Show me your eyepiece/accessories case, please.

[yeti monster]

I picked up a cheapo parts box at Focus (sic) DIY whilst I was collecting stuff to make my Dob mount. Using the foam I'd removed from thr Maplins case I keep the 20x80s in, I managed to get almost every piece in except for the Carton (Prinz) EPs and my diagonal. Can't seem to find my camera though................

[Takahashi]

Awwwww the cat is so sweet looking Love her.

She does "Cute 'n' Innocent" very well. She does "Slash 'n' Tear" even better. She's also a pretty good dog. Yep, she's a fetcher. Loves these li'l soft, biteable rubber balls my other 'alf got her. My alarm clock has been replaced with repeated ball-dropped-on-face incidents. Also, she chirps like a bird when she wants to play football. She's nuts.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

She does "Cute 'n' Innocent" very well. She does "Slash 'n' Tear" even better. She's also a pretty good dog. Yep, she's a fetcher. Loves these li'l soft, biteable rubber balls my other 'alf got her. My alarm clock has been replaced with repeated ball-dropped-on-face incidents. Also, she chirps like a bird when she wants to play football. She's nuts.

Clearly an "unadulterated cat" according to Pratchett.

We had one who, despite being thoroughly good-natured when it come to kids playing with him, and fetching any crumpled-up ball of paper you flicked through the room, regularly caught musk rats and wild rabbits (adults, and the occasional young one). On one or two occasions he even caught a stoat.

He also chased ANY dog of ANY size out of the garden, and stole the bones of the neighbour's dogs regularly. Quite crazy.

[Yoddha]

Looking at your beautiful cases, I'm little bit ashamed to show mine but ... here it is - my home made case

The body is cardboard box from a couple of tea cups. The green stuff that is my main safety material is "knee pad" which is an inch thick, soft material, harder than foam rubber but still soft and gentle (saw it in the clearance section of one supermarket and told - this can be used for something ). The green stuff is glued with hot silicon little bit above the bottom of the box which was covered with thick old school mouse pad Above the EP is normal foam rubber which is cut because of the taller diagonal and 9mm Nagler.

So that's it, my wife put a cork folio outside and it was done. It is not fancy, but keep all things safe, in compact form. I have a soft rucksack for this box, my WO 66SD (without the case, in foam rubber sleeve) all other small things that are needed for grab-and-go or for normal observing...

With puck foam, things can be much more simpler, but I don't know where to find it here...

Edited March 10, 2010 by Yoddha

[Andrew*]

I've very recently gone to all-in-one case that carries everything I could need in a night (minus laptop and power). I haven't actually used it yet but I think it will be a great improvement over the 3 different aluminium cases I dealt with before, which between them didn't hold everything. It doesn't offer quite the same protection as the alu cases, but it stays upright, doesn't go about much and offers perfectly adequate protection I think.

I got it in B&Q for a reasonable £17.49, it has a top section and a bottom section, with a few spaces for bits and bobs too. Build is not the best, but okay.

The top section holds my eyepieces, the bottom everything else. I made an eyepiece shelf from wood, as you can see in the photos. It holds all I currently have with space for more. I change my eyepieces quite often, and I think this arrangement will be more "future proof" than foam. The eyepieces in there are listed in my signature.

Andrew

Edited March 13, 2010 by Andrew*

[BlueAstra]

Err...., work in progress

[Tony.S]

After seeing the cases on this thread with some fantastic EP's makes my "low cost" (read Cheap ) EP's look a bit sad..Cases not bad though

The 1st case is for my 1.25 EP's & the second is for my 0.96 bits & the 3rd photo, now that I have taken the Towa scope out of it, houses a further five 0.96 EP's, so possibly the largest EP's case in the world

[MG1]

Have finally gotten around to take a picture while at Kielder....

[jonathan]

I bought the £19.99 Maplins Flight Case (currently reduced from £29.99) which arrived today, couldn't wait to get it home so that I could tidy up my kit! It's been hanging around on my table looking like it might get lost any second.

As you may be able to tell, I've only just started collecting...

The star diagonal is the one that came with the telescope, however I'm planning on buying a 2" one so that I can use a PanaView 38" eyepiece (also on the shopping list). I'm hoping they might both fit the same hole (at a pinch).

Not sure where to put the eyepieces yet, I suppose it doesn't really matter, I was thinking about across the top. I'm not planning on having more than four, but the best laid plans of mice and men etc. Question is, do I save space by not having them in the bolt tube? Can't really see them coming to any harm, being surrounded by foam, and if I always put the caps back on there should be no chance of bits getting in. Might be an idea to keep one bolt tube handy just in case I lose a cap.

When pulling out the foam I pulled it out all the way to the bottom (I had a half-hearted stab as pulling out only half way down but that ended up in a mess); by pulling the foam out in complete blocks I then cut them in half (horizontally) and put half back in the hole, this left a nice shelf on which to put items instead of them going all the way to the bottom of the hole. There is a very thin layer of hard foam at the bottom (glued to the inside of the case I think) so some of my items do go all the way, such as the AstroZap dew controller and main power cable (the big red and black one). The dew controller power cable (does not detach from the controller) has it's own half-depth slot to keep it tidy.

The eyepieces should easily fit upright in the foam, even with a 1cm block of foam at the bottom of the hole, however I think I would just feel more secure if they were flat as this would afford them the best protection from knocks.

Edited November 23, 2010 by jonathan

[ahlberto]

OK.Heres mine hand made eyepieçe box.It has 4 meade super plossl 9.7--12.4--20--26mm and a orion colimator and a 55mm orion optics plossl.

[CGolder]

After seeing all these posts i decided to get a new case and make it all in good order i am missing my TV Plossl which has a space in the top right and then i need to decide on a 17 or 13mm hyperion. was going to get one this week but just had a £600! car repair so its off the table for a while. The 36mm is the newest addition having arrived with the tuning rings from FLO this morning

[jonathan]

My case has become a little more populated...

Perhaps room for one or two small eyepieces, filters, or other small items; the torch is just sitting on top of the foam for now. I'm thinking I may need to get another case already!

Edited December 18, 2010 by jonathan

[yesyes]

These do tend to fill up faster than expected...

[John]

These do tend to fill up faster than expected...

And change their contents rather rapidly as well - I'm rather shocked to find that I've only one eyepiece left of the 9 I posted a picture of on 14 January this year

[pvaz]

And change their contents rather rapidly as well - I'm rather shocked to find that I've only one eyepiece left of the 9 I posted a picture of on 14 January this year

SGL's best EP reviewer needs to keep going!

Can you post an update? I'm just curious on what you're using now.

[Ian123]

All very impressive examples, i just keep mine on the floor next to my scope at the minute

Will have to get a case soon for when my new Baader's arrive, very anxious wait, is maplin the best place for cases?

Edited December 19, 2010 by Ian123

[Moonshane]

An interesting thing I have noticed about the vast majority of these cases is that the eyepieces seem to be set out 'upside down'. I have done mine the other way up with the rubber eye cups (i.e. the eyepiece end) facing the handle rather than the hinge like others. My logic being that when the case is carried I'd prefer the weight on the nosepiece than the eye cup. I store my cases lay down. I'll post an update on my 'complete' collection after Crimbo when I add my latest 'surprise' gifts that I bought for me on behalf of my wife and daughters

Edited December 19, 2010 by Moonshane

[John]

...Can you post an update? I'm just curious on what you're using now.

Heres my current set minus a Skywatcher Aero ED 40mm which won't fit in the case !:

[Kef9]

Niiicccceeeeeee!!!!!

I'm just wondering what your doing with the eye lens caps? I've seen a few people do this but I fold my eyecups down and the TV cap fits nice and snug. I just tested this method on my 13 ethos and its dead wobbly. Each to their own though.

[Kef9]

I love scubapics' case. Here's mine.

This Pentax case is classic. Any thoughts on getting the 3.5mm XW?

How did that stray TV get in there?

[John]

Niiicccceeeeeee!!!!!

I'm just wondering what your doing with the eye lens caps? I've seen a few people do this but I fold my eyecups down and the TV cap fits nice and snug. I just tested this method on my 13 ethos and its dead wobbly. Each to their own though.

They are snugger with the eye cups folded down but I didn't want to fiddle about near the eye lens in the dark so I keep mine up (as I use them when viewing) and the indentations in the foam seem to keep the caps in place. The 20mm T5 Nagler eye end cap is the worst offender for falling off too easiliy !.

I might try and store them folded down for a while and see how it goes though - thanks for the suggestion

[sbooder]

Not the best case or eyepiece collection but I am aiming to buy some decent ones.

[Lurker]

Reading this thread has inspired me to get a case for my eyepieces so far I only have 1 that came with telescope and I have one ordered and a barlow.

As this thread is old, Where would I get a case like this with foam?

[yesyes]

put "aluminium case" in the ebay search and it comes up with loads of results. Some are filled with diced foam already...

[John]

Reading this thread has inspired me to get a case for my eyepieces so far I only have 1 that came with telescope and I have one ordered and a barlow.

As this thread is old, Where would I get a case like this with foam?

I got mine from Maplins - it was around £15 I think. It has that cube-cut foam which is easy to pluck out as needed or, as I do, to push down into indentations in which the eyepieces sit. There is foam in the lid as well to keep the eyepieces in place when the case is shut.