Other "Do It Yourself" projects

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DIY scope dolly

Last post by Greenman « Mon Nov 09, 2020 9:34 pm
Replies: 11
by Larry 1969 » Sun Sep 06, 2020 5:17 pm

First post

Good day all!
I had been trying to find plans to make your own scope dolly and wasn't having much luck...
I looked into the scope buggy and was put...

Last post

Inventive and practical, I like the end product.

11 Replies

1013 Views

Last post by Greenman
Mon Nov 09, 2020 9:34 pm
Center of Mass

Last post by GCoyote « Tue Nov 03, 2020 2:21 pm
Replies: 26
by GCoyote » Fri Aug 14, 2020 1:09 pm
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First post

Plan: Build this DIY wedge for my ~ 5 lb Mak to sit on.

EQ Wedge DIY.jpg

Qptions

a. Just center everything and hope for the best.
b. Try to...

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n.b. Browsing the Web, EBay suggested a Meade wedge for $289. At the least, this project is helping me understand all the components, how they...
26 Replies

1565 Views

Last post by GCoyote
Tue Nov 03, 2020 2:21 pm
Dew Shield for my 90 mm Mak

Last post by GCoyote « Mon Oct 12, 2020 3:21 pm
Replies: 11
by GCoyote » Sat Oct 03, 2020 9:22 pm

First post

I need to get better at documenting what I'm doing so this is as much for me to practice as for the value of the project itself.

As someone else...

Last post

Heh, I sometimes use friction tape to mount my TelRad to a random OTA. Nice thing about this hobby, very few witnesses!

11 Replies

619 Views

Last post by GCoyote
Mon Oct 12, 2020 3:21 pm
Mirror Temperature Monitor

Last post by Piet Le Roux « Tue Oct 06, 2020 7:18 am
Replies: 1
by Piet Le Roux » Tue Oct 06, 2020 2:00 am

First post

Seeing conditions has a huge effect on how well your reflector telescope preforms, Much of the atmospheric seeing problem, however, arises...

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Just to clarify the sensor placement.....
mirror_image_for_seeing_m.jpg

1 Replies

157 Views

Last post by Piet Le Roux
Tue Oct 06, 2020 7:18 am
Mini Tripod for my Starblast 6i

Last post by Peter802 « Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:40 am
Replies: 6
by Big_Eight » Thu Sep 24, 2020 4:04 am

First post

I threw together a mini tripod for my starblast 6i. This put the tabletop scope to the correct viewing height and it works great! Just thought I'd...

Last post

An excellent idea.
Thank you for sharing.

6 Replies

481 Views

Last post by Peter802
Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:40 am
Correcting Coma in my F5 Fraunhofer Doublet.

Last post by Unitron48 « Tue Sep 22, 2020 1:18 pm
Replies: 1
by John Baars » Tue Sep 22, 2020 9:43 am

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I have had this 150mm F5 Fraunhofer refractor for a year by now. I recognized a small amount of Coma on the optical axis. It was clearly visible from...

Last post

Very informative report, John! Thanks for sharing!!

Dave

1 Replies

227 Views

Last post by Unitron48
Tue Sep 22, 2020 1:18 pm
Need to Make a Dew Shield for my Telrad finder.

Last post by GCoyote « Thu Sep 03, 2020 2:02 pm
Replies: 4
by GCoyote » Wed Sep 02, 2020 5:32 pm

First post

The humidity has been so bad I'm prioritizing dew shields for gear that doesn't already have them.

Has anyone made a shield for a Telrad finder? How...

Last post

The humidity has been so bad I'm prioritizing dew shields for gear that doesn't already have them.

Has anyone made a shield for a Telrad finder? How...

4 Replies

470 Views

Last post by GCoyote
Thu Sep 03, 2020 2:02 pm
MacGyvering my SW AZ5

Last post by pakarinen « Tue Aug 25, 2020 6:10 pm

by pakarinen » Tue Aug 25, 2020 6:10 pm

So far, I really like the look and feel of my Skywatcher AZ5, but I've lamented the lack of encoders for push-to. I don't want to disassemble the...

0 Replies

352 Views

Last post by pakarinen
Tue Aug 25, 2020 6:10 pm
Best cheap paint for your OTA - chalkboard black

Last post by Kanadalainen « Sat Aug 15, 2020 2:35 pm
Replies: 10
by Kanadalainen » Tue Aug 20, 2019 1:39 pm

First post

I recently noticed the back of my dob's secondary mirror was not blackened, nor are the spider vane support bolts.

I should blacken them.

IMHO...

Last post

I'm making a dew shield out of a section of plastic bleach bottle. The chalkboard black looks grest but is not adhering well. What should I prime the...

10 Replies

1615 Views

Last post by Kanadalainen
Sat Aug 15, 2020 2:35 pm
From an EQ to an Alt-Az

Last post by Lowjiber « Fri Aug 14, 2020 1:08 pm
Replies: 3
by Thefatkitty » Tue Jun 30, 2020 12:52 am

First post

I love summer. I hate humidity. There, rant over...

Yesterday (Sunday) was 35C (95F), toss in some nasty humidity, and that is why I stayed in the...

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I love it, Mark!

We've all made Frankenscopes, but that is truly a Frankenmount. Very clever.

As an aside, if you notice astronomers at public...

3 Replies

1004 Views

Last post by Lowjiber
Fri Aug 14, 2020 1:08 pm
Ideas for motorizing a 12" 'tube' mount?

Last post by turboscrew « Sat Jun 20, 2020 6:04 pm
Replies: 3
by turboscrew » Sat Jun 20, 2020 12:05 pm

First post

I've been thinking about motorizing the dobson mount of my 12 tube, but I haven't come up with a mechanism to do that.
It looks like the stepper...

Last post

Hey, thanks! You gave me the idea to search gearboxed steppers, not just steppers, and the search results are pretty different.
There are NEMA17...

3 Replies

641 Views

Last post by turboscrew
Sat Jun 20, 2020 6:04 pm
By jove, it works!

Last post by Kanadalainen « Thu Jun 11, 2020 3:58 pm
Replies: 12
by Thefatkitty » Sat Feb 22, 2020 4:30 am

First post

Recently there was a thread titled Barn door tracker? by member maceemiller. It got me to thinking of the one I had made about three years ago and...

Last post

Mark

I tried to pm you but you may have your message receipt turned off... couldn't add your contact to the pm. Let me know -> perhaps its on my...

12 Replies

1966 Views

Last post by Kanadalainen
Thu Jun 11, 2020 3:58 pm
another lathe project

Last post by oscaletrains « Wed Jun 10, 2020 4:41 pm
Replies: 11
by yobbo89 » Sat May 30, 2020 5:37 pm

First post

so it turns out televue use different sizes on thiere barlow extention tubes and also different threads, i almost ruined my job, lucky i did a light...

Last post

Adding to my post above, I don't know your tools or experience so please forgive me if you already know this, but carbide requires absolute rigidity...

11 Replies

1276 Views

Last post by oscaletrains
Wed Jun 10, 2020 4:41 pm
Blackening refractor tube.

Last post by Shadower360 « Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:28 pm
Replies: 20
by Apollo69s » Mon Oct 21, 2019 10:39 pm
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First post

Hi there ,im into some small improvments off my telescope,,,and the question is--vantablack 2.0 or black 3,0-- inside the tube? trying to figure out...

Last post

I did the same thing and it worked great. Vanta 3.0 is ridiculous!
20 Replies

2488 Views

Last post by Shadower360
Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:28 pm
A mount mod for my Jason 80mm f/15

Last post by Thefatkitty « Mon Jun 01, 2020 2:34 am
Replies: 8
by Thefatkitty » Sun May 31, 2020 3:01 am

First post

Hi everyone, hope you are all good :D

Today I decided to finally make the modification to my Jason that I’ve been thinking about for a while....

Last post

A very good modification to the mount Mark, that should make it much easier to get outside now :D
Take care and all the best!

Thanks Gabby, and...

8 Replies

1186 Views

Last post by Thefatkitty
Mon Jun 01, 2020 2:34 am
Adapting Celestron's excellent StarSense Explorer platesolving app to a Z8 dob

Last post by The Happy Parrot « Wed May 06, 2020 10:48 pm
Replies: 6
by The Happy Parrot » Wed May 06, 2020 1:05 am

First post

A few weeks ago I posted my first impressions on the new Celestron DX 102AZ refractor. This is an entry level telescope, a nice one at that, with a...

Last post

This is really cool. I might try it with my new phone that is scheduled to arrive tomorrow by FedEX - a google pixel 4 xl. I thought that getting...

6 Replies

1524 Views

Last post by The Happy Parrot
Wed May 06, 2020 10:48 pm
DIY camera lens to telescope adapter (rear lens dust cover and 1.25 eyepiece holder

Last post by realflow100 « Thu Apr 30, 2020 3:44 pm
Replies: 4
by realflow100 » Fri Apr 24, 2020 12:50 am

First post

I made one of these and can't believe how well it works! you may need to loosen the eyepiece out a little ways from the holder depending on the model...

Last post

Yeah 10mm gives the most useful magnification (depending on how fast or slow the lens is)
For a slower lens you can use a lower power eyepiece for a...

4 Replies

995 Views

Last post by realflow100
Thu Apr 30, 2020 3:44 pm
SDR and meteor detection.

Last post by KingClinton « Wed Apr 29, 2020 12:10 pm

by KingClinton » Wed Apr 29, 2020 12:10 pm

Has anyone on the forums had any success with using the RTL SDR receivers to do meteor detection?
I also know that some of the HAM radio guys are...

0 Replies

460 Views

Last post by KingClinton
Wed Apr 29, 2020 12:10 pm
Guide Scope Bahtinov Mask

Last post by Dragonsfire « Mon Mar 30, 2020 3:00 pm
Replies: 8
by Graeme1858 » Sun Mar 29, 2020 9:57 am

First post

Here's my new Guide scope Bahtinov mask! I used the 9.25 mask as a template and cut up a cornflake packet!

Haven't used it yet. Do you think it...

Last post

Looks great ! just a little paint job :)

8 Replies

1110 Views

Last post by Dragonsfire
Mon Mar 30, 2020 3:00 pm
Collimation tools

Last post by Lady Fraktor « Fri Mar 27, 2020 8:41 pm
Replies: 3
by MariusD69 » Fri Mar 27, 2020 2:17 pm

First post

Hello!
I bought last year a TS RC8 (I'm the third owner), but I didn't like how the stars looked like. I collimated it with Cheshire and laser, then...

Last post

Very nice work Marius.
Years ago almost everyone I knew made their own collimation caps and sight tubes, now you rarely find anyone doing this.
A...

3 Replies

648 Views

Last post by Lady Fraktor
Fri Mar 27, 2020 8:41 pm
Dob mount for a C8?

Last post by helicon « Wed Mar 18, 2020 3:30 pm
Replies: 15
by pakarinen » Tue Feb 25, 2020 2:03 pm

First post

Reading the latest Sky&Tel this morning and an article on a classic Dob got me thinking (always a dangerous thing).

I have a deforked classic C8...

Last post

That's really cool. Turns it into a table top instrument.

15 Replies

3109 Views

Last post by helicon
Wed Mar 18, 2020 3:30 pm
Barn door tracker?

Last post by maceemiller « Sun Mar 08, 2020 10:06 am
Replies: 42
by maceemiller » Mon Jan 20, 2020 6:52 pm
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First post

Hi all. Hope everybody's OK.

As I have no GOTO mount and my EQ mount is, well, rubbish I'm considering trying to make a barn door tracker for use...

Last post

Your stepper motor doesn't look like any stepper I've seen. It only seems to have two wires. So I searched on motor C9050-60003 and found this :-...
42 Replies

5447 Views

Last post by maceemiller
Sun Mar 08, 2020 10:06 am
Gear ratios?

Last post by maceemiller « Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:08 pm
Replies: 7
by maceemiller » Thu Mar 05, 2020 7:47 am

First post

Hi all.

So I have a 3.3 RPM synchronous motor for my barn door tracker. Using gears, what would I need to get the RPM down to 1?

Thankyou

Carl

Last post

20200304_212050.jpg

I did think the cogs were backwards! I'm no electronic whiz either. The motor I'm using I got from an old Christmas...

7 Replies

1049 Views

Last post by maceemiller
Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:08 pm
National Geographic 70mm Refractor (2017 model)

Last post by GCoyote « Sat Feb 29, 2020 9:32 pm
Replies: 18
by GCoyote » Thu Jan 23, 2020 6:22 pm

First post

Picked this up as an (almost) complete kit for $20 last week.
20200123_103250 (800x600).jpg

I'm already reusing the mount, tripod, and other...

Last post

Just had to let the glue cure overnight, clean off a tiny amount of excess at the seam and, it's done!

NatGeo70mm Done 20200229.jpg

The squirrel...

18 Replies

2613 Views

Last post by GCoyote
Sat Feb 29, 2020 9:32 pm
Meade 4504 c 2006 Refurbishment

Last post by GCoyote « Mon Feb 24, 2020 9:33 pm
Replies: 15
by GCoyote » Fri Feb 14, 2020 2:40 pm

First post

So a couple years ago I picked this up for $30

Meade model 4504 c 2006.png

It was missing the drive motors, controller, eyepiece tray, and finder...

Last post

It's here. It's a perfect fit!
On to the next job, the mount.

15 Replies

2170 Views

Last post by GCoyote
Mon Feb 24, 2020 9:33 pm

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