Javascript Disabled Detected

You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

CNers have asked about a donation box for Cloudy Nights over the years, so here you go. Donation is not required by any means, so please enjoy your stay.

Post a picture of your mount!! (Part 3)

Started by Charlie Hein , Apr 25 2009 01:25 PM

«
Prev

Next
»

Please log in to reply

3143 replies to this topic

#176 coopfore1

Vostok 1

Posts: 127
Joined: 23 Nov 2005
Loc: il

Posted 10 February 2010 - 02:38 AM

CGEM and ATLAS

Attached Thumbnails

RobertED, KevinDuch, Orion68 and 4 others like this

Back to top

#177 Jim7728

Cosmos

Posts: 9,864
Joined: 10 Apr 2005
Loc: Stoop Landing Observatory, NYC

Posted 10 February 2010 - 10:05 AM

Another manual alt/az. AT Voyager head on a modified GP half-piller with HAL 120 tripod.

Update: Just wanted to say the FS-102 was a bit much for that setup, a shorter length ota would be a better match. Should have tested before posting. :foreheadslap:

Back to top

#178 Joe F Gafford

Fly Me to the Moon

Posts: 5,336
Joined: 15 Dec 2006
Loc: Denver, Colorado, US

Posted 13 February 2010 - 06:32 PM

Here's what happens when you forget the counterweights. I got good images of the Lagoon Nebula and the lunar occultation of Venus at sunrise that time!
Joe.

Attached Thumbnails

Orion68, Octan, Wizard1077 and 1 other like this

Back to top

#179 Harold925

Vostok 1

Posts: 134
Joined: 11 Jul 2009
Loc: Near Charleston, S.C. Cluster

Posted 13 February 2010 - 08:02 PM

Hello CS Gary,

Very nice observatory and equipment you have. Is that an AT111EDT mounted on your Atlas mount? If not, which is it? Everything looks great.

Back to top

#180 rwiederrich

Goldfinger

Posts: 13,638
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
Loc: Gorst Washington(center of the Universe)

Posted 25 February 2010 - 09:49 PM

Here is my *remade* and heavely modified Cave Observatory series large mount with 2.5" shafts.

Upgrades include a new Byers drive.....side reinforcing plates on the DEC RA junction..and on the alt and RA base.

I rebuilt the saddle with reinforced steel strapping and I built the 12" tube rings and brackets from rolled steel.

Just finished designing and building the new sector drive and fork....It sits with a new coat of paint too.

Last thing to do is build the 12v reduction drive motor for the sector drive. This thing has to hold and run my 10"f/15 around so it needed the upgrades. Its as rigid as anything now. :jump:

Rob

Attached Thumbnails

Rickster and mikeDnight like this

Back to top

#181 rwiederrich

Goldfinger

Posts: 13,638
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
Loc: Gorst Washington(center of the Universe)

Posted 25 February 2010 - 09:56 PM

Other side.

Rob

Attached Thumbnails

Rickster and mikeDnight like this

Back to top

#182 tidroplane

Apollo

Posts: 1,386
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Loc: Everett, Wa. USA

Posted 25 February 2010 - 10:14 PM

Here is my G-11 with AT111EDT and AT80EDT waiting for dark...

Attached Thumbnails

Nojus likes this

Back to top

#183 StarWrangler

Viking 1

Posts: 978
Joined: 03 Sep 2004
Loc: Three Rivers, MI U.S.A>

Posted 26 February 2010 - 11:12 AM

Hey Rob,

Great job,

Looks like it was suppose to be their
from the Factory.

Alan

Back to top

#184 Jim7728

Cosmos

Posts: 9,864
Joined: 10 Apr 2005
Loc: Stoop Landing Observatory, NYC

Posted 07 March 2010 - 11:56 AM

Gibralter 5 head with dsc's on Vixen tripod and half piller.

Attached Thumbnails

Back to top

#185 rwiederrich

Goldfinger

Posts: 13,638
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
Loc: Gorst Washington(center of the Universe)

Posted 08 March 2010 - 04:06 PM

Hey Rob,

Great job,

Looks like it was suppose to be their
from the Factory.

Alan

Thanks Alan.... I try to make my mods as professional looking as possible..though I am no professional.

Here are some updates to that mount.

A new drive motor for the sector drive for the DEC. Made from planitary gears from an old drill motor and a windshield wiper motor.

Attached Thumbnails

mikeDnight and Wizard1077 like this

Back to top

#186 RobertED

Gemini

Posts: 3,313
Joined: 11 Jul 2003
Loc: Smithfield, RI

Posted 08 March 2010 - 04:37 PM

Here's my Atlas with a newly added ADM dovetail saddle....'works for me!!'

Attached Thumbnails

Bob51 and Nojus like this

Back to top

#187 WayneJ

Mercury-Atlas

Posts: 2,915
Joined: 20 Aug 2009
Loc: West Chester, PA

Posted 08 March 2010 - 06:47 PM

My new CGE Pro and C14 XLT

My dream scope on a mount that is truly proving itself worthy of carrying the legendary C14!

Wayne

Attached Thumbnails

RobertED and Nojus like this

Back to top

#188 Luke Skywalker

Explorer 1

Posts: 65
Joined: 22 Apr 2008
Loc: Sudbury, Ontario

Posted 08 March 2010 - 07:13 PM

Hey WayneJ, I see on your picture that you are only using 2 counter weights and not 3 like indicated in the owner's manual. :question:

Back to top

#189 WayneJ

Mercury-Atlas

Posts: 2,915
Joined: 20 Aug 2009
Loc: West Chester, PA

Posted 08 March 2010 - 09:07 PM

One of the counterweights was damaged when it arrived, so it's being replaced. In the meantime, the bottom weight is actually a 35lb weight off an old mount. It's well balanced, but not pretty

Back to top

#190 RobertED

Gemini

Posts: 3,313
Joined: 11 Jul 2003
Loc: Smithfield, RI

Posted 09 March 2010 - 11:03 PM

:bow:Awesome Rig!!, WayneJ!!! :bow:

Back to top

#191 mattyfatz

Gemini

Posts: 3,422
Joined: 27 Dec 2006
Loc: Boise Idaho

Posted 10 March 2010 - 02:05 PM

Great setup Wayne. Will you use it for Photography? ,,, maybe a Hyperstar?

Back to top

#192 chuckscap

Apollo

Posts: 1,199
Joined: 18 Jul 2009
Loc: Colorado Springs, CO USA

Posted 10 March 2010 - 11:16 PM

Here's a picture of my used Parallax HD 150 I bought from Mark at Teton Telescopes, who was great to deal with, the stainless pier and Newtonian telescope are still Marks, Ijust bought the mount ...

Posted Image

It's with Joe at Parallax Instruments being checked out, stripped and repainted, and he's making one of his lovely portable piers for it. After that's done, I'm upgrading it to Gemini L4 with Maxon motors. I'll definitely post pictures of it on my deck when it's done with my Mewlon 250 on it ...

Chuck

mikeDnight and Nojus like this

Back to top

#193 WayneJ

Mercury-Atlas

Posts: 2,915
Joined: 20 Aug 2009
Loc: West Chester, PA

Posted 11 March 2010 - 11:45 AM

Great setup Wayne. Will you use it for Photography? ,,, maybe a Hyperstar?

Thanks Robert and Mattyfatz

Yes, this will be used almost exclusively for planetary astrophotography. You can see one of the first light images here...

By the way, I'll be posting some impressions of the CGE pro in a few weeks.. after I've had time to enjoy getting acquainted with it and putting it through more rigorous paces. Already, though, I can say that with some basic calibration and using the PEC (and two runs through the calibration and polar alignment routines), I was imaging at F/55 (about 19.5 meter focal length) on a 1/3" chip with a 30" FoV and the mount held the target dead-center with only slight corrections between 9-12 minute RGB imaging runs.

Wayne

Back to top

#194 RobertED

Gemini

Posts: 3,313
Joined: 11 Jul 2003
Loc: Smithfield, RI

Posted 11 March 2010 - 04:02 PM

Here's a shot of my Atlas with the C-11 and new dovetail and saddle parts from ADM...

Attached Thumbnails

Bob51 and Nojus like this

Back to top

#195 rogercelliott

Mariner 2

Posts: 249
Joined: 19 Sep 2008
Loc: Redding, CA

Posted 11 March 2010 - 09:21 PM

Here's my monster mash. The mounting is homebuilt with Optic-Craft drives (6" dia.). Did all the work myself which included some machining. If I had been able to take more time in Machine Shop classes I would have done something very different! But it is solid and tracks very well with little or no correction with good polar alignment.
Fafnir bearings, 1.5" RA axle and 1" Dec axle. The cool unique part is that the legs for the pier are easily removed by yanking up in the pier after removing a single bolt on each leg.