The DIY dob cart

[Guest]

One of the little tweeks i needed to do was make a system to lock the scope in place so it can't slide.  Three six inch pieces of wood with a v cut in them and shoved onto contact with the feet was a quick and easy solution. The wood is glued and screwed into place.   The scope isnt going anywhere. 

Edited February 21, 2023 by Mike Q

[Mr H in Yorkshire]

With a few thousand dollars worth of scope in tow and nothing locking over the top face of the azimuth base presumably the ground you move over is both flat and smooth. How far do you generally move the beast?

It just occurred to me to ask about a ladder, can you stow one somehow on the cart?

I was talking with my son about his 12" dob which he currently moves in two bits. This is a lumber and a risk to the scope. I said I could make him a cart but he'd prefer to keep the scope on the ground so I think I could design one that held the scope 'underneath' so it could be easily lowered to the ground and be splittable so it could be removed. Laziness is the real mother of invention.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Mr H in Yorkshire

[Mr H in Yorkshire]

Hi Mike, I had a question about the levellers, but you seem to have lost interest. Are you alright, I've read you have some health issues?

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Mr H in Yorkshire said:

Hi Mike, I had a question about the levellers, but you seem to have lost interest. Are you alright, I've read you have some health issues?

I am sorry i took a little hiatus from SGL for a bit.  The ground i travel over is basically gravel to grass.  It is not smooth nor is it level, but the scope handles the ride nicely as long as i take it slow and easy.  My normal observation point is about 50 yards away, an easy tow for the mower.  There is a place that is 150 yards away that i may drag it out to when i get the chance.  What is your question about the levelers? 

[Mr H in Yorkshire]

Hi Mike, I am currently working on my trailer too and I wondered about the detail of your levellers. The photos don't show what is under each leveller bracket so does the rod pass through the collar and the nuts are used to secure it, or is there a threaded portion in the collar too? I imagine the latter.  Cheers

[Guest]

[Guest]

Ok top to bottom.  Nut, washer, sleeve, bracket.  Neither the sleeve or the bracket are threaded, they are just big enough that the rod passes through without resistance.  Underneath the bracket, what you cant see, there is another nut welded into place.  Off the top of my head i cant remember if it is a standard or a flange nut, either will work. 

Edited March 3, 2023 by Mike Q

[Mr H in Yorkshire]

Hi Mike, I thought I'd show you what I've been doing to a trailer, I think you are one of the few who would understand the work involved. My overall project is to mount a motorised binochair on a 'chariot', the chair embodying the same innovations as my Mk1, detailed here https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/404244-motorised-binochair-design-for-100mm-binoculars/?_fromLogout=1

The photos show:

The rusty chassis as acquired - it had to be dug out of the farmers field.

Chassis reduced to chariot form, all excess metalwork cut off and then refurbished.

Levellers - I have enclosed the threaded part entirely within a sleeve, they are worked with a square-drive handle.

Levellers attached to chassis, they hide behind the wheels.

Woodwork, this will comprise a platform and the drop-down tailboard which holds the road lights and when dropped, a step. The metalwork supports the circle depicted by the wheel rim.

The binochair on board. Mk2 will be much more robust and incorporate many features not present on the Mk1.

 

I have much work to do, probably a years worth because the chariot was the easy part, the chair is the next most complicated and the binos will comprise 6" f/5 optics (a pair of Jaegers 6" achros got from SurplusShed many years ago. 

 

 

 

[Guest]

15 hours ago, Mr H in Yorkshire said:

Hi Mike, I thought I'd show you what I've been doing to a trailer, I think you are one of the few who would understand the work involved. My overall project is to mount a motorised binochair on a 'chariot', the chair embodying the same innovations as my Mk1, detailed here https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/404244-motorised-binochair-design-for-100mm-binoculars/?_fromLogout=1

The photos show:

The rusty chassis as acquired - it had to be dug out of the farmers field.

Chassis reduced to chariot form, all excess metalwork cut off and then refurbished.

Levellers - I have enclosed the threaded part entirely within a sleeve, they are worked with a square-drive handle.

Levellers attached to chassis, they hide behind the wheels.

Woodwork, this will comprise a platform and the drop-down tailboard which holds the road lights and when dropped, a step. The metalwork supports the circle depicted by the wheel rim.

The binochair on board. Mk2 will be much more robust and incorporate many features not present on the Mk1.

 

I have much work to do, probably a years worth because the chariot was the easy part, the chair is the next most complicated and the binos will comprise 6" f/5 optics (a pair of Jaegers 6" achros got from SurplusShed many years ago. 

 

 

 

My goodness, the engineering in that far exceeds my basic and brute force cart that is for sure.  Will be nice to see how it all turns out

[Mr H in Yorkshire]

Rehabilitating an old trailer and bolting on some plywood is not that different from your undertaking. Alas I have to take the blame for any welding but it's mostly hidden. Building the binochair doesn't faze me - been there... as they say. I will definitely stick to using a bike wheel for the base drive, it works really well but I am musing on the best way to have a fast and slow speed range in the drives, a compromise in my Mk1 is that the movements are a fraction too fast to centre a target easily, but any slower and a significant slew would be glacial. I might look into using steppers, they won't have to be massively powerful because I have found that adhering to careful balancing yields dividends. 

Building the binoscope, now that will be a task. I've just confirmed the focal lengths of the objectives - first sun here for over a fortnight. They are 152 and 154 mm so a pretty perfect match. I want to keep the eyepieces stationary so I plan to have the the objectives moveable, some precision linear bearing called for here!

It was only when I looked at the photos that realised how much the cut down trailer looked like a chariot, so I have decided to call it 'Project Auriga', how corny is that?

[Guest]

So today i was hanging out at home and i got bored.  I looked at the 10 inch sitting on my garden cart, which while it works, is just all wrong for a scope.  The garage doors opened and the wood chips started flying.  Two hours later the 10 inch had a proper cart.