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ES Twilight I alt az mount

Started by Manny Myles , May 04 2012 06:31 PM

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96 replies to this topic

#26 Manny Myles

James Webb Space Telescope

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Posted 16 May 2012 - 05:28 PM

Tonight I will be able to finally get the mount out under clear skies.
I have some mods to make then get cleaned up and the scope is already locked and loaded for the evening.
m2

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#27 munchmeister

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Posted 16 May 2012 - 09:20 PM

I recall reading some criticism of the Porta II's tripod being vibration prone, and that the Vixen Star Guy was an improvement. The specs of the Star Guy (operating height, load capacity, weight) seem similar to the ES I but at $100 more.

I was curious why you want an alt-az mount since your scope came w/ an Orion Astroview EQ mount.

I've been buying ala carte. First, a CG-4 mount, motorized, ST-4. Then the Orion 120mm 'fractor OTA. In my case, I'd like the ease of panning around with this Orion 120. Might even get binoviewers but not till I've enjoyed that Q70 32 in my signature. You can go swimming in that thing. But the CG-4 is bulky and since it has the motors installed, the slo mo controls are not usable. I've also considered the Desert Sky DSV-1 which I could put onto a Slik CF camera tripod I have. No slo mo controls but reviewing all that is on the web/CN about those slo mo stalks, they sound fracture prone. I just want to enjoy swimming around with that f/5 refractor. :jump:

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#28 Gary Riley

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 06:26 PM

Hey Manny,
Interested in how well the Twilight I does with your scope. I have a Celestron Omni XLT 102mm f/10 refractor OTA that I'm wondering if this mount and tripod will work well for it. My scope with finder and one of my Hyperion eyepieces puts the weight to almost 13 lbs.

Gary

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#29 EdTheEdge

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 12:19 PM

Too bad this thread stalled....

I just got mine yesterday and everything is fine except I did not get any washers, retaining clip or collar. I did get that additional round paperweight. I hope Bresser can send me a set.

Otherwise the mount seems like a perfect fit for my 80mm I used it for birding yesterday and it worked great. Then last night I was able to get in some sucker hole observing and I was quite please with the perfomance and sturdiness using my ED80 and ES8.8mm. It was a tad shakey but settled down rather quickly. I have but did not use antivibration pads. I want to try my 100mm when the clouds clear up. If it'll work with my 100ED I'll be a happy camper.

If Bresser sends me those missing parts that is!

Posted Image

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#30 JoeM101

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 08:21 PM

thinking of getting one of these... very nice Manny

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#31 OldManInHawaii

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Posted 05 August 2012 - 12:58 AM

You won't have any problem getting the missing washers & collar from Explore Scientific because their customer support has been excellent. And tightening the mount to the tripod helps to reduce the shakes.

That being said, a little heftier and taller tripod would help to reduce the vibration & make for easier viewing although the price & weight would be more.

I've attached a photo of the ESTWI mount on a tripod for my old Meade 2080 SCT (the ESTWI tripod is also shown for comparison). I made an adapter plate of 3/4" plywood which allows the Meade SCT (in alt-az configuration) or my ESTWI mount to be installed on the old Meade tripod.

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#32 OldManInHawaii

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Posted 05 August 2012 - 12:46 PM

Here's another photo of my ED102 on the ESTW1 & Meade tripod.

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#33 Agatha

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Posted 05 August 2012 - 02:38 PM

Looks really nice. Good job on the adapter plate. Using wood is a great idea. Thanks for the inspiration.

Regards,

Linda B.

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#34 OldManInHawaii

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Posted 05 August 2012 - 09:15 PM

Thanks ... am trying to keep this thread alive.

Here's the tripod & wood adapter plate with my Meade 2080 & its spreader bar/plate. My 2080's clock drive works but I rarely use it. And the alt-az configuration is a little easier to use since the finder scope orientation is always at the same relative location rather than at some angle in the equatorial mode. Notice also that I swapped finders between the two scopes since they both use the same size bracket.

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#35 EdTheEdge

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 10:45 AM

Just a note..... I called ES/Bresser this morning and they are sendoing out my missing parts asap!!!!

Thanks ES!

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#36 stevew

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 06:33 PM

So witch is a better Alt Az mount.
The Versa Go, The ES Twilight 1, or the Vixen Star Guy?

Steve

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#37 JoeM101

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 08:40 PM

Manny, with regards to the adapter plate you have on your alt bearing, what if you use a larger scope, won't that put a strain on the bearing when not in the horizontal position? the CG will be off quite a bit depending on the diameter of the OTA... how do you deal with that?

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#38 Locoman

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 08:53 PM

So witch is a better Alt Az mount.
The Versa Go, The ES Twilight 1, or the Vixen Star Guy?

Steve

Which VersaGo are you asking about? The VersaGo with micro motion which is the same as the ES Twilight or the VersaGo "AKA" AZ4. I own the AZ4 and is an excellent mount for a 6" f/5 reflector or smaller. I own the StarGuy and it is an excellent mount for my C6-SCT and my ST120. I don't like using my reflector on the StarGuy. The StarGuy has the very sturdy HAL130SXG tripod and the Porta mount has a proven track record. Damping times with the ST120 and the C6 are minimal. The addition of Manny's mounting bracket and panhandle has made my StarGuy even better. I don't own the ES Twilight so I can't give an opinion about it.

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#39 Starman81

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Posted 09 August 2012 - 04:53 AM

Is there a compatible extension tube for this mount? Like this one here for the AT Voyager mount.

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#40 Manny Myles

James Webb Space Telescope

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Posted 09 August 2012 - 06:48 AM

So far I have not had to do anything to the mounts I use the bracket on.
The mounts I use it on include the Porta and Voyager and all these come with clutches to dial up or down the tension should I need to.
When I got all 3 of these mounts I have never had to adjust the tension ever, factory set out of the box, some might need to.
Maybe some other owners could speak up.
m2

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#41 JoeM101

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Posted 09 August 2012 - 08:42 AM

So far I have not had to do anything to the mounts I use the bracket on.
The mounts I use it on include the Porta and Voyager and all these come with clutches to dial up or down the tension should I need to.
When I got all 3 of these mounts I have never had to adjust the tension ever, factory set out of the box, some might need to.
Maybe some other owners could speak up.
m2

Manny, i was wondering if the center of gravity shift is noticeable, i imagine that using larger OTAs will cause the shift to be more pronounced as the CofG of the OTA will not be in line with rotational axis of the alt bearing if you have a fixed height on the bracket. if you leave the tension off and balance the scope in the horizontal, what happens if you move to say 45 degrees alt?

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#42 beatlejuice

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Posted 09 August 2012 - 12:45 PM

if you leave the tension off and balance the scope in the horizontal, what happens if you move to say 45 degrees alt?

Joe, concerning the voyager, I have Manny's bracket and use an Omni 120 on it. If I balance in the horizontal I am good up to about 70 degrees. But I usually tighten up the alt a bit after that just to be safe. (It should be noted that I use a cg4 tripod with extension to add more overall stability)

Eric

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#43 OldManInHawaii

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Posted 09 August 2012 - 01:19 PM

Sorry to digress from the subject of Manny's mod, but I just noticed that ES has a quick-start installation guide for the TWI mount: http://www.exploresc...bly_Drawing.pdf

One deviation I made from this guide is to install one of the flat washers at Point A instead of mounting all the washers at Point B.

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#44 72king

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Posted 09 August 2012 - 04:45 PM

Is the only place to buy this mount on http://www.telescopes.com/? Going to order it tonight for
Skywatcher pro 100ed. Any thoughts on a red dot finder?

mking

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#45 OldManInHawaii

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Posted 09 August 2012 - 07:15 PM

The mount is in stock/available for $299 at the ES website: http://store.explore...tandtripod.aspx

Can't on the red dot finder for your scope, however.

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#46 JoeM101

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Posted 09 August 2012 - 09:51 PM

if you leave the tension off and balance the scope in the horizontal, what happens if you move to say 45 degrees alt?

Joe, concerning the voyager, I have Manny's bracket and use an Omni 120 on it. If I balance in the horizontal I am good up to about 70 degrees. But I usually tighten up the alt a bit after that just to be safe. (It should be noted that I use a cg4 tripod with extension to add more overall stability)

Eric

Eric, that's the thing, the bracket should take into account the OTA's diameter to attain proper balance, but i guess tensioning will do if it's close enough. I guess it's ok with scopes in the 3 to 6 inch diameter size. i'm curious though, why not mount it directly to the alt bearing? is it to allow accessories to be mounted on the rings? or is there another benefit? It seems that the mount will be laterally heavier, how does this affect stability... heftier tripod required?

Is the only place to buy this mount on http://www.telescopes.com/? Going to order it tonight for
Skywatcher pro 100ed. Any thoughts on a red dot finder?

mking

I got the astro-tech red dot finder from astronomics.com, can't live without it now. great price and quality, as for the ES twilight, you can get it straight from explore scientific or the Orion versaGo III, same mount diff name from telescope.com

clear skies

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#47 beatlejuice

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Posted 09 August 2012 - 10:14 PM

i'm curious though, why not mount it directly to the alt bearing? is it to allow accessories to be mounted on the rings? or is there another benefit?

Yes Joe that is the main reason as well as the panhandle that comes with the bracket. I have recently added JMI's TNT for voyager and therefore no longer need slowmo controls. I actually use a 4" riser most of the time on the Telrad and it is the most comfortable finding position that I have ever had. And yes, that is a heavier tripod underneath the mount extension(CG4) I swap mounts using the same tripod and extension depending on what I want to do. On occasion I use a 60mm with the same Telrad configuation which is a joy to use. The only overmounted situation I have. :grin:

Eric

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#48 JoeM101

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Posted 09 August 2012 - 10:48 PM

Eric, i figured as much, perhaps custom brackets would be a good idea for associated ring sizes, just a thought, may not be practical but i'm sure it would be welcome when balance becomes an issue at higher elevation. Don't get me wrong, i think it's a great idea as i'm actually designing a mount and had a similar config and almost scrapped it due to the CG concern... have you seen the Canadian Telescopes heavy duty duo, i was looking at a variation of this sort of design also but have to say, i really like the ESTWI very much as a GnG mount and Manny's bracket/pan-handle makes for a cool mod

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#49 beatlejuice

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Posted 09 August 2012 - 11:42 PM

have you seen the Canadian Telescopes heavy duty duo

I have heard of it and I think there are a couple of threads on it somewhere. After closer inspection it seems like it would be a perfect fit on my mount extension. No,No I must not think like that :grin:

Eric