Mounting guider etc but not on the OTA.

[jefrs]

Interchangeable OTA but keeping guider etc in place on the mount platten. Maybe like a side to side adapter but that would be overkill. Surely this has been done before?

I'm not sure I am using the right language for search engines but I cannot find what I'm looking for. 

This is a nuts and bolts problem.

I have an AVX but it could be any mount.  I have a telescope. I have a guide cam scope. I have a Celestron StarSense alignment MacGuffin. 

When I change the telescope the whole kit comes off, because it is mounted on the scope.

Suppose I want to mount a camera and lens.  I may well still want the guider and StarSense, but there is nowhere to mount them.

So what to do? The AVX has a combined Losmandy/Vixen which means I have a spare M8 screw hole to which I have  a dovetail clamp and a Y extension for the two devices. 

This works but I cannot help feeling this has been done before and there will be a better solution.

[knobby]

I think ioptron do something similar 

Iguider ?

Edited June 24, 2022 by knobby

[Gfamily]

A friend mounted the guidescope on his counterweight bar. 

This was when his EQ6 motherboard had burned out and he was forced to use his small refractor on his Star Adventurer. He was able to reduce the overall payload by transferring some of the payload to the counterweight

[kens]

Avalon make a guide scope extender but its a bit pricey

https://www.avalon-instruments.com/products-menu/accessories/extender-for-finder-guide-scope-detail

[Elp]

Is it an accessory plate what you are after? You can mount multiple dovetails on it of you want or however you want to mount your equipment as declination balance will be an issue of you're using it in EQ mode. For DSLR setups a similar but smaller solution is a/multiple cheese plate(s).

[Clarkey]

Could you not use a side-by-side rig. Or am I mis-understanding the problem?

ADM Losmandy-style Dual Mounting Bar | First Light Optics

 

[Elp]

Think that's what they're after but they don't know what it's called. An accessory plate mounted to a dovetail bar, using specific length cap head screws to secure the equipment will be much cheaper.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dovetails-saddles-clamps/more-blue-300mm-accessory-plate.html

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by Elp

[jefrs]

On 24/06/2022 at 21:17, knobby said:

I think ioptron do something similar 

Iguider ?

I have a guider but want to mount it and other toys off the OTA so that the OTA can be removed independently and replaced with another or something else like DSLR and lens

[knobby]

34 minutes ago, jefrs said:

I have a guider but want to mount it and other toys off the OTA so that the OTA can be removed independently and replaced with another or something else like DSLR and lens

Yes, that's what ioptron Iguider does, it's built into the saddle ... Thought it would give you some ideas.

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/ioptron-iguider-autoguiding-system-with-30mm-guidescope-guide-camera.html