Quote:
Originally Posted by mental4astro
Bugs- Well, the mirrors you would cover when not in use and a sheet over the truss assembly will help with dust and spiders. I'd be covering my scope, and do, regardless of what type and mount it is. And with the mirrors covered, a quick sweep of the webs if any form I don't have trouble with. You're never going to beat spiders, as you know.
To couple the scope to the mount requires you to think of this at the design stage. Just about all commercial scopes utilize a dove tail arrangement to couple the scope to the mount. You can do this too, as you can then incorporate this dovetail to the central brace. All in the planning, and this includes the 'dove tail assembly'. If you still stuggle with the coupling, you can always make the central brace a shallow 'box', and the dovetail can be attached it. This won't compromise the flex issue either, and in the pics you provide, notice how 'that' central brace is acutally TWO square frames welded together. A shallow box would actually be stronger too.
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Thanks Alex, yes a cover might be the best solution. and I could make special fitted covers for the primary and secondary - I suppose they would then be even better protected than when sitting in a solid tube! Maybe the coating will even last longer.
When you say shallow box I suppose you mean making the central brace wider? I did notice the two square braces welded together, so I could for example instead keep some space between them and screw/weld a rectangular piece of alu sheet to each of the four sides, thus creating a solid box that is wider than just the two braces alone. And then simply bolt the dovetail to the box through the square braces.
Looks like the truss design is the winner so far
Again thanks for the advice.