How to modify your setup sympatheticly

[SteveBz]

Hi Guys,

Once we have dew shields, heaters, fans for cooling, goto upgrades, guiding scopes, piers or vibration pads, velcro holders for handsets, electric focusers, cameras and their remote controls most of our scopes end up losing a bit of their hi-end designer chic.

A great hero of mine had a similar problem (don't you love the slo-mo control and the polar alignment feature? ):

So my question is how do we avoid this? Is there the astronomy equivalent of interior design magazines that can sit beautifully on your coffee table with pictures of happy couples standing next to their designer mounts?

What do you do?

Regards

Steve.

[Pingster]

All my gear starts off besutiful. Then i add loads of gear and it turns into a monster. The positive side is that to passerd buy it looks like you are some kind of pro astronomer.

Im refering to my dob here. So far my refractors tend to be used as they are as they dont suffer dew as badly.

One day when i build my own dob... i dream it will be worthy to be on the cover of Astro Design magazine.... and still all have the usual freakshow attachments.

 

[iPeace]

I just grin and bear it.

[SteveBz]

40 minutes ago, iPeace said:

I just grin and bear it.

It's fantastic. I love it. It's even got a digital, multi-coated teasmade!

[SteveBz]

So for instance, I bought what I thought was a lovely scarcely used c8n with cg5 mount and tripod off eBay for about 100 quid. 

I got it home and it's been really badly treated. However after about two months of intensive care it's beginning to come out of its shell. However during the maintenance I added an electronic focuser and that left a curly telephone cable hanging from the top of the ota. Then I added a dew heater with controller. I only had some yellow hobby wires from maplins so now that hangs off too.  On the tool tray there are various batteries and handsets, no room for the lenses and adaptors it was built for.

And I thought, well if I flocked it, I could put a little cable conduit down the full length of the inside of the ota with a connector block on the outside at the balance point and run all the cables down the inside.  Obviously I'd have to drill in multiple places and put rubber grommets to seal them, which I'd hate.

But really that's only the beginning of the answer.

In reality I'd like a system where everything could fit in, because it was pre-planned.

Conduits, connector blocks, dovetail connectors etc.  and a wiring diagram to show how it all fitted together.  All hidden and fitted in.

What do you think?

Steve.

 

[iPeace]

4 minutes ago, SteveBz said:

So for instance, I bought what I thought was a lovely scarcely used c8n with cg5 mount and tripod off eBay for about 100 quid. 

I got it home and it's been really badly treated. However after about two months of intensive care it's beginning to come out of its shell. However during the maintenance I added an electronic focuser and that left a curly telephone cable hanging from the top of the ota. Then I added a dew heater with controller. I only had some yellow hobby wires from maplins so now that hangs off too.  On the tool tray there are various batteries and handsets, no room for the lenses and adaptors it was built for.

And I thought, well if I flocked it, I could put a little cable conduit down the full length of the inside of the ota with a connector block on the outside at the balance point and run all the cables down the inside.  Obviously I'd have to drill in multiple places and put rubber grommets to seal them, which I'd hate.

But really that's only the beginning of the answer.

In reality I'd like a system where everything could fit in, because it was pre-planned.

Conduits, connector blocks, dovetail connectors etc.  and a wiring diagram to show how it all fitted together.  All hidden and fitted in.

What do you think?

Steve.

 

Quite a challenge, but you seem skilled, confident and up for it. Can't wait to see it.

Can't help but feel that anti-dew measures should be an integral part of a scope, with access panels for maintenance, etc. There may or may not be a market for this.

As for myself, if I'm ever going to return to grab-and-go status, the dew control gear will have to stay on. This means attaching a controller to each scope with the dewbands plugged in and the wires all neatly squared away leaving only the controller to be connected to the power source. I am thinking of creating a nice wooden box (think cigar box) to attach to the tube rings and contain the controller and excess length of wire. Wires for dewbands run neatly in, single wire to power source runs out. Close in some way which offers easy access, paint it black and Jagger's your uncle.

Haven't figured out how I will store the scope with all of this attached but I had not figured out storage at all as of yet.

To be continued.

[Pingster]

Steve, i agree, they should make scopes with everything beautifully preplanned so you can add it later if you wish, but it still looks cracking with every mod.

Sometimes i wonder if i enjoy stargazing as much as i move tweeking and modding my gear to perfection. I guess i enjoy both aspects very much and i love talking to people about their mods.

 

[iPeace]

By the way, that tool tray you thought was meant for eyepieces? Forget it. It is a dew tray. Make a new plan.

[SteveBz]

3 hours ago, iPeace said:

 This means attaching a controller to each scope with the dewbands plugged in and the wires all neatly squared away leaving only the controller to be connected to the power source. I am thinking of creating a nice wooden box (think cigar box) to attach to the tube rings and contain the controller and excess length of wire. Wires for dewbands run neatly in, single wire to power source runs out.

It's true the camera attachment bolt is not utilised enough.  It certainly has potential.

I no longer get through enough cigars to guarantee an empty box any time soon ?.  Maybe I'll look for a black anodised aluminium box instead.

The other thing on my setup is those completely empty tripod legs. Surely a couple of power cables could run up the inside of those legs. If they were curled they would expand with the extension of the leg.

Steve.

[iPeace]

45 minutes ago, SteveBz said:

It's true the camera attachment bolt is not utilised enough.  It certainly has potential.

I no longer get through enough cigars to guarantee an empty box any time soon ?.  Maybe I'll look for a black anodised aluminium box instead.

The other thing on my setup is those completely empty tripod legs. Surely a couple of power cables could run up the inside of those legs. If they were curled they would expand with the extension of the leg.

Steve.

Steve, your box sounds a lot better than mine.

Any idea where to find one? And how to nicely affix it to one or two camera bolts?

Don't mind asking one who clearly knows best...

[SteveBz]

I don't know that I know best. I'm a bit new to all this. My stuff looks nice now but I want it to stay nice.

Here are some boxes off ebay:

http://m.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=black+aluminium+project+box&isNewKw=1&mfs=GOCLK&acimp=0&_trksid=p2053742.m2428.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xblack+aluminium+project+box&sqp=black+aluminium+project+box

You'd have to drill the holes.

And maybe a bit of this:

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-D-line-Trunking-16x8mm-Black-90cm-wire-cover-conduit-cable-tidy-TV-/122080026553?nav=SEARCH

I think I'll start with the conduit.

Steve.

[iPeace]

6 minutes ago, SteveBz said:

I don't know that I know best. I'm a bit new to all this. My stuff looks nice now but I want it to stay nice.

Here are some boxes off ebay:

http://m.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=black+aluminium+project+box&isNewKw=1&mfs=GOCLK&acimp=0&_trksid=p2053742.m2428.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xblack+aluminium+project+box&sqp=black+aluminium+project+box

You'd have to drill the holes.

And maybe a bit of this:

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-D-line-Trunking-16x8mm-Black-90cm-wire-cover-conduit-cable-tidy-TV-/122080026553?nav=SEARCH

I think I'll start with the conduit.

Steve.

Thanks Steve, you clearly know your way around such matters.

[SteveBz]

3 minutes ago, iPeace said:

Thanks Steve, you clearly know your way around such matters.

Hi iPeace,

I've just noticed your location. The key words are d-line conduit and project box.

Steve.