Show me your eyepiece/accessories case, please.

[HollyHound]

2 hours ago, badhex said:

Very nice! Lovely compact set. I don't know much about the Meade 3000 Plössls. What's the view like with that 40mm in your FS60? I would guess that it's a bit more forgiving with its 50° FOV? 

Thanks, it’s really perfect for my grab and go needs 😀

The Meade 40 has a 44 degree FoV, so doesn’t really give much more than the Panoptic 24, but what it does does do is give a larger exit pupil, brighter image and bit more relaxed (finder like) view, which I like sometimes, especially as it does get quite dark here at my home (we’re on a farm) 👍

Edited April 19, 2021 by HollyHound

[badhex]

5 hours ago, HollyHound said:

The Meade 40 has a 44 degree FoV, so doesn’t really give much more than the Panoptic 24, but what it does does do is give a larger exit pupil, brighter image and bit more relaxed (finder like) view, which I like sometimes, especially as it does get quite dark here at my home (we’re on a farm) 👍

Thanks for the info! Trying to avoid adding a 2" diagonal to the travel kit but right now the lowest power I have in 1.25" is only 24mm and that's a Maxvision/Meade clone so not the most portable. Maybe I'll look into trying to pick up a 30mm 3000 or similar! 

[Stu]

I was getting fed up with having my solar observing accessories spread across different cases, so decided to put everything into one.

I now have my two binoviewers, Baader Coolwedge, three sets of eyepieces, eye guards, AP Barcon, various extension tubes and GPCs all in a Pelicase which makes life a lot easier.

I only ever use 25mm orthos in the Baader Zeiss Mark IVs, and normally stick with 40mm Plossls in the TS Binoviewers for the PST Mod but have some 32mms for when conditions allow. I use extension tubes to vary the mag in the Herschel Wedge setup which saves messing around with eyepiece changes, works well and the quality remains high.

There is a slightly random MicroGuide eyepiece and red light illuminator in the bottom right corner but it doesn’t have another home currently.

[Subwoof]

Hi everyone, 

My old case, it's changing. I put a double bottom, at least I have everything in one suitcase.

 

On the other hand, the double bottom is ... How to say ... Spécial ! 😅

 

I'm looking for two Docter Noblex 12.5, just in case. 

Clear sky!  

 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by Subwoof

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Two years later the case is filled with a decent selection for use with a 102ED f7 frac and 102mm Mak.

5mm max because I suffer with floaters so when using the refractor, the GSO 2.5x barlow does a very good job of clearly extending the magnification past 200x when seeing conditions allow. The 7, 8 and 9mm eps work really well with it.

Filters are a Moon & Sky Glow plus an OVL UHC.

The Astro Essentials 32mm plossl and Hyperflex zoom are only used as Mak travel kit eyepieces. There's no way I'm taking the Altair UFF 24mm (non astro) camping, besides being a brick it cost more than the Skymax...  🙄

 

Edited May 2, 2021 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Dantooine]

4 hours ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Two years later the case is filled with a decent selection for use with a 102ED f7 frac and 102mm Mak.

5mm max because I suffer with floaters so when using the refractor, the GSO 2.5x barlow does a very good job of clearly extending the magnification past 200x when seeing conditions allow. The 7, 8 and 9mm eps work really well with it.

Filters are a Moon & Sky Glow plus an OVL UHC.

The Astro Essentials 32mm plossl and Hyperflex zoom are only used as Mak travel kit eyepieces. There's no way I'm taking the Altair UFF 24mm (non astro) camping, besides being a brick it cost more than the Skymax...  🙄

 

Nice set

[Voyager 3]

6 hours ago, Dantooine said:

Nice set

+1 

[Pitch Black Skies]

I would like to buy one of these blank foam cases to start my collection. Where can they be bought?

[wulfrun]

7 minutes ago, Pitch Black Skies said:

I would like to buy one of these blank foam cases to start my collection. Where can they be bought?

You can find them on FLO, Ebay and no doubt a fair few other places. Look for "aluminium flight case"

[Pitch Black Skies]

26 minutes ago, wulfrun said:

You can find them on FLO, Ebay and no doubt a fair few other places. Look for "aluminium flight case"

Cheers wulwrun. Can you send me a link to the ones on FLO? I can't find any blank ones, just empty ones that are pre-cut for intended sets.

Found one on eBay but looks a bit cheap https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233484293126

I think waterproof is the way to go.

[badhex]

44 minutes ago, Pitch Black Skies said:

I would like to buy one of these blank foam cases to start my collection. Where can they be bought?

There are a number of different cases available from Maplin too if you're based in the UK https://www.maplin.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=flight case

[Neil H]

STU if the binos start breeding put me down for one lol 

[wulfrun]

38 minutes ago, Pitch Black Skies said:

Cheers wulwrun. Can you send me a link to the ones on FLO? I can't find any blank ones, just empty ones that are pre-cut for intended sets.

Found one on eBay but looks a bit cheap https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233484293126

I think waterproof is the way to go.

Yes I think the FLO ones are pre-cut. The one I bought is a ROC, same as the £17.99 one on the Maplin page linked to above.

[scotty38]

I have one of the "Aluminium" ROC type and then an ABS version that I think Hollyhound may have linked to (I'll dig a link out) and I much prefer the latter, very nice case.

[scotty38]

Here you go and as mentioned I much prefer the ABS type:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BEGGVK2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A9ULZFK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Tiny Clanger]

I've bought a couple of tough plastic cases via amaz.  from this range https://www.amazon.co.uk/Max-MAX300S-079-Waterproof-Watertight-Photography/dp/B00PUL61QG/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=MAX+cases&qid=1620215302&sr=8-3

The one I linked to is small, but deep enough to store my BSTs upright, which is what I wanted.  A while ago someone suggested a company who have a range of alu & peli clone cases, and sell on the 'net , I've not bought from them, but they have similar cases to  the MAX ones , and I rather fancy my next case will be one of theirs in a cheery orange colour ... https://www.cases-and-enclosures.co.uk/hurricane-equipment-cases

Heather

[scotty38]

1 hour ago, Tiny Clanger said:

I've bought a couple of tough plastic cases via amaz.  from this range https://www.amazon.co.uk/Max-MAX300S-079-Waterproof-Watertight-Photography/dp/B00PUL61QG/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=MAX+cases&qid=1620215302&sr=8-3

The one I linked to is small, but deep enough to store my BSTs upright, which is what I wanted.  A while ago someone suggested a company who have a range of alu & peli clone cases, and sell on the 'net , I've not bought from them, but they have similar cases to  the MAX ones , and I rather fancy my next case will be one of theirs in a cheery orange colour ... https://www.cases-and-enclosures.co.uk/hurricane-equipment-cases

Heather

Yep great cases and same as mine just a different size. I had the bigger one as I have my binoviewers and 2" diagonal in there too. I'll be getting one like yours as my eyepiece collection grows 🙂

[Tiny Clanger]

Just now, scotty38 said:

Yep great cases and same as mine just a different size. I had the bigger one as I have my binoviewers and 2" diagonal in there too. I'll be getting one like yours as my eyepiece collection grows 🙂

I made a deliberate choice of a smaller case , imagining it might not taunt me with empty space which was crying out to be filled with expensive EPs ..

🤣 🤣

Turns out the one I bought can easily hold 9 EPs of a BST starguider kind of size stood upright  ...

Heather

[scotty38]

Haha now that is interesting as I am thinking about adding some of the BSTs to the collection so I now know which case to get 🙂

[Tiny Clanger]

14 minutes ago, scotty38 said:

Haha now that is interesting as I am thinking about adding some of the BSTs to the collection so I now know which case to get 🙂

🙂 the precise one I bought on Amaz. was 'Festnight Black Hard Tool Box Cases 27 x 24.6 x 12.4 cm ' which is exactly like the others I  linked to, but doubled in price just after I bought it , so as it is now £31   I'd recommend looking at the more competitively priced offerings !

Heather

[scotty38]

Thanks will do

[jjohnson3803]

No pic handy, but I use an Apache waterproof plastic case.  It came with pluck foam, but the pluck foam came apart after a year, so I replaced it with stacked sheets of medium density packing foam that I had lying around.  I turned a hole saw bit anti-clockwise by hand to cut vertical holes for the EPs in the foam. 

 

[Pitch Black Skies]

3 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

I made a deliberate choice of a smaller case , imagining it might not taunt me with empty space which was crying out to be filled with expensive EPs ..

🤣 🤣

Turns out the one I bought can easily hold 9 EPs of a BST starguider kind of size stood upright  ...

Heather

Would love to see a picture of it 😄

I'm planning on using it for Starguiders too.

[Tiny Clanger]

5 minutes ago, Pitch Black Skies said:

Would love to see a picture of it 😄

I'm planning on using it for Starguiders too.

I need to modify the foam (I seem to have accidentally bought a second hand 18mm BST , and it needs a new hole making ... ) but once that's done I'll try to remember to take a pic . As the BSTs are stored standing, it won't look enormously exciting ... just some black dust caps 🙂 

Heather

[John]

These are pluck foam inners in Maplin and Jessops cases. Rather than removing the foam chunks, I break the cubes in the shape of the eyepiece then push the block down with the eyepiece being held in place by the case lid foam spikes. After a little time neat depressions form into which the eyepieces fit nicely. If I change my eyepieces (which I used to do often ) the foam blocks can be pulled gently back up and a new depression formed for the new eyepiece. These cases and the foam inners have lasted for years this way. Rather worried that I have a small space in the 1.25 inch case that needs filling