kestrel0222
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/21/06
Posts: 2338
Loc: Milford, Michigan
|
|
Nice work Jay, looks great!!!! 
--------------------
Tom
|
Mr Magoo
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 11/05/05
Posts: 998
Loc: Franklin, Indiana
|
|
Jay,
That looks fantastic! Looks like it was made to be there when the scope was new. Why in the world don't the manufactures offer this? Seems like it would be a simple no brainer to add during production. A few questions Jay. What is the scale printed on? Do you have a way to lock the scale in once it is aligned?
--------------------
Ken
Franklin, IN
Member, Indiana Astronomical Society
B.S.A. Astronomy Merit Badge Counselor
6" f/10 Dob
Vintage Sears Discoverer 4-6305A 60mm
Vintage Manon 60mm (The Marsha Scope)
Criterion RV-6
My CN Photo Gallery
|
Onslowe
member
Reged: 01/28/07
Posts: 26
Loc: North East England
|
|
Neoweb, i have just got the Wixey gauge in the UK for £33.90 inc delivery from a company that advertises on ebay "The Wi-Fi Antenna shop", it arrived 2 days after ordering. It needs setting to zero before you use it, I used a bubble level and managed to get it dead level (turn the Wixey gauge the opposite way to check for same reading to ensure correct 0.0 reading, thanks to Stargazers Lounge forum for that tip). I levelled my scope horizontally by eye and checked it, got 0.1 on the gauge not bad ! As far as I know you do not need to check with Polaris, I tried it between the clouds on Castor, Rigel etc and using Stellarium I was within 0.3 of a Degree and the stars were quite central in my 25mm eyepiece  Not bad, so thanks to everybody on this thread for their advice. I have fitted the degree circle to the base but have not had chance to try it yet but so far so good.
Cheers,
Onslowe
|
jayscheuerle
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/16/06
Posts: 4034
Loc: S. Philadelphia, PA
|
|
Ken, the scale was just printed at Staples on their large format printer. After roughing a sheet of clear acrylic with sandpaper, I spray-mounted the scale on (after I had trimmed it out into a circular ring). I put several coats of polyurethane on it, routed the shape out, hand-sanded the edges smooth, and then painted the exposed acrylic with satin-black enamel on the top and outer edge.
There's no need to lock the scale. It has no contact with the scope itself as it sits outside the diameter of the roller bearings by a couple inches. It's a ring and I have a triangular arrangement of 3mm cylindrical stops that the inner edge of the scale rides against. My routing must have been off a little as it doesn't rotate perfectly smooth (like butter), but "catches" in areas and there's a little more friction. I suppose I could make the stops abrasive and they'd wear down the high spots over time... 
--------------------
Walk purposely with a concerned expression.
The Green Goblin - 12" of dobsonian excellence!
The PortaBowl-a $100 4.5" f/8 ball-scope YOU can build!
Eero2-a 6" f/5 ball-scope you probably can't. 
|
kestrel0222
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/21/06
Posts: 2338
Loc: Milford, Michigan
|
|
I'm glad to hear the the Wixey gauge works for you. I too am using one of their gauges and it is great!!! The size is just perfect!!! Once you set the "zero", you never have to set it agian!!!
--------------------
Tom
|
Terry1229
super member
Reged: 04/16/06
Posts: 144
Loc: North, Idaho
|
|
Do you set it on a level surface to calibrate, or point the scope to polaris then zero it?
--------------------
Terry:
A 6" f8 dob with 14mm Anteres eyepiece
Wixey
Homemade EQ & stepper
QC pro4000
spc900
homemade ele. focuser
New [used] Meade 8" sc ota
New [used]] CG5
|
Onslowe
member
Reged: 01/28/07
Posts: 26
Loc: North East England
|
|
Set it on a level surface as far as I am aware, though I have just got the gauge and due to cloudy skies I have not had chance to try it out properly.
Onslowe
|
kestrel0222
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/21/06
Posts: 2338
Loc: Milford, Michigan
|
|
Just place the gauge on a level surface, turn it on, and select the "zero" button and you are all set!! Once you do this, you never have to set the "zero" again. Next time you use the gauge, just place it on your scope and turn it on, that's it!! It remembers that you have already set the "zero". Good luck!!!
--------------------
Tom
|
Onslowe
member
Reged: 01/28/07
Posts: 26
Loc: North East England
|
|
Well the clouds broke and I gave it a try (no Azimuth circles working yet). In my Mag 4.5 skies using the 9x50 finder and Wixey angle gauge I easily found M78, m35,m36,m37,m38 and M1 !! The angle gauge was spot on every time, no messing about leveling the base of the Dob, justset the Alt and moved the Azimuth slowly around until the object came into view in my 25mm eyepiece (not the best eyepiece as it came with the scope). About 10 years ago I spent £400 on didgital setting circles for an Eq Vixen GP mount, loads more hassle with not much better performance compared to the £33 Wixey gauge. You know it makes sense to get one.
Cheers,
Onslowe
|
neoweb
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
|
|
Quote:
Neoweb, i have just got the Wixey gauge in the UK for £33.90 inc delivery from a company that advertises on ebay "The Wi-Fi Antenna shop"...
Many thanks, just ordered one! ... now back to the degree circles.
--------------------
Celestron StarHopper 8" f/6 Dob
38mm Burgess 2" SWA | 30mm Ultima | 20mm Omni
17mm Hyperion | 12.5mm Baader Ortho
8mm TV Plossl | 6mm TMB/BO Planetary
Orion Shorty Plus barlow
15 X 70mm Skymasters
Saturn-like: desktop image
|
spudrick
member
Reged: 10/22/06
Posts: 20
Loc: Melton, Victoria, Australia
|
|
Hello Sorry for not answering have been away. I found the inclinometer from searching the internet for chinese manufacturer http://www.gemred.com/en/product.asp
i see they have updated the product list with what looks suspiciously like the Wixley model.
as i am always over there on business i got a friend to get a "Sample" for me cost US$40. Here in Australia the only one i could find was built into a laser level and was pretty expensive. 
--------------------
Terry
I come from the Land Downunder.....
|
neoweb
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
|
|
Hi all... well, I'm getting there slowly but surely. I've attached an azimuth scale to the Dob's ground board. Now I need to cut out a small section from the top board through which I can sight the scale. Some questions if i may:-
1. Should this cut-out be made at the very front of the top board directly below the centre of the OTA?
2. To align for azimuth, do I centre Polaris through the eyepiece and, whilst keeping the OTA where it is, turn the ground board independently until the zero/zero point appears at the front?
3. I've ordered this digital inclinometer which should be arriving shortly
4. I plan to use Stellarium to get the alt/az readings as I can access it on a PC close by the scope.
Thanks in advance for any help.
--------------------
Celestron StarHopper 8" f/6 Dob
38mm Burgess 2" SWA | 30mm Ultima | 20mm Omni
17mm Hyperion | 12.5mm Baader Ortho
8mm TV Plossl | 6mm TMB/BO Planetary
Orion Shorty Plus barlow
15 X 70mm Skymasters
Saturn-like: desktop image
|
kestrel0222
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/21/06
Posts: 2338
Loc: Milford, Michigan
|
|
I cut the notch in my top board on the same side as the eyepiece, that way it is easier to see and make any adjustments.
The digital angle gauge that you ordered is the same one that I have, and it sure works great!! All you have to do is to set it on a level surface, turn it on, and press the "zero" button to set it to 0°. That is it, you never have to set the "zero" again, just turn it on and go!
--------------------
Tom
|
neoweb
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
|
|
^ Thanks, Tom. So cut the notch on the same side as the eyepiece, then for alignment centre Polaris in the eyepiece and, whilst keeping the OTA where it is, turn the ground board independently until the zero/zero point appears at the notch?
--------------------
Celestron StarHopper 8" f/6 Dob
38mm Burgess 2" SWA | 30mm Ultima | 20mm Omni
17mm Hyperion | 12.5mm Baader Ortho
8mm TV Plossl | 6mm TMB/BO Planetary
Orion Shorty Plus barlow
15 X 70mm Skymasters
Saturn-like: desktop image
|
Beri
sage
Reged: 06/29/05
Posts: 294
Loc: Croatia
|
|
Here is how I resolved the initial az setup problem..
The ring with the azimuth protractor turns independently from ground board and az bearing....
So, the procedure is
1. Level scope
2. Aim Polaris (or any other object)
3 Adjust az protractor until desired number is under the ponter
This is much more convenient that trying to keep the tube aimed at an object while adjusting the base..
--------------------
15x70 Binoculars
10" truss Dob
http://www.scopemaking.net
|
kestrel0222
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/21/06
Posts: 2338
Loc: Milford, Michigan
|
|
Cut the notch and take a piece of metal strapping about 2-3" long and attach it to the inside surface of the surface that you just cut. This way, you can use a magnetic pointer for the fine-tuned adjustment to 0° for polaris.
In the picture below, I am able to adjust the pointer from about 74° to about 87°. This is only an example of the amount of adjustment I have built into my scope.
--------------------
Tom
|
Beri
sage
Reged: 06/29/05
Posts: 294
Loc: Croatia
|
|
I like that magnetic pointer idea, seen that somewhere before
Here is another variation :
More about this scope
And, the "grandpa" of my "push to" scopes , my old white 8" dob:
Azimuth circle with magnetic pointer
Altitude protractor, it doesn't get any cheaper
The computer, a vintage HP DOS palmtop PC.
Main advantage : LCD screeen with no backlight, so it doesn't mess up your dark adaptation, clearly readable with dimm red light.It runs on 2 AA batteries for months.
Software :
Its free, and can be downloaded here
--------------------
15x70 Binoculars
10" truss Dob
http://www.scopemaking.net
|
rnabholz
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/25/04
Posts: 897
Loc: Iowa
|
|
Quote:
Hi all... well, I'm getting there slowly but surely. I've attached an azimuth scale to the Dob's ground board. Now I need to cut out a small section from the top board through which I can sight the scale. Some questions if i may:-
1. Should this cut-out be made at the very front of the top board directly below the centre of the OTA?
2. To align for azimuth, do I centre Polaris through the eyepiece and, whilst keeping the OTA where it is, turn the ground board independently until the zero/zero point appears at the front.......
I placed the notch in the base on the eyepiece side, just a lot more convenient to not have to move from the observing position to line up the pointer.
As Tom and Beri have mentioned, having some way to adjust the scale or the pointer is important. It is impractical to have to move the base to calibrate the azimuth reading.
On my scope, I built about 20 degrees or so of adjustability in the azimuth scale. The entire scale can be turned to match the appropriate reading.
Good Luck with your system.
--------------------
Rod Nabholz
Home Built Astronomy Projects
Wild Bird Photography
|
lerock
sage
Reged: 03/23/06
Posts: 311
Loc: Arizona Coast
|
|
I wished the digital compass had worked better, it would solve many problems. I may try a hand held digital compass that sells for about $60 & claims 1 degree accuricy.
--------------------
Mike
18" f4.5 Obsession #1377
W/Argo Navis DSC
6" f/10 ANRA Canopus, circa 1963, modified for solar
If you don't make dust, You eat it.....
|
lerock
sage
Reged: 03/23/06
Posts: 311
Loc: Arizona Coast
|
|
Well, the more I read the specs, it's accually only +/- 2* accuracy. By the way, the compass tried earlier in this thread has a +/- 5* accuracy.... 
--------------------
Mike
18" f4.5 Obsession #1377
W/Argo Navis DSC
6" f/10 ANRA Canopus, circa 1963, modified for solar
If you don't make dust, You eat it.....
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
[Re: 
Edit
Reply
Quote
