Attn: Glenhuon - the 102's are in!

[Omaroo]

Hey there Bill - SurplusShed now have the 102 mounted objectives back in! :D US$79

http://www.surplusshed.com/pages/item/l3926.html

[Starkler]

Anyone else thinking what im thinking?
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.
.
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binoscope :D

[Omaroo]

Hmmm... :love2:

:thumbsup:

[kljucd1]

Hi,

So are these lenses actually good lenses? Or are they good enough that the fun of making a scope makes up for the rest?

Daniel...

[Omaroo]

Yes, they are. Both Bill (Glenhuon) and I (and others) have made up home made scopes with this objective's little brother - the 80x400mm f/5. Both scopes turned out very well and are keepers.

Here's mine: Pics 1-3

And a shot of the Moon:
(higher-res: http://www.omaroo.net/albums/album36/moon_surplusshed.jpg )

[Jarrod]

roughly how much is shipping to Aus for one of these?

the 80mm objectives look alright (to my unexperianced eye, atleast, lol)...
http://www.surplusshed.com/pages/item/l3002.html

J

[Omaroo]

I think it was US$40 landed Jarrod.

[Jarrod]

thanks :thumbsup:

[citivolus]

Is there an inexpensive tube available that fits the 102 cell?

[Omaroo]

As long as you can get 109mm OD poly pipe!

[MrB]

Hi Chris, been watching the threads about Bill's and your SS scopes for a while, great work. Been dreaming about doing it myself with the 102.
Hopefully they will still have them in a couple of months, or atleast able to get more.
I'm a bit cash-strapped at the moment :( with a trip to Europe in a couple of weeks :)

Looking forward to reading about the first SS102 in Oz :D.
Actually, I can't find any evidence anywhere on the net of a scope made with the 102. I'm sure there's one out there, just can't find 'em.

[kljucd1]

Hi,

Wow Chris, your one actually looks professionally made!!

I wish I had the confidence on my own skills to able to do something like that.

Good one.

Daniel...

[Omaroo]

LOL! Thanks Daniel :)

Don't let the presentation fool you though. It wa very simple to make - I was lucky that I had parts that fit my needs just lying on my shelf from old scopes and projects. The focuser is a William Optics SCT 10:1 crayford, screwed on to Meade 2" visual back ex my 12" LX200GPS. I put an electric focuser on the LX so this part suddenly became free. It's been interference-fit massaged into the rear of a section of 100mm-odd poly pipe and glued in place. The front is the cell as it comes from SurplusShed, but with a stainless steel cap off one of our thermos flask cups.

The hardest part (and this is still very simple) is getting the length of the tube right. You just lay stuff in a line on a bench, look along it, and get an idea of where the whole setup focuses, (before and after the focal point with an average 26mm EP) and then measure the distance between the cell and the focuser. Cut your tube to that length and viola. Screw on a finder bracket and dovetail and you're away!

[Glenhuon]

AAAAARGH!!!!!!! I think missed them, the SurpluShed website says they are out of stock. :sadeyes:
I'll try an email in case they haven't updated it yet.

Bill

[duncan]

Chris you do make it sound oh so simple. I might have to have a crack at something similar later in the year.
Cheers,
Duncan:thumbsup:

[Glenhuon]

Yep, sold out very quickly. They are expecting some more in about 4 - 6 weeks.

Bill

[koputai]

Maybe if there's a few people who want them we could do a bulk order and shipping. Maybe the dollars saved on the US to AUS leg would be cancelled out by the various internal AUS legs?
Anyway, I'd take one.

Cheers,
Jason.

[davewaldo]

The 102's seem to be in stock again.... Also I notice there is a 127mm available now too....

Very nice! :)

[Omaroo]

Wow -

127mm 1200mm f/l US$139 (f/9.5)

127mm 700mm f/l US$129 (f/5.5)

Cool... :thumbsup:

[kljucd1]

Hi,

Just out of curiosity, would these lenses work in binoculars?

Daniel...

[Glenhuon]

Don't see why not. Would be tricky to line them up properly though.

Bill

[Glenhuon]

Got a 102 :). The 127's didn't last long, both out of stock.

Bill

[davewaldo]

I look forward to reading reports on the quality of these objectives and seeing the DIY scopes you guys build.

Good luck!

[Omaroo]

It's a very expensive exercise Daniel. If you place two 102mm objectives together in their tubes the centres would probably be around 120mm apart (allowing for the thickness of the cells). Your eyes are usually around 65-75mm apart (your inter-pupillary distance or IPD). Therefore you'd need to bend the light paths in after they exit the rear of the scopes and then angle them upward via two diagonals so that the images don't rotate in relation to one another. This is where it gets expensive, because you need what are called "amici" prisms to do this. There is a guy in Japan who makes them for this purpose and they cost around US$1,200. :(

[MrB]

Make sure you keep the posts up on the 102 Bill! :)
Anyone here get their grubby hands on a 127?

[citivolus]

Only the 102mm f/8.8 left as of this writing.

[kljucd1]

Cool, thanks for the info.



:scared::scared::scared:

Daniel...

[Omaroo]

Here's his site: http://www.page.sannet.ne.jp/mazmoto/index-e.htm

[Glenhuon]

Now I'm really kicking myself :(.
For several years I had an old binocular microscope that I dug up in a tip. Cleaned it up, made a stand and borrowed some eyepieces from our environmental officer (a rather attractive young lady ;)) to look at dead mossies (the best kind) and things that crawl around in sewage sludge. When retired about 14 months ago I gave it to one of my workmates. GUESS WHAT WAS INSIDE IT, 2 AMICI PRISMS :doh:

Bill

[kljucd1]

Hi,

Ask if you can borrow it! :)

I saw on the surplusshed website that they sell the blanks, you could always just make some :)...something tells me it's not that simple :)

Daniel...

[Glenhuon]

Probably not Daniel, getting them lined up could be fun though :lol:
Old microscope is a long way from here, in WA.

Bill

[PhilW]

I just got my 102/600 lens in the post today. It looks good, especially the coatings. Of course, Melbourne is covered in a thick layer of cloud in consequence of its delivery so I cannot even try it in tubeless mode.

Phil

[Glenhuon]

Expecting mine sometime next week, UPS and Aus Post willing. Got the focuser, rings and finderscope bracket ready. Looking forward to putting it all together. The 80mm has been named "Rainmaker", our 1600ltr rainwater tank went from empty to full in 3 days, just hoping its big brother doesn't keep up the family tradition :lol:

Bill

[Omaroo]

Get another tank installed to soak up the extra Bill

:D

[Glenhuon]

We did think about that Chris, but everytime we take a bit out of the tank it rains just enough top it up again. Its still full!
Been a weird summer my lady says.

Bill

[PhilW]

I now know exactly what the correlation (& indeed the causation) is. The moment I take my beautiful new lens out of its box, it starts to rain in Melbourne. It has done so for the past two days.

I am still tossing up tube materials (PVC, aluminium are the main starters). I built my 80mm one from an Australia Post mailing tube which was perfect, but the extra heft of this one requires something a bit more solid.

[cristian abarca]

I tried a piece of PVC and the lens doesn't fit. the internal measurement of a 10cm pipe is 10.3cm and the lens mounting unit measurement is 12.3cm. Without too much effort I managed to widen a 10cm pipe to almost 11cm by heating it until it softened and while it was still soft I pushed a cylindrical object in and let the pipe cool down. Getting it out was a bit of a bugger but if you use plywood disks then you can hammer them out without too much damage. Once you take the object out, the pipe is still round just wider. By the way this should be done outside as the pipe does smell when heated and I don't know what chemicals are let out when heating a PVC pipe. I also thought about stretching the pipe to 11.3cm and cutting grooves in the tube so that I can fit the assembly in, but I don't know if this will work. Just a thought. By the way I am going to try and get the pipe to 12cm before I look at other tubes.

Cristian

[PhilW]

I was thinking about putting the PVC pipe inside the cell. The inner diameter of the lower side is 109mm, and there is a nice ridge for the pipe to butt up against. The pipe I saw in Bunnings was almost exactly 109mm outer diameter.

[cristian abarca]

I was also thinking off this. It's a tight fit but I think it will do the job. (see pictures).The white fitting is available at Bunnings also. If you glue the pipe to the white fitting using plumbers glue it will stay on for ever.

Cristian

[PhilW]

I played around with some thin alum sheet last night, & was able to roll a tube. It is an interference fit into the back of the lens cell. I'll rivet it in once I have painted, flocked & baffled the tube. You can see the ridge it butts up against in the photo of the back of the cell.

Still lots of work to do, but I was able to assemble it temporarily & get a star test (hand held) with a few eyepieces (20mm Antares & an Ethos). The images looked great; I think these lenses are going to make great RFTs.

[Glenhuon]

Quote from Christian

I also thought about stretching the pipe to 11.3cm and cutting grooves in the tube so that I can fit the assembly in, but I don't know if this will work. Just a thought. By the way I am going to try and get the pipe to 12cm before I look at other tubes.

Just looking at the above, and wondering if your making the mistake I made initially with the 80mm. The long end of the objective mounting with the ridges is where the dew shield fits. The other end fits inside and over the tube. (assuming the construction is the same as the 80mm)
Just checked the pics and it looks like you have the cell wrong way round just like I did.

Bill

[Glenhuon]

Looking good Phil :)
I used small self tappers to hold my 80mm together rather than rivets, which was just as well as I had to adjust tube length a bit once I got the final focuser and 2" diagonal fitted.

Cheers
Bill

[cristian abarca]

Looking at Phil's set up I think I have put it the wrong way :doh:. This will make thing much easier thanks for correcting me. I've never owned a refractor before so I'm a complete novice.

Cristian

[PhilW]

I checked the SS website, & this is how they say it orients. The lower end has an ID of 109mm. Although it does look kind of counter-intuitive.

Following Bill's suggestion, I just went back on the site to double-check. It says: "The mounts smaller diameter side is meant to point to your object or the sky and has a diameter of 112mm (OD) and the larger side (bottom) has an ID of 109mm, OD of 116mm and an outer flange with a diameter of 127mm."

So the way it is in my photo definitely conforms to this spec (both dimensions & flange). But of course, it could still be wrong! I will drop them an email today just to confirm.

[Glenhuon]

Happy to help Christian. I had mine completely assembled by the time Omaroo pointed out the error. :doh: It does tell you on the web site ad, but I'm one of those people who only reads the instructions when all else fails :lol:

Cheers
Bill

[cristian abarca]

Instructions? What are they? I would have been kicking myself if I went to all that trouble and it was the wrong way. All I need is a focuser then and I'm ready to assemble. Thanks again

Cristian

[PhilW]

I like the idea of using self tappers (not that I've ever made an assembly error you understand :doh::whistle::mad2:). Although with rivets you can just drill them out & re-rivet the offending part. I like the riveted look on my binoscope, it has a couple of kilograms of them.

Cristian, I have a spare focuser if you're interested in having it. It is cheap & basic, but it does the job for these little scopes. PM me if you want it (free).

[Glenhuon]

Phil, I initialy had a plastic focuser on mine (SurplusShed el cheapo) but changed it for a better one and added a 2" diagonal. Then found most of the eyepieces wouldn't come to focus (not enough inward movement) so had to shorten the tube. Thats why I'm glad I used the self tappers. :)

[PhilW]

OK, I have the OTA together & it is all working. I realised I made the dew shield incorrectly once I saw Bill's comments. It needs to fit further down the cell over the flanges & not at the end the way I have it. :screwy: Oh well, first you make it then you fix it.

What are everyone's mounting ideas? I was thinking maybe just a camera tripod (it is 1.6kg), or a refractor dob mount like the one in Richard Berry's "Build your own telescope" (with round dob alt bearings on the sides). Ideas?

[Glenhuon]

My 80mm is about the same weight with the rings and dovetail attached. It fits on a camera tripod but is decidedly shaky. Your second suggestion is probably best, a lot more solid.

Bill

[Omaroo]

OMG Bill - what has happened here? Do we need to start up a separate "Surplus Shed" forum?

LOL! Well done everyone :thumbsup:

[Glenhuon]

Starting to look that way Chris :lol:
102x900 objective arrived this morning. Now the fun begins :)

Bill

[Omaroo]

I've started a separate "show us your ATM" thread Bill. Hopefully Mike or a mod will make it sticky.

[Glenhuon]

I had a look earlier Chris, will have to dig up the Rainmaker pics. :)
Started on the 102 x 900, initial assembly done. Now for the tweaking. Will post progress in the other thread later.

Cheers
Bill

[Glenhuon]

Just done a star test, beautiful concentric Aery Rings. :)

Bill