RS67Man
Tinker King
Reged: 11/10/07
Posts: 824
Loc: Spanaway, WA USA!
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Nothing new, just wanted to post pics of the one I made:
original idea come from S & T DYI section. Had given thought on building a bino chair, but this was easier. It works great! Notice the mount for the binos made out of welded 1/8" steel plate, can we say solid as a rock? 
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AEACC The Automatic Electric Aluminum Can Crusher thread
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Gordon Rayner
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 2175
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I made one with a collapsible/removable stabilization pole low in front, out of the field of view, shortened the frame so I can sit,added handles and shoulder cushions, and added wood counterweights behind my head. It is more versatile than the S&T original, with which I also experimented. Even with the stabilizer pole absent,for grab and go in confined spaces, it is more stable than handheld, and can be conveniently leaned on a cartop, tree branch, etc. The Canon 15 x 50 , with its system activated, is more stable on one of these inertial devices than handheld.
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2142
Loc: British Columbia
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I think we need pictures Gordon!
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
Intes MN66
Meade SN8
handfull of cheap ep's
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Gordon Rayner
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 2175
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I have thought of that, but in its present form, it would probably confuse or cause many requests for explanation, because it is a conglomeration of several approaches,has multiple(some redundant) adjustments and looks like the testbed which it is(though a very handsome, functioning one, with varnished oak and redwood , alodined aluminum sliders teflon, even some titanium fasteners)
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2142
Loc: British Columbia
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oh c'mon! you gotta show us what you're boasting about! 
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
Intes MN66
Meade SN8
handfull of cheap ep's
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Gordon Rayner
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 2175
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I described the functions in detail about a half a year ago. You can find it with a search. Other than what I wrote above, I can add that a 4 foot min. to 8 foot max extended painter's pole is a good choice for the stabilizer, which should be forward and below a frame about 4 feet long. My counterweights pivot eccentrically in each other to extend or retract and fine-tune the balance. An important feature is adjustment of the eyepiece height above the frame independent of the adjustment(if any) of the the angle(if any) at which the binoc tilts backward from a position parallel to the frame.
Hand knob screws or thumbscrew are very useful, as are threaded inserts or tee nuts. See Berry&Kriege(Willmann-Bell)but rather than hammering in tee nuts, if chosen, pull them in with a bolt I made a recessed guide block to maintain perpendicularity when installing threaded inserts with a bolt and nut and washer tool. A drill press is very useful, but not essential. One could use a hand drill with a guide frame or guide block to guide at least the first drill of a series to enlarge a hole.
The frame is 3/4 x 1.5 oak or beech from a big box home center, with larger wood used for the binoc support and for the front crossmember, from which the pole is hung by EMT pipe hangers(home center), padded with rubber sheet.
The handles are hardwood dowels. The shoulder cushions are surfboard/sailboard cartop rack pads.
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Gordon Rayner
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 2175
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I need a better digital camera, but you asked for it, so you may see something soon,complete with the redundant structure and sliders.Am I boasting? I thought that I was helping out.
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Gordon Rayner
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 2175
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Here are some pics with my cheapo digital camera :"near" and "distant" are the focal settings. I forgot to install the handles, which extend downward when attached to the front crossmember. There is too much internal bracing in these shots. It detaches quickly . Again, this is a versatile, functioning mount, but it is a testbed, so do not be put off by its apparent complexity. I did not attach the binoc, nor the yellow stabilizer pole, whose normal position is under the front crosspiece (3/4 red oak).
" File too large" . I shall need to take some lower resolution shots to post
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Gordon Rayner
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 2175
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Post deleted by Gordon Rayner
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Gordon Rayner
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 2175
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Post deleted by Gordon Rayner
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Scanning4Comets
Markus
Reged: 12/26/04
Posts: 10114
Loc: Deep Space!
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If anybody needs to post pics and resize them a very EASY way to do so is use the "paint" program on their computer.
Right click on picture, then left click "open with" paint. Then go to "image" then "stretch and skew" and make the horizontal and vertical size smaller then 100%. For CN I usually use 45 as my size. Then after you resize the image, go to "file" "save as" and choose JPEG. Then you'll be good to go for loading your pics on CN. 
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Markus
10" F/4.7 Modified Skywatcher Reflector, 38mm Orion Q70, 22mm Vixen LVW, 14mm Denkmeier, 10mm Pentax XW, 7mm Pentax XW, 5mm Vixen LVW, 2" GSO 2x ED Barlow, 2" DGM O-III, Custom Laminated Star Charts, Uranometria 2000 Custom made maps with custom made rotating map holder, Astro Cards, Seen All Messier, Hundreds of NGC, Working on Herschel 400, Star hopper for over 30 yrs.
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Gordon Rayner
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 2175
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Thank you. But in Windows ME, there does not seem to be a JPEG option in "save as", just color resolution/black and white options. Camvan sent me a PM with a trick which requires Windows XP. Maybe I should get a new system, as well as a better camera.
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2142
Loc: British Columbia
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new system I could agree with Gordon...don't know about camera. ME is long dead and no longer supported and is basically a serious security risk. I wouldn't recommend going into Vista tho, so I'd look at finding a small PC company locally that custom builds the rigs there and could provide you with XP.
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
Intes MN66
Meade SN8
handfull of cheap ep's
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Gordon Rayner
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 2175
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I read the picture posting instructions at the top of this forum, and just put 4 pics, with notes , in my gallery.
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2142
Loc: British Columbia
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RS67Man, I must apologize if any of this seems like we've stole your thunder! I love what you made! I've thought about making one myself, just never have. can you tell us how you find it for using?
and just for a quick reference to seeing Gordon's pictures, here is a link, I hope will work!: Gordon's IS Mount
another question directed to you Gordon. is there any way you could have a picture taken while you have it all set up and simulate it being used? my eyesight is bad and I find your pictures too small to get the full grasp of what you have there. I can see you've got it heavily modified with all those drilled holes for altering the length etc, as you've said previously!
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
Intes MN66
Meade SN8
handfull of cheap ep's
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RS67Man
Tinker King
Reged: 11/10/07
Posts: 824
Loc: Spanaway, WA USA!
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Quote:
RS67Man, I must apologize if any of this seems like we've stole your thunder!
It is ok, I have been enjoying the conversation on my  "highjacked" thread. I was tempted to post my link to a two year long project I completed not long ago, to show my true abilities, but is is not astronomy related. Ok I can't stand it, check out the videos on youtube, but I warned ya! 
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=RS67Man
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AEACC The Automatic Electric Aluminum Can Crusher thread
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2142
Loc: British Columbia
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that's a pretty interesting device there, but I would think it'd be good to have it crushing cans on a continual basis instead of one at a time. when you have a lot of cans to crush, it would take some time!
and while it's off-topic... ...can it do standard food (tin) cans besides pop cans?
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
Intes MN66
Meade SN8
handfull of cheap ep's
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Scanning4Comets
Markus
Reged: 12/26/04
Posts: 10114
Loc: Deep Space!
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That would be a TAD noisy, dontcha think?
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Markus
10" F/4.7 Modified Skywatcher Reflector, 38mm Orion Q70, 22mm Vixen LVW, 14mm Denkmeier, 10mm Pentax XW, 7mm Pentax XW, 5mm Vixen LVW, 2" GSO 2x ED Barlow, 2" DGM O-III, Custom Laminated Star Charts, Uranometria 2000 Custom made maps with custom made rotating map holder, Astro Cards, Seen All Messier, Hundreds of NGC, Working on Herschel 400, Star hopper for over 30 yrs.
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RS67Man
Tinker King
Reged: 11/10/07
Posts: 824
Loc: Spanaway, WA USA!
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The one at a time design was decided by wife, I did have ideas to put a "hopper on it, but she said it is unnessasary. It will crush a 12 pack in a minute, so it isn't slow. It has a moter overload curcuit that measures the load on the motor. It is set at just above the load of one aluminum can being crushed before it trips. This in conjuction with a slipper clutch protects the machine from destroying itself if a can(s) gets jammed in machine. It would be able to handle tin cans, but it is ment for aluminum. it is acually very quiet, water running in the kitchen sink is louder.
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AEACC The Automatic Electric Aluminum Can Crusher thread
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KennyJ
The British Flash
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 20139
Loc: Lancashire UK
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< This in conjuction with a slipper clutch protects the machine from destroying itself > --
-- but wouldn't self - destruction be considered a GOOD thing , particularly in these days of anti - burial of material waste philosophy ? :-)
Kenny
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Milton Wilcox R.I.P
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