Equatorial platforms for dobsonians

[Tim]

Anybody got one? Made one?

In a previous life I was a carpenter and I quite fancy using all the gear I have to build a platform to equatorially mount my 12" Flexitube 300P.

Looking around on the wibbly wobbly web there are a few commercially made ones, and a few home made types.

At my latitude (52') would the platform be at too steep an angle to allow for much tracking before the whole assembly became top heavy?

I may knock up a simple wedge to test the principle, and then hand guide a few shots to test the optics performance and field flatness. To achieve focus the tube must be reduced in length a little, which is easy on the flextube.

DSO work would be interesting, but I would think for bright targets like the moon it could be a way to bring in those finer details you only see on C11's or bigger.

Thoughts? Opinions?

Thanks

TJ

[GazOC]

I've got a single axis Roundtable platform for my 14" Dob that works fine at Lat 53 deg, its great for visual deep sky and lunar imaging. I've seen a few examples of the brighter DSOs being imaged but I've never tried this and I would imagine it would be pretty difficult with the focal length of a big dob and aligning the table accurately enough. Most of the DSO imaging on this platforms seems to be done an the dual axis models such as the ones that Tom O produces.

[EA2007]

Check this link out.........

http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php/topic,31514.0.html

Your latitute (52 degrees) isn't the angle you use...its 38 degrees. (90 degree's minus 52 degree's = 38 degrees). As long as you weight the base and have it locked well in place it won't slip.

[Doc]

I was just about to say Gaz....

But he beat me to it.

TJ I would love to see the outcome off this as I want one for my 16" DOB.

If yours turn out fine how about making me one. I pay very well

[Tim]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh maths!! Nooooooo maths!!! my head hurts already!

I have a link to something about a dual axis platform, i'll check it out in a bit.

Even if its no good for imaging, then simply only having to move the dob in one axis would make social events a lot easier. You know when you spend 10 mins finding a faint fuzzie and the first person to look through nudges the thing waaay off again....

Just found this link to images taken with mounted dobs

http://www.equatorialplatforms.com/images.html

[GazOC]

That site is Tom Os, nice gear but VERY expensive. :shock:

[Tim]

Yeh, they LOOK expensive.

Expensive isnt an option right now, I'm gonna start saving up toilet roll holders and breeding hamsters. Then I'll train the hamsters to run in wheels at a certain speed.

If it all goes wrong and the hamsters fall under the dob and get crushed, i'll boil them up with sugar and spread them over my garden. Apparently you get brilliant tulips from hamster jam.

Seriously, If anybody finds any actual templates or detailed plans, please forward them to me.

Cheers

TJ

[GazOC]

Try here TJ, I was a member a while back and it was full of advice for buyers/ builders. I'm not sure how active it is these days as I can't remember my password to get in!!!

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/eqplatforms/?v=1&t=directory&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=dir&slk=8

[Sam]

........

Seriously, If anybody finds any actual templates or detailed plans, please forward them to me.

Cheers

TJ

for me to please!

[jakey]

I used to have a roundtable platform. www roundtableplatforms.com

But it took a long time to come and I cancelled my first order as a result. It was only after I was offered a discount that I reordered.

It was a handy item but not really essential. It made observing more convenient but I could have lived without it.

[supernova]

I was just about to say Gaz....

But he beat me to it.

TJ I would love to see the outcome off this as I want one for my 16" DOB.

If yours turn out fine how about making me one. I pay very well

ME TO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need one.

Bernie.