Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b89429c566825f6ab32bcafbada449c9.jpg

DIY Parallelogram mount made for my 15x70s


michael.h.f.wilkinson

Recommended Posts

About a week ago I finished my home made parallelogram mount for the 15x70 bins. Made predominantly from hardwood and quality plywood, it now matches my EQ1 tripod mod nicely. The only problem is that the counterweight is a bit too heavy, I am replacing it with a counterweight made from a short section of 110mm diameter PVC tube fitted with an M12 bolt and 40mm screw cap to fill it with sand as needed.

My first outings with it showed a big improvement in stability.

Here are the pics

post-18313-133877658908_thumb.jpg

post-18313-133877658916_thumb.jpg

post-18313-133877658923_thumb.jpg

post-18313-133877658929_thumb.jpg

post-18313-133877658936_thumb.jpg

post-18313-133877658943_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shows what can be achieved when you take up evening classes!:D

Congratulations on a very nice job and such a useful bit of kit.:)

James

What evening classes? ;)

As a kid I did get some extra carpentry lessons, but later just made things up as I went along. I find woodwork a fun way to relax and take my mind of work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was only teasing you Michael :):D I wish more people would take the time to create their own gear instead of being glued to their TV. I have got a lot or woodworking machinery in my workshop as its part of my work and although this makes some jobs a little quicker, it doesn't take anything away from the satisfaction of working with wood and creating something for yourself. There are so many books and videos out there that help people get started.

I wonder what your next project will be?

James

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was only teasing you Michael :):D I wish more people would take the time to create their own gear instead of being glued to their TV. I have got a lot or woodworking machinery in my workshop as its part of my work and although this makes some jobs a little quicker, it doesn't take anything away from the satisfaction of working with wood and creating something for yourself. There are so many books and videos out there that help people get started.

I wonder what your next project will be?

James

I know you were teasing. My woodworking tools are actually quite basic, but they get the job done. The new counterweight only needs some sand to put into it. The kids kindly offered me the use of sand from their sandbox ;), but I said I would prefer slightly cleaner sand, i.e., I would buy a new sack of sand, fill the counterweight, and they could have the remainder. They liked that idea more :D.

I am toying with the thought of building a good alt-az mount, but it may make more sense to buy one (I like the looks of the Mini-Giro).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first outings with it showed a big improvement in stability.

Michael congratulations for your very nice job.

- I would like to ask how stable it is? I mean when you touch the mount to change position and aim at a star what is the time needed to calm from vibrations? Can you measure it?

- Where is the source for most of vibrations? (In the connection with tripod or at screw conjunctions etc)

Thank you

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Michael congratulations for your very nice job.

- I would like to ask how stable it is? I mean when you touch the mount to change position and aim at a star what is the time needed to calm from vibrations? Can you measure it?

- Where is the source for most of vibrations? (In the connection with tripod or at screw conjunctions etc)

Thank you

Thanks for the comments. When you move from one object to another, my first attempt showed some vibration for one or two seconds. I think the azimuth axis was mainly to blame. The vibration damped out in about 4-6 seconds, which is OK. Nudging the bins when not holding on to them resulted in slight vibrations as well, which damped out a bit quicker (2 seconds). Holding the bins worked best, as the mount stabilizes your hands.

Loosening the bolts of the parallelogram slightly makes the mount smoother and reduces vibrations. I am currently making a few improvements, and will report the results of this later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
I wish more people would take the time to create their own gear instead of being glued to their TV. I have got a lot or woodworking machinery in my workshop as its part of my work and although this makes some jobs a little quicker, it doesn't take anything away from the satisfaction of working with wood and creating something for yourself. There are so many books and videos out there that help people get started

I agree. There is some fantastic DIY work going on by SGL members. It's great to see and is giving me plenty of encouragement, just wish I had the woodworking skills to match

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lovely job!

There's nothing more satisfying than making your own projects with wood, fine tuning them, then standing back and having something practical you can be proud of.

I often see people comment they don't have the skills to do things like this.

The truth is, if you don't try, you will never know. Go out and surprise yourselves today!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.