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If IKEA made telescopes


Horwig

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If Ikea made scopes, would they arrive looking like this?

I've finally taken the plunge and decided to build my own scope.

I'm using a very good Borg 100ED for widefield imaging, but have been hankering over something equally as fast (or faster!) for narrow field imaging, instead of my Meade Lx200.

So here it is, or at least, the first bits of it. Eventually, it will be a 16inch f3.6 Serrurier truss Newtonian astrograph.

My design was inspired by two scopes in particular, the first was Glashpusher's wonderful instrument on these pages:

http://stargazerslounge.com/diy-astronomer/130187-12-inch-aluminium-ota.html

And another equally wonderful device by Steve Lee:

http://www.aao.gov.au/local/www/sl/pictures/30cm-new1.jpg

The scope will be alloy for the top and bottom assemblies and center box, and carbon fibre tubes for the trusses.

The second pic shows the bits roughly laid out, top cage on the left, to cell and bottom cage on the right. I want to make as much of it as I can, but am aware of my limitations, so mirrors have been bought already from John at Nichol Optical, and since it will eventually use a full frame 35 mm sensor, a Wynne corrector from Orion.

After organising the optics, my first move was to buy a mill and lathe, and considering the last time I used a lathe was at school, (and that was in the Apollo era!) I have some learning to do.

So here are the first components, roughed out on a hand saw, and then cut accurately on the mill. Lots of work yet to do on them before welding, but its a start.

I don't plan to hurry this build, 'cos I need to learn as I build, but will update this as more bits are made, and will I'm sure need to pick the brains of forum members as I go.

Huw

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Hey Michael, don't speak too soon, that prophesy might have a ring of truth to it, this build is going to take me way outside my comfort zone, the last major ATM project I undertook was a GEM, but that was in 1973...

H

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The next bit of the build, a local engineering company has a water jet cutter, so the fiddly bits of sheet metal work was subbed out to them. I was lucky enough to be given some good offcuts of 3mm and 5mm sheet alloy by a friend, which is what these are. First picture are the truss tube anchor brackets and spider fixing brackets, the second are the cell triangles, and the third will be the secondary support assembly.

H

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, some more has been done, this is the cell, test assembled. Tube section is 50 x 25 mm, 3.25mm wall. The mounting points are M8 nylon bolts, threaded through the 5mm alloy triangles, which are themselves mounted on plastic spherical bearings. The mirror side mounts will be nylon, but that is for another day. The mirror stop clips will also need to be cut down to size.

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Thanks Matt, I'm not going for any prizes for the fastest build.

On Grand Designs he always asks about budget and time scales, which is rubbish. This is hopefully going to be like one of those killer houses, when it's finally done I hope it will have been worth it, however long it takes.

Huw

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Hmmmm, yes peter, you'v asked the million dollar question, the mount. Don't have a suitable one, so wide open to suggestions.

I don't really want to get involved in meridian flips with this beast, and am quite partial to forks. Barrie of BeaconHill reckons that they are not that difficult to make, the other type of mount I've been toying with is an equatorial pier as used by ASA (see the pic).

Naturally, at ASA prices, I'd attempt to make my own.

And before anybody says Paramount...... NO!

Huw

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If Ikea made scopes, would they arrive looking like this?

Huw

My answer yo this would be "No" - all the parts appear to be there :) - unlike an Ikea package.

Looks like a fascinating project - I'm envious - I wouldn't have the confidence to do something like that - sadly when I was at school (also in the Apollo era) our Comprehensive - formally a Secondary Modern, was anxious to make sure that boys and girls were treated equally - to this end I did two terms of cookery, two terms of needlework, and about three weeks of metal work. Never even got to use a lathe.

Good luck with the project

Regards

John

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Good luck with the project horwig, It is going to be a piece of art by the way things are going. Some time in the distant future, I hope to have the patience to build my own scope! I' looking forward to seeing the end result of your build :)

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Bits are getting done, but ever so slowly. Here's the secondary holder, with its collimation screws. As you can see, it's not exactly small!

The spider veins won't be finalised till the top cage is assembled. Hoping to go and see the welder in the next few days, then this might all start looking like a telescope.

Huw

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  • 2 months later...

Progress at last, the welder was rushed off his feet with work, and my stuff has been with him for months, but eventually the call came, and here it all is.

I've made up temporary trusses from plastic waste and overflow pipes so I can look at it as a whole and check measurements. Wow, the power of trusses, I reckon it would take my weight just with these. Next step will be the spider vanes, then the real trusses, these will be 35.2mm for the upper, 21.2 for the lower. Note the letters on the Ali, I had to make real IKEA drawings for the welder!

He also does powder coating, so eventually it's all going back to him for some beautifying.

Huw

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Looking good Huw, are you planning to coat the OTA ?

John

Sorry John, by coat, do you mean paint or shroud?

If paint, yes powder coated, if shroud, that's a very good question, if I don't shroud it dew will be a real problem. Some kind of lightweight stretchy material, but not sure what yet.

Huw

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