HEQ5 mount adapters

[M40]

Hello all, looking for a few clues please. I have a HEQ5 pro mount and have been thinking about how I can bolt my DSLR and the finder scope to the mount without the telescope.

I have a dovetail bar which came with the mount and am quite happy drilling and tapping holes etc but I wondered if there are any clamps that would fit to the dovetail bar or alternatively a different type of bar that would enable me to fix things too? There seems to be some quite expensive things out there, I hadn't planned on spending hundreds on it so if there are any "cost effective solutions", if you could point me in the right direction, that would be great.

Many thanks and stay safe.

[almcl]

There's a couple of threads about this.

One here where the OP shows a neat solution and my rather cheapskate version (albeit for an EQ5) about a quarter of the way down the page:

wide field setup

another

HEQ5 with DSLR

and a third:

auto guider help

[Cornelius Varley]

Ready made vixen style photo dovetail plate https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dovetails-saddles-clamps/astro-essentials-vixen-type-photo-dovetail-bar.html

[M40]

Thanks Gents, exactly what I was after 👍 completely missed the flat dovetail plate. I also wondered how that SW dovetail plate worked, so all good. 

Now let's see what flo have got in stock 🤣

 

edit: update FLO have it all 👍

 

Edited October 22, 2020 by M40
update

[nfotis]

I did use a video mounting plate for my HEQ5 mount, I had to grind the sides a bit with a Dremel wheel in order to fit (it was during a time of no availability of the vixen compatible dovetails). Similar to Manfrotto 501, I think.

 

N.F.

 

[M40]

Very clever, you have created something very similar to the vixen flat dovetail that Cornelius Varley mentioned above but with the advantage of rubber feet for anything you mount on it 👍

It has surprised me that there are very few adapter plates etc available on the market leaving it to us to carry out diy improvisation. Either that or I am trying to do something out of the usual that just won't work 🤣

[vineyard]

This should work for what you're looking to do I think?  https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p8315_TS-Guidemount---ultra-compact-Vixen-GP-level-dual-mount.html