Gina

I made my own (as usual).

Here is a photo of the gears of the "going train" and escapement laid out on the table. I'm trying a larger escape wheel and anchor to reduce the need for precision 3D printing.

Printed anchor fine now printing escape wheel (2nd attempt) with 0.3mm nozzle and 0.2mm layers.

I found it needed about half an inch round the edge of my 8ft square scope room.

Started to look at this project again. First thing is to get the escape mechanism working - maybe with a test rig. I have make improvements to my Mini 3D printer giving better results so I might just succeed this time. Pretty much everything will be printed in PLA. Plan of stages :- Get test escapement working. Take a new pair of acrylic sheets for the front and back plates, drill holes and add ball bearings. Construct and add the "going train". Add the gears that drive the hands and the hands themselves. Add motor-winder for the going train. Add mechanism to automatically adjust effective pendulum length to regulate the clock. Add the chiming mechanism. Add motor-winder for chiming train. I'm having second thoughts about the moon dial as I already have a moon dial clock in this room. I would rather concentrate on the case and getting the whole clock looking presentable. Edited to add extra sections I'd missed out.

My ASC project is currently on hold. It's no use with total cloud or full moon and I feel like a break from it.

I went through those stages way back when I was experimenting. I found CCTV cameras nowhere near sensitive enough for nighttime and I coundn't find a lens with short enough focal length to cover the whole sky. A sensitive enough camera takes you into the astro camera category. What's more it needs to be cooled to get a low enough noise level to show lots of stars such as in the Milky Way. A fish-eye lens to cover the whole sky needs to be around 1.5mm focal length with a 1/2 inch sensor camera (CCTV cameras as generally 1/4"). I've found the ZWO astro cameras are not damaged by full sunlight when used with very short exposures. Maybe I should add that I am aiming for the best night views I can achieve and my location provides views down to the horizon over a lot of the total field. For some, a narrower view would be sufficient.

I've had that problem with TeamViewer too. Pity - it was so convenient. But it pushed me into doing things other ways and now I use the Raspberry Pi for remote imaging and control together with KStars/Ekos/INDI.

Another view of the main body.

This is the top part that takes the dome and overlaps the side of the main body.

I find Windows 7 quite acceptable and reliable even if I do prefer Linux.

Here's a cross-section of the main casing. There will be a ring on the top with a lip over the edge of the casing and taking the dome. The bottom has a groove to take the funnel shaped part that connects the ASC to the hollow mast (aluminium pipe).

Working on the detailed design of the ASC casing, I find the above is not practical due to the relative positions of camera lens and dome so the focus gear will need a skirt with the motor lower down. The present focussing system works well enough so I see no need to change it. I will still change the design to make for better sealing, incorporating an L shape but this being at the top rather than a flange at base level. The casing will have a greater diameter than the present one.

I have two white (NEQ6) and two black (EQ8). Yes - just the two mounts, though may have a third is I ever get round to finishing my lightweight DIY mount for widefield imaging using ex-SLR lenses.

How many mounts have you got? Wonder why there's an odd number of weights - normally 2 supplied with each mount. Maybe one is hiding!

I'm going to change the design of the ASC housing to provide a wider and better sealing area between top part and base. At the same time I can attach the focus motor to the camera casing and have it further up so that the motor pinion and lens focus ring gear can be at the same level as the focus ring. This is now possible due to using the 4" dome.

That didn't work on two fronts. The print itself leaked at the top and there was a smaller leak at one point round the flange. I suspect the flange leak was due to insufficient goo. Sealing round the rest of the flange was fine. So there is some good news. I think this will work with oodles of messy goo!

A little better - 4. It used to be 3 a few years ago but I guess building in the surrounding towns and villages together with the associated street lights has added to light pollution.

I have the newer ASI120MC-S which is fine.

Ah but there's three of those, Gordon has only two! I doubt Gordon's are quite as big as those even though his are pretty big! 😂

Wow, those dome really look the business

Part of the walls of my observatory roll off with the roof. The eastern end folds down.

Test parts printed so I'll be applying the goo shortly and testing...

The 1300D is a more recent version of the 1100D and presumably better and worth more.

Agreed an L shape would be better but not practical. At least not as I've found so far.