DOB levelling platform

[bomberbaz]

So my new DOB is fitted with a DSC and from previous experience of both goto and pushto I found accuracy to be better if it were levelled.

However the dob has fixed feet made from a synthetic, hard resin type material. One thing I noticed about this material is it is not offering a very good grip on anything smooth, this needs to be born in mind.

I wanted to build a simple, lightwieght adjustable platform to pub the dob on without adding too much to the height. 

So below is a flow of the build design from start to finish, took 3 days but a lot of that is paint drying. in hours around 3 hours.

Forgot to get a picture before I cut out but you get the picture, material used was 18mm plyboard

After cutting out the centre for weight reduction and slapping some paint on.

Feet and slip prevention cups added

Side view of feet, they adjust very easily with the knob fitted on the top which are locked onto the foot screw with the nut directly below it.

Holes drilled into cups, the DOB feet drop into the holes. Two of them have slight cutouts to allow for the dob base tension adjuster nobs that are on it. They are actually caster cups for household furniture.

The dob base sits very neatly onto the platform .

Finally I added a few red LED's that will aid when setting it all up in the dark without killing your developing night vision.

 

Quite pleased with the end result, just need a clear night to try it out but I am sure it will work perfectly.