Steven Aggas
sage
Reged: 04/15/08
Posts: 290
Loc: Arizona
|
|
I incorporated an 8" touchscreen on an articulated arm near the focuser. This feature, to me, is at the same level of usefullness as the integrated filter slide that I built for the scope.... (Yea, I look pretty rough in the picture but it was day four of a five day star party after three all-nighters...  )
Given the length of the scope it became apparent in the design phase that I would get tuckered out quickly if I wanted to view the laptop's screen or DSC box which are mounted on a truss pole near the mirror box, or spend too much time searching with the 1/2 degree tfov.
I have to say, the touchscreen has proven to be one of the best $200 investments I've made in scopin' accessories. With the stylus I can access all the features of the planetarium software/DSC system and see where the scope is pointing in relation to the objects.
What is your favorite accessory for scopin'?
Steven
--------------------
Mr. Wizard
Elements in Harmony I, an 8"f6 German Equatorial - Stellafane Winner,
II a 20"f4.2 Newt-Dob - Astrofest Winner,
III a 6"f3.5 Finder/Newt-Dob, and
IV a 36"f4.5 Newt-Dob - "If it's up there, it's in here."
www.DarkSkyObserving.com
|
palsing
member
Reged: 08/11/05
Posts: 95
Loc: Poway, CA
|
|
Quote:
I incorporated an 8" touchscreen on an articulated arm near the focuser.
Is this touchscreen running some kind of program like Dark Adapted, or do you have layers of Rubylith or other gels on it to cut the brightness way down? I know there are people out there who would cringe to have something like this up there for all to see, if it had any chance at all of messing with their night vision...
--------------------
Paul
25" Obsession
5.5" Newt - finder (Cometcatcher)
Hutech 22 X 100 binos w/LPS-P2 filters
Canon 10 X 30 IS binos
|
FirstSight
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/26/05
Posts: 2516
Loc: Raleigh, NC
|
|
Mine is much humbler and low-tech, yet extremely thoughtfully and solidly built. My Starbound adjustable observing chair. Without it, my body's tolerance for observing wears out my will to continue long before my desire or interest are exhausted - an hour or so (often less) is my limit, at least without very long breaks. But with it along, I can keep going from 11 pm all the way to 4am last night (and I quit only because increasingly high humidity started lowering transparency too much, though dawn woulda got me anyway in another hour).
Best $175 I ever spent on astronomy. Of course, my scopes are of a more modest size than yours (12" dob and 90mm refractor) where hunched standing on the ground rather than stand-up viewing from a ladder is the predominate norm, absent an adjustable observing chair.
--------------------
Chris M., aka "First Sight"
Orion XT12i Dob with Moonlite CR-2 focuser
WO Megrez 90 refractor on UniStar Light mount
Nikon 10x50 Binoculars
|
Steven Aggas
sage
Reged: 04/15/08
Posts: 290
Loc: Arizona
|
|
Hi Chris, I know what you mean, my goose-down parka ranks up there too just to stay comfortable enough to view.
Steven
--------------------
Mr. Wizard
Elements in Harmony I, an 8"f6 German Equatorial - Stellafane Winner,
II a 20"f4.2 Newt-Dob - Astrofest Winner,
III a 6"f3.5 Finder/Newt-Dob, and
IV a 36"f4.5 Newt-Dob - "If it's up there, it's in here."
www.DarkSkyObserving.com
|
Steven Aggas
sage
Reged: 04/15/08
Posts: 290
Loc: Arizona
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
I incorporated an 8" touch-screen on an articulated arm near the focuser.
Is this touch-screen running some kind of program like Dark Adapted, or do you have layers of Rubylith or other gels on it to cut the brightness way down? I know there are people out there who would cringe to have something like this up there for all to see, if it had any chance at all of messing with their night vision...
Hi Paul, of course it’s covered, with a material actually darker than Rubylith, plus the unit is brightness adjustable, much more so than a typical laptop. As for others cringing, I can’t stop ignorance, LCD screens are only viewable at relatively narrow angles surrounding ‘on-axis’, so others in my vicinity see very little and even then, for me, it did not prevent separating Hickson 50’s five individual members last Thursday night. Obviously one can choose to push it away if one wants to go fainter than that….
Steven
--------------------
Mr. Wizard
Elements in Harmony I, an 8"f6 German Equatorial - Stellafane Winner,
II a 20"f4.2 Newt-Dob - Astrofest Winner,
III a 6"f3.5 Finder/Newt-Dob, and
IV a 36"f4.5 Newt-Dob - "If it's up there, it's in here."
www.DarkSkyObserving.com
|
David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6782
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
|
|
My favorite accessory: NEBULA FILTERS. There are so many objects and so much detail which they have revealed that I can't think of what we would do without them. Clear skies to you.
--------------------
David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
|
OldDeadOne
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/09/06
Posts: 1083
Loc: West Virginia
|
|
My favorite accessory: Clear Skies. Gotta have that.
--------------------
Bert O'Dell
PROUD GOTO USER
LX200 10" Classic
various meade plossi's eyepieces
Konig MX70 40mm" eyepiece
11mm T6
7mm T1
Insane under a full moon
I duck from Iron Skillets
Charleston WV clearsky
|
wirenut
sage
Reged: 09/21/06
Posts: 467
Loc: m'dale Pa
|
|
it's hard to narrow it down to one but here my favorite things no perticular order. my denver observing chair it makes viewing easier, my telrad it makes finding things easier & then there's my thermos full of coffee it warms me& keeps me going
--------------------
8"GSO dob
8,17 mm hyperions & FT rings
21mm stratus
25,15,9 mm plossls
ultima barlow
|
Seattle Brian
sage
Reged: 08/03/07
Posts: 272
Loc: Renton, WA
|
|
My most often used (and favorite) accessory is my Telrad. I really like my green laser too.
--------------------
Brian
|
Doug Brown
sage
Reged: 02/24/06
Posts: 318
Loc: Fort Worth
|
|
I think it is a buddy to share with.
--------------------
Doug Brown
Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too truly to be fearfull of the night. ---Sarah Williams, 1868
10” Mead converted to Dob
Broken 20 x 70’s
7 x 50’s
|
Dave Mitsky
Postmaster
Reged: 04/08/02
Posts: 6281
Loc: Pennsylvania, USA
|
|
Mine is the Telrad followed closely by nebula filters.
Dave Mitsky
--------------------
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
|
Nick Lloyd
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/24/06
Posts: 1641
Loc: cincinnati
|
|
Pocket Sky Atlas
Chair
Binoviewers
Although it's not my style, I like the screen thing.
--------------------
"The best scope is the one you use." -rcg
|
Mr. Bill
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/09/05
Posts: 2759
Loc: Just passing through.....
|
|
Quote:
Mine is the Telrad followed closely by nebula filters.
Dave Mitsky
Ditto... 
--------------------
10x50 Fujinon FMT-SX binos
15x70 AP binos + Paragon p-mount
Oberwerk 100BT 45 degree + Hercules fork mount
120mm f/5 Orion achromat + Moonlite focuser
140mm f/5.7 Vixen NeoAchro Petzvel refractor
150mm f/6.5 Antares achromat
150mm f/8 homemade achromat....EE Barnard MW Sweeper
8 inch newt with f/5 Swayze mirror
10 inch f/4.7 Orion newt + Paracorr
15 inch f/5 Discovery split tube
35mm Pan, 26mm Nagler, 17mm Nagler, 13mm Ethos, 8mm Ethos
Member IDA
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
[Re: 