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Seben Anti-vibration pads - Any good?

Snaxmuppet

By Snaxmuppet
in Discussions - Mounts

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Snaxmuppet

Snaxmuppet

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Looking to get some anti-vibration pads for my new AP set up but was shocked at how much these things are. The Celestron ones might be good but they are over £50. I have been investigating cheaper alternatives that work and found the Seben ones at £21.

Should I go for the Celestron ones or save myself £30 and get the Seben ones... or is there a better alternative?

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John

John

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I have a set of the Meade ones and they do work. They don't actually stop vibrations but they reduce the dampening time of any vibrations that do start by about 75%. I got mine from Astroboot for about £15 I seem to recall. I'm not sure I'd splash out £50 on them though.

The Meade and Celestron ones are constucted in 3 layers, a hard outer layer and inner cup and between them some almost jelly like plastic. The tripod legs sit on the inner cup that is in effect "floating" on the jelly which absorbs the vibrations. Seems to work pretty well.

I don't know if the ones made of a single material would be quite as effective ?. Maybe they would.

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ghostdance

ghostdance

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The Meade and Celestron ones are constucted in 3 layers, a hard outer layer and inner cup and between them some almost jelly like plastic. The tripod legs sit on the inner cup that is in effect "floating" on the jelly which absorbs the vibrations. Seems to work pretty well.

I don't know if the ones made of a single material would be quite as effective ?. Maybe they would.

IMHO, they don't. 

I bought some to see (white but identical).The dampening effect just didn't seem as effective as my Seben/Celestron-identical-but-unbranded pads (bought on Ebay for £££ less than branded) - perhaps because the w/machine ones (I imagine) depend on the weight of the machine to be effective and my scope/tripod is a nowhere near a domestic appliance...or perhaps because they don't have that really soft insert.

But, worth a shot for the outlay.

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sbooder

sbooder

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IMHO, they don't. 

I bought some to see (white but identical).The dampening effect just didn't seem as effective as my Seben/Celestron-identical-but-unbranded pads (bought on Ebay for £££ less than branded) - perhaps because the w/machine ones (I imagine) depend on the weight of the machine to be effective and my scope/tripod is a nowhere near a domestic appliance...or perhaps because they don't have that really soft insert.

But, worth a shot for the outlay.

It depends on your setup. I find the washing machine ones work fine but I have a 10" newt on an EQ6 with 15kg of counterweights and the tripod, it is actually heavier than our washing machine.

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Steve Ward

Steve Ward

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I'd suggest longer leads on your camera / handset / focuser etc. to get you away from the mount by 8-10m eliminating the usual cause of vibration  i.e. the imager ... :smiley:

This ( ideally coupled with a solid timber tripod with good 'inbuilt / natural damping) must be preferable to having the mount disconnected from a solid base by 'flexible' rubber blocks. 

You don't see great slabs of rubber atop observatory piers ...  :smiley:

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John

John

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It depends on your setup. I find the washing machine ones work fine but I have a 10" newt on an EQ6 with 15kg of counterweights and the tripod, it is actually heavier than our washing machine.

Out of interest, have you compared the performance of the washing machine ones with the Celestron / Meade type ones with your setup ?

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Snaxmuppet

Snaxmuppet

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Washing machine pads are not designed to dampen out vibrations. They will prevent vibrations being transmitted to the ground/floor.

Vibration damping pads, like the Celestron ones, dampen out vibrations because they are made from a material that compresses quickly and expands slowly so vibrations are damped out. Washing machine pads are quite different.

I think I will give the Seben ones a try. Many thanks

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  • 2 weeks later...
Snaxmuppet

Snaxmuppet

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Rubber castors are not really going to help... they help prevent vibrations being transmitted to the floor or to protect the floor surface as you would want with say, a washing machine. That is not the purpose of these pads for telecope tripods. What we are trying to do is to damp out vibration in the tripod. Rubber pads won't help much to achieve that. In fact, depending on their particular compression properties they might make things worse.

The Seben and Celestron pads are not made of rubber. They have inside a gel that has the special property of compressing faster than they uncompress. This means vibrations that are set up in the tripod by touching or wind etc are quickly reduced.

Simple rubber castors are really not going to help. Sorry. I wish they would as it would save us all the £20-£60 of the astro pads!

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cathouse42

cathouse42

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Rubber castors are not really going to help... they help prevent vibrations being transmitted to the floor as you would want with say, a washing machine. That is not the purpose of these pads for telecope tripods. What we are trying to do is to damp out vibration in the tripod. Rubber pads won't help much to achieve that. In fact, depending on their particular compression properties they might make things worse.

The Seben and Celestron pads are not made of rubber. They have inside a gel that has the special property of compressing faster than they uncompress. This means vibrations that are set up in the tripod by touching or wind etc are quickly reduced.

Simple rubber castors are really not going to help. Sorry. I wish they would as it would save us all the £20-£60 of the astro pads!

Then I supose, Concrete, Metal or carbon fiber are better than metal for dampening vibrations on a tripod.

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Snaxmuppet

Snaxmuppet

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Then I supose, Concrete, Metal or carbon fiber are better than metal for dampening vibrations on a tripod.

Don't know. Wood might be better as it has a degree of flex... the others probably not IMO.

I think that we need to be careful not to forget what these pads are for. They are specifically to damp out vibrations. Regardless of what the tripod is made of, rubber or plastic castors like those sold in B&Q, will not help and may make things worse.

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cathouse42

cathouse42

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Don't know. Wood might be better as it has a degree of flex... the others probably not IMO.

I think that we need to be careful not to forget what these pads are for. They are specifically to damp out vibrations. Regardless of what the tripod is made of, rubber or plastic castors like those sold in B&Q, will not help and may make things worse.

What about those pads used on childrends playgrounds or gyms?

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Snaxmuppet

Snaxmuppet

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Do you know the compression properties of those mats or pads? Unless the material has the property of compressing fast and expanding slowly then it will not do what the astropads do. There are some shoe insoles that are made of sorbothane that might do the trick.

Don't misunderstand me... if you want to buy cheap pads from B&Q that is your choice... it is not for me, or anyone else for that matter, to tell you what to do... but they will not help damp out vibration within the tripod as effectively and that is why most people buy them :) However, if you want to improve the dampening then use silicone sealant between the cheap pad and the tripod as described in Star Ware, 4th Edition by Phil Harrington (Chapter 8). This was tested here and found to be almost as effective as the commercial pads http://www.cloudynights.com/page/articles/cat/user-reviews/accessories/accessories1405754339/performance-test-of-anti-vibration-pads-manufactured-and-homemade-r2066

There is another thread on SGL about this here: http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/101363-anti-vibration-pads/

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