Telescope Reviews: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working!

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Equipment Discussions >> Mounts

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Jeff B
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/30/06

Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working!
#4433133 - 03/07/11 07:07 PM Attachment (102 downloads)

Man this thing is a beast. Had to install it in several pieces with only a minimum of bodily injury.

It's a Parallax 250 HD Observatory mount. Solid. Solid. Solid. I've finally a mount to do the D&G 11" justice. So far the AP GOTO system seems fine but true to the "curse" , there have been clouds ever since installation last weekend so it's not exactly dialed in yet.

Jeff

Post Extras:

Jeff B
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/30/06

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Jeff B]
#4433137 - 03/07/11 07:08 PM Attachment (76 downloads)

Another view.

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Jeff B
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/30/06

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Jeff B]
#4433140 - 03/07/11 07:09 PM Attachment (73 downloads)

Finally, down low and thru the door.

Jeff

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Don Allen
professor emeritus

Reged: 07/07/05

Loc: Charleston, SC

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Jeff B]
#4433172 - 03/07/11 07:21 PM

Post Extras:

Steve Fisher

Reged: 08/12/06

Loc: Utah

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Don Allen]
#4433186 - 03/07/11 07:27 PM

Jeff:

Beautiful!

Post Extras:

richardlowney
member

Reged: 12/04/09

Loc: Wisconsin

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Jeff B]
#4433192 - 03/07/11 07:29 PM

Now THAT is a telescope. Beautiful!

Post Extras:

dothead
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 08/13/08

Loc: Heidelberg, Germany

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Jeff B]
#4433223 - 03/07/11 07:43 PM

Congratulations, Jeff.

Is it f/12 ?

What's the damping time of the set-up ?

Clear skies,

Ralph

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David Pavlich
Transmographied

Reged: 05/18/05

Loc: Mandeville, LA USA

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: dothead]
#4433524 - 03/07/11 09:57 PM

Now that is a nice looking mount!!

David

Post Extras:

frolinmod
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 08/06/10

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: David Pavlich]
#4433562 - 03/07/11 10:12 PM

Now that's a telescope! Drool...

Post Extras:

Jeff Morgan
Post Laureate

Reged: 09/28/03

Loc: Prescott, AZ

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Jeff B]
#4433631 - 03/07/11 10:41 PM

Incredible.

Post Extras:

skybsd
Post Laureate

Reged: 02/01/08

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Jeff B]
#4433966 - 03/08/11 02:53 AM

AWESOME!!!!!!!

Congrats on the new mount.,

Regards,

skybsd

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Max Lattanzi
professor emeritus

Reged: 06/27/07

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: dothead]
#4434009 - 03/08/11 04:16 AM

Quote:

Congratulations, Jeff.

Is it f/12 ?
What's the damping time of the set-up ?
Clear skies,

Ralph

Jeff,

Congrats on this side as well.
Yes, what's the damping time?
And what have you be using before?
Thanks,

-- Max

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TxStars
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/01/05

Loc: Lost In Space

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Jeff B]
#4434311 - 03/08/11 09:11 AM

Several years ago I got to use the "field" model of the same mount.
That thing is barely moveable as one piece.
And that scope makes the mount look small.
"WoW"

Post Extras:

Jeff B
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/30/06

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Max Lattanzi]
#4436032 - 03/08/11 08:52 PM

Thanks everyone, it really is a neat looking mount.

Ralph and Max, I really don't know the damping times yet as I've not had time really to use it due to weather. However, by just nudging it, RA seems very well damped, at least as good as the Byers Series II is. There is a bit too much backlash in DEC right now so that when DEC is balanced it can bounce around a bit. I need to snug the worm up against the gear a bit more. Adjustments like that seem easy. I can turn the RA very easily with my finger tips on the spur gears (It always amazes me to be able to move the 370 + pounds of scope, DEC castings, shafts and counter weights with just my finger tips). I'll adjust the worm on the DEC axis so that there is little backlash but still easily moves with the fingers as well and I'll probably leave a small imbalance in DEC to always load the gear train.

Jeff

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Mel M
super member

Reged: 05/04/08

Loc: southern Oregon

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Jeff B]
#4436308 - 03/08/11 10:47 PM

How tall is the pier? F/12?

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Mike Clemens
Frozen to Eyepiece

Reged: 11/26/05

Loc: Alaska, USA

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Mel M]
#4436713 - 03/09/11 04:49 AM

Looks proper. Super!

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Max Lattanzi
professor emeritus

Reged: 06/27/07

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Jeff B]
#4436744 - 03/09/11 05:43 AM

Hi Jeff,

Thanks. Pls let us know its behaviour when properly meshed in Dec.
May I ask what have you been previously using to handle that OTA.
Thanks,

-- Max

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Jeff B
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/30/06

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Max Lattanzi]
#4437126 - 03/09/11 10:38 AM

Before was a Byers Series II, which is now sitting on the observatory floor covered. For a moment the Parallax RA unit was sitting next to the Byers mount on the floor prior to me hoisting it up to the pier. I should have taken a picture as the Parallax RA assembly is bigger and weighs more than the entire Byers mounts...and the Byers is NO slouch, just lacks goto capability.

The lens is a D&G 11" F12. The pier is a two piece pier, with the lower, concrete pier 29" tall and the steel, upper pier bolted to it 60" tall. There is now an adapter plate/wedge that goes between the top of the steel pier and the bottom plate of the Parallax mount that lets me adjust the alt/azimuth of the mount. It adds 2" overall.

Jeff

Post Extras:

Max Lattanzi
professor emeritus

Reged: 06/27/07

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Jeff B]
#4437183 - 03/09/11 11:08 AM

Mmm, currently I have on the drawing table a 300mm f/10 (to be also stopped-down as a 250 f/12), and I had been considering a mount with 70mm solid steel axes (60mm in Dec) and 270mm wheels in both axes... 4.1 teeth/cm (sorry for the metrics)...

Maybe I am underestimating the torque.

You have there 15" in RA and 11.3" in Dec, right? How many teeth, if I may ask?
And your axes...?!

Thanks,

-- Max

Post Extras:

jrbarnett
Eyepiece Hooligan

Reged: 02/28/06

Loc: Petaluma, CA

Re: Parallax 250 HD Installed and Working! new

[Re: Jeff B]
#4437309 - 03/09/11 12:08 PM

Now *that* is a serious "mad scientist" setup!

That mount is beautiful.

I've been thinking about an off-the-grid observatory with a permanent pier myself, and had been thinking Mathis Instruments because they are local, but that Parallax is a thing of beauty.

Regards,

Jim

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