Mystery tripod top (to me!) please identify

[lguise]

Hi I have just bought a 2” stainless steel tripod supposedly for a CG5, but on opening it the tripod top is wrong. It looks more like an old black Skywatcher EQ6 tops but the leg clamps have a Celestron logo. 
it’s in great condition, but sadly doesn’t do the job I wanted it for.

I would like to know what is for, as I’m sure it will be perfect for someone. The paint is the ‘gritty’ finish black which in my experience stays on, rather than the Skywatcher white which flakes off very easily.

I’m still looking for a CG5 tripod to mount a Vixen GP should anyone have one.

Thank you,

Linton

[Sunshine]

Looks to me to be a tripod from an 8SE, I believe.

[lguise]

Too small for an SE I think. Outer diameter of top plate is 140mm and the central deep well is about 30mm diameter. Has two positions for a North peg so I’m pretty sure it’s for an Equatorial. The chap that sold it to me says it didn’t fit is Celestron AVX so we can rule that one out. I still think the top looks like a Skywatcher EQ6?

All the Best,

Linton

[John]

That looks like an EQ6 hub with CG5 or AVX 2 inch steel tripod legs. Not the normal combination !

I can see why the hub might have been thought to be an AVX because the AVX tripod legs look just like that.

You can get a neat Geoptik adapter to make EQ6 tripods HEQ5 compatible but there is some cost involved:

Geoptik HEQ5 Tripod Adaptor For EQ6 2" Tripods - Rother Valley Optics Ltd

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by John

[Cosmic Geoff]

The current AVX and CGX both have 2" steel legs.

The legs on a SE 6/8 are much thinner.

[Louis D]

Makes you wonder why there is no telescope tripod mount standardization.

[lguise]

Standardisation, now that would be a great idea! I have a lifetimes collection of converters and adapters etc. I have even had scopes with Imperial and Metric fixings on the same tube!

Thanks for the link to the Geoptik adapter, hadn’t seen that before, if I can’t find a CG5 tripod I may go down that route.

Linton

[Shimrod]

14 hours ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

The current AVX and CGX both have 2" steel legs.

The legs on a SE 6/8 are much thinner.

It doesn't match my AVX tripod - the holes for the peg are two close to the centre - and the centre of my tripod head is cut out rather than solid.

[mikeDnight]

It looks like a SW or Vixen half pier will attach to it, then your GP will attach to the pier. However a more simple solution would be to use a couple of pieced of 3/4" ply, drilled circular using hole saws and glued together, so as to accommodate the GP base. Sanded and painted Matt black it would do the job nicely at minimal cost, and will be solid.

Alternatively you could use an old SW eq5 tripod top to sit on top of your existing tripod top.

Edited April 24, 2023 by mikeDnight

[John]

17 hours ago, Louis D said:

Makes you wonder why there is no telescope tripod mount standardization.

Standardization or Standardisation ? 😁

[Zermelo]

28 minutes ago, John said:

Standardization or Standardisation ? 😁

I think we did that one in a thread last year.

The americans are correct, with "z".
Then they ruined it, by calling it "zee".

[cajen2]

29 minutes ago, John said:

Standardization or Standardisation ? 😁

It depends.....the problem is there's no standardisation of spelling 😛

If you're British, the 's' is usual. Heathen Americans, though, use the 'z'.....😛😆

[Louis D]

10 hours ago, John said:

Standardization or Standardisation ? 😁

I'll bite.  Does standardisation rhyme with condensation in the UK?  If so, then that would indeed be the correct spelling for y'all.

[Louis D]

10 hours ago, Zermelo said:

I think we did that one in a thread last year.

The americans are correct, with "z".
Then they ruined it, by calling it "zee".

I had to look it up.  Y'all call it zed instead of zee.  It sounds cooler than zee and is less likely to be confused with other letters ending in ee.

I have heard it used, but I thought folks were using it trying to sound cool when spelling words.

It also makes me think of one of my favorite quotes from Pulp Fiction: Zed's dead, baby.  Zed's dead.

[lguise]

Priceless!

[lguise]

I like Mike’s idea of a wooden collar. Just went to hold the Vixen in place to eyeball it and found that the thread on the top part of the shaft is also larger than a Vixen. Now somewhere I think I have a smaller spare that will still do the same job.

Linton