Top plate for Pegasus Pier

[pmrid]

Guys I'm chasing a top plate (the adjustment plate) for a Pegasus Pier. Ron (Sirius Optics ) used to sell these piers and I bought one from him but it has an EQ6 top plate. I need one for an HEQ5Pro. Although I could probably make one myself out of a bit of 12mm plate if I had some, it would be a heap easier to be able to buy one. Sirius dont list these piers in the products page any more and I don't know where the maker is or who else might be selling them. Anyone have any ideas?

Peter

[koputai]

Pardon my ignorance, but don't the EQ6 and the HEQ5Pro share the same mounting format?

Cheers,
Jason.

[h0ughy]

no

[RobF]

You could probably get one made pretty cheaply Peter - the one I'm using was shaped from a single ring or aluminium with the locating peg in it.

Expensive, but mult-purpose from UK:
http://www.altairastro.com/product.php?productid=16169&cat=&bestseller=Y

[pmrid]

Thanks Rob, they look well made. But by the look of them, they still require you to already have a top-plate onto which the big donut is fastened. And since I'll have to buy or make one of those as a first step, I was hoping to adopt the Pegasus system and make it an all-in-one plate.
That's the plan anyway.

I'll end up improvising with what's on hand I expect. The idea of dismantling the washing machine and using the bits to make an aeroplane is something I inherited from by brother. It's not about avoiding waste. It's about the joy of improvising solutions I think.

Peter

[pmrid]

G'day Jason. David's right. The protrusion on the base is a different diameter, the base itself is also smaller and that means the azimuth adjustment pier thingy is also in a different location. Bummer!
Peter

[AstroJunk]

Pegasus Piers are made by Phil Pidgeon - I'll PM his phone number to you.

[Steffen]

Dan's Pier Top Plates (http://pierplates.com) might be a go, but they're extremely expensive, too.

Cheers
Steffen.

[pmrid]

Thanks guys. I've figured out a way to make use of the tripod head for the HEQ5 and a spare bit of half inch aluminium plate -a;few holes, some threaded rod and some 30mm al U-Channel. I love improvising and making use of scrap materials.

I'll post some before and afters if it works. None if it doesn't.


Peter

[pmrid]

Piccies, as promised.
The HEQ5 tripod head has a flat bottom so once you remove the tripod legs, it sits nicely on a flat plate - such as the one I had - a 200mm diameter 12 mm plate with a convenient 100mm centre hole. Just begging to find a recycled use. So I improvised three clamps pieces out of some 30mm U-profile aluminum and these hold the tripod head securely on the plate. The rest was just a matter of drilling some holes in the Pegasus pier top plate to accept some 3/8 threaded rod and the rest is history.

I expect I will end up asking Phil to make me a proper adjustment plate but for now, this will do to get some use out of the old pier and the little HEQ5 Pro. The pity of the experiment so far is that I don't have enough infocus to be able to use my WO P4 reducer/flattened AND my FLI DF-2 focuser.

Damn.


Peter

[RobF]

Thanks for explaining and the pics Peter. Great solution.
I suppose it wouldn't be that much work to get the tripod legs off.

Workhorse solution for workhorse mount. :)