Ok the '280mm grab and go' title may have been a little misleading, congratulations for having a look anyway.
I have been very fortunate to be able to acquire this exquisite scope, my new 280mm refractor.
It is an APM-LZOS 280mm f10, air spaced apochromatic triplet
Only two of these lens cells were made in this size, this being number 2 of 2. The mechanics were fabricated by the famed Matthias Wirth from APM telescopes, I cannot express how incredible this instrument presents in every way.
The scope has two configurations, a straight tube if you have the space and a large enough peir and dome, or a folded setup which uses an optical flat secondary. The folded mode takes the overall length down to a 'manageable' 2.5m which is most likely the only way I will be able to wield such a monster.
My first priority will be to build a manual alt-az dobsonian style base to get me up and running manually to use as a visual planet killer. I have plans to mount it on an ASA DDM100 later this year, the pier and the like will no doubt be a mammoth task to engineer and build.
I dare say I will keep updates here as they happen if you would like to follow the journey as I go.
All going to plan I can mount the 180 Lzos as a finder scope.. maybe put a 2.7 APM barlow in there and I can double up on planetary cameras. 180 for RGB as colour and the 280 for IR perhaps.
Are you sure that isn't the gun turret off a war ship?
That is certainly one big telescope, it will be interesting to see what you do for a mount, it would be quite the undertaking.
Is the rotational inertia going to be an issue?
It doesn't look lightweight. Sorry, same words as Peter above, not copied, my exact though too.
Quote:
I have plans to mount it on an ASA DDM100 later this year
A head with 100Kg capacity, that answers my own thought as to "I bet it's heavy".
Crikey thats awesome. If you haven't met Joshua Bunn (Albany) then I suggest you make contact as he will be able to help.
Hey Andy,
Yeah, Luke and I have known each other for some time. We're working on the rollout pier for the DDM100 and this 280mm refractor. It will be lots of fun!
Hey Andy,
Yeah, Luke and I have known each other for some time. We're working on the rollout pier for the DDM100 and this 280mm refractor. It will be lots of fun!
That's fantastic. I wish you both great success and it certainly sounds like fun to me.
Location: '34 South' Young Hilltops LGA, Australia
Posts: 1,449
Hi Luke,
Amazing project. I can’t figure out how a 280mm f10 that has a 2800mm focal length so how does it end up with a 2.5m tube in a folded configuration?
Hi Luke,
Amazing project. I can’t figure out how a 280mm f10 that has a 2800mm focal length so how does it end up with a 2.5m tube in a folded configuration?
Surely it’s more like 1.5m folded?
Good luck
Joe
The folded section would take about 900mm of the length of the straight tube I would say. There is only one mirror in this scope as opposed to the other folded designs with the 'N' or 'Z' shape. The dew shield is massive though at 500mm long, should be quite effective I would say. I should upload some more pictures with measurements I guess.
Wow. An 11 inch refractor. Very impressive.
It will be interesting to see how you mount the beast.
Congrats!
At over 50kg in it's naked state it sure will need some good engineering to work well. I don't think I will ever be able to use it as a straight tube... How would that even work haha, a skyscraper as a pier?
That's not something I'd like to be setting up and taking down every night. I struggle with a 14Kg refractor.
It's not I can't lift that weight, it's just how awkward it gets.
Yes, I do understand it's something that gets set up on a pier and mount and left in place, even I'm not that silly.
I need to make a dob-style alt-az base for this monster to get me up and running before I can mount it on the yet-to-arrive DDM100. I was thinking I could machine down these aluminium car wheels to be trunions for the dob-style base, it would save having to buy 25mm plate ali and the criss-cross spoke pattern might look kinda cool. Any thoughts?
The attached pics are a dob-base for a 228mm Lzos in Europe somewhere
