Putting a Sky Tee 2 Mount on a flat Tripod base

[Jasonb]

Hi there,

I currently have an Sky-watcher AZ5 mount and a Meade Field 2" Steel Tripod. The top of the Tripod is perfectly flat (ignore the three bolts, they can come out) with a hole in the middle for the bolt from below (the hole is about 20mm diameter).

 

 

 

The base of the AZ5 is also flat, and fits together perfectly with my tripod. However, I am hoping/planning to buy a Sky Tee 2 mount, and the base of the Sky Tee 2 isn't flat...

 

 

You can see the protrusion coming out of the base of the mount, it's 60mm in diameter but I don't know yet how high/deep it is, and I don't know yet the total diameter of the whole base of the mount itself. The protrusion is designed to slip into the "well" at the top of some Sky-watcher tripods.

So, for my current set up (150P Reflector) I think just attaching the mount onto my tripod (and using an M10 bolt to tighten it in place) will probably be fine, it will be sturdy enough. However, I plan to upgrade with a heavier scope/counterweights etc., so ideally I want full contact between all of the bottom of the mount and the tripod. In other words, not just the base of the protrusion.

I have searched online for some adaptors, like this one from Berlebach...

 

 

but this particular example is too "deep" a well, and also the "walls" of the adaptor are too thin, so really I would have less mount in contact with the tripod/adaptor than I would have without any adaptor at all.

I have also tried searching for basically a large metal washer to act as a collar or gasket around the mount's protrusion, something like this...

 

 

One (or more) of those, with the correct dimensions, effectively supporting the outer edge of the mount, with the protrusion sitting in the middle. So far though, I have only been able to find the correct inner diameter (60mm or slightly more) on parts that you have to buy in bulk, and cost hundreds of euro!

So, I am opening this up to the hive mind here. Any suggestions? I know I could "just" get a different tripod and that would solve this problem, but I love my tripod, it's solid as a rock, and I wasn't planning to replace it, and my funds don't go that far. Does anyone have a Sky Tee 2, could they let me know how tall/deep that protrusion is, and the diameter of the full base of the mount, just so I have those figures? Any ideas how to buy/create a collar/gasket for this setup? Preferably one that doesn't cost the same as a new tripod!

All suggestions welcome, thanks!

Edited yesterday at 18:33 by Jasonb

[Astronomist]

If you can do very basic CAD you could get a quote from an online machining service and have an aluminium adapter made; I just got an instant quote from PCBway for an approximation of the part you need, it said £30. Of course you will need the dimensions first if you want to do this.

Have you tried trawling Aliexpress for washers? In my experience they seem to have everything, even really odd sizes.

[Jasonb]

Good ideas, thanks Harry! I definitely need to get the exact dimensions so I know what I am looking for. My local telescope shop is waiting for some Sky Tee 2 mounts to come in, so I can't measure until I get my hands on one (or some kind soul on here measures theirs! )

[John]

I have an alloy adapter disk that does exactly this. It fits onto the base of my Skytee II creating a flat, wide bottom to the mount.

The dimensions of the disk are 100mm diameter, the hole in the centre is 60mm and the disk is 7mm thick. Mine came with a mount so I don't know who made it I'm afraid.

I use the thing, otherwise I'd pass it on to you !

 

 

 

 

[Jasonb]

 

6 minutes ago, John said:

I have an alloy adapter disk that does exactly this. It fits onto the base of my Skytee II creating a flat, wide bottom to the mount.

The dimensions of the disk are 100mm diameter, the hole in the centre is 60mm and the disk is 7mm thick. Mine came with a mount so I don't know who made it I'm afraid.

I use the thing, otherwise I'd pass it on to you !

 

 

 

 

It's good to know it's a possible solution then! Any chance you could show me a pic of it in place, if that's not too awkward? Do you know if the 7mm is a perfect height, or does the bottom of the protrusion on the Skytee 2 not reach down all the way to the bottom of the disk, and doesn't touch the tripod?

Edited yesterday at 19:15 by Jasonb

[John]

5 minutes ago, Jasonb said:

 

It's good to know it's a possible solution then! Any chance you could show me a pic of it in place?

Best I can do right now is a quick snap:

 

[Jasonb]

Wow, that looks perfect! Nice one John, just seeing that really helps me see what I am trying to get done...

[omo]

Similar idea to John's.

Its basically a 12mm thick washer. You can get a local machine shop to make you one, or there are places online that will cut to size for you.

Like Lasermaster

[Jasonb]

Clearly I am not the only person who has faced this issue! A quick question about your washer Omo, do you know what material it's made of? I am no expert but I am guessing aluminium would be fine for a job like this, or should it be steel? I see you have yours permanently attached with bolts, I think I would be happy with mine just sitting in place, as the mount would hold it against the tripod.

I had a quick look at Lasermaster, £15 to get a 100/60 disk made from Aluminium. They only do 6mm or 8mm thickness though, I might see if they can do 7mm if I email them, as @John's disk is 7mm in depth.

Edited 13 hours ago by Jasonb

[omo]

@Jasonb yes aluminium. See thicker options are greyed out, may be waiting on stock.

[Jasonb]

I'm actually seeing if there are any similar services in Ireland, as that might save me money on shipping/customs etc. But at least I have the correct measurements now from @John, so that's great.

[Ratlet]

How close to 7mm does it need to be?

If you stack a 50,20,2 and 1p you'll get a stack 6.9mm high.  4 of these will be 6.9mm.

If you want to go the other way 2*1p, 1*2p and 1*10p will be about 7.2mm.

You'll need 4 of the stacks but it'll balance the outer ring and it's a lot cheaper than a tripod.

[John]

7 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

How close to 7mm does it need to be?

If you stack a 50,20,2 and 1p you'll get a stack 6.9mm high.  4 of these will be 6.9mm.

If you want to go the other way 2*1p, 1*2p and 1*10p will be about 7.2mm.

You'll need 4 of the stacks but it'll balance the outer ring and it's a lot cheaper than a tripod.

The Skytee II base projection is pretty close to 7mm. Other mounts have slightly longer or shorter projections. 

Stacking coins or washers and putting them at 3 equally spaced points around the projection would be workable, maybe as a temporary approach ?

 

Edited yesterday at 20:18 by John

[omo]

The lads at Rowan Astro used 4 thick washers (5mm) to accomodate their AZ100 pier adaptor to a flat surface, they were bolted in place though.

[Jasonb]

12 hours ago, Ratlet said:

How close to 7mm does it need to be?

If you stack a 50,20,2 and 1p you'll get a stack 6.9mm high.  4 of these will be 6.9mm.

If you want to go the other way 2*1p, 1*2p and 1*10p will be about 7.2mm.

You'll need 4 of the stacks but it'll balance the outer ring and it's a lot cheaper than a tripod.

I'd have to figure that out in Euro!  But I think I prefer getting a solid washer that makes a connection all the way around, just a much more permanent solution.
 

12 hours ago, John said:

The Skytee II base projection is pretty close to 7mm. Other mounts have slightly longer or shorter projections. 

Stacking coins or washers and putting them at 3 equally spaced points around the projection would be workable, maybe as a temporary approach ?

 

I'm guessing the protrusion is 7mm or less, as if it were more than 7mm then there would be a very slight gap between the washer and your mount, as it would be standing proud a little bit, right John?

LaserMaster offer 6mm and 8mm, I can always email them to see if they do 7mm. I reckon it would cost about €30 in total for me to get the disk made from them, including shipping and customs duty etc.

I am gonna contact a company I found here in Ireland to see if they do a similar service, and how much it would cost, just to compare...

 

Edited 13 hours ago by Jasonb

[John]

15 minutes ago, Jasonb said:

I'm guessing it's 7mm or less, as if it were more than 7mm then there would be a very slight gap between the washer and your mount, as it would be standing proud a little bit, right John?


 

I've just measured the depth of the base projection of my Skytee II and it's 7mm but that is with a plastic ruler - I don't have a more accurate way to measure it. If your washer was a mm too thick then the mount would still sit on a flat base fine.

 

Edited yesterday at 20:45 by John

[Jasonb]

Thanks a lot John! I just looked at the Sky-watcher 1.72" Steel tripod that FLO sell with the Sky Tee 2, and it is clear in the pics of it that the "well" on that tripod is much deeper than 7mm. I assume this is because it can take other mounts with bigger protrusions.

 

 

In other words, in the recommended setup (SkyTee 2 and 1.75" Sky-watcher Steel Tripod), the bottom of the protrusion does not hit the tripod, only the outside ring sits on the tripod.

All of which means, as long as my washer is more than 7mm, so that the protrusion base doesn't hit the tripod, then I have the same setup as the recommended one. A 8mm washer, or even a 10mm or 12mm washer, would be just fine, and there would be a small gap between the bottom of the protrusion and the top of the tripod, just like there is when using the actual recommended tripod. 

So I can get an 8mm Washer from Lasermaster for about €30 give or take, and I will see what I can get in Ireland and if it will be cheaper!

[John]

Sounds like a plan ! 🙂

[RT65CB-SWL]

I had a similar issue many years ago when attaching my Tele-Optic Giro to a Meade field tripod. [image below].

I found an outlet in Reading that dealt with industrial rubber products and I asked them if they were able make me a large 0.5inch/12.5mm thick diameter rubber bush/washer. It did the job and being slightly thicker than the mount flange, it prevented it from slipping when tightened up! 

Edited 12 hours ago by RT65CB-SWL