Go Back   IceInSpace > Equipment > ATM and DIY Projects

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread
  #1  
Old 26-01-2017, 09:39 AM
Kunama
...

Kunama is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,588
My GMT-128 Tripod Grew Some

The GMT-128 tripod by Synta, also known as the EQ6 Tripod, just wasn't up to the task of holding the bulky Takahashi TOA130NFB / AZ-EQ6GT combination still enough for my liking.....

First step was to remove the standard eyepiece tray/spreader which was good at neither job. This meant also getting rid of the very long centre bolt and replacing it with a custom M12 Ring Bolt.

Then came the "Kunama Spreader V1.0" which has helped enormously but the one problem that remained was that the lower leg extension of the tripod needed to be extended for viewing comfort but this induced unacceptable vibrations.

Presenting the "Kunama GMT-128 Version 2.01"
The ultra thin walled (0.85mm) 660mm long standard leg sections have been removed and in their place are 50.8mm x 1.6mm walled 316 grade highly polished (by a 200yr old Master Polisher from Outer Mongolia) legs of 1000mm length.

Now the only function of the extensions is a little bit of levelling

Picture shows one of the original leg tubes for comparison. Second pic shows the new centre bolt which can be further utilised for stability by hanging the power pack from it.
Attached Thumbnails
Click for full-size image (MIS_4084.jpg)
92.1 KB232 views
Click for full-size image (MIS_3925.jpg)
47.4 KB201 views

Last edited by Kunama; 26-01-2017 at 09:59 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 26-01-2017, 09:54 AM
FlashDrive's Avatar
FlashDrive (Poppy)
Senior Citizen

FlashDrive is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bribie Island
Posts: 5,056
Well Done Matt ....

Col ...
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 26-01-2017, 10:02 AM
Tinderboxsky's Avatar
Tinderboxsky (Steve)
I can see clearly now ...

Tinderboxsky is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Kingston TAS
Posts: 1,031
Looks good Matt and should be much more stable.

Where did you source the custom M12 ring bolt from?

Cheers

Steve.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 26-01-2017, 11:48 AM
Wavytone
Registered User

Wavytone is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Killara, Sydney
Posts: 4,147
Marine chandlers such as Whitworths should have things like M12 ring-head bolts, and most likely in stainless steel.

Matt, great job. I've looked at those tripods many times (and had one before) and concluded they're a bit flimsy for the scopes some people put on top.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 26-01-2017, 12:00 PM
Atmos's Avatar
Atmos (Colin)
Ultimate Noob

Atmos is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 6,980
Barely even looks like an EQ6 Tripod anymore
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 26-01-2017, 12:06 PM
Kunama
...

Kunama is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,588
Steve, as Wavy mentioned Whitworths etc stock them. Then all that is needed is to cut to the appropriate length and then either grind or turn down on a lathe part of the threaded section.

Wavy, quite true, they are fine for very light loads but with the TOA + AZEQ6+ counterweights, finder, diagonal, binoviewers and eyepieces the load is approaching 50Kg, far too much for the stock tripod.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 26-01-2017, 12:20 PM
Kunama
...

Kunama is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,588
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinderboxsky View Post
Looks good Matt and should be much more stable. Where did you source the custom M12 ring bolt from?

Cheers
Steve.
Here is a pic of the finished bolt on mine:

M12 316 grade s/s eyebolt from Specialty Fasteners fitted with the Synta black plastic nut, then a spacer that is locked onto the thread with an M12 s/s nut then the thread removed to allow rotation inside the tripod top plate.

Length of bolt from shoulder 101mm, from shoulder there is 45mm of thread, then 33mm of thread removed and finally 22mm of thread that locks onto the mount.

This works well on AZ-EQ6. For a T-Rex an extra 6mm of thread is needed so make the bolt 6mm longer or the spacer 6mm shorter.

The spacer is there to make it easier to grasp the black 'nut' to tighten the bolt.
Attached Thumbnails
Click for full-size image (MIS_4085.jpg)
105.4 KB72 views
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 26-01-2017, 12:27 PM
issdaol (Phil)
Registered User

issdaol is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Canberra
Posts: 688
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kunama View Post
The GMT-128 tripod by Synta, also known as the EQ6 Tripod, just wasn't up to the task of holding the bulky Takahashi TOA130NFB / AZ-EQ6GT combination still enough for my liking.....

First step was to remove the standard eyepiece tray/spreader which was good at neither job. This meant also getting rid of the very long centre bolt and replacing it with a custom M12 Ring Bolt.

Then came the "Kunama Spreader V1.0" which has helped enormously but the one problem that remained was that the lower leg extension of the tripod needed to be extended for viewing comfort but this induced unacceptable vibrations.

Presenting the "Kunama GMT-128 Version 2.01"
The ultra thin walled (0.85mm) 660mm long standard leg sections have been removed and in their place are 50.8mm x 1.6mm walled 316 grade highly polished (by a 200yr old Master Polisher from Outer Mongolia) legs of 1000mm length.

Now the only function of the extensions is a little bit of levelling

Picture shows one of the original leg tubes for comparison. Second pic shows the new centre bolt which can be further utilised for stability by hanging the power pack from it.
Well done ! Will be interesting to see the comparison

Not sure about your Mongolian Master.........I believe there is a Grand Master Stainless Steel Pole Polisher in Victoria with more experience ....
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 26-01-2017, 01:04 PM
Tinderboxsky's Avatar
Tinderboxsky (Steve)
I can see clearly now ...

Tinderboxsky is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Kingston TAS
Posts: 1,031
Thank you for your feedback Matt and Wavy.

Steve.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 26-01-2017, 01:27 PM
LewisM's Avatar
LewisM
Novichok test rabbit

LewisM is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Somewhere in the cosmos...
Posts: 10,388
Quote:
Originally Posted by issdaol View Post
Well done ! Will be interesting to see the comparison

Not sure about your Mongolian Master.........I believe there is a Grand Master Stainless Steel Pole Polisher in Victoria with more experience ....
I am not sure if Matt used dairy-grade stainless, so perhaps that service is not available?

Had he used dairy grade, or that from a Maserati or Lotus, then perhaps the polishing service would have become an option. Using inferior graded stainless is counter-productive it seems.

(the "stainless" of the SW legs are a joke - I used to oil and steel-wool the ones I had continuously as they rusted quite rapidly. SW must use soy-bean industry standard stainless)
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 26-01-2017, 01:32 PM
LewisM's Avatar
LewisM
Novichok test rabbit

LewisM is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Somewhere in the cosmos...
Posts: 10,388
Matt - as beautiful a job as it is, would not the German forestry grade ash Berlebach Planet have been an option?
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 26-01-2017, 02:12 PM
Kunama
...

Kunama is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,588
Quote:
Originally Posted by LewisM View Post
Matt - as beautiful a job as it is, would not the German forestry grade ash Berlebach Planet have been an option?
Where's the challenge in that Lewis

Last edited by Kunama; 26-01-2017 at 02:22 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 26-01-2017, 03:42 PM
bigjoe (JOSEPH)
Registered User

bigjoe is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: sydney
Posts: 1,363
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kunama View Post
The GMT-128 tripod by Synta, also known as the EQ6 Tripod, just wasn't up to the task of holding the bulky Takahashi TOA130NFB / AZ-EQ6GT combination still enough for my liking.....

First step was to remove the standard eyepiece tray/spreader which was good at neither job. This meant also getting rid of the very long centre bolt and replacing it with a custom M12 Ring Bolt.

Then came the "Kunama Spreader V1.0" which has helped enormously but the one problem that remained was that the lower leg extension of the tripod needed to be extended for viewing comfort but this induced unacceptable vibrations.

Presenting the "Kunama GMT-128 Version 2.01"
The ultra thin walled (0.85mm) 660mm long standard leg sections have been removed and in their place are 50.8mm x 1.6mm walled 316 grade highly polished (by a 200yr old Master Polisher from Outer Mongolia) legs of 1000mm length.

Now the only function of the extensions is a little bit of levelling

Picture shows one of the original leg tubes for comparison. Second pic shows the new centre bolt which can be further utilised for stability by hanging the power pack from it.
This looks great Kunama.
But all your work have been done out of dairy grade stainless, by a 50yr old Master BSer from Australia for twice the price!!!!
bigjoe
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 26-01-2017, 03:48 PM
bigjoe (JOSEPH)
Registered User

bigjoe is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: sydney
Posts: 1,363
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigjoe View Post
This looks great Kunama.
But all your work could have been done out of dairy grade stainless, by a 50yr old Master BSer from Australia for twice the price!!!!
bigjoe
Of course I'm referring to myself and no one else !Of course.
bigjoe.

Last edited by bigjoe; 26-01-2017 at 03:50 PM. Reason: add adding
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 26-01-2017, 07:01 PM
LewisM's Avatar
LewisM
Novichok test rabbit

LewisM is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Somewhere in the cosmos...
Posts: 10,388
Maybe back-fill the legs with lead shot for further stability Matt? I always contemplated that with my SW's .

I can happily bring down some antimony/lead shot for you in a big truck in a week and a bit
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 27-01-2017, 08:14 AM
Tinderboxsky's Avatar
Tinderboxsky (Steve)
I can see clearly now ...

Tinderboxsky is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Kingston TAS
Posts: 1,031
I tried that idea, using very fine grained sharp sand.

I did not find any worthwhile improvement in stability and found the tripod excessively heavy. It was not long before the extra weight got the better of me and I removed the sand completely.

Steve

Quote:
Originally Posted by LewisM View Post
Maybe back-fill the legs with lead shot for further stability Matt? I always contemplated that with my SW's .

I can happily bring down some antimony/lead shot for you in a big truck in a week and a bit
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 27-01-2017, 01:58 PM
LewisM's Avatar
LewisM
Novichok test rabbit

LewisM is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Somewhere in the cosmos...
Posts: 10,388
I always put an old 3kg counterweight (I glued flet onto the bottom of it) in the EP tray of my HAL130 tripods, and it made them extremelly steady - 20 minute photo subs were no issue.
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 27-01-2017, 03:45 PM
Kunama
...

Kunama is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,588
This change of the legs resulted in a weight gain of 4.7Kg for the tripod, no sand, cement or lead shot required. It is already almost too heavy for someone my age
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 27-01-2017, 06:13 PM
issdaol (Phil)
Registered User

issdaol is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Canberra
Posts: 688
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kunama View Post
This change of the legs resulted in a weight gain of 4.7Kg for the tripod, no sand, cement or lead shot required. It is already almost too heavy for someone my age
Yep you're an Ole Geezer now ......Should give those scopes to someone younger who can handle them
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 27-01-2017, 06:29 PM
LewisM's Avatar
LewisM
Novichok test rabbit

LewisM is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Somewhere in the cosmos...
Posts: 10,388
I think Matt needs to be prohibited from TA2017...he'll be using a Chinese mount after all.

Oh hang on...those SXW HAL tripods are Chinese. All good Matt, your'e in
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +10. The time is now 06:47 AM.

Powered by vBulletin Version 3.8.7 | Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement
Bintel
Advertisement
Testar
Advertisement