What did the postman bring? V2

[PatientObserver]

15 minutes ago, josefk said:

Very very nice @PatientObserver. You have a powerful combo there!

The plan is to use the FOA-60Q while the Mewlon 180C acclimates to the temperature (if it ever does here). Time will tell if this purchase triggers aperture fever (so far I have avoided it).

[DaveL59]

Fresh in from China just a few mins ago a EQ5 base for 3/8 tripod thread, ordered with a view to fitting to the TAL wood tripod that didn't have a cup to hold a mount.

The lower part on the right is 3/8 threaded to fit to a photo tripod then the upper (left) screws onto it to carry the EQ head. Looks nicely made and very solid.

My initial thoughts when ordered was to just use the top section and drill for the 6 screws to bolt it directly onto the TAL tripod boss, but that may in fact be better to do on the lower section. As a quick test however I used a 3/8-1/4 adaptor I have on the big Zeiss 180mm lens and...

Might work well enough tho I'll sort obtaining some proper 3/8 bolts etc if I plan on setting the EQ5 head and a long scope onto it I think 😉 Or go with plan-A and drill/tap for 6 suitable bolts to secure that baseplate instead.

As pictured tho it may be fine for something lighter like the ZWO Seestar S50 when that gets here. Just ordered the puck to make the EQ5 base adapt for 3/8 tripod screw.

[StevieDvd]

@DaveL59

I was looking at these but was not sure of the sellers as the prices varied so much. Do the two parts screw together (looks as if they are threaded) and locked with a single screw. And what are the other screw holes for, any user guide come with it?

Also, do you mind me asking which seller and how much it cost including delivery etc?

Thanks

Steve

[DaveL59]

57 minutes ago, StevieDvd said:

@DaveL59

I was looking at these but was not sure of the sellers as the prices varied so much. Do the two parts screw together (looks as if they are threaded) and locked with a single screw. And what are the other screw holes for, any user guide come with it?

Also, do you mind me asking which seller and how much it cost including delivery etc?

Thanks

Steve

Hi Steve,

Indeed the 2 halves screw together which I was pleased to see, esp given the weight of an EQ5 and gear. The tapped holes around the sides have no provided screws but 2 of them at the base of the upper section could be used to lock the parts together if desired (after sourcing suitable screws of course). The ones in the middle of the upper part I guess could also lock against the inserted EQ head flanges tho I can't see why you would do that.

The one I purchased was this one, overall cost around £56 inc shipping and VAT which they bill for these days.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005532892902.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.21ef1802sujog9

Yet to try it for fit on the EQ5 head as working from home but will give it a look later on.

[StevieDvd]

31 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

Hi Steve,

Indeed the 2 halves screw together which I was pleased to see, esp given the weight of an EQ5 and gear. The tapped holes around the sides have no provided screws but 2 of them at the base of the upper section could be used to lock the parts together if desired (after sourcing suitable screws of course). The ones in the middle of the upper part I guess could also lock against the inserted EQ head flanges tho I can't see why you would do that.

The one I purchased was this one, overall cost around £56 inc shipping and VAT which they bill for these days.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005532892902.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.21ef1802sujog9

Yet to try it for fit on the EQ5 head as working from home but will give it a look later on.

Thanks,

I'll keep this in mind as a backup solution. It would be for putting my Altair Sabre mount on a carbon fibre tripod. The base of the Sabre is not a flush fit on the base plate of the tripod and my sense of a proper safe fit is prompting me for a good solution.  Whether that's getting an adapter made or using one like you have bought seems a good idea.

Steve

 

[IB20]

Picked up a MoveShootMove phone adapter from

@bosun21 to improve on the hand held phone images I currently produce. The quality is leagues ahead of the plastic Amazon tat I have stuffed in a cupboard. Can’t wait to get it hooked on the dob or frac and give it a shot.

[DaveL59]

57 minutes ago, StevieDvd said:

Thanks,

I'll keep this in mind as a backup solution. It would be for putting my Altair Sabre mount on a carbon fibre tripod. The base of the Sabre is not a flush fit on the base plate of the tripod and my sense of a proper safe fit is prompting me for a good solution.  Whether that's getting an adapter made or using one like you have bought seems a good idea.

Steve

 

No worries 🙂

Can confirm an EQ5 head fits, loose where it goes into the well of this adaptor but once bolted down it's fine.

Once I sort how best to attach it to the TAL tripod boss I'll be able to return the TAL tripod to original config and use the EQ5 on it that way and have a spare tripod with ally legs to use when needed too.

[Stu]

Boox Ultra Tab C for me. I’m hoping it gives me a way of using SkySafari with less glare. I’ve ordered an anti reflective screen cover for it and will give it a go with a red torch when on the white setting, should be good.

[PatientObserver]

On 21/09/2023 at 07:28, josefk said:

My son bought me this fabulous Jupiter Mova globe for father's day :-

I love it so much i treated myself to Mars this week as a reward for a bunch of decorating just finished but that has been tediously taking up weekends and evenings 😉

I could pursue a bit of a collecting urge for globes both celestial and terrestrial - i particularly like older ones and spent ages admiring these ones in the Whipple museum Cambridge this spring...

 

I now have something to add to my wish list.

[Ratlet]

The high school returned!  Have to say they did a great design for it.  Fantastic planning by the pupils.  Took us longer to put the felt on than it did to raise the building.  The doors were a separate unit so they couldn't go squint and because it straddled the join it sort of locks the structure together.

[Franklin]

22 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

Fantastic planning by the pupils. 

Looks a like a great shed/summerhouse/mancave to me. Is it in your garden or an allotment?

[Ratlet]

12 minutes ago, Franklin said:

Looks a like a great shed/summerhouse/mancave to me. Is it in your garden or an allotment?

My garden, when I got laid off during COVID I converted half of it into a no-dig vegetable patch.  It has been remarkably prolific with minimal work, although this year it has largely been growing leafy stuff for the rabbits and peas and strawberrys..  It'll need rejigged now. 

Plan is to make the path to the summerhouse wider (and shorten the plots) so it matches the door size.  Get some more cardboard and bark down and a small paved area out the front.  I'll have a  large paver about half way down.  Between the patio and the paver I'll have 2 nice area to dump the dob giving me good views.  Also want to put a todmorden pier in for the imaging rig.

The summerhouse is going to hopefully becoming an office for the wife in the day and a warm room/imaging room for me at night.  She's studying computer programming with the OU and managed to get a summer placement WFH last year, that got extended to December and then became a full time position (whilst still doing the OU!), goes without saying that I am incredibly chuffed with her.  We'll get the summerhouse insulated (I was concerned about the windows, but their 6mm thick!) and get power out to it from the shed.  My old man managed to get a woodburning stove from a neighbour so that'll be going in, although we'll need to see what the distance from combustibles is for it so we may yet go for a new one.

[JeremyS]

13 hours ago, Ratlet said:

My garden, when I got laid off during COVID I converted half of it into a no-dig vegetable patch.  It has been remarkably prolific with minimal work, although this year it has largely been growing leafy stuff for the rabbits and peas and strawberrys..  It'll need rejigged now. 

Plan is to make the path to the summerhouse wider (and shorten the plots) so it matches the door size.  Get some more cardboard and bark down and a small paved area out the front.  I'll have a  large paver about half way down.  Between the patio and the paver I'll have 2 nice area to dump the dob giving me good views.  Also want to put a todmorden pier in for the imaging rig.

The summerhouse is going to hopefully becoming an office for the wife in the day and a warm room/imaging room for me at night.  She's studying computer programming with the OU and managed to get a summer placement WFH last year, that got extended to December and then became a full time position (whilst still doing the OU!), goes without saying that I am incredibly chuffed with her.  We'll get the summerhouse insulated (I was concerned about the windows, but their 6mm thick!) and get power out to it from the shed.  My old man managed to get a woodburning stove from a neighbour so that'll be going in, although we'll need to see what the distance from combustibles is for it so we may yet go for a new one.

Looks large enough to be an AirB&B. Advertise it as astronomer’s haven under Angus skies.

[DaveL59]

On 22/09/2023 at 18:31, DaveL59 said:

No worries 🙂

Can confirm an EQ5 head fits, loose where it goes into the well of this adaptor but once bolted down it's fine.

Once I sort how best to attach it to the TAL tripod boss I'll be able to return the TAL tripod to original config and use the EQ5 on it that way and have a spare tripod with ally legs to use when needed too.

So a bit of a browse on that long river place yesterday eve and just now they delivered some stainless steel bits:
screw-eye 3/8-16 UNC and some 1.5mmx40mm M10 washers.

A couple penny washers under that screw-eye to spread the loading and...

How's that? 🙂 

Just need to refit the boss onto the TAL wooden legs and it'll be back to as-original with an EQ5 adaptor on top.

So here it is fitted up. I worked a 25mm nylon M8 washer down to fit the 20mm hole in the centre of the TAL boss to aid centring the adaptor and screw then opened the M8 centre hole so it is a tight fit to the 3/8-16 screw thread so it retains the 40mm penny washer on the screw eye. Overall pretty pleased with that result 🙂 

Now a couple things. You could bolt the adaptor base to the tripod and fit the upper section to the EQ5 and then try to screw the 2 sections together. Good chance of cross threading and awkward with the weight of the EQ5 even without weights fitted. Or you bolt the upper section to the EQ5 and then screw the bottom section on and fit that complete assembly to the tripod. I did the latter with the EQ5 laying on the sofa so I could line up the tripod & 3/8 screw eye. Still awkward but easier than trying to screw the EQ5 head on while balancing it one-handed. Getting it north-aligned, either one leg or between the legs aimed to N is a bit hit and miss, comes down to screwing it up nice and tight in just the right orientation, not particularly important tho.

I guess it'll be easier with a photo tripod with a fixed 3/8 screw in the head @StevieDvd but either way is doable and solves the issue of using an EQ5 head on photo gear if you do go that route 🙂 

A further update: I noted that if moving the scope by hand with clutches released it is possible to have the upper section of the adaptor start to rotate also, as in undo if moving things in that direction. I picked out a couple of 3mm nylon thumbscrews from my parts box and nipped those up tight in the 2 tapped holes where the threaded sections mate and that so far is keeping the two sections from unscrewing. Went with nylon to not damage the machined threads for the moment, might be worth running a metal screw in to mark the threads and then drill to accommodate a longer screw to lock the two parts together if it becomes a problem later on.

Edited September 24, 2023 by DaveL59

[bosun21]

Delivered a few days ago by DPD was a SW 150 pro Maksutov. Going to use this with an ADC for the planets. 
 

[Zermelo]

I ordered one of these illuminators from Aliexpress, when it was linked to by @Stu a few weeks back.

For under £9 posted, I thought it was worth having a spare, in case my current one ever gives up the ghost.

Edited September 26, 2023 by Zermelo
typo

[glafnazur]

I am meant to be downsizing my scope collection but somehow I couldn't resist this second hand Vixen A80MF Achromatic Refractor, 80mm f11.4 achromat.

It's in great condition and I've bought it as a grab and go for double star work 🔭🌟🌟

 

[bosun21]

A few bits and pieces for my new 150 Maksutov. A WO 2” diagonal, a heated dew shield, a base for my Telrad finder from FLO and an SCT clicklock visual back courtesy of @CotswoldsBloke. Just waiting for my ZWO ADC and first light.

 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by bosun21
Photo

[badhex]

4 hours ago, glafnazur said:

I am meant to be downsizing my scope collection but somehow I couldn't resist this second hand Vixen A80MF Achromatic Refractor, 80mm f11.4 achromat.

It's in great condition and I've bought it as a grab and go for double star work 🔭🌟🌟

 

That is quite some grab and go! 

[Stu]

Couldn’t resist this little gem at the price it was up for. It arrived yesterday while I was away but I put it together tonight and it’s really nice. Looking forward to giving it a go if we ever get some clear skies!

[JeremyS]

What is it @Stu?
Classic looking scope and great case

[Astroscot2]

36 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

What is it @Stu?
Classic looking scope and great case

Swift?

[Stu]

59 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

What is it @Stu?
Classic looking scope and great case

 

22 minutes ago, Astroscot2 said:

Swift?

It’s a 77mm f12 Hilkin in lovely condition, and complete with all its accessories.

Much better pics here in the ad.

I guess I’ll have to do a side by side with the FC-76DCU now 🤪🤣

[F15Rules]

43 minutes ago, Stu said:

 

It’s a 77mm f12 Hilkin in lovely condition, and complete with all its accessories.

Much better pics here in the ad.

I guess I’ll have to do a side by side with the FC-76DCU now 🤪🤣

Lovely scope, Stu.

Yep, thats a re-badged Swift (831, I think).. it's got the distinctive Eikow symbol, like an inverted Circle Y..

I believe Eikow was an early foreunner of a certain Takahashi brand.. see this thread..

Should be optically excellent 👌👍.

Dave

Edited September 27, 2023 by F15Rules
Link added

[Sunshine]

That may well be, if the focuser is any indication I am sure you're right!