My EQ platform is here!

[iceman]

The long awaited and much antipicated arrival of my EQ platform has finally come!

My platform was custom made for -33.4S (+/- 5 deg) by Brian Reed of Round Table Platforms (http://www.roundtableplatforms.com/) in the USA. Brian was very friendly and great to deal with. It's a magnificently crafted piece of work, it looks absolutely fantastic.

The platform is quite reasonable in price. Shipping to Australia isn't very reasonable as it turns out, but unfortunately, if you can't make your own or find someone locally to make one for you, paying the shipping costs is the only option.

It can be powered via 8 AA batteries, or a 12v battery pack with an auto plug. It has an auto-cutoff when it reaches the end of it's slide, and you just drag it back to starting position to go again. It tracks for about 50 minutes. It has fine speed adjustment, too.

Of course Murphy has struck, it's cloudy tonight so I can't give it first light - but as you can imagine i've turned on inside and it works great.

Thanks very much to Brian for a great looking platform, I'd definitely recommend Brian to anyone who doesn't want to buy a GEQ for their newt, but who still wants the convenience of the dob with tracking.

Anyway here's some pics!

[atalas]

Yes looks like a piece of furniture Mike! very nice enjoy.

Louie :jump2:

[RAJAH235]

Looks like a fine piece of gear, Mike. Should get some really nice pics with that! :D L.
ps. Just noticed the cables in pic 3, that come out of the motor are not sealed,(waterproofed). Maybe a dob of silicon?

[[1ponders]]

Look out Jupiter:D. Excellent Mike. I can see your grin from here:lol:

[ausastronomer]

I intend to check out Mike's platform at the next Central Coast session, hopefully this weekend. If I like it I may order 1 for myself, if anyone else on the Coast or in Sydney is interested let me know as we could all order togther and significantly defray the shipping costs.

CS-John B

[asimov]

Good one Mike! :2thumbs:

[Daring Dave]

Im watching with interest... :rockband:

[Starkler]

Looks great Mike :)

I would love to see a close up of how the friction drive is achieved and how well it works, whether a light bump will cause it to slip etc.

You may have to pad the inside of the dob base where the altitude hubs sit as there can be a fair bit of side to side movement possible when the scope is leaning over.
I had to do this for my dsc to releive stress on the altitude encoder mount.

[beren]

Looks good Mike, look forward to see how it goes , can you still use your DSCs with it ?

[ballaratdragons]

COOL Mike!

Now, when do we see your first Dob DEEP SPACE pics????

We expect you to lug the whole lot down here for the Star Camp!

[Brian]

Hi Mike,
This has been the most fun I have had building a platform and a real learning experience. I am very happy to see it arrived in good condition. Sorry about the cloud cover. Clouds always follow new astronomy equipment.

I would not recomend sealing the motor where the wires exit. The motor generates some heat when runnung and this gives the moisture a place to escape.

Brian Reed

[iceman]

Thanks guys, I can't wait to try it out.. hopefully the weather gods will be kinder to me over the next few days.

Stuart, yes I can still use my DSC's. The skycommander has an option for "table reset", so I just need to hit that option when I reset the table and then it's good to go again. At the very most i'll need to do a quick "realign on object". But I shouldn't need to do a 2-star alignment again.

[mch62]

So you have joined the Eq club at long last Mike :poke: .

It's a fairly simple straight forward lite design.

If I had have known it was so straight forward i could have made the mechanicals for you . :D
You'd only needed to get the motor and controller.
Would have saved a bucket load in shipping.

Speeking of the controller does it vary siderial speed for adjustment of tracking rate?
Are they using steppers or servo motors?

Here are the raw materials ready for making my DEC friction drive disc and the rings for making a bearing to allow my newt to rotate withing the fork.
Could have wipped a platform up for ya while i was at it:poke:
Bet you can't wait to get out and do some real imaging now.
Hope to see some pics soon.

Mark

[ving]

sweet looking dooverwacky there mike! :)

[gbeal]

So this spells the end of Mikes self abuse with a non-tracking dob mount, I am almost sad. Look out jupiter indeed. Well done Mike, and when the curse has cleared, let us know how it actually works.
Gary

[[1ponders]]

I'm sure we can rely on Mike to do a FULL review:D

[iceman]

Yep, it's got a little knob for adjusting the speed.

Pass.. brian?

Why didn't you tell me that earlier?? :poke: :P

I haven't had a chance to use it outside yet, the sky is clear at 1:30pm, but it's predicted to come over cloudy tonight.. maybe if it just holds off for a few hours more I'll get a chance!

Thanks guys for sharing in my excitement :) And of course i'll post when i've given it first light, and first imaging light :)

[Dave47tuc]

Well done Mike :2thumbs:
The platform looks great :eyepop: Will follow with interest how it works.

Good luck and now you will have rain up your way :rain:

[Brian]

The motor is 300:1 stepper. The stock 1M pot on the driver has been replaced with a 78K series of resisters and a 100K pot to give it a finer adjustment range.
Thanks Brian

[ving]

he could try tracking clouds...
:scared3:

[Orion]

You must be a very happy man Mike! :thumbsup:

I would think about it if they made one for the 18"

[iceman]

You've got servocat though Ed, why would you want a platform?

Had a small first light tonight, works well.. just gotta tweak the adjustments to get it level, point it south and adjust the speed to get objects staying in the FOV.

Only used it for 20 minutes, clouds coming and going and my wife was lonely. Hooked the laptop up but seeing was shocking so no images yet.

[Orion]

[QUOTE=iceman]You've got servocat though Ed, why would you want a platform?

I don't think the servocat is any good for exposures longer than 15sec because of field rotation. I know that there are derotators out there but putting the telescope on a platform I would think is easier I am not sure about the $$ though. Enjoy your platform Mike and I can't wait for those photos! :2thumbs:

[ballaratdragons]

Brian,

Is there a lighter material to use instead of wood. If the weight could be reduced you might sell more in Oz with less shipping costs. Aluminum sheet perhaps unless it is not cost effective in production.

Nice looking unit though.

[Brian]

I suppose aluminum would save weight but I don't have the skills to build something out of aluminum worth selling.
I do use 5/8th instead of 3/4-inch plywood to save weight and at 17lb it really isn't that heavy.

When sending this, the weight isn't what made it so expensive. It's the size of the box. The USPS charges by the circumference of the package. They then turn the box over their contractor, Fed EX for the actual shipping. This is what messes up customs for you guys.
Brian

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks Brian.

Sometimes, as some have discovered, the shipping costs are more than the price of the item!

I forget who it was in here, but they ordered a $70 item and the shipping charges were over $100.

Makes it tough to get overseas items. Oh well, if someone wants something bad enough, they are usually prepared to pay the extra.

Costs are usually forgotten when the package is opened and the party begins.

[iceman]

It's really not that heavy.. I can lift the whole thing and move it around with the top plate still on, without any trouble at all.

It does add some vibration to the dob when you bump the eyepiece, simply because it's up higher and the added instability of the platform rather than the dob base simply being on the ground.. but that's expected from something that size. It dampens down quick enough.

[ballaratdragons]

You sound very happy with it so far Mike.

Any chance of pics tonight?

Even a pic of it all assembled with the scope on top would be good so newbies can see what it is for.

[iceman]

Tonight it's cloudy, no chance of using it unfortunately. Will definitely take some more pics with the scope on top in the next couple of days.

[slice of heaven]

:poke:

[ving]

*cough*
:P

[iceman]

Whoops :)

Will try and get one done ASAP.. just needed time to "use" it, you know?! :D

[slice of heaven]

Thanks Mike :)

[elusiver]

:lol: :rofl:

i wanna know tooooo :D

el :)

[netwolf]

thinking of geting one built localy, but your review could change my mind about that.