[leon]

vespine

Hi there, i just joined the iceinspace community yesterday 9.4.2006 and already am lucky enough to be able to contribute something, hopefully it will be of some use.
By now i'm getting a bit old and grey haired, but ive used the curved bolt and 1 RPM motor idea for the last 20 years and found it to work great.
only last week i decided to build another one which i finished today which will carry a small telescope, as i have made it much heavier.
i got the idea from an the American Sky and Telescope magazine, it had an atricle of how to construct one of these drives (October 1980 edition page 333)
As i said i have used and used my construction over and over again, and , if properly alinged to the SCP it never fails to produce good quality images.
When Halley was around in 1986 it got a fair flogging, the proof is hanging on my study wall.
I would be happy to send you a copy of the formula needed to construct one of these mounts, plus some photo's of how the finished article looks.
They are simple to build if you are a bit handy, and great fun to use.
It was quite a conversation piece at the last Vic South Party and as well at the 2004 South Pacific Star Party, where it cracked it for a certificate for a unique Wide Field Astro-Photography Drive.
I have always use my film SLR's on it and now plant my Pentax IstD on it with good results, however i'm still not sure if i really like Digital Imaging, but thats probably because i'm from the old school of Astronomy.
To build one of these drives, and to see it work well will give you much pleasure.

Clear Skies, Leon