what's the story with vibration pads...?

[emadmoussa]

I keep coming across these vibration pads online. I don't know whether or not they work effectively, but they seem over-priced, aren't they? They retail at about £50 on average...

Did anybody try them hands-on? Can't you make your own using the same principles of physics?

[Pig]

Ive never used them Imad but I am sure they will not help should you accidently knock or bang your set up.

[emadmoussa]

Couldn't agree more. I use 3 castor cups screwed into 3 pieces of wooden blocks and they first make the mount higher off the ground and second increases stability and reduces vibration.

[johnno]

found this on u tube,  also some people have made their own pads out of running shoes insoles, that use the same compound  material has these pads,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGZKi3qrWWA   ...

[emadmoussa]

That's interesting, but I don't think it's worth the cost. Usually when it vibrates I  always stop it by simply touching the scope.

[Pig]

They may not be much use to me , but they sure look appetising   Kind of like liquorice allsorts

[emadmoussa]

Typical astronomy marketing - finding solutions for problems that don't exist or making small problems huge with urgent need for rectification.

[Pig]

You never know Imad

When your next observing on a runway or in the fast lane of the M1 you may think differently

[Space Dragon]

They are overpriced, I picked some up used and they do make a difference when I set up on the decking but if you're on grass there's really no difference.

[emadmoussa]

I think they're made for patio or solid ground, which makes sense. But yes, they're overpriced for what they are.

Shaun, you're looking at a person who doesn't drive, so the only M1 I know is the crab nebula :D

[Pig]

If that's the case I guess you haven't heard of the road that's made out of paper !!! 

 The A4

[emadmoussa]

If that's the case I guess you haven't heard of the road that's made out of paper !!! 

 The A4

:D... good one!!

[John]

I use a set of the Meade anti vibration pads (same design as the others). I paid £25 for them used and they are worth every penny. They don't stop vibrations completely but they reduce the damp down time by about 50% which is really valuable at high magnifications. I've found they work either on grass or the patio although grass seems to dampen vibrations more quickly itself to some extent.

So not just a marketing gimmick but it's up to you to decide if you want to fork out for the benefit of course 

[RikM]

I use something very similar that I made at work from plastic and silicone. They work well for me in a couple of ways. If I set up on the patio or when the ground is dried out and hard, they reduce vibration. If I set up on the grass and it's a bit soft, the weight of my set up causes it to slowly sink in. This messes up the PA and causes no end of issues when imaging. The little plastic pads spread the load and stop the feet from sinking in.

[andrew63]

]As above comments, they are very useful. I use a porta mount - which is vibration city. The solution i adopted was 3 tennis balls which i cut holes to fit.  It works surprisingly well !

andrew

[John]

The Meade ones (and I guess the Celestron ones too) comprise of a hard plastic cup which "floats" on a layer of vibration dampening gel called sorbothane. The gel is itself encased in a hard plastic cup which is what rests on the ground. There was a thread on these a while back that is worth a read:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/97798-vibration-dampers/

[Moonshane]

I bet those tennis balls serve you well.

it would be an easy solution to make I think. depends on your tools and inclination I suppose. I don't use tripods so no good for me.

[Digz]

I personally haven't used these but imagine this scenario - walking along a patio or hard surface, towards or away from your scope. Each footstep potentially causes vibrations in your set up. These pads will help dampen and reduce this effect. If your imaging this can make the difference between a useable and wasted sub (especially at long FL). Now, of course there are other ways to avoid this issue, like having a remote set up but if your near a busy street, like mentioned above they can be useful.

Now, I know you no longer image, but IMO this would make them even more important as you will constantly be close to the scope causing vibrations as you move about.

Also, like with most things it pays to shop around!

[Astro Imp]

I bet those tennis balls serve you well.

      They're Ace!!!

     I'll go now.

[JB80]

They are also useful for the EQ 3-2 and it's over weighted SW scope they generally package together.

[knobby]

If that's the case I guess you haven't heard of the road that's made out of paper !!!

The A4

Don't forget the A3

[emadmoussa]

]As above comments, they are very useful. I use a porta mount - which is vibration city. The solution i adopted was 3 tennis balls which i cut holes to fit.  It works surprisingly well !

andrew

Nice idea!!

I'm just wondering why the Porta is vibration invested, this mount in particular is advertised as ''light'' and ''stable'', I even have on my list for a future grab and go mount. Is it the tripod? Speaking of which, can you place on an EQ5 tripod?

[andrew63]

Don't get me wrong, i love it. I've found it a lot more friendly in use than an AZ4 i had. It's on aluminium tripod and you could of course use a steel or wood one for extra stability. But for me i want to keep things ultra light and portable, and the tennis balls do help.  On the porta 11 head you can put most tripods on it.

andrew

[emadmoussa]

Don't get me wrong, i love it. I've found it a lot more friendly in use than an AZ4 i had. It's on aluminium tripod and you could of course use a steel or wood one for extra stability. But for me i want to keep things ultra light and portable, and the tennis balls do help.  On the porta 11 head you can put most tripods on it.

andrew

Curious, how far can you push this mount in terms of weight?

[emadmoussa]

Also, does the saddle work with compression or screws??