DIY mods LB16" lots of mods!

[SarasotaSean]

It all sort of snowballed when I made the decision to keep objects in view for longer periods of time... the slope was slippery and spendy, but NEB  (the scope) is working so good I don't regret doing it.    I don't see much out there in the way of how I did my setup, so I hope this helps others with new ideas.  It would be my pleasure to send more pics if someone needs em. 

The retractable arm transport system is wonderful.  Aluminum square tubing arms slide quietly with felt on them and are very strong , birch plywood  and oak frame hold the threaded axle very stable and it beefed up the stock base.

Argo Navis and Servocat bt WildCard came as a kit made for LB16!!!  Previous versions of the kit were clumbsy and got some mixed reviews, but Argo and Stellarcat worked on improvements until they got it riight... and mine is working excellent. 

I added the SKY FI wireless adapter and now run the scope on my Ipad using Sky Safari Pro4 which is amazing.  SSP4 is great for group observing - the information available describing the object in the eyepiece answers all the questions for me, whew!  and the zoomed in views of planets and moons show real time views of them... so if Jupiters' GRS is out front, the Ipad shows them what it looks like. Nice.

The power dispersion block is nice, voltage meter helps from getting blind sided by a weak battery during viewing sessions.  I wiree everything into it.

I ditched the spotting scope and telrad for the 100mW laser.  It's accurate enough to help locate the 2 stars during alignment - even at 261x.  and it shows the attendees where we are looking and it's a neat gimmic when slewing... sheesh.

The sliding counterweight was a piece of aluminum track of sorts, I ran it through the table saw and such, and use felt lined chunks of steel as weights.  Just twist the weight and move it - then twist it tight in place.

Home made eyepiece tray, and controller trays - with led lit plex edges, home made dew heater strips, light shroud, and pinstripes to boot. 

  NEB is easy to use, gives great views.

[brantuk]

Nice mods Sean - looks very professional.

How do you level it?

[SarasotaSean]

thanks brantuk,   I have a bubble on the base that  I use, it's in one of those pics... it's a compass and a level bubble all in one.  If I see that it's off, I move the scope to level ground before alignment.  I have to wonder if on occasion,  my set up is not perfectly level - and that is why some nights the nav system is slightly off all night long, while other nights it is perfect?  That thought warrants a test!

 How do you level yours?

[brantuk]

I use these shed levelers - they take the weight nicely and they're dirt cheap if you like them:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adjustable-Leveling-decking-sheds-summerhouses/dp/B003L5ENNG

I couldn't find a USA link for you but I'm sure there must be a seller in your neck of the woods. Failing that you could see if they will ship internationally.

(We do a lot of camping on uneven ground to find dark skies - so pretty essential for us in the UK).

[SarasotaSean]

Too cloudy to do the level test... ugh.  The levelling feet are interesting, I must locate a local vendor, good call - thanks for the idea. 

You have a LOT of equipment...  did you convert a room in your home to store them???  I did  :-)  

One more pic to share -  UTA   wth the laser, dew heater, crystal ball, and of course - the pinstripes.  

When it is bad weather, I fidget with NEB, but am running out of logical mods to do... any suggestions?

[brantuk]

Hahaha! yes - I am a bit spoiled for choice true - mostly stuff collected over about 7yrs - and I do find it hard to get rid of gear once I've bought it. There's a bit of redundancy in there - one or two scopes are just grab and go when I don't feel like dragging out the larger setups. Our gear drives the missus crazy - it's omni present - i.e. all over the house lol.

Love the pin stripes - I have a handle fitted under the eyepiece on my LB - feels better than grabbing the end of the tube. I also use a Telrad and Raci - personal preference and cos lasers attract airport cops round here. I'm fitting dew control and deciding on how to fit counter weights - but that's all work in progress.

I enjoy tweaking too - but yours looks pretty complete - dob mods are a great excuse to get me out in the garage when we're driving each other nuts.

[Demon Barber]

Hi If your  running short of ideas try this website for goodies:http://www.marklessastronomics.com/  

Hope your keeping well Kim    Looking good Sam.

Regards

Mike

[SarasotaSean]

Demon B,   Thanks for the idea spot...

All this rainy weather is unusual in Florida.  No break for many weeks now - the forecast shows no change...   and we all know what happens when we cannot USE our telescopes...  that little man on your shoulder starts shouting " upgrades! upgrades! "  and the wallet comes out.    In my case, it's a good chance to purge the eyepieces getting dust on them, and with the proceeds -  perhaps invest in one or two quality eyepieces.  WOO HOO!  

 BUT THEN

- then I got a look at the Lodestar equipment and what is possible.  Now I am at a crossroad... the appeal of the Lodestar X2C makes me feel like a bug near a zapper.. like I'm too close to a black holes' gravity... like kid in a candy store... .   Could I actually see (even faintly) a quazar with it? That isn't possible in my light polluted area with eyepieces.  Could I make a public outreach event more special? 

The big question is...  do the Lodestar cameras work on a 16" Newtonian on a tracking enabled Dobsonian base?  NONE of the posts I see on the web mention the Lodestar being used on mid-sized Dobs.     Does it work?  Is there a problem with the focal range?

[Demon Barber]

Sam, on your side of the pond Mallincam seems to be the weapon of choice for big dobs,i`m sure someone with the answer you need will pop up in swift time,enjoy spending your cash you just need clearskies  and your all set,

Regards

Mike

[SarasotaSean]

All of my questions will be answered soon - the Lodestar X2c should be here in 3days. 

My F4.5 falls into the acceptable range of use, laptop has windows 8.1,  and the Servocat / Argo tracking works great... This should work.... right?  gulp.

From what I read on other posts, my long Focal Length (1829) will produce more definition in the images.  I cannot recall the downside to the longer FL...  chalk it up to selective retention.

Going to experiment with the filters on hand - O3, UHC, LP, comet - New filter$ will have to wait a bit. As would a focal reducer if needed. 

I hope I'm not trying to put a square peg in a round hole.

I recently read " climb out to the end of the limb, that's where the future is " 

In 3 days I'll know.

[Paul73]

Someone has to take the first leap!

You'll be needing a filter slide like the one in Mike's link (last item).

Paul

PS. I've always wondered about some form of motorised auto weight distribution.....

[SarasotaSean]

The camera is HERE NOW:   Lodstar x2c and a dedicated laptop.  The process of downloading the latest version of Loadstar Live went well (thanks Paul81), as did Lodestar c off of the disc. Drivers were easily obtained and installed.                        And now it's raining outside.

My, how this hobby has progressed in $tep$ - and all the previous mods will help to make this new tool work.  Without most of them - it would be a struggle no doubt.  Surely this is a common condition amoungst astronomy enthusiasts.  I have not reached the 'line in the sand' where I stop pursuing better exploring equipment - it seems that each improvement spawns a new idea aimed to improve the details of the amazing DSO's    Maybe this camera will be the last thing I need.  he he.

I have to say, none of the prior modifications to Neb gave me doubt as to whether they would actually work - but this one is a stretch.  It'll be a bummer if this peg doesn't fit... I suppose I could always sell this new equipment for a minimal loss and get some eyepieces instead... Hmmm   silver lining?   Pentax xw5?  100deg ES 9mm? 

So, until it the night skies clear up, it makes no sense to shop or purchase any more equipment for this phase of viewing until it proves to be a keeper...    so Paul 73, that filter wheel will remain a good suggestion until I see if the camera works for me....

Tomorrow night looks hopeful....

[MarkRadice]

Wow, fantastic mods.  I had a go on a 16" dob with ipad-wifi-servo cat/AN at February's Winter Star Party in Florida.  It was such a lovely system.  Simply touch and go and with the power of an encyclopaedia at your finger tips.  Is it  a plug and play system or does it require effort to integrate?

Mark

PS Please keep the clouds and stop sending them across the Atlantic!

[SarasotaSean]

 Well Mark,   The tech end of the installation was my 'speed bump' - I had to stop and do some reading on a few threads... the answers are all there you know?     I look back at what challenged me then... and it seems so simple now.   It seems that if a fellow had experience with wireless router setup, and program downloading - then he'd understand the few equipment coordinating procedures.         It was only a little challenging.  

It was only a little challenging because I chose systems that were made to work with each other.  AN /SC by StellarCat made the goto kit specific for LB16, I chose the SkyFi 'cause it worked with the SC / AN, the IPad/Sky Safari P4 worked with the SkyFi...  so in a sense it was a plug and play!    

It's been fun - I do this with most of my things - take them apart, soup 'em up, repeat. woof woof

[SarasotaSean]

update on the latest mods to NEB...  the lodestar x2c...

 I've been enjoying the challenge of trying to make it work with the 1829mm focal length.  A  .5 focal reducer helped tremedously, and some images were taken, but not the quality I wanted.  The LB16 is an excellent scope, and the x2c is an excellent camera, but they don't mix.     So now what?.... looks like I need a different scope for the camera! :-)    

I picked up an 80mm ST frac, and mounted it to the UTA of the LB... and the camera loves it.   The views are fairly wide field, good for nebulas and globs.  It is giving me a chance to learn how to use Lodestar Live (LL) imaging program.  The SGL 'video astronomy' forum has been very helpful, if you are curious what video astronomy can produce (in almost real time), go check out that forum.

Sadly, that adventure has drained the budget for mods to the LB16 for a while, and a lesson was re-learned...  Some experiments show us what doesn't work.