + Dobsonian ???

steppenwolf

By steppenwolf
in DIY Astronomer

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Chris

Chris

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A big congrats from me Steve :) You really have knocked this Scope together at a good rate of knots and its looking great! Love the massive alt bearings, I bet its as smooth as silk and stays put even with heavy EP's :)

Jobs a gooden!

Chris

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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Look forward to seeing it for real and maybe, with permission, a little look through it too. ;)

I shall look forward to that although as you have a 20" Dob, you may be a little underwhelmed! :tongue:

Now you will really be able to make every photon count!

Now, where have I heard that expression before? :grin: Thanks for your various bits of input too, Shane.

Welcome back to the bright side ;-)

I have been so unproductive this year on the dark side that something had to happen! :eek:

Love the massive alt bearings, I bet its as smooth as silk and stays put even with heavy EP's :)

Looking really good and with those large diameter alt bearings it should be nice an smooth.

Even with just a temporary set of Teflon 'coated' pads and no laminate on the altitude wheels it does feel remarkably smooth though I have nothing to judge it against as this is my first foray into Dob-World.

What a great looking scope Steve - very nicely done !  :smiley:

Thanks, John, this is partly your fault in the first place - 15 versus 2, I hate you! :grin: :grin:

Lovely job :)

Thanks, Gina, I hope it works on the sky too!

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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The design for my azimuth setting circle worked out just fine (see images below). I shall be using a Wixey gauge for the altitude setting although I am undecided about whether I will actually use either device in practice as the whole idea of a Dobsonian for me is its simplcity but at least I now have them available if need be for those really difficult to locate objects ......

Now, looking at the photos below, you may just be thinking one of the following thoughts:-

1. That's a very small diameter azimuth bolt?

2. But surely the setting circle will rotate with the rocker box?

(1) The Azimuth bolt is actually a 10mm Allen bolt so plenty big enough. The smaller bolt that retains the setting circle comprises a hex head that I filed down to become an interference fit inside the key in the top of the azimuth Allen bolt. This means that the setting circle can be easily removed by simply lifting it upwards. To help support the printed and laminated setting circle, there is an old LP disk (James Galway this time) clamped between two washers such that it can be rotated against some resistance for calibration purposes.

(2) The Azimuth bolt is held tightly in the baseboard by using a 'T' nut on the top layer of the baseboard and a locknut underneath the baseboard - this results in the azimuth bolt acting purely as a bearing in the base of the rocker box. In this configuration, the azimuth setting circle is as one with the baseboard and the rocker box with its little red 'pointer' revolves around it indicating the azimuth angle.

Simples! :grin:

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post-1029-0-13368900-1403384164_thumb.pn

post-1029-0-04655600-1403381862_thumb.pn

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  • 2 weeks later...
steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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I used two coats of Homebase Weathercoat Dark Grey Undercoat followed by a further two coats of Homebase Weathercoat Black Exterior Satin. When I say 'I', I mean my wife, Janie, who very kindly painted the whole lot for me!!

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barkis

barkis

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You can feel justifiably very proud of your creation Steve. It looks tremendously attractive,

and professional. I could never Imagine you as a Guy who would do anything

but a good job, whatever it might be.

I think you should write a review of your New Dob. in S@N :grin:.

Ron.

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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Thanks for your comments folks.

I've now had first light and all it worked swimmingly so I am looking forward to using it in earnest now.

I think you should write a review of your New Dob. in S@N

Ooooh, you can't trust my reviews .... :grin: :grin:

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