Heritage 150p - Stand ideas

[MiladyB]

Hi,

Well I finally managed to get a Heritage 150p! 😆  I've had it a couple of weeks and so haven't managed to get a night when I'm free and it's not binning down with rain to get first light on it, but hoping to change that this weekend!

I'm looking at options for raising it up a bit, to keep the base off the wet grass. I saw a suggestion of using an IKEA Lack table, and I'm thinking of adding some adjustable levelling feet, rather than using a water butt stand. Just wondered if anyone else has done similar?

MiladyB x

 

[Dark Vader]

Nice scopes, those.

I'd probably be looking at something like this, with a comfortable camping or picnic chair.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/4-person-table/_/R-p-6330

If you've already got a patio table, use that.

I use a water butt stand for my 200p but that base is too big for a table and I'd need a ladder to see anything 😂

Andy 

[MiladyB]

I did wonder about a water butt stand, but wasn't sure which one to get.

My Dad (who is one of those people who can mock up stuff in 3D in his head and knows every type of hardware) has now very kindly offered to build me a table, that will have legs I can unscrew for transportation, and adjustable levelling feet, tailored to my height to be most comfortable for observing and so I can use it on relatively uneven ground.

I'll post the result when it's finished!

MiladyB x

[Louis D]

Doesn't it have a 3/8" threaded hole in the bottom of the azimuth axis?  If so, you can just thread it onto a 3/8" photo tripod stud or adapt a different type of tripod to 3/8".

[MiladyB]

That's a nifty idea.

At some point I'm probably going to take the OTA iff the base and mount it on a goto mount head on a tripod (either alt-az or EQ). Got to save some pennies first!

[Ricochet]

1 hour ago, Louis D said:

Doesn't it have a 3/8" threaded hole in the bottom of the azimuth axis?  If so, you can just thread it onto a 3/8" photo tripod stud or adapt a different type of tripod to 3/8".

Only the smaller 100p base has a thread for tripod mounting. Fitting the larger bases to a tripod requires some modification. 

[Tiny Clanger]

I'm not sure if the 150 dob base is the same diameter as the 130 dob base, but if it is, I've read of many folk using the 130 heritage on an Ikea KYRRE Stool, they only cost £10.

I made my heritage a 3 legged triangular table out of scrap wood and some metal legs which cost me around £12 on Amazon (for a set of 4 ! )

You can see it in photos here :

 

I'm not sure if the 150 dob base is the same diameter as the 130 dob base, but if it is, I've read of many folk using the 130 heritage on an Ikea KYRRE Stool, they only cost £10.

I made my heritage a 3 legged triangular table out of scrap wood and some metal legs which cost me around £12 on Amazon (for a set of 4 ! )

You can see it in photos here :

I'm not sure if the 150 dob base is the same diameter as the 130 dob base, but if it is, I've read of many folk using the 130 heritage on an Ikea KYRRE Stool, they only cost £10.  I don't think adjustable height legs are needed if you just use 3, as with a tripod, 3 points of contact with the ground makes a nice stable arrangement .

I made my heritage a 3 legged triangular table out of scrap wood and some metal legs which cost me around £12 on Amazon (for a set of 4 ! )

You can see it in a couple of my photos here :

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/376543-£355-scope-chair/

Heather

 

 

 

[happy-kat]

I've got a heritage 130p and I sit out on up upturned bucket and I sit on a garden chair. As it's a manual dob I don't find it essential to provide a level base.

[Louis D]

1 hour ago, Ricochet said:

Only the smaller 100p base has a thread for tripod mounting. Fitting the larger bases to a tripod requires some modification. 

That's a pity they didn't think to include that nifty feature on the 150p.  That leaves the user with either using the dovetail rail in a clamp head of some sort:

or remounting the entire base on a wide tripod top:

[Ricochet]

11 hours ago, Louis D said:

That's a pity they didn't think to include that nifty feature on the 150p.

It certainly is. The mount itself is really quite good so being able to put the mount on top of a tripod is an ideal upgrade. 

[MiladyB]

14 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

I'm not sure if the 150 dob base is the same diameter as the 130 dob base, but if it is, I've read of many folk using the 130 heritage on an Ikea KYRRE Stool, they only cost £10.

I made my heritage a 3 legged triangular table out of scrap wood and some metal legs which cost me around £12 on Amazon (for a set of 4 ! )

You can see it in photos here :

 

I'm not sure if the 150 dob base is the same diameter as the 130 dob base, but if it is, I've read of many folk using the 130 heritage on an Ikea KYRRE Stool, they only cost £10.

I made my heritage a 3 legged triangular table out of scrap wood and some metal legs which cost me around £12 on Amazon (for a set of 4 ! )

You can see it in photos here :

I'm not sure if the 150 dob base is the same diameter as the 130 dob base, but if it is, I've read of many folk using the 130 heritage on an Ikea KYRRE Stool, they only cost £10.  I don't think adjustable height legs are needed if you just use 3, as with a tripod, 3 points of contact with the ground makes a nice stable arrangement .

I made my heritage a 3 legged triangular table out of scrap wood and some metal legs which cost me around £12 on Amazon (for a set of 4 ! )

You can see it in a couple of my photos here :

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/376543-£355-scope-chair/

Heather

 

 

 

Love what you've done there! I really envy anyone who has the skill and creativity to build things from an idea.

My Dad suggested repurposing an amp dolly he built and no longer uses. The metal legs are a good idea. I'll take a look, thanks! 

MiladyB x

EDIT - I checked the size of the KYRRE Stool, and it's a smidge smaller than the base diameter of the 150p, or that would have been a great option.

Edited May 29, 2021 by MiladyB
Extra info

[Tiny Clanger]

1 hour ago, MiladyB said:

Love what you've done there! I really envy anyone who has the skill and creativity to build things from an idea.

My Dad suggested repurposing an amp dolly he built and no longer uses. The metal legs are a good idea. I'll take a look, thanks! 

MiladyB x

EDIT - I checked the size of the KYRRE Stool, and it's a smidge smaller than the base diameter of the 150p, or that would have been a great option.

Ah, shame about the KYRRE being too small  for the 150 base. Mind you, if it is a flatpack item, it could be a source of 3 legs to bolt on to a larger top ... with the original stool seat fixed below as a shelf to brace the legs and store eyepieces, as on an astro tripod ...

Do show your dad the link to Jerry Oliton's  chair diagrams too, see if he will make you one of those as well ! The variable height is brilliant, and seated observing is much more comfortable.

Heather

[MiladyB]

35 minutes ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Ah, shame about the KYRRE being too small  for the 150 base. Mind you, if it is a flatpack item, it could be a source of 3 legs to bolt on to a larger top ... with the original stool seat fixed below as a shelf to brace the legs and store eyepieces, as on an astro tripod ...

Do show your dad the link to Jerry Oliton's  chair diagrams too, see if he will make you one of those as well ! The variable height is brilliant, and seated observing is much more comfortable.

Heather

Great ideas! The chair looks amazing - definitely worth having a go at rather than buying one!

MiladyB x

[Nyctimene]

Following an idea in a German astroforum, I built a "T" -frame from 10 mm scratch plywood for my Skywatcher Heritage 130 P Flextube. Two boards of 39x15 cm, screwed together, and attached to the Dob base with some small Velcro pads, so it can be easily removed. The "T" structure is squeezed in between the dob's base rubber feet and some thick felt pieces. Works fine (but, unmodified, restricted to even/paved ground), is extremely cheap, sturdy, without giving up the advantages of the Dob mount. Have a look:

Stephan

Edited May 29, 2021 by Nyctimene

[Louis D]

1 hour ago, Nyctimene said:

Following an idea in a German astroforum, I built a "T" -frame from 10 mm scratch plywood for my Skywatcher Heritage 130 P Flextube. Two boards of 39x15 cm, screwed together, and attached to the Dob base with some small Velcro pads, so it can be easily removed. The "T" structure is squeezed in between the dob's base rubber feet and some thick felt pieces. Works fine (but, unmodified, restricted to even/paved ground), is extremely cheap, sturdy, without giving up the advantages of the Dob mount. Have a look:

Stephan

If you'd have used a hinge instead of an angle bracket, it could have folded up flat for storage.  The rubber feet would keep it from closing during use.

[Tiny Clanger]

1 hour ago, Nyctimene said:

Following an idea in a German astroforum, I built a "T" -frame from 10 mm scratch plywood for my Skywatcher Heritage 130 P Flextube. Two boards of 39x15 cm, screwed together, and attached to the Dob base with some small Velcro pads, so it can be easily removed. The "T" structure is squeezed in between the dob's base rubber feet and some thick felt pieces. Works fine (but, unmodified, restricted to even/paved ground), is extremely cheap, sturdy, without giving up the advantages of the Dob mount. Have a look:

Stephan

That's beautifully simple, but there's a lot of contact with the ground , which on my bumpy garden grass would be a problem , also it would wick up damp.  So a good solution for some dry, level surfaces, but not mine ! 🙂

Heather

[Nyctimene]

7 minutes ago, Louis D said:

If you'd have used a hinge instead of an angle bracket, it could have folded up flat for storage.

This was a suggestion from the original thread indeed. Enough space here, so I didn' t see the need for this modification.

I still have to make some cutouts at the "T"'s base, to give the boards a  triangular shape, resulting in a better stand on slightly uneven ground.

Stephan