Totally Absolutely Different

[stellarquest]

Hi everyone,Need ideas, lots of them. They don't have to be you're own. They can be a collaboration of ideas. Heres the story. "Found" in the shed (come on guys, you know what I mean), a banged up tube, totally useless, more hits than Elvis. You get the message. However, inside this 900mm focal length tube is hiding a fantastic quality 114 mm mirror, with a great wire spidered secondary. It even has a cool retro helical focuser that is backlash free, compact, and has great feel to it. And it is 1.25"!!!!I want to ditch the tube and use the optics. Can't just throw great optics away now can I?Heres the thing. I want to make something up that will make me want to use the telescope. Not just a curiosity, but a worthy scope. Yes, a 114mm worthy scope. I am looking for something easy to build, maybe a mono armed open single truss, what ever. I am totally open to any suggestion. Any materials from Carbon rod to Aluminium to, gasp, wood.Please post you're ideas, interesting links, have fun.The wierder the better for me. Thank you all in anticipation.Stellarquest

[circumpolar]

How do you just "FIND" a scope in your shed? I found a dead rat in mine on the weekend.

If you happen to find another one, ...maybe some big binos:P .

[matt]

:lol:

[stellarquest]

You do know what I mean. We are guys. We are guys who are into Astronomy. We collect "stuff";. The 5 foot high pile of plywood we know will be required to make a mount for a 60mm Refractor. The Aluminium off cuts we can't throw away because "one day"; we will need it for "the" mount we have dreamed up. The old Kellners in the shoebox. Stuff. And in this case, it is a very old beat up tube with great optics inside passed along by a friend of the family who picked it up at a garage sale for $15. And I had put it high up on top of a cupboard. Of course, other detrius accumulated in front of it. I recently had a clean up by stern request of domestic management, and there it was. "Found" again.So where are the cool, nifty, brilliant, inventive, usefull ideas and links folks?????

[Omaroo]

Why not build something like this from it?

[ballaratdragons]

The very first Scope I owned 23 years ago was assembled by me from a mirror & cell, spider and focuser from a shop in Melbourne. I mounted it all in a 6" PVC tube (whatever that is in metric these days).

The advantage of PVC tube is that you can also purchase ends caps to fit. I used one to attach the mirror cell to, and another as a dust cap.

I used 6" sewerage pipe PVC, but it is waaayyyy too heavy for your needs. Go to a plumbers supplies and ask to see PVC tube around 6" diameter and choose whatever thickness you want. Then get 2 end caps for it. PVC is easy to work with and doesn't rust.

[stellarquest]

Now we have started the ball rolling. For the Hugo clone I could use arrow shafts for the rods, and make the ends from alloy, or even simpler yet, marine ply.Ultra light.Like the idea of PVC tube. No rust. I like that.Lets go nuts poeples, you must have come across some facinating innovative or downright quirky designs somewhere. Has anyone seen any single strut designs anywhere? Travel scope idea? Any very cool large scope unique designs that could be shrunk? Think outside the light box. Please keep'em coming.

[xelasnave]

I have often thought of a "model" of one of the great observatories as much to a replica as possible but containg only a 3 or 4 inch scope.. may even have to be smaller say a 50mm bino lens.. say copy something from Conna... that will keep you in the shed a while
alex

[Omaroo]

Oooohhh.... a mini Hale 200 inch :eyepop:

[Shawn]

But does it belong in DIY, hey Mods ?. Im just upset it took a real DIY off the hit list...:D.

Seasons Greets to all.

S

[xelasnave]

No doubt Shawn when you have completed your magnificent observatory there will be many around the place using it as the great observatory to be the object of their model. I saw one at Coona but the scope didnot work only about a foot long in a little dome been great if you had a train set.
How about a reflector that colapses like a conventional field scope down to a size that will fit in a cake tin.
alex

[Shawn]

Good piont Alex.

Though , Ithink that particular DIY, may not be so easy...:D

Merry Christmas too mate...

[avandonk]

Just a quick sketch of an idea.

Bert

[AstroJunk]

Nah, that's a girls scope! :rofl: