Gina

Limited only by the imaging rig if you use an RPi 😀

I'll browse your site Chris.

Designed a new camera housing to suit the new taller dome.

I think this dome would be better in having a cylindrical section which allows the camera casing to go up inside, as well as providing more scope for sealing. The current dome doesn't have room for that with the lens at the centre of the hemisphere. There's another version with a wider flange but that's out of stock. Current dome.

Tested the camera casing and dome for leaking and it failed!! Seemed to be the dome seal so I shall need to improve this. I could use epoxy resin but that would prevent removing the dome unless it were attached to another ring that was itself attached to the camera casing but then the seal would move to the junction between ring and camera casing. Might make sealing less difficult though.

It turned out that the dome was around 7mm too low with the present camera enclosure so rather than producing a new camera casing I designed and printed a 7mm spacer. This is glued and screwed to the camera casing and the dome is glued to the spacer. The top of the lens is now at the centre of the dome curvature for minimal distortion.

I imaging a lot of miniature drills must have broken! My little cheapo Chinese clone of a lathe would not be accurate enough!

Those micro drill bits must take a lot of very careful handling, Chris!!

My smallest drill bit is 1mm but I can't find it ATM - probably hiding in the pile of the carpet!!

Oh yes, I remember that 😟 Hated fractions. Much prefer metric but I do also still think in feet and inches. And yes, when I was at school we had conversion tables on the backs of our exercise books. With gear based on American standards I find myself needing to remember the conversion factors. Inch = 25.4mm. Foot = 305mm. 1/4" = 6.35mm (scope rings etc.).

I don't like to criticise but the lens is too high in the dome. Should be at the centre of the hemisphere. Being too high will give distortion to the view.

My dad was a toolmaker too (amongst other things).

Cameras originally had 1/4" Whitworth - 20 x 1/4" UNC is a close approximation.

FLO sell both metric and imperial versions.

I haven't I'm sure but I'm funds limited!!

Buying gear makes me happy.

Designed a 150mm (6") long lever to adjust the focus with the camera on a fixed mounting, pointing out of the living room window to a far hill & trees some 5 miles away. Even so focussing was critical and a mm at the end of the lever made a difference. Remains to be seen how good the focus is when I get the ASC viewing the stars. I would prefer not to add a remote focussing system but I will if I think it necessary.

I prefer analogue clocks by far and even make them myself with 3D printed parts.

I gather RPi4s get hotter than 3s. OTOH I wondered about overheating on my RPi3B+. With the latest design I'm putting it in the obsy rather than inside the ASC casing.

My understanding is that resin is better for fine detail but more expensive.

I hope you are filtering the sun at the objective end of the telescope and not with a filter at the camera end as focused sunlight heat can crack those smaller filters.

Brilliant!

My cheap Chinese lathe breaks its plastic motor pulley when overloaded!! I did a lot of upgrades on mine but still wouldn't call it particularly accurate. These are just not precision lathes!

That will be interesting! I don't think I'd attempt printing something as intricate and accurate as that. At least not until I have finished my "GinaRep Ultiprinter" which is designed for small, intricate and accurate parts. I have printed with 0.1mm layer height though in the past.

Words fail me!!! 😡