Mods to skywatcher dob mount

[Wbarkingmad]

Hi, I thought I'd pass on a few mods I have made to my Skywatcher 200P dob mount. I've always been less thna pleased by the combined carry/steering/friction adjusting handles so now my mount sports three seperate sets of handles. The oringinls got shortened and are used soley for setting the friction. Some bits of aluminium angle got added to the tops of the side plates of th erocker box and are used for carrying. Best of all is the tubular steel handle located on the left side and protruding fore and aft. This allows simple slewing of the mount with minimum effort. The length and placement of th ehandles ensures a nice leverage ratio but minimal chance of tipping. This means that each handle is optimised for its job and thgusly performs much more effectively. I also made the azimuth pivot much more rigid and bushed the upper disc with PTFE, no side play and a much smoother action. I've added a setting disc to the base plate, vierwed through a hole in the upper disc and coupled with a digital angle gauge on top of the OTA, I'm well set for star hopping. A 90 degree finder and a rigel finder complete the picture, oh and a decent compass on the baseplate for basic alignment. If anyone is interested I will try to post a picture or two.

[Beulah]

Yes please.

[irishbloke]

I agree a photo is as good as a thousand words. It sounds good but I can't quite picture what you've done yet. I'm interested as I've a skwatcher dob too and can see the value in the mods.

Brian

[Wbarkingmad]

OK, as requested, there should be some attached pictures. The bit you can't see is the azimuth pivot. I welded the blot to a steel plate that is screwed into the ground board. This gives me a rigid and vertical pivot. I bushed the base of the rocker box with a PTFE bush turned to be a tight fit on the bolt. The result is a wonderfully smooth pivoting action with no side play whatsoever. The pics should speak for themselves. I've included a view of the rigel mounted on a bracket attached to the finder scope. If you'd like further details, I can try my hand at a drawing in visio.

[Rusty Strings]

Excellent, they'll make life so much easier, especially like the quikfinder mount.