iOptron 3DP Bits & Bobs

[russ.will]

It's often said that if you don't know what to print with a 3D printer, buy one, get another hobby and you'll have lots to print. So true.

To be fair, as a seasoned loudspeaker DIYer that was never going to be problem, but returning to astronomy after an unplanned layoff (divorce, blah, blah, blah...) and the woefully underdeveloped nature of what we are forced to buy means there are opportunities aplenty to have at it. With necessity being the mother of invention, the things you 'need' to print will not only advance your printing skill set, but also your CAD learning curve. Sure, there's a squillion items to download and print, but that bloke didn't quite nail what I want. To whit:

A really poor listing on FB Marketplace meant I bagged an Evostar 120 & Explorer 200p OTAs, an original HEQ5 mount, a couple of Baader Hyperions, a couple of cameras and lord knows how many filters for £300. I told Kay that I was going to flip it all for profit, but I was lying and she knew damn well I was. I just wanted to cover my costs for buying the actual astro stuff I wanted.

I wanted a 5" frac. I stupidly let go an AR127L years ago and I missed it. I found a nice Minitower II (which I let go years ago, etc...) inc other goodies just as it got reduced to £350 on UKABS. Dang! Now I've spent £650 and I've got a mount I'm well aware of the shortcomings of. But also remember that for visual, it's a really competent mount with a load carrying ability well beyond it's price IF you know the work-arounds. (Un)tightening the alt axis clutch when cold is a biggy and there's a stupidly expensive variant of the knurled wheel that does it. Or you can print one of these for about £2:

Excuse the colour; I only had Prusa PETG in RAL2004 to hand and no, I'm not happy with the seam on the surface (I tried a particular printer setting for a laugh) but as an interference fit, I had to stand on the two to get them to fit.  I now have a 110mm diameter alt knob and with the extra leverage that gives, it's exactly as tight or as loose as and when you want it. Result.

The other iOptron fail in all generations of Minitower is where to put the handset that I guess that (having failed to provide a reliable and/or quality holder) they will charge you £200 to replace. Later mounts have a rubbish bent metal bracket but on mine, it's a screw you hang it from with the wrist strap. 30 mins of CAD, 80mins of printing and 20p of M4 cap head bolt later, I have this:

I also remembered that holding virtually any scope of length whilst mounting/adjusting it's position in the dovetail clamp was a real balancing act. An act almost entirely negated by an actual handle so I did one for about a £1.50.

These were all quicky prints at what is analogous to low res settings with filament I had to hand. I actually quite like the orange and I may yet double down on that when I restore/re-spray some of the scratched up white bits on the Evostar. Despite being ginger, Kay doesn't like the orange so it almost certainly will happen. I remember 2001: A Space Odyssey and Space 1999 which both affirm RAL2004 as an astro colour and thus, I am right. YMMV.

I modded the handset holder for the 2-screw mount of @garryblueboys Mintower Pro and printed in a silver PLA at a higher res. I think he liked it (could be lying!) but for what I calculate to be a 20p increase in print time, it is a quid well spent for the better finish. If he likes it...

Next stop is the obviously absent EP tray and somewhere to to put EP caps that iOptron also forgot. In the meantime, the whole ensemble looks like:

Russ

Edited April 18, 2023 by russ.will

[garryblueboy]

7 hours ago, russ.will said:

It's often said that if you don't know what to print with a 3D printer, buy one, get another hobby and you'll have lots to print. So true.

To be fair, as a seasoned loudspeaker DIYer that was never going to be problem, but returning to astronomy after an unplanned layoff (divorce, blah, blah, blah...) and the woefully underdeveloped nature of what we are forced to buy means there are opportunities aplenty to have at it. With necessity being the mother of invention, the things you 'need' to print will not only advance your printing skill set, but also your CAD learning curve. Sure, there's a squillion items to download and print, but that bloke didn't quite nail what I want. To whit:

A really poor listing on FB Marketplace meant I bagged an Evostar 120 & Explorer 200p OTAs, an original HEQ5 mount, a couple of Baader Hyperions, a couple of cameras and lord knows how many filters for £300. I told Kay that I was going to flip it all for profit, but I was lying and she knew damn well I was. I just wanted to cover my costs for buying the actual astro stuff I wanted.

I wanted a 5" frac. I stupidly let go an AR127L years ago and I missed it. I found a nice Minitower II (which I let go years ago, etc...) inc other goodies just as it got reduced to £350 on UKABS. Dang! Now I've spent £650 and I've got a mount I'm well aware of the shortcomings of. But also remember that for visual, it's a really competent mount with a load carrying ability well beyond it's price IF you know the work-arounds. (Un)tightening the alt axis clutch when cold is a biggy and there's a stupidly expensive variant of the knurled wheel that does it. Or you can print one of these for about £2:

Excuse the colour; I only had Prusa PETG in RAL2004 to hand and no, I'm not happy with the seam on the surface (I tried a particular printer setting for a laugh) but as an interference fit, I had to stand on the two to get them to fit.  I now have a 110mm diameter alt knob and with the extra leverage that gives, it's exactly as tight or as loose as and when you want it. Result.

The other iOptron fail in all generations of Minitower is where to put the handset that I guess that (having to have failed to provide a reliable and/or quality holder) they will charge you £200 to replace. Later mounts have a rubbish bent metal bracket but on mine, it's a screw you hang it from with the wrist strap. 30 mins of CAD 80p of printing and 20p of M4 cap head bolt later, I have this:

I also remembered that holding virtually any scope of length whilst mounting/adjusting it's position in the dovetail clamp was a real balancing act. An act almost entirely negated by an actual handle so I did one for about a £1.50.

These were all quicky prints at what is analogous to low res settings with filament I had to hand. I actually quite like the orange and I may yet double down on that when I restore/re-spray some of the scratched up white bits on the Evostar. Despite being ginger, Kay doesn't like the orange so it almost certainly will happen. I remember 2001: A Space Odyssey and Space 1999 which both affirm RAL2004 as an astro colour and thus, I am right. YMMV.

I modded the handset holder for the 2-screw mount of @garryblueboys Mintower Pro and printed in a silver PLA at a higher res. I think he liked it (could be lying!) but what I calculate to a 20p increase in print time, is a quid well spent for the better finish. If he likes it...

Next stop is the obviously absent EP tray and somewhere to to put EP caps that iOptron also forgot. In the meantime, the whole ensemble looks like:

Russ

And a dame fine job Russ