Vibration suppression Pads

[Ross6392]

Hi guys,

Any body used VSP before, and if so are they worthwhile having?

Thanks,

Ross.

[spaceboy]

I have them but visually it is really hard to say if they do what they say on the tin. There is though a video on the internet somewhere, where someone tested VSP's with a camera attached to record before and after results. It was this video that sold me on the idea of having them so if I can find the vid I shall post it in the thread.

[spaceboy]

 

 

[jambouk]

For vibration supression I'm not sure they are that useful. What mount are you using?

What they are good for, and depends on which ones you get, is marking where to put your mount each time you set up. If you can stick them to the ground / lawn whatever thennext time you set up you can just plonk the tripod legs in the pads. That is handy.

But you don't need fancy, expensive vibration pads for this. There are a range of things to use for this purpose.

James

[John]

I have the Meade ones which are the same design as the Celestron ones - a hard plastic cup for the tripod foot sitting on layer of absorbant rubber sorbothene which in turn sits in a plastic cup that rests on the floor, ie: a 3-layer construction.

I've found that they work in that they help vibrations dampen down more quickly once started but don't stop vibrations from starting. Because any vibrations that do start, stop about twice as quickly with the VSP's in place I reckon they are worth the £20 or so that I paid for them. I tend to use them with my heaviest rig and not the lighter setups.

[Dave Smith]

I use my Celestron pads whenever imaging at a star party. They have the added advantage of spreading the load and preventing the tripod sinking in the ground and spoiling polar alignment.

Dave

[Ross6392]

Brilliant thanks for info, space boy  video is good managed to get a set  of Seben VSP from amazon for 21.99 reviews claim they're just as good as the celestron ones that are about 70 quid!

Jambo- its a CG-3 eq mount and I use a celestron astromaster 130 the mount is a bit flimsy and I do a lot of travelling so I thought they would be good for using when I'm out and about.

 

john and Dave thanks also!

[John]

The Seben ones look just the same design as the Celestron and Meade ones. Decent price as well.

[wookie1965]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hoover-Hotpoint-Hygena-Washing-Machine-Shock-Anti-Vibration-Feet-Pads-4-Pack-UK-/191938037307

How about these

[Louis D]

I use new old stock Sorbothane insoles that I cut up into squares and put one under each leg.  For my light weight setup on a steel photo tripod, they work wonders to dampen vibrations from about 3 seconds to about 0.5 seconds.  There are multiple suppliers of Sorbothane pads in various shapes and sizes on ebay if you want a more finished look.  Some low cost VSPs use urethane instead of Sorbothane, but it doesn't work as well.

[Ross6392]

2 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hoover-Hotpoint-Hygena-Washing-Machine-Shock-Anti-Vibration-Feet-Pads-4-Pack-UK-/191938037307

How about these

Wookie - I actually considered this when I was looking for the best price but not experienced enough in the subject to know whether it would work!

[Ross6392]

1 hour ago, Louis D said:

I use new old stock Sorbothane insoles that I cut up into squares and put one under each leg.  For my light weight setup on a steel photo tripod, they work wonders to dampen vibrations from about 3 seconds to about 0.5 seconds.  There are multiple suppliers of Sorbothane pads in various shapes and sizes on ebay if you want a more finished look.  Some low cost VSPs use urethane instead of Sorbothane, but it doesn't work as well.

Louis - good idea, I'll keep this in mind if I don't have any luck with the Seben ones.

[John]

2 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hoover-Hotpoint-Hygena-Washing-Machine-Shock-Anti-Vibration-Feet-Pads-4-Pack-UK-/191938037307

How about these

They seem to be of single piece construction ?

My feeling is that the tripod foot needs to be isolated from the floor by effectively "floating" on the sorbothene layer so the 3 piece construction is likely to be more effective.

[Louis D]

4 hours ago, John said:

They seem to be of single piece construction ?

My feeling is that the tripod foot needs to be isolated from the floor by effectively "floating" on the sorbothene layer so the 3 piece construction is likely to be more effective.

No, the plastic cups simply protect the Sorbothane from abrasions from the ground the tripod tip.  It has a rubbery consistency that is somewhat like thick gelatin.  It is also a little sticky or tacky and tends to pick up crud similar to a lint roller.

I've contemplated putting my squares into discarded container lids or caps with a non-skid rubber layer on the other side.  That way, it won't slide around on the ground, and it will protect the Sorbothane from dirt, and make it easier to find in the dark if I add bright/reflective tape around the lid edge.  Sorbothane always seems to be dark blue in its pure form making it nearly impossible to see in the dark on the ground at the end of an observing session.  I'm not worried about my tripod feet gouging the Sorbothane because they're rounded.  If they were pointed, I would definitely use a protective cup between them and the Sorbothane.

[John]

20 minutes ago, Louis D said:

No, the plastic cups simply protect the Sorbothane from abrasions from the ground the tripod tip.  It has a rubbery consistency that is somewhat like thick gelatin.  It is also a little sticky or tacky and tends to pick up crud similar to a lint roller....

 

The ones I use (Meade) have a hard plastic cup that the tripod foot sits in, then a layer of Sorbothene that supports that cup and a further hard plastic cup between the Sorbothene layer and the ground. Neither the tripod foot or the ground is in contact with the Sorbothene. The Sorbothene layer provides a degree of isolation from ground-side vibrations and dampens scope-side vibrations.

I believe the Celestron, Orion (USA) and Seben ones are of the same 3-piece design.