Telescope Reviews: cheap alt az mount

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Pages: 1

Pinbout
Post Laureate

Reged: 02/22/10

Loc: Montclair

cheap alt az mount new

#5710295 - 03/03/13 10:23 AM

I made this with the strategy of a dob az bearing.

I only put a couple of teflon tabs to help pivot.

when I made this vid the stepup ring 38-t2 was stripped so the camera was not tight against the eyepiece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agf9YsftLKA

this is my model

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=7af32ec9205610b616d61f0299...

visually it works well enough for me to sell my desertsky...

Post Extras:

kfrederick
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 02/01/08

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: Pinbout]
#5710328 - 03/03/13 10:41 AM

cool

Post Extras:

nirvanix
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 06/07/07

Loc: Saskatoon, SK

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: kfrederick]
#5710437 - 03/03/13 11:18 AM

Very nice.

Post Extras:

anrran
member

Reged: 04/03/11

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: nirvanix]
#5713510 - 03/04/13 10:24 PM

Nice! Do the teflon pads slide against the wood, or is there something in between the two?

Post Extras:

Pinbout
Post Laureate

Reged: 02/22/10

Loc: Montclair

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: anrran]
#5713521 - 03/04/13 10:32 PM

for this test I cut small pads to run against formica 909-42 crystal finish laminate and carpet taped them to the wood.

I have uhmw discs but haven't installed them yet. I have found the uhmw will be a lot stiffer, but I have a lot laying around.

I used the same hardware as what I do for a dob az bearing but I tighten it a lot more. it hold position very well.

Post Extras:

anrran
member

Reged: 04/03/11

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: Pinbout]
#5713587 - 03/04/13 11:18 PM

Thanks for the info...I was debating between getting a desert sky dsv-1 or trying to make my own friction type mount for a small refractor I have. Since I'm on a budget and have some spare wood lying around I think make one now!

Post Extras:

Jerry-rigged
sage

Reged: 01/30/12

Loc: Coastal Texas.

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: anrran]
#5714007 - 03/05/13 09:01 AM

Neat idea. I've been needing a mount for my ETX80. Something like that should work nice.

Post Extras:

Pinbout
Post Laureate

Reged: 02/22/10

Loc: Montclair

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: Jerry-rigged]
#5714070 - 03/05/13 09:53 AM

if you make discs of teflon, which would spread the forces out over the entire bearing surface, keep the teflon thin, like 1/32.

Post Extras:

Pinbout
Post Laureate

Reged: 02/22/10

Loc: Montclair

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: Pinbout]
#5732662 - 03/14/13 06:06 PM Attachment (30 downloads)

got it painted, need a logo and a dovetail. but last night I was tracking jupiter easily at 260 mag visual.

Post Extras:

careysub
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 02/18/11

Loc: Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: Pinbout]
#5733859 - 03/15/13 10:49 AM

You can't beat the KISS principle!

I notice that you are using a threaded hole for the pivot bolt, not an unthreaded one and a thrust bearing on the opposite side like the StarBlast system.

Any comment on your experience with this arrangement?

Post Extras:

Pinbout
Post Laureate

Reged: 02/22/10

Loc: Montclair

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: careysub]
#5733960 - 03/15/13 11:42 AM Attachment (22 downloads)

Quote:

Any comment on your experience with this arrangement?

never saw how they do it. I'm doing it kind-of-sort-of like astrosystems az pivot, and how I do my dobs. [oops I forgot to label the bronze bearing the bolt goes thru.]

Quote:

not an unthreaded one and a thrust bearing on the opposite side like the StarBlast system.

so with that system you have two plates that can spin? I only need one plate to spin. My milk jug washer/steel washer acts like a thrust bearing keeping the bolt from loosening.

Right now I'm using uhmw as a slip clutch material but with the teflon it would be buttery smooth. Last night I over tightened the az bearing too much so that was very stiff to try to hand track a vid of jupiter in the eyepiece.

For regular visual viewing its no problem but to keep jupiter at high mag onto the little vid chip is very painful even if I was using teflon.

Edited by Pinbout (03/16/13 08:55 AM)

Post Extras:

Pinbout
Post Laureate

Reged: 02/22/10

Loc: Montclair

Re: cheap alt az mount [Re: careysub]
#5735295 - 03/15/13 11:37 PM

here's a really bad vid shootin jupiter, remember I had the azimuth too tight, and I can't keep my hands off the focuser or the zoom of the vid camera screwed to the eyepiece.

blackbox mount tracking jupiter

its a lot easier to track with the eyepiece then the vid.

Post Extras:

Gordon Rayner
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 03/24/07

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: Pinbout]
#5737740 - 03/17/13 12:06 AM

I accidentally saw some relevant bearing construction information from RichV. He used a small roller thrust bearing where you have a milk jug washer and a steel washer.

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php/Number/5708871/

That post, and its vicinity, look to be useful.

Also see the following post, and its vicinity:

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php/Number/5147471/

I have not tried the small roller thrust bearing method shown, but may do so soon for a bearing about to be constructed . 3-wave spring washers from McMaster-Carr have solved similar problems for me. Sandwiched between two ordinary steel washers, a 3-wave spring washer provides a range of stable preloads on some small teflon washers for p-mount joints

Some combination of Teflon (or milk jug PE, if you must) and/or the cited roller bearing and/or a 3-wave washer
should be a satisfactory way to load the large main Teflon disc thrust bearing.

Post Extras:

Pinbout
Post Laureate

Reged: 02/22/10

Loc: Montclair

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: Gordon Rayner]
#5737837 - 03/17/13 12:47 AM

thanks for the links, yes these are great. I like the wavey washer also. I'm more of a needle roller thrust bearing guy myself.

but yes I must use the milk jug, its simple.

but when I do this for my dob az bearings I only use a bronze bearing with a shoulder and a metal washer, I don't put a lot of "load" onto the system.

Post Extras:

Mirzam
Post Laureate

Reged: 04/01/08

Loc: Lovettsville, VA

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: Pinbout]
#5738458 - 03/17/13 12:02 PM

Another option would be to get a 6" length of 6" aluminum square tubing from online metals. This would make a nice stiff support.

Aluminum mount structure

JimC

Post Extras:

Pinbout
Post Laureate

Reged: 02/22/10

Loc: Montclair

Re: cheap alt az mount new

[Re: Mirzam]
#5738516 - 03/17/13 12:31 PM

that would be cool. and get 1/2" thk discs waterjetted for around $40. but the b.b. would does hold its own.

Post Extras:

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