Just the thing for the small refractor and accessories - an ABS "Roadies" space case from Jaycar - $69.00 - you supply the foam. Rotary cam locks and a pretty sturdy construction. I getting Jenny to pick one up for me today on the way home. Should be nice.
Chris, I have seen this to but i would reccomend the locks be replaced they are pretty flimsy. Otherwise a very sturdy case.
Regards
Fahim
Thanks for the heads-up Fahim. They look OK from here - and my Tak only weighs around 2 kg, so it doesn't need too much there in terms of strength - but we'll see.
Thanks for the heads-up Fahim. They look OK from here - and my Tak only weighs around 2 kg, so it doesn't need too much there in terms of strength - but we'll see.
I just checked - and it looks as though my host is having an issue with its Los Angeles data center at the moment. Should be back as soon as they resolve it. Again - thanks for the heads up!
I'll have a look at those for the 80mm Chris, thanks.
BTW, I picked up a nice aluminium eyepiece case in Bunnings Wagga the other day. 460x330x150 outside. Only $24
You might want to have a look in music shops for alto saxophone cases, new or used... They would need mods to the foam interior, but that is not so difficult I guess. Prestige Musical Instruments are in Woollahra and they have new ABS cases from AU$75 and up:
Well - Jenny brought one home. The quality is good, and iI think that the cam lock latches are more than solid enough. You wouldn't carry bricks in it, but for a light scope it's perfect.
Here's the new Tak in it - with the mount, attached! Will be nice not to have to disassemble anything, including the finder. The lid closes beautifully - nice and snug.
Wow Geoff! How long's an ED80 then? My WO Megrez 80SD fits no problems at all with the diagonal off.
Without the diagonal, the Orion ED80 is 600mm long.
With any case I get, I'd like to have at least 30-50mm free at each end to allow for foam packing.
I check out the tool boxes everytime I'm in Bunnings but nothing quite long enough as yet.
You might want to have a look in music shops for alto saxophone cases, new or used... They would need mods to the foam interior, but that is not so difficult I guess. Prestige Musical Instruments are in Woollahra and they have new ABS cases from AU$75 and up:
Chris its possible the display one i saw had been through many prods and probes so perhaps the locks seemed useless. But from the pic you posted looks like a perfect fit for your portable setup.
Thanks, that's a source I hadn't considered. Pity there are no photos or dimension on the web site.
A fairly typical (inside) size for an alto sax would be 640x280x170 mm, without the lining, so that leaves 20mm for foam each end, but sizes can vary a bit by manufacturer. A tenor sax case is substantially larger; it would definitely take 600 mm of scope plus at the very least 30 mm of foam each end - still almost the same price, but IMO a bit unwieldy.
