HEQ5 on pier adapter

[microbe]

Just received my latest toy. Now I just need to build my pier . . . . . and then an obsy!

Adrian

[Gonzo]

Where did you get that from please?

[gary1968]

looking forward to seeing the finished pier/obsy Adrian . it would have looked nicer white mate, to go with the mount.

Sorry about the shameless plug, but Gonzo, he got it from me, I make them to order, either eq5/heq5 or eq6. drop me a pm if you are interested mate.

gaz

[laser_jock99]

Why the three long bolts?

[gary1968]

The base plate is fixed onto the pier. The top section is adjustable for level using the nuts on the 3 uprights......

Gaz

[laser_jock99]

Why do pier mounts need levelling?

[gary1968]

Why not? I know about the theory of EQ mounts not requiring to be levelled but I don't buy into that I'm afraid. Most tripods come with built in bubbles for levelling, if manufacturers think they should be levelled then who am I to argue? It is difficult enough to get our eq mounts to track smoothly enough for long enough for long exposures, why not make it as fail safe as possible?

All Pier adaptors that I have seen have the ability to be levelled.

If anyone can convince me that they don't have to be levelled please feel free to do do........ :-)

Gaz

[1parsec]

Why do pier mounts need levelling?

Pier tops need only to be reasonably level.

If the level way out then the Alt Az adjustments to align to polaris interact with each other to some degree making it a more difficult adjustment.

ie Azimuth adjustment could change altitude too.

The level does not need to be precise. If it looks level then that's good enough.

I think the only reason to have the 3 pieces of studding would be to gain access to the locking bolt to hold the mount in position.

The threaded rods would be better if they were fixed lengths of large diameter solid bar and would make it more stable.

All the best. Dave.

[laser_jock99]

I can see why a field tripod might need rough levelling- this helps speed up setting up (i.e. the latitude scale will be close). But in a permanent pier installation the only thing that needs to be well aligned is the polar axis of the mount. Having a level pier head is nice, but not essential. All the adjustment you should need is built into the mount mechanics. The only good reason I can see for having a stand-off is to allow access to the mount retaining nut under the plate.

In fact there is a school of thought on SGL that UNLEVEL mounts might be a way of avoiding bent latitude adjuster bolts. The theory goes that if you tilt the pier adaptor plate backwards by 30 degrees the latitude adjuster bolt starts to act on the mount's latitude lug at a more sensible angle......but that's another story!

[microbe]

looking forward to seeing the finished pier/obsy Adrian . it would have looked nicer white mate, to go with the mount.

Sorry about the shameless plug, but Gonzo, he got it from me, I make them to order, either eq5/heq5 or eq6. drop me a pm if you are interested mate.

gaz

You're probably right about the colour, but I can paint the pier black to match which will help

Adrian

[RichardHurst]

Are you still making these??

[StevieDvd]

3 hours ago, RichardHurst said:

Are you still making these??

Send gary1968 a PM as he may not see this thread.

Have you got the pier already or is this the start?

We love seeing build pictures here at SGL 🙂