Stargazing

[TheDude87]

I'm not sure returning is an option, it's a xmas present from my girl. As I say it's also my first scope so I think I'll give it a go and see if my interest grows any. My plan is to start saving a few ££ in the new year and buy a better scope towards the end of next year. I'm hoping to spend around £300-£400 next time round so any ideas on a good scope around this mark would be much appreciated. If any1 knows of a good area in the nw of Ireland with good darks sky's and allow wild camping could they let me know. Thanks TheDude

[Schorhr]

Hello,

well, then make the best of it, Don't let the mount ruin the fun :-)

Don't get dissapointed though.

8" dobsonian would be the best value for later if you plan on visual use and if you can transport it to a dark location, as it's already bulky.

[TheDude87]

Will do, thanks scholr. As I say I'm new to all this so any tips/advice is much appriciated, can't wait to get at it now.. Keep looking up!

[Schorhr]

If all fails, use some scrap wood or roof batten, a hand saw, a bunch of drill-tip-self-tapping screws, felt pads, laminate scraps, pipe end covers, ... or cans! :-) And maybe half an hour of work.

(sorry for the bad pictures, this was an early prototype)

[Church]

Wow, that's a nice, inexpensive design there!

[Church]

Also, thedude87, Welcome! I'm new here too, still. It's nice here!

[Schorhr]

Thanks,

yes, as I need 7 of those and build them with students, it was my goal to keep it simple and affordable :-)

The finished version doesn't look TOO ugly ;-)

[wookie1965]

A warm welcome to SGL

[TheDude87]

That looks the job there. Without trying to sound completely dumb where would I start lol. Would you be able to give me a quick guide on what to do building it, please and thank you

[hobbes22]

That is ingenuity at its finest!

[Schorhr]

Hi,

no worries, it does look like quite a bit of work, but it really isn't :-)

I did not come around to making a complete tutorial yet, but I am sure someone may be able to link to one.

It all depends on the telescope tube size and the distance of the alt bearings, and the desired height...

You will need:

-24x48mm wood / roof battens

-laminate flooring scraps

-felt glider pads

-M6 or M8 bolt, washers, nut

-pipe socket plug 100/110mm or (stable/grooved cans)

-3.5x45mm (drywall) self-drilling, fine-thread screws

The screws are a great time saver: No wood splitting, no pre-drilling the wood.

http://www.globalsources.com/gsol/I/Self-drilling-screw/p/sm/1078094761.htm#1078094761

The price in-store is okey, but on-line I got something like 2000 for 9€...

The pipe plugs/covers attach to the existing holes in the 76-700 telescope, as they have some for the plastic mount connectors. They are not in the center of gravity, but you can stick a magnet with some metal to the tube (that's why in the pictures you can see a screwdriver sticking to the telescope ;-) )

My attempt was to use cheap wood that even kids can cut (only straight cuts);

The alt bearing is just a water drain pipe end cover sitting on an "Y" shape.

Initially I planned on adding some tension belts or cover the wood's surface, but it works exceptional well with the smaller newtonians.

http://ringohr.de/tmp6/dob_sch.png

http://ringohr.de/tmp6/dob_sch3.png

http://ringohr.de/tmp6/dob_sch2.png

With the 76-700 you can get away with a single "y" beam

http://ringohr.de/tmp6/dobsimplev4_2.png

I can't find the pictures of my built anymore --- I already gave away the simpler design but if I will build another one I'll make more pictures...

The beam distance and necessary base size depends on the telescope tube and desired height.

The base is made with laminate flooring scraps and felt pad gliders.

More ideal would be ebony-star/kitchen counter plate and Teflon gliders, but harder to source and more expensive. Plus for the small telescope the felt pads are OK.

http://www.ringohr.de/tmp6//dob_fachw3test-pl.png

A center bolt, (large) washers and nuts hold them together and adjust the tension.

On the bottom 3 feet would be ideal, but you can still add some later.

Make sure there is enough space for the center bolt / nut to moove freely without touching the ground...

http://www.ringohr.de/tmp6//dob_fachw8b-bigger2_________bottom.png

I hope this helps despite the lack of a step by step tutorial. As I said, perhaps someone else can supply a link to a better tutorial...

If you have questions, feel free to ask.

Also let us know what eyepieces come with the telescope, usually those are the next thing in those sets that are of limited use.

[Schorhr]

Sorry, I forgot to make clear that the designs are for a 130/900 tube!

The basic design applies to both variants though.

Here is a more recent sketch for the larger newtonian.

http://www.ringohr.de/tmp6//dob_fachw9a_1.png

http://www.ringohr.de/tmp6/dob_fachw9a_1b2.png

The 125/900 and 76/700 differ in size and the distance of the Y elements is less.

http://www.ringohr.de/tmp6//v4___222tubes.png

One possible solution could be

http://www.ringohr.de/tmp6//v4_76-700-newDesign.png

Despite the weird look the 48x24mm wood is amazingly sturdy. I was going to use plywood scraps but then I started building with those.

And that's better then any sketch: Get building, it's actually quite fun.

[TheDude87]

Seems handy enough, will be a good project for me and my dad. The telescope landed tonight