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Hi Chris
Thanks!
I tried to minimise the potential setting errors by using the right angle Alum bar so it contacts along two “sides” of the CW shaft.
I used a scribing gauge to mark a parallel line on one side of the Alum angle and aligned the scribed protractor baseline with the “scratch” line and then glued the protractor to the Alum angle using a contact adhesive. The adhesive “melted” the protractor baseline ink hence it looks a bit undulating on the close up.
I then drilled and tapped a couple of holes and inserted nylon bolts to hold the protractor firmly in place. I clipped the ends off the protruding nylon bolts so they were flush with the Alu angle inner surface.
Finally, to make it a hands free operation, I fitted a couple of Velcro straps so I could firmly clamp the assembly to the Dec shaft, leaving hands free to set the Altitude adjustment.
I suspect that the accumulation of measuring and assembly errors would make this device accurate to between 1° and 2°, although you can easily read to ½° on the protractor scale.
The main disadvantage with the overall design is the fragility of the assembly, so I make sure I pack it well when travelling to astro camps.
Cheers
Dennis
PS – Monte, thanks for the details on the magnification of the Tak PAS, at x10; I’ve been wondering what it was!
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