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Iain Barker
member
Reged: 12/26/08
Posts: 48
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Just thought I'd pass this on to the list - currently on USA eBay there is someone selling Linak LP2.2 lifting columns at very discounted rates.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220463408623
These are smaller versions of the DL2 used by Pier-Tech in their motorized mounts. While the LP2 doesn't have enough extension length to replace a pier, it does make an excellent extension for either an existing tripod or a fixed pier.
The LP2.2 model has 24" fixed body and 8" max extension, powered by 12v DC so will run off a Powertank etc.
Here's an example of how to use:
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Number=2648796
I just received mine - bought for $40 plus shipping - and am in the process of adapting my Nexstar to mount on top of it.
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Bob Myler
sage
Reged: 05/18/06
Posts: 224
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Would something like this be strong enough to lift a person, i.e. - for use as an adjustable observing chair?
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Iain Barker
member
Reged: 12/26/08
Posts: 48
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Checking the ratings online, 1600N = 160KG, around 350LB and I think they are used in hospital beds so I would say yes - not sure if 8" is enough travel for a useful chair though?
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Erik D
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/28/03
Posts: 3196
Loc: Central New Jersey, USA
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Quote:
not sure if 8" is enough travel for a useful chair though?
I would say not... unless you are mounting a scope no bigger than 100mm F6. I use a Quickset Hercules tripod with 18 inch center column travel to mount my 6 inch F8 AP refractor. There are times when I need the reduce the leg spread to gain a few more inches to observe objects near zenith. (the center of the Losmandy saddle is more than 7 ft off the ground).
The EP location of my 25X100 mm binocular can change by as much as a foot when I tilt from horizon to zenith. That's for ~F 3.5 system with prisms to fold the light path. Most Manfrotto/Bogen heavy duty tripods have at least 10 inch of center column travel. The 3046/3246/028 tripod has an 18.9 inch geared center column. But it's rated for 26.5 lbs load.
Great price for a power lift though.
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tim53
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/17/04
Posts: 1447
Loc: Highland Park, CA
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Erik:
Sort of OT, but I also have a quickset hercules ( TV NP101is on SP and Hercules tripod , scroll down past the super polaris tripod pix). I got it really cheap, but the gear that raises the center column is stripped. Do you know of an after-market source for replacement parts for these?
On topic: That's a great price for one of the Linak lifts. I saw similar ads a couple years ago, but couldn't tell which pier was being offered. Has anyone ever seen one of the larger units on ebay?
I've wondered about mounting my Tak EM-500 mount head on such a pier, so it could be lowered and thus lower the CG so I could wheel it in and out of my shop without fear of pushing it over when a wheel gets caught on a bump!
I've also thought about making one using a high-lift bottle jack and a couple of nested pipes. But the linak would be a neater job.
-Tim.
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"We`re just waiting looking skyward as the days come down.
Someone promised there`d be answers, if we stayed around."
-Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, "The Romance of the Telescope"
Edited by tim53 (10/22/09 01:43 PM)
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Iain Barker
member
Reged: 12/26/08
Posts: 48
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As the price was so good I just bought another two of the Linak units off eBay, with an idea to bolt two together to get more height (useful to clear some of the obstructions I have in my viewing area).
I won't use that for my C11 though, it'll be for the C6 to see 'over my shoulder' views from the NW, above the neighbors roofline.
Interesting that you mention a high-lift bottle jack - I have one that I was going to use originally, but the Linak just seems like a better solution overall, as I couldn't get the jack to damp vibrations properly at max extent.
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Luigi
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 4938
Loc: MA
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There's a pretty good chance that these will lift fine, but will wobble to some extent. It's unlikely they were designed to have the longitudinal rigidity between the fixed and moving part needed for a pier. If not, you may be able to come up with some method to improving it...perhaps some means to clamp the two pieces together once set at the desired height.
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17.5" f/5 Dob. IM-715 MCT. 120ED. Lunt 60mm Ha.
Zeiss, Leica, Fujinon, Nikon, Pentax, Bushnell bins
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