Orion SPX350 6 point cell mod

[coatesg]

Finally got round to adding the mods to my 14" Orion mirror cell to make it into a 6 point cell (rather than shelling out for a new 9 point!). I'd had a few ideas on this and this seems like a fairly simple solution.

PLOP gave me the result that a 6 point cell was better than a 9 point anyhow, and it turned out to be much easier to add to the existing structure. The new aluminium parts were machined up for me, and are kind of "U" shaped. The M8 plastic dome-head screws visible do the supporting of the mirror - the bars themselves sit loosely on countersunk M8 bolts that passs through the original cell parts. There's a nut and lock nut under each bar to hold it in place while allowing it freedom to float about a bit to find its own level.

Here's the cell - may need some new nylon grubs to stop lateral movement - the current ones are a bit stuck and I can't adjust them easily, but I'll do those when I get the mirror recoated (hopefully this month)... May need some way to stop the bars rotating about too, but I'll keep an eye on how they behave. May just need a bit of tape.