DIY 16" binoscope

[keith5700]

Very nice!

Do you observe from a dark site, or so you find any problems with scattered light? I see you have the baffles behind the secondary mirrors, but are there any others??

I would have thought one of the problems is co-aligning the two mirrors so that the field of view is reasonably common between the eyes? I guess the brain is more tolerant of a mis-alignment than a camera, but how good does it need to be?? I guess you have collimation screws on the primaries?

What resolution are the alt/az encoders?

Sorry for lots of questions -- just interested

I haven't got a dark site but we're going to one at the weekend so will have a better idea then.

There aren't any more baffles yet but that's next on the list.

The primaries, secondaries and tertiary mirrors all have collimating screws, and a laser collimator is a must have item.

The brain can merge 2 images which are quite a way off from each other, but you'd soon get a cracking headache.

My experience of the 2 images is that the need to be absolutely crack on, leaving nothing for the brain to try and merge. Hence the all alloy rigid construction and painstaking attention to the initial setting up of the mechanics and optics.

The alt-az meters have a resolution of 0.1 degrees.

They seem very accurate for the money.

[angusb1]

That is very cool. I have been thinking about how to build a binocular telescope but had thought it could use a reclining chair like a dentist's which was moved along with the scope on a rotating base. This is a much more elegant design. Looking over your shoulder whilst standing up makes it portable as opposed to having to be stationary in an observatory. Truly ingenious and some wonderful engineering.

[zhgutas]

This is INSANE!!! Absolutely... My mouth just dropped open..Man.. now THAT'S a DIY!!

Marius

[keith5700]

Just a quick update.

My mate's had the scope for a few weeks, getting himself familiarised with assembling it on his own. The biggest pain was those Wixey type angle readers, so we decided to scrap them and get the Lumicon NGC Sky Vector.

I've now got the scope back and have fitted this, and done some little mods here and there to make it all more user friendly.

The encoders look a but vulnerable mounted where they are, but it'll do for now. Can't believe all the button pressing you have to do to locate an object on the Lumicon, but I guess it becomes easy once you've done it a few hundred times.

The last photo shows how the feet light up, although someone's obviously given it a good kick judging by the scuff mark. Maybe they weren't switched on!

Wre were getting a bit concerned that the scope didn't seem to be giving a pin sharp star image, but I now suspect this is from body heat rising in front of the scope. A de-focussed star image seems to be boiling all over the surface. It's difficult to test the theory as I can't get much out of the way and still see into the eyepiece.

Maybe some sort of heat deflector needs to be drawn up.

Cheers.

[Rusty Strings]

Amazing design and engineering.

[riklaunim]

Wre were getting a bit concerned that the scope didn't seem to be giving a pin sharp star image, but I now suspect this is from body heat rising in front of the scope. A de-focussed star image seems to be boiling all over the surface. It's difficult to test the theory as I can't get much out of the way and still see into the eyepiece.

Maybe some sort of heat deflector needs to be drawn up.

Cheers.

Try a webcam or other simple cam - put it in and run away or for deflecting maybe something like light shrouds for dobsonians :

Scrape a tent or a sleeping bag and you have heat deflecting cover or hide yourself in a sleeping bag for observations

[philj]

Love it, who says the art of ATMing is dead?

Great work and a fascinating project

Phil

[Bryndalf]

Holy **** that is amazing. Im surprised NASA hasnt been on the phone! You must feel like your spacewalking when you look through it.

Great design, great engineering...

[simon955]

Awsome job, beyond us mere DIY mortals.

[Astro_Baby]

I am blown away by that - truly awesome engineering. Seen some stuff in my time but thats just amazing stuff.

By the way I think you'll find the JMI system is a lot simpler and minus GoTo on their giant binos.

[RobH]

Not only a fantastic work of engineering, but a piece of art too

I vote pic of the week too....amazing job, I'd love to look through it.

Cheers

Rob

[RikM]

That's a fab piece of work. Well done indeed.

Rik

[sbooder]

I can not wait to see the strap you use to hang those binos round your neck. Truly wonderful things.

[keith5700]

Thanks again for the encouraging comments.

Riklaunim, good idea with the webcam, I'll try and get hold of one.

We were looking at the Moon the other night and I decided to do some experimenting with looking through one eye only, and then both eyes. The difference is really like chalk and cheese, it's so much better with 2 eyes. I can't bear to look through a single eyepiece scope now, it feels really weird and difficult to pick stuff out.

The 'spacewalk' analogy has been used many times, but it sums it up perfectly.

I was going to encourage others to try and get a look through a binoscope, or binoviewers, but thinking about it, it might not be such a good idea after all, if you know what I mean.

Next bit is sorting out the camera holder with an eyepiece so we can start imaging some planets.

Cheers, Keith

[kev 102 42]

When i win the uero millions tomorrow ill make you an offer you wont refuse,id have it in my front room in a glass case,its a work of art Keith..................kev

[brantuk]

"I was going to encourage others to try and get a look through a binoscope, or binoviewers, but thinking about it, it might not be such a good idea after all, if you know what I mean"

It's a great idea - but it'll double the cost of eypieces. Just got my W/O binoviewers going properly on an sct - and as you say - the difference is amazing

[PeterW]

Amazing bit of work! Certainly one of the larger binocular telescopes I have come across on the web. IT would be interesting if you wrote up your design, production and experiences and posted it on some astroforums to show others what can be achieved!

... Sounds like you need to learn to grind mirrors.... then you can continue your upward progress, though 162 binoculars isn't a bad place to stop.

Cheers

PEterW

[Deneb]

Amazing bit of kit, another vote for POW...

Nadeem.

[keith5700]

Peter, yes I ought to do a proper write up sometime. It would have saved me loads of time if I'd have had something to read up on before I'd started this. I suppose most of the difficulty, assuming someone had the engineering skills to actually do the construction, is in the lining up and collimation afterwards. In fact we've only just got it fully lined up this week really, and we've been overcoming collimation type problems we never even considered at the start.

The good news is my mate said today that he's persuaded his wife to let him build an observatory in his garden. That means I can start designing my dream scope, which is a 24" binocular. This one will be done properly, over a number of years, using materials bought for the job, rather than having to use what's lying around in the workshop!

It's a 2-3 year project, but means at some point the 16" scope will be up for sale, to finance the 24". Just a thought, if anyone did want to own it in the future.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I LOVE the lights in the wheel casters.

Absolute awe inspiring piece of kit and engineering masterpiece.

Well done again. You should be VERY proud of yourself.

[yesyes]

I have a feeling that, even if your friend's wife gave permission to build an obs, she won't agree on the size required for a 24" bino scope.. ;-)

I speak from experience. Mine has given me general permission to build one (once we bought a house) but when it came to the required size of the shed/obs she said "what? 2 metres? Do you really need it that big?" ;-)

The scope looks amazing though. Do I understand this correctly that you observe objects that are actually behind you when you look through the eyepieces?

[keith5700]

I think somewhere between 3 to 3.5 metres diameter should be ok with the scope, and he's got plenty of room for that.

Yes you are observing directly behind your head, as are pretty much all other reflecting binos that I've seen.

[John S]

Superb design and engineering.

I like the secondary adjusters, the tie rod pier, well all of it actually.

[PhilD]

Respect.

[Dons255]

Jaw droppingly grand - I want one!