RobinH

thank you for replying so quickly. To keep the best accuracy I will continue trying to mount the phone flat in line with the binoculars. It will be possible just needs a bit of experimenting to get the best position and balance. Thank you for making your project available to everyone. Robin

Hi Artik, is it possible to use astrohopper with the phone upright? I want to use it on my binoculars which are on a parallelogram mount. Its difficult to mount a phone flat while keeping it easy to view and press the screen. thanks Robin

I have made 4 P mounts and the designs have evolved and improved with each one. I have found that I did not need any washers and just wood on wood contact was not a problem. Sometimes too little friction allows the bins to move if the balance is not perfect. I suggest try it with no washers then see how it feels. P mounts are very forgiving of imperfections, so don't over design it.

Hi Greg, I think that using a magnetometer is likely to give problems as anything steel will distort the earths magnetic field. I made a digital setting circle for my Dob with an arduino which became unusable when I changed the alt of the scope. I have also made a barndoor tracker for my camera using an arduino and stepper motor. I use a compass to find aprox North. Then a wixey digital inclinometer to set the alt at my latitude. I have attached a 10mm dia tube 200mm length along my tracker hinge and use this to sight on to Polaris and fine tune alignment.

an alternative processor is ES32, same price as arduino, very compatible and uses arduino IDE, Wifi, and fast. The only down side is it is wider so needs 2 breadboards.

I have used weight lifting type weights then filled the large centre hole with polymorph. when its cooled you can file it flat then drill a hole to suit. I used these for my binocular parallel mount weights. They can often be bought from charity shops or car boot sales. Robin

The sponge is a easy and cheap fix to try . My diy P-mount uses a typical Dob AZ pivot with 3 teflon pads riding on a plastic surface. It did move too easily but tightening the central bolt fixed it. I suppose with a lazy susan there is not an equivalent bolt to tighten. I found that the azimuth pivot can benefit from quite a lot of friction as the arm gives lots of leverage to move to position. I have used a very similar surveyors tripod for my P-mount and added 2mm stainless wire ropes between the legs. This stops the legs splaying out when on flat concrete, but also folds up when the tripod is folded up for storage. Robin

I will be trying my 10x50s on a Manfrotto 222 joystick on top of a monopod next week. Hopefully this will do the job and also be small enough to take on holiday around the north coast of Scotland in the campervan. I normally use Helios 15x70s on a parallel mount but that combination is too big to take on holiday. I will be using the binocular right angle adaptor fixed to a quick release plate so I can use my camera on the monopod when not using the binoculars. The manfrotto 222 has a quick release adaptor on top as standard.

Did it work ok? The boxmount looks good, very compact.

It looks like its the proper bit. I wonder how long before you automate it Robin

I recommend a wide separate base like a low stool then you will not have to screw legs directly onto your dob base. I made a separate base and found it made moving the dob easier. I found 300mm high works well for me. if you drill shallow holes into the top of the new base in the correct place then the existing feet on the dob will locate and sit on the base very safely. Robin

here are a couple of photos of my home made mount. It based on a surveyors tripod shown at its lowest position. The hinge is shown in a closer view. This is for use when seated. also shown is max height over 6 foot. and minimum height lower than needed for a reclining chair. Let me know if you want any dimensions or details to make one. the bins shown are 15x70 Helios

I suggest using a parallel mount for bins then if the beam is long enough you will be able to reach up higher than 172cm with the central post much lower. for use reclined you need the bins to swing in an arc horizontally at the end of the arm. This allows you to keep the chair still while being able to scan a large area of the sky. It really irritating using a P mount without this extra degree of freedom. I have used one without for a couple of years standing up which was good. I added a hinge with its axis vertical and am now able to use it when I am reclined. This is important when looking up high. I don't know who makes one as mine is homemade. I suggest waiting for more members to advise before buying as they are not cheap and may not do what you find that you need. If you can do some DIY then it does not cost much. I can post a picture tomorrow to explain what I mean.

I have now remade my barn door tracker to use the 8mm 3D printer threaded rod that you suggested May 22. It works much smoother and is the correct part to use. I found one that moves 2mm for every revolution which was twice as much as my original M6 threaded rod but it will not be difficult to change the software to suit. Thank you for your very helpful idea. Robin

Hi Duncan, how about leaving the north side of the roof fixed so it can act as a shield. Can you use an octagonal shed or turn the shed so the fixed part of the roof is towards the offending light. Robin