Pier / pillar for a Mesu

[DaveS]

So....

I'm thinking of going for broke with a new mount and seriously considering a Mesu 200, especially as I don't need robotic operation. It will be a mount that can carry anything I care to put on it without having to worry about capacity. Hopefully the last mount I will have to buy.

However, the thing I have to consider in any mount choice is the pillar / pier it's going on. In order to see over the neighbouring hedges, even if I keep to 15-20 deg above the horizon I need a height of at least 67" to the mount centre if I dig a big hole in my patio, where the telescope is now, completely trashing it, or 72 inches if I use one of the 16" square thingies (The one on the right foreground) already there. I'm thinking of raising the height of this to make a stump that I will fill with reinforced concrete putting a pier on that. When I come to leave I'll just take the pier of and put something decorative on it.

Of course the ideal place is where the table is now, but I really don't want to have a scope blocking my view of the garden, else I'd put a Pulsar dome there.

When it's not being used I'll cover it with a Telegizmos cover.

[DaveS]

With all the faffing trying to get the photo onto the computer from my phone I missed the main thrust of my post:

Does anyone have any recommendations for a commercially available pier that will carry a Mesu?

[100percent]

Dave,

          Did you succeed in geting the Mesu and a pier / pillar? I am also getting a mesu 200 and having trouble making up my mind on the pier's height.

[kirkster501]

Dave,

          Did you succeed in geting the Mesu and a pier / pillar? I am also getting a mesu 200 and having trouble making up my mind on the pier's height.

I read somewhere that a Mesu 200 will fit a pier plate made for a NEQ6.  Cannot confirm that though.

I'm going to get a 200 too I hope later this year.

[ollypenrice]

Why not Mesu's own pier? That's what I use. (The good looking young fella in the pic isn't me, it's Yves.  )

It stands on three adjustable feet which I've rendered 'permanent' just by clamping them down with bars over them to stop them from moving. Never lost a sub in 3.3 years (as you are doubtless tired of hearing me say!) Maybe Lucas would build you a longer pier or you could stand it on a decorative height-raising plinth of some kind.

Olly

[DaveS]

Gosh, I'd forgotten about this thread 

OK, where I am so far: Given my LP I've decided to concentrate on NB imaging of wide-ish field emission nebulae, putting galaxies (And the FL needed) on hold until I move somewhere dark, so my 'scope requirements are somewhat reduced. I'm also getting quotes for having my patio professionally re-modeled / re-laid and a metre cube of concrete poured for (Probably) a Pulsar pier which I've been informed can be custom made to the height I need. Incidentally, Bernard at MO sent me a drawing of the pier top needed to fit the Mesu onto a Pulsar pier.

Given my reduced payload requirements and dislike of the meridian flip I'll be investigating the Avalon M-Uno for now, reserving the Mesu 200 for a galaxy rig later. Or I could put up with the flip and go Mesu straight away.

I'm planning to build a roll-off-roof shed to go over the pier / mount / 'scope when it's installed, temporarily covering it with the Telegizmos cover in the photo.

Hope this clarifies things  . Of course I could decide to just rethink things yet again as I have a hankering after an APM 130 f/6 LZOS triplet apo and 0.75 reducer-flattener.

[steppenwolf]

I have an early Pulsar pier which was originally supplied with an EQ6 adaptor plate. My Mesu 200 fits onto this quite simply by drilling two holes in the Mesu baseplate to match the position of the two tapped holes used for the EQ6's azimuth post (you have a choice of where the EQ6 AZ post goes, hence two holes). This makes for a very secure mounting for the Mesu. The height from the ground to the top of the adaptor is 970mm.

I am not necessarily recommending using an EQ6 tripod but, to be honest, it was pretty sturdy but not as good as my pier, of course!

[DaveS]

Thanks Steve.

So, if I were to get a Pulsar pier with the EQ6 plate, which the M-Uno will go on, I could re-use it for a Mesu later if I went down that route.

[steppenwolf]

Yes, you could indeed but you would need to drill the Mesu adaptor plate to match the dimensions shown above but that's all.

Sent from my iPhone from somewhere dark .....

[DaveS]

Thanks.

Right, I'd better save that diagram just in case.

[DaveS]

Update.

Next week I'm having my patio re-laid / re-modelled, at which time they will pour a cubic metre of concrete as a foundation block (isolated from the patio). I've also ordered a Pulsar Rigel pier with EQ6 top.

I've also been in touch with the Widescreen Centre with a view to ordering an Avalon M-Uno to go on top.

Loadsamoney (Just not in my bank account)

[Earl]

There is a mesu mini portable pier on ebay which used to be mine its a quality piece of kit and you really dont need to be pouring concrete foundations Olly uses that mesu free-standing, just a few bolts into the floor, My pier is free-standing in my obsy, all this concrete pier base is quiet unnecessary.

[DaveS]

I was thinking that the Mesu piers were too short to get a good view over my hedges, especially to the north and east where my darkest skies are. Also since I decided to go for the Avalon (At least for now) a pier with EQ6 fittings would be simplest.

At a later date, when / if I move to a dark site and can do small, faint galaxies I'll look to something longer and get a Mesu as well.

[DaveS]

Another update.

My Pulsar pier was delivered yesterday, and here it is next to my HEQ5 on its tripod for comparison.

And a wider view showing the new patio

What cannot be seen is the cubic metre of concrete below where the tripod is. When the concrete has set I'll lift the blocks around where the pier will go and fix it down.

More updates to come.

[DaveS]

OK, another update.

Instead of lifting the blocks I mortered one of the paving slabs onto the patio blocks with a view to drilling right through into the concrete block. The positions have been marked but not yet drilled. Mortoring the paving slab down enabled me to level it,  as the patio in that area sloped a bit with a slight wobble.

Due to some massive cost overruns the budget for the Avalon has been eaten, and then some. After email discussions with Gary at Pulsar I've sent the pier top back to be re-machined to take my HEQ5 until such time as I can justify £4k+ on a mount. Looking at the plate, i think they might just turn it over and drill it for the HEQ5 polar post, which would be great as I can re-use it when I can afford the Avalon.

[DaveS]

And here it is finally bolted down with the HEQ5 head and the Megrez 90 / ST80 rig on after polar alignment last night. The "snake" is 20mm SWA cable that will be connected to an outside socket at the far end and two twin sockets this end. The boards on the patio are outlining a possible imaging shed.

 

Now waiting for a clear night (Tomorrow looks promising) to try an imaging run.

[Davey-T]

Looking good Dave, you can now join the prayer group for clear skies, had a couple of hours last night before it clouded over, didn't achieve much, just a couple of 20min subs with the SCT to check everything still works 

Dave

[DaveS]

Ha!, your couple of 20 min subs are still 40 min more than I got 

Never mind, that wasn't the point as I managed to get the drift down to 2' in alt and az, will try and get it better on Thu. I also managed to get AA5 to guide, though worryingly the Eqmod pulse-guiding graph showed the dec graph going straight down even though I had both dec + and - ticked. PHD2 guided nicely in both RA and dec with the Eqmod graph looking good for both axes.

I've just noticed that this thread has over 1000 views 

[KyleStoke]

Hi Dave,
How did you manage to attach your Heq5 to the plate?

My tripod bolt is not long enough I have a normal bolt that I have used to attach it but I cannot get the azimuth adjustment bolts to push against the plate at all.

[DaveS]

I had to bodge it a bit.

I had some 12mm studding kicking around so I cut a length and used a couple of nuts locked together to make a solid unmoving nut to pull up against the bottom of the mount. Another two made a solid nut to get a spanner on. I also had to drill and tap a new hole for a north peg which I made from a stainless steel 1/2 BSF bolt that I found.

[DaveS]

Oh, and I'll be drilling it again to take the ASA DDM60 Pro that I have incoming. So not a Mesu, or even an Avalon but something more expensive than either .