Digital Inclinometer

[Karls48]

Hi
Anyone interested in getting digital inclinometer there are some at good price on UK eBay site http://stores.ebay.com.au/GetItRightUK (http://stores.ebay.com.au/GetItRightUK). For A$59 including postage. I have bought one and until it arrives cannot comment on quality.

[JohnH]

Interesting...give us an update when you have used it...if it is +/- 0.1 degree this will be a useful tool...

[davewaldo]

Looks GREAT! I will be very interested to hear what you think of it when it arrives.

I have been looking for such an instrument for a while now so I won't need to level my dob for it's manual setting cirlces to work.

I look forward to hearing how it works for you.

Thanks for posting :)

[JethroB76]

These have been used with success in the US...there are a number of reports on its use in the degrees circle thread in the Cloudy nights reflector forum.
I have a Wixey branded one, but they are the same beast. Although I haven't used mine much yet I am happy with its performance so far..

[JohnH]

Hi Don,

What do you use for a reference plane? I assume your accuracy is only going to be as good as your ability to calibrate...

[davewaldo]

I would assume one would use good small spirit level on the tube to make it level, then press the zero button.

I then also would imagine if you notice your pointing was always a little low or high, you could re-zero the tube when it was pointing slighty low or high, whatever was needed.

Does anyone know if they remember calibration settings? Or if they turn off automatically after a few minutes?

It would be quite frustrating to have to re-calibrate everytime it turned itself off through the night.

[JethroB76]

Use something like a spirit level as Dave said, press the zero button and it saves this 'zero' until the batteries run flat.
Like I said I've only used mine very briefly, but I don't think it has auto off, I think battery life is meant to be pretty good.
Even with these digital guages, keeping the base pretty level is needed to ensure greatest accuracy.

[Jarrod]

it says on the website that it turns off after 5 mins. would it be set to turn off 5 mins after a button was last pressed, or 5 mins after it was last moved?

[JethroB76]

Dunno, I'll give it a go. I reckon it would 5 minutes after last movement.

[tnbk00]

Has anyone who has one of these got any comments about back lighting? Is it a pain to see via red torch, and has anyone done a backlight mod :)

[sheeny]

The next model up (on the same website) can measure absolute inclination as well as relative. Does this one do the same or is it relative measurement only?

Al.

[Karls48]

Best backlighting for it would be ELP. It provides nice even illumination and it is very thin and flexible. In fact it looks like piece of thin plastic. It is driven by about 100V AC and it uses very little power. As far I know it came in three colours only, green, blue and kind of yellow. Possible source of ELP would be alarm system LCD keypad. Keypad would also have invertor to drive it.
Second choice would be red SMD LED, if there is room to fit them. Illumination would be spotty and numbers would not be as clear as with ELP illumination

[Karls48]

I think it is relative measurement only.

[tnbk00]

Oh well Im with you...ive ordered one, i had been tossing up getting one of these for a bit anyways, excellent in theory.

Thanks for the link!

[JethroB76]

I used mine last night and it performed well putting objects nicely in the field of view, but it required a little warming up once the ice started to form on the scope- it actually seemed to shut down and lose its calibration in these temps, though its easy enough to warm up and reset.
The screen has no backlight but is easy to read under a red light.

[davewaldo]

Any idea when yours will be arriving Karl?

[Karls48]

I hope it will be here by the end of next week.

[Karls48]

Well, my digital inclinometer arrived today. Pretty fast delivery from UK. Have a short play with it, it got only relative reference but it remembers reference after switch off. Used large bubble level (60cm) to check 0 deg. level and it seems to be accurate. But it is impossible to judge 0.1 deg. with bubble level. Anyhow it will do for things I need it for. For $49 US including postage it is good value.

[tnbk00]

Yeah I received mine today too....seems like a good bit of low cost kit to have. shame the front panel is a little on the flimsy side :( apart from that all good :)

[syousef]

Sorry to reply to such an old thread, but I'm wondering what people's long term experience has been with the digital inclinometers. I'm particularly worried that it will be impractical to use if it turns itself off.

I have thought of a reasonable alignment procedure. You still need a spirit level to level out the base of the scope (I'm thinking of a Dobsonian here) but should be able to get within a degree or less of accuracy. Simply point to a star of known altitude. (Looking it up with software seems to me to be the best way to get that known altitude). Then zero the inclinometer while pointed at the star. Move the telescope to the negative value of that altitude and zero again. I wonder how well this would compare to just using a spirit level to zero.

I'm just getting back into things now but in the past I've been able to get within +/- 3 degrees on a 10" dob with nothing more than home made paper setting circles. Tape marked at 5 degree intervals on the base, and a photocopy of a proptractor with some contact over the top at the pivot. My main problem with this approach is that I like to keep my scope portable and that means on wheels. I need to find a better way of securing the bottom of the base once I've moved my scope. Then I can use the same kind of alignment technique of finding a star with a known azimuth and moving the base to suit. Better would be a solution involving a compass and keeping a mental note of the difference between true north compass readings and the azimuth compared to a known star.

I am NOT spending $600 on setting circles that have the same issues, even if they are more accurate. I think it's ridiculous that people will grind their own mirrors but won't put 1/10th of that effort into making sure you can point the scope with some accuracy. I thought about latching on a Celestron SkyScout but not only is that more expensive (especially in Aus, what's with Celestron charging 3x the US RRP in AUS?) but I've read they have their problems (not compatible with latest Windows, GPS module failures, GPS takes time to align and doesn't remember last position), and are thrown off by metal tubes.

[M_Lewis]

Try this for just over $70 - picked one up in Brissy from

https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Products?stockCode=M978

I have one and it's cheap, 2 decimal places, has absolute, a level bubble and flips the reading depending on which way is up.

I've tried it versus high quality 'very old' inclinometres and it's spot on.

Cheers

Mark

[AndrewJ]

I got one and it remembers its datums, so its no drama.
If it turns off, i just turn it back on.



No spirit level reqd, just any surface you can adjust in small increments
( I use the top of the OTA of my Meade scope initially )
Just get the OTA "roughly level"
Place the inclinometer on the barrel and zero it.
Now rotate the inclinometer 180 deg
If its off, take out 1/2 the error using the OTA slomo,
then reset the zero point of the inclinometer.
Rotate the inclinometer 180 deg and repeat
When the barrel is perfectly level, the inclinometer will read zero
when placed either way on the OTA
The level is now set for a perfect datum within 0.1 deg.

Another sneaky trick i have found when going to a place where someone has a well aligned permanent mount ( and you are outside on a tripod )
is go into their observatory and put the level on their wedge.
Reset it to zero
Now go to your wedge and adjust till the level reads zero
Your latitude plate is now within 0.1deg of the pole :-)

Andrew

[Karls48]

My inclinometer still works OK. To set level I float large dinner plate in the bathtub with the meter on top and set it to zero.

[rider]

wouldn't be without one.

We have had two, the bunnings one lasted 6 months, worked great whilst it lasted.
The next one was more expensive and is dead accurate. we got it from a woodworking machinery co. in melbourne. Found them on the net.

both units were about the size of a (fat) match box.

If you get one without an absolute zero degree button and have to teach it to find zero degrees, it can be a pain if the batteries go down and it looses the taught angle.

There is quick fix if you are have to change a battery and want to level a mount without a re-calibration of zero.

1/ set it on a table, press the set zero button, and turn it round 180 degrees.
Real zero will be half the reading. - just add or subtract this number during your mount levelling.

I know this is obvious, but in the middle of the night it might not immediately come to mind, so I thought I'd mention it.

[Paul Haese]

Been using one of these for years now. Very accurate and the zeroing holds for as long as you have a battery in the unit.

I have on numerous occassions seen the guys come down to my house at Clayton, setup and use the Wixy on the latitude (RA axis) angle. Guiding takes up the slack and great images are the result of using it. It also speeds up the polar alignment process too.

Great piece of equipment.

[gb_astro]

This is so pre iPhone! :)
gb.

[adman]

I have an iphone, and I used it to "level" 2 shelves I was putting up. Both of these shelves slope down to the right....

I now own a digital inclinometer.