Astrotrac RA-DEC adjuster

[focaldepth]

Hi all,

Here is another Focaldepth Crazy Mod.

It is an Astrotrac RA-DEC adjuster.

I started out wanting a portable imaging rig, originally for Jupiter hunting. So this entails using a long focal length on a make-shift, less than ideal mount.

It has evolved from an Astrotrac on a Manfrotto tripod through the following stages:

Mark one.

Very wobbly and hard to adjust. Huge drift as the whole set-up flexes quite a lot.

Mark two.

Much more stable and still tricky to adjust. The Astrotrac can track Jupiter for ages, after I finally manage to centre it on the camera.

And now Mark three.

Here are some close ups.

It still needs some small tweaks. I will add position locking thumbscrews and shorten the base to bring the saddle closer to the RA axis.

It seems to work as expected, with a fine smooth position adjustment. Now all I need is clear skies to give it a try.

[JemC]

That looks like a neat little mod

Have you managed to try it out yet and how does it work,

Regards

[focaldepth]

Oops, I forgot to report back.

 

Final mods done and first light (can a mount have first light?) done.

 

Unfortunately Jupiter was too low to get a clear picture but I did try and it was not worth stacking. It was like photographing a penny at the bottom of a swimming pool! I think I tried 3 nights.

 

Anyway the Mark Three Adjuster worked great. It has a small backlash but that does not matter. I can now easily frame a planet at FL=3600 (1800x2) on a planet camera and if polar align is off, a small tweak keeps it in view. With the Manfrotto, one tiny tweak was enough to send the planet out of view forever.

 

This is a vast improvement over the Mark Two version. I took the SkyMax and Mark Two to SGLX and it took me 2 hours to fail to frame Jupiter despite having managed it several times at home. I finally gave up and went to look at some big dobs. Envy!

 

The bicycle saddle clamps are for quick release of the worm drives, by the way.

[beshanoe]

Amazing job!