My obsession telescope building.

[orion]

Well it's been a very busy couple of weeks for me. I started my 24" project it has a 24" f5 primary with a convex secondary and a tertiary at a 45 deg angle. After spending so much time on the design side of things I was eager to start doing some hands on work.

Because I needed the secondary holder to star test the optics on another telescope that a mate has I started work on the secondary holder and as you will see by the pics this whole project will be very time consuming but I love every moment of it!

With the holder finished I moved on to the spider and then the top ring which is stained with a mix of Walnut and Golden Oak and then thinned. I yet have to spray several coats of polyurethane.

Anyway a picture says a thousand words so here they are.

[orion]

Here are some more.

[orion]

And more....

[orion]

Here is the top ring.

[AstroTasmania]

Hi Orion,

Here is a man after my own heart, homebuilt big projects, what a way to go!

I recall a time in my distant past when a 12" Newtonian was a big scope and a 16" was gigantic, how times have changed!

This looks a great project and I imagine, that like me, you enjoy making the equipment you will eventually capture photons with. Do you plan to have the beam come through the Dec shaft off the tertiary? as in an off-axis Cassegrain.

Thank you for sharing your great project, I look forward to seeing more images as work progresses.

My 16" is small optically but challenging building an all metal EQ fork - to carry it.

Clear skies...

[orion]

Hi Orion,

Do you plan to have the beam come through the Dec shaft off the tertiary? as in an off-axis Cassegrain.

Clear skies...

I thought you might like this post Shevill considering you enjoy telescope making, thanks for the kind comments.

The telescope is an alt az so the Dec shaft will be to low to have the beem come through it.
The pics might clear it up for you, sorry about the quality.

[phoenix]

Hey Orion

You have a great hobby there, looks like your having fun,would love to have that gear and start building scopes like you and shevill.
Must give you alot of satisfaction using something you have built yourself.

All the best and keep us posted on your progress :thumbsupmate:


Cheers Jason :pipethinker:

[Tony Leece]

Thats a very professional looking secondary mount their Ed, lovely work:welldone:
It's a hell of a size.
I am not too clued up on different telescope designs, Has this large secondary got advantages over smaller ones? Or is this the normal size of a secondary for a 24" primary?
Thanks for sharing your build with us, looking forward to seeing it develop.
Cheers........
Tony...........

[Draig]

HI Ed,

That looks like it's going to be a beautiful scope when you have finished.

How long do you think it is going to be before first light?
Do you plan to be able to do astrophotography with it?

CHeers Colin

[Radar]

Holy Cow!

Nice work Orion. That is an awesome project you have going on there. Obviously you are not cutting any corners. How long will this project take until first light?

24 inches is quite a chunk. The views will be magnificent, I'm sure. Where will it be housed?

[Draig]

Hi Ed,

Where did you get the plans for this scope?

CHeers Colin

[Radar]

Is this the thing that holds the secondary mirror? If so, it's massive.

http://www.myastrospace.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=542&d=1176371754

[orion]

Has this large secondary got advantages over smaller ones? Or is this the normal size of a secondary for a 24" primary?

Cheers........
Tony...........

Hi Tony,
The secondary is not a normal size for a standard Newtonian this scope is a Nasmyth in design.
The size of the secondary is for the folding capability of the light path in addition the secondary mirror is convex (Cassegrain) which allows the light path to go further down the telescope, see CAD drawing.

[orion]

HI Ed,

That looks like it's going to be a beautiful scope when you have finished.

How long do you think it is going to be before first light?
Do you plan to be able to do astrophotography with it?

CHeers Colin

Thanks Colin,
I don't have any specific time in which to make the telescope, being a labour of love I'm sure to take my time with it. I have an 18" to look through in the mean time from my previous project.

At the moment I have no plans to do astrophotography with it but you never know. For tracking it will have the ServoCat and ArgoNavis system on it.

[orion]

Holy Cow!

Nice work Orion. That is an awesome project you have going on there. Obviously you are not cutting any corners. How long will this project take until first light?

24 inches is quite a chunk. The views will be magnificent, I'm sure. Where will it be housed?

Hi Radar,
I'm sure to enjoy every minute of this project so I don't know when first light will be.
The telescope is designed to be potable that means that it can be pulled apart in three sections for transportation. Like the 18" I can keep it assembled in the garage and just wheel it out to use.

[orion]

Hi Ed,

Where did you get the plans for this scope?

CHeers Colin

The plans for the telescope I did myself. It took roughly 6 months in front of the computer on the CAD before I started some hands on work.

[orion]

Is this the thing that holds the secondary mirror? If so, it's massive.

http://www.myastrospace.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=542&d=1176371754

Yep thats the secondary.
If you have a look at the first CAD drawing you'll see it has to be "big" to bring the light path back down the telescope.
At the last star party I went to I looked through a 25" and the ladder that you had to climb up was around 6ft, climbing up and down a ladder all night is not for me.

The whole idea for a secondary that size is to eliminate all that climbing by having the focuser at a convenient height (some of the viewing will be done sitting down believe it or not). I know that there will be a bit of a light loss but I can cope with that as long as I am comfortable observing.

[Radar]

The whole idea for a secondary that size is to eliminate all that climbing by having the focuser at a convenient height (some of the viewing will be done sitting down believe it or not). I know that there will be a bit of a light loss but I can cope with that as long as I am comfortable observing.

So I guess this will also reduce the focal length which in turn gives you a slighty brighter image any way?

Where does the big mirror come from?

[orion]

We got the blank from Sydney and a mate from the Newcastle Astronomical Society is figuring it at the moment.

[Draig]

Hi Ed,

Thanks for answering my questions.

That is going to be one awe inspiring telescope at any star party you go to.

well done, and please keep us updated on it's progress.

Cheers Colin

[orion]

Well the top of the telescope is complete, I have the ring, spider and secondary holder assembled.

[Draig]

Hi Ed,

Keeps looking better. :welldone:

Any idea how many hours you have spent on it so far, and how many for to go?

Cheers Colin

[Radar]

That is some fine looking handy work Ed. I can only imagine the feeling you must be getting as this thing comes together.

May I ask how much money and time something like this costs to put together?

Cheers

Ray

[orion]

Hi Ed,

Keeps looking better. :welldone:

Any idea how many hours you have spent on it so far, and how many for to go?

Cheers Colin

Around 40 hours the thing is that you also have to wait for the coats of clear to dry and I sprayed on seven of them. I might start writing down the hours I spent on this project.

[orion]

That is some fine looking handy work Ed. I can only imagine the feeling you must be getting as this thing comes together.

May I ask how much money and time something like this costs to put together?

Cheers

Ray

Well, I be lying if I really new how much this project will cost until I finished it. But what I can tell you is how much my last project cost and you can have some sort of idea.

The 18" (see pic) fully built was around $7000 but that was with the ServoCat and ArgoNavis and encoders which alone cost $3000

So building it yourself will certainly save money.

[Noel Carboni]

All I can say is Wow! The job you're doing is beautiful.

I imagine you'll actually be able to see color in quite a few nebulae/galaxies with 24" of aperture.

-Noel

[orion]

Thanks Noel, I first seen color in the Orion neb with the 18" in a dark site there were pinks and green. I was quite impressed!

[orion]

Considering everyone is enjoying the pics here are some in stages of the mirror cell that I designed and built earlier on. The tail gate is designed so it folds down when the telescope is assembled to expose the mirror for easy access for cleaning.

When the telescope is finished it will be something to look at and look through.

[orion]

Here are some more...

[orion]

last one....

[Draig]

HI Noel,

You have certainly thought out this design.

Outstanding workmanship.

Cheers Colin

[wakaleo]

Wow, Ed, I'm gob-smacked! The quality of your work is amazing and your dedication to the task is ... well, amazing! Would love a squiz through it.

[Radar]

Ed, that project is mind blowing. What are those blue things for ("blue things" being the technical term)? :Chessy_Smile:

[orion]

The blue things Ray as you so technically put it are the triangles that support the mirror on 27 points. To calculate where the points should go I used the plop softwear ...http://www.davidlewistoronto.com/plop/

[orion]

Wow, Ed, I'm gob-smacked! The quality of your work is amazing and your dedication to the task is ... well, amazing! Would love a squiz through it.

Thanks for your kind comments, Maybe one day I might see you at a star party somewhere and you can look through it.:thumbsupmate:

[orion]

I did a bit more work on the telescope and started on the second ring which holds the focuser.

There was some work involved in bending the focuser board to the circumference of the ring. I had to make a "press" out of bits of scrap plywood to form the curve. I soaked a couple of small sheets of ply in water (just through them outside in the rain which we have plenty of at the moment...lol) and laminated them together using the press and a clamp.
I put a small molding around the outside of the focuser board for appearance and then epoxied the focuser board to the ring.

It all has a coat of stain and clear waiting to dry.

[wakaleo]

Would love to catch up at a sky party somewhere Ed. Just where might you be if you were at one in say (when did you say it would be finished)?

Tell me. Are you:
a) Obsessed (a good bet, from the title of your post!)?
b) Independantly wealthy?
c) An insomniac?
d) Any of the above?

If none of the above, perhaps there's hope for me yet!

[Radar]

That is some fine carpentry work Ed. Have you ever studied carpentry in detail? You make this project look easy. :thumbsupmate:

[orion]

Tell me. Are you:
a) Obsessed (a good bet, from the title of your post!)? Yes
b) Independantly wealthy? No
c) An insomniac?Sometimes....

I don't know when this will be finished but when it is we might be able to get together some time in the future.

Ray, I'm just a welder by trade but along life's path I acquired many skills which I project on my love for telescope making.

[Tony Leece]

last one....

Last one...!!!! I hope not ED:Oh_No: NEED TO SEE MORE PICS.......

Seriously though Ed, this is a superb piece of engineering, not to mention a bloomin beauty to see in the making :eartoear:
If it performs half as good as it looks, you'll be the envy of all your astro buddies.
Excellent work mate and thanks for sharing with us........
Tony...........

[Draig]

Would love to catch up at a sky party somewhere Ed. Just where might you be if you were at one in say (when did you say it would be finished)?

Tell me. Are you:
a) Obsessed (a good bet, from the title of your post!)?
b) Independantly wealthy?
c) An insomniac?
d) Any of the above?

If none of the above, perhaps there's hope for me yet!

e) all of the above?

Cheers Colin

[phoenix]

Hey Ed

Your telescope is coming along really well, Thanks for sharing in the progress of building your scope. What would the scope weigh when finished ? How long would it take to assemble and dismantle your scope ?




Cheers Jason :pipethinker:

[orion]

They are questions only time will tell.
It will be portable and come apart in three sections. It most probably take as long as it takes to set up any large ALT AZ telescope.

I am not concentrating on making it light, I think the weight adds to the stability of the telescope.

[orion]

Here are some pics showing my progress. I started working on the tertiary light baffle and curved spider veins. While I was doing that I decided to cut some ellipses with the minor axis being 78mm.
The cutting tool I made was out of an old pipe that was machined to the right thickness and diameter. To cut six layers of glass it took around 3 hours which gave me some time to make the spider veins.

All in all everything turned out well and tomorrow I'll finished the tertiary holder

[orion]

more........

[Radar]

G'day Ed. What is this part for please?

http://www.myastrospace.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=641&d=1178182860

Cheers

Ray

[phoenix]

G'day Ed. What is this part for please?

http://www.myastrospace.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=641&d=1178182860

Cheers

Ray



Hey Ed

Is that the cutter for the secondary mirror ?


Cheers Jason :pipethinker:

[orion]

That pic shows the cutting tool cutting through six layers of glass that have been positioned at a 45 deg angle so when they're cut they will be elliptical.
As you can see from the next pic the core of glass that the tool cut are to be diagonal mirrors. (I need just one, the rest are for later projects)

One of those will be my tertiary mirror after it has been figured to be optically flat.

[Radar]

Wow! I thought you would have bought the secondary. Impressive that you can do stuff like this Ed. Dare I ask what the other mirrors are for?

Cheers

Ray

[orion]

Well Ray the diagonal ended up being 78mm on the ray trace program so I had to custom make it to suit.

The other diagonals might end up being part of a large binocular system in the future:hmm:

[Radar]

So the glass you cut is just clear glass? And do you put your own reflective layer over it? And does it need to be concaved? How would you do something like that?

Cheers

Ray

[orion]

My fault I should explain things a bit more clearly.:thumbsupmate:
The glass is clear because it is your normal run of the mill plate glass. Pyrex glass (the best for telescope optics) which has a low expansion rate is also expensive and hard to come by at this time.

After the mirror has been cut it must be tested to see if it is optically flat, it's a bit of a process so here is a link to describe (mirror making) from Stellafane...http://www.stellafane.com/atm/atm_mirror/atm_mirror_overview.htm

Once the mirror has been figured it needs to be coated. I send my mirrors to Chi Qin Co in Sydney.http://www.opticalcomponents.com.au/ Issac does a fantastic job coating the mirrors. The mirror goes into a pressurised chamber and is aluminized he than puts a quartz coating over the aluminized surface to make it scratch resistant.

These elipticles that I cut do not need to be concave only the primary mirror does (with a parabola)... They need to be flat optically flat.

I hope this explains a few things.

[phoenix]

Hey Ed

Haven't heard from you in a couple of days, Hows the progress of your telescope ? Do you have any updated pics?




Cheers Jason :pipethinker:

[orion]

Ive gone back to work Jason from a three week holiday so the updates will be a bit slow from now on.

[orion]

Well I finally got to put the pieces together.

I was pleasantly surprised when I had the top half of the telescope assembled I was used to seeing it as a drawing on the computer and when it's right in front of you you get a real perspective on size.

Next on the list is to put the tertiary in.

[phoenix]

Hey Ed.

Well done it's looking very nice.:thumbsupmate:

I can't wait to see when it's finish.




Cheers Jason :pipethinker:

[Radar]

I second that Ed. Your project is looking awesome. I'm jealous. So are the hard parts done, or is there still some serious DIY stuff to make?

Cheers

Ray

[orion]

Thanks guys.
I tend not to see it as hard Ray but as a nice challenge. Being a work of love what I have done so far was enjoyable.

The whole project will be challenging. It gets complicated for example the tertiary has to be mounted in a way that the veins don't coincide with the secondary veins creating longer spikes in a star image.

Instead of using Teflon and Formica for the large bearings I'll will be using stainless steel ball bearings riding on a strip of aluminium. (Confused yet?)

I also have to power the ground board through the central pivot point.
They are just a few things

[Radar]

Hey Ed,

Glad to hear it is all enjoyable to do. What is the advantage to using stainless steel bearings as opposed to teflon?

Cheers

Ray

[orion]

The steel bearings are experimental.
I know the telescope will be heavier than normal and the bearings will always ride smoothly with a heavy scope and each bearing will be braked a certain amount making it easier to control.
Having made telescopes with friction bearings I know the problems with it. You always need to have the surfaces clean from dust and if you want it to ride more smoothly you put some Armoral on the Formica which attracts more dust, plus in time with heavy scopes the Formica wares into the Teflon reducing the smoothness in operation.

[Tony Leece]

WOW Ed, it's looking better and better mate. Excellent workmanship:welldone:
Will you be imaging at all with the finished scope, or is it strictly visual?
Also what do you estimate will be the total finished weight of this beast?
Keep em pics coming.:thumbsupmate:
All the best...........
Tony..........

[orion]

Thanks Tony,
I'll be using the scope for visual work but I know it will be tempting to stick a camera on it at some time.
I haven't got any estimate on the weight at this time but when it's constructed I will weigh it in sections and get a total.

[Cosmic_Rider]

Hi orion


That's going to be one :cool!: telescope.

[Radar]

Sure is Cosmic Rider. To be honest, I didn't realise that there was so much DIY stuff happening out there in the astro community. It is all so talented. I look at what these guys are making and it blows my mind. I wouldn't know where to start.

I don't know if this sounds funny (it probably will), but watching people build stuff like this gives me a buzz. As the projects move along and pics get posted, I'm feeling Orions sense of achievement out of it as well. Don't ask me why, I just do. :duh:

Ray :pipethinker:

[orion]

Thanks for the kind comments guys.:thumbsupmate:

Ray the truth is that I felt the same as you do when I followed closely the construction of someones telescope, and actually I still do.

I am glad it has that effect on you and I hope some others as well.
The whole idea of posting the pics is to encourage people to have a go for them selves and to find out how rewarding it is looking through a telescope you built yourself. There is no need to go to the extent that I did and still have a very nice and practical scope.

The info on the web is endless for ATM (Amature Telescope Making) and forums like this one even make it easier with people like myself and others eagar to give advice.

[Medusa]

That really is amazing, Do they take long to build ?


Medusa

[orion]

That really is amazing, Do they take long to build ?


Medusa

Hi Medusa,

It depends on what you want. The telescope that I am building will take long time.
The telescope on this link http://members.aol.com/sfsidewalk/intro.htm wouldn't take nowhere near as long (especially if you already have all the parts on hand) and you will still have a very good observing telescope.

[Medusa]

Thanks orion, When are you hoping to have yours built ?


Medusa

[orion]

Not any time soon that's for sure, there is still a lot of work to be done.
I'm in no rush.

[Radar]

How is everything coming along Ed?

Ray

[orion]

Sorry it's been a while but I've been having computer problems.

With the top of the telescope finished I started concentrating on the powered ground board.

The first step was to use the router to cut a circle for the ground board. I then proceeded to make the 'feet' keeping in mind that I wanted some distance between the ground and the board I made them 65mm thick.
One of the things that I wanted to do different this time around was to use bearings instead of Teflon on Formica (to see the difference) so that was the next step and from the photos you can see that it has turned out quite well. Once installed I finished it of with dust cover squares made out of Kydex that were glued on in place over the bearings.

There are still things to do to the ground board. I got a Powered Ground Board kit from Gary Myers at StellarCat and that will be the next thing to do.

[orion]

A couple more...

[A.S.I.G.N_Baz]

Might I suggest you put something under the threaded rod ? If any undue force by dropping or just its own weight over time, the rod will press into the wood and you could have uneven or no contact.

A thin plate of something or even some hard resin.

Just a thought.

Baz.

[Radar]

Looks good Ed. I imagine the board with those bearings will have another board sitting on top of it that can swivel? I'm probably way off :duh:

What exactly are the feet on this? (sorry about the simplistic questions Ed, I imagine the feet are for the tracking platform but I'm not sure)

Cheers

Ray

[orion]

Might I suggest you put something under the threaded rod ? If any undue force by dropping or just its own weight over time, the rod will press into the wood and you could have uneven or no contact.

A thin plate of something or even some hard resin.

Just a thought.

Baz.
Yes Baz that was my thought also if it does happen it is just a matter of taking the feet off and putting a thin strip of stainless (which I already have) between the feet and the board.

Thanks for your suggestion, I'm glad to see someone is on the ball.

[orion]

Looks good Ed. I imagine the board with those bearings will have another board sitting on top of it that can swivel? I'm probably way off :duh:

What exactly are the feet on this? (sorry about the simplistic questions Ed, I imagine the feet are for the tracking platform but I'm not sure)

Cheers

Ray

Your not way of at all. The rocker box will sit on top and under the rocker box there will be a 1.5mm strip of stainless screwed on so that the bearings will ride smoothly.

The feet are the square blocks that attach to the round board.

[orion]

The ground board is now powered.

[Radar]

Awesome Ed.

With the ground board, does this mean that part of the base will be connected to ground (electricity wise) so that the scope has power and no cables no matter where it points?

Ray

[orion]

Yes Ray, the power runs through the central pivot point eliminating wires rapping around the telescope when it slews from one object to another.

[Tony Leece]

Yes Ray, the power runs through the central pivot point eliminating wires rapping around the telescope when it slews from one object to another.

Excellent idea Ed, their's one thing that gets on my nerves with this hobby and thats WIRES :ahh!:
Cool solution mate :eartoear:

Tony........

[Dale Gorman]

Hi Ed,
Thats going to be an amazing piece of equiptment,when you done, lovely to see members with such refined hands on skills.
You will have to give us all a run down on her first performance...........
Keep up the great work,its a wonderfull project.....Galileo would approve I,m sure!........Best Wishes Dale G.

[Radar]

their's one thing that gets on my nerves with this hobby and thats WIRES :ahh!:


Couldn't agree more mate. I'm hoping to build dew heaters into my telescopes over the next few weeks. I'm going for a cordless design because cables frustrate me. I'm always holding and moving them when my scope is slewing. It would be so much easier if the dew heaters were built in, which I image can't be to hard.

Nice design on the ground board Ed, you got me thinking.

Ray

[orion]

Hi Tony,

I actually didn't come up with the idea of running the power through the pivot point as I bought the whole thing as a kit.
The person that should be credited for this idea is Gary Myers from a company in the states called StellarCat. http://www.stellarcat.com/

[orion]

Hi Ed,
Thats going to be an amazing piece of equiptment,when you done, lovely to see members with such refined hands on skills.
You will have to give us all a run down on her first performance...........
Keep up the great work,its a wonderfull project.....Galileo would approve I,m sure!........Best Wishes Dale G.

Thanks Dale, It certainly is a work of love.

[orion]

I got out in the shed to do a bit more this weekend.

I started on the ply marking out and cutting the necessary pieces for the mirror box and rocker box out of hoop pine. I then proceeded to laminate two pieces of 15mm ply together for the bottom of the rocker box.

I also made a press to press the large pieces of ply together.

[Radar]

Hi Ed,

What is hoop pine? Are you selecting wood based upon it's look or strength?

Why do you need to stick the ply together rather than just buy thicker ply?

Ray

[orion]

Hoop Pine is a native Australian specie found in Queensland and New South Wales. The planting to harvesting cycle of Hoop Pine is about 50 years.

I selected this wood firstly because it was reasonably priced and second because it looks good and accepts stain quite well and is good for cabinet making. (It was also in stock)

It is cheaper to laminate the ply than to buy several sheets in different thicknesses, 30mm ply might not be in stock and you can only buy it in 1200x2400 sheets and I didn't need that much.

[rmcpb]

That is going to be one seriously strong rocker box at 30mm. Terrific project.....

[orion]

I started work on the mirror box today, it is glued clamped and drying as I type this.
The fist pic shows the box clamped together for a dry run with the mirror cell.
The second is the dowel joints that I am going to use.
And the third pic is awaiting the glue.

[orion]

The mirror box is pretty much finished.

1. Back
2. Front

[Radar]

Holy cow Ed. That looks awesome. Are they collimation adjustments that sit under the mirror?

Cheers

Ray

[orion]

Yes Ray the three knobs next to the checker plate are the collimation knobs and the four outside knobs are holding the whole tailgate assembly to the mirror box.

When the telescope is assembled and pointing horizontal you will be able if need be to access the mirror by simply unscrewing the knobs and folding the tailgate down.....makes mirror cleaning a lot more easier.

[Radar]

Hey Ed, how's the scope coming along? I imagine you are getting close to completing this baby. I check the beginning of this thread - April 12th. That's quite a mammoth project.

Ray

[orion]

The scope is slowly coming together Ray.
It seems like I've done a lot on this scope but I still have a ways to go yet.
I knew this was going to be a long term project because I do bits and pieces when I can get around to it.

I still have to make the ALT bearings to bolt on to the side of the mirror box which will take some time and a considerable amount of routing.
I also have the rocker box to complete which will take some time also, so this project is not finished by a long shot.

These three pics are the end result of the mirror box.

I've stained and sanded it with a few coats of polyurethane on the outside and sprayed the inside mat black.
The mirror cell is in and the truss blocks are in place. I think the finish turned out reasonably well.
The next step is the rocker box.

Ray is this thread getting to long ? I'll leave it to your discretion, I can always cut back on the pics?

[Radar]

These three pics are the end result of the mirror box.


Looks great Ed. Have you placed the mirror inside yet (for testing)?



Ray is this thread getting to long ? I'll leave it to your discretion, I can always cut back on the pics?

I don't think so, I like the fact that one thread covers the building of this telescope from start to finish and spans months. I'm sure for a long time to come, people will pop into this site, read this thread and be amazed. The photo's are fine because they appear as thumbnails, so if people don't want to view them they don't have to. For me, the photo's really help me understand what is taking place, not to mention show your skills as a telescope maker. Keep em coming!

Ray

[orion]

Yes I've placed the mirror inside and it fits perfectly.

And no problem I'll keep the pics coming.

[rmcpb]

Ed,

How did you attach the collimation bolts to the first set of triangles?

Looks like a great job, I am enjoying this thread :thumbsupmate:

Cheers

[orion]

Rob they are attached with nylon lock nuts but the nuts are not tightened.
Every triangle pivots to a certain degree to make it a 'floating cell'

[Tenacious Del]

This is an amazing project. I agree that the pics should keep coming. :thumbsupmate:

[wakaleo]

I agree with the others; this is a great thread Orion - keep it going.

Jim

[orion]

I started on the front of the rocker box today.

To lighten the box, air circulation and appearance I cut a few fancy holes on the front face of the box.
I started of by making a template out of 5mm ply so I could use it as a guide for the router.
With the template done I transferred the pattern on the front of the rocker box and drilled a few holes to make cutting with the jig saw easier. I didn't cut it right on the line but left a 3mm or 4mm overhang.
The way that I secured the template onto the board was with some double sided tape (it held very firm).
Using the flush bit on the router table, I took the excess material off and then used the radius bit to round all corners.

[orion]

Here is the end result.

[orion]

Being the long weekend it gave me some time to work on the rocker box.

The sides were on the menu and there was a lot of measuring to be done to get it right before I started routing.
The holes to accommodate the bearings were drilled first and then the routing because there is less chipping that way. A little bit of sanding and I can put the rocker box together.

[Radar]

Looks awesome Ed. :thumbsupmate:

How long do you estimate until completion?

Ray

[orion]

I've been busy the past couple of weeks and didn't do anything to it. It really depends on the time I spend on it so I really wouldn't know.

[Radar]

Done anymore work yet Ed? I imagine you don't have too much left before this thing is up and running.

Ray

[orion]

Yes I have Ray. After the rocker box is finished I'll start working on the alt bearings. I cant see it taking to long now.

These pics will show where I am up to.
You might ask what is the metal ring under the rocker box for?
It is a piece of 2mm stainless that the az bearings ride on.

I will have some more pics with the rock box stained epoxied and assembled later on.

[Tenacious Del]

looks amazing mate. :thumbsupmate:

can't beleive how big it is. what is the electronic box for?

Ta

Del

[Radar]

Awesome Ed. Did you get a sheet of steel to cut the ring?

Cheers

Ray

[orion]

looks amazing mate. :thumbsupmate:

can't beleive how big it is. what is the electronic box for?

Ta

Del

Hi Del, the black box is the ServoCat. It powers the alt and az servo motors.
It normally sits on the outside of a telescope but on this build it is built in.

[orion]

Awesome Ed. Did you get a sheet of steel to cut the ring?

Cheers

Ray

Yes I had a stainless sheet and cut it out.

[orion]

Well my Rocker Box is compleated and I'm of to work on the altitude bearings.
They will take some time.

[Radar]

The craftmanship is amazing mate. The rocker box reminds me of some musical instrument for some reason. :duh:

I imagine you are only a few weeks away from peering through this thing.

Good luck with the rest mate.

Ray

[orion]

The bearings are the last thing to make before I can put the telescope together.

1...First thing was to make a template of the bearing for routing purposes.

2...I needed a thickness of at least 35mm so I used two 15mm and 6mm ply
which were laminated and pressed together.

3...After the three pieces of ply were laminated. I routed the radius of the bearings and used the template to mark out the sections which were to be roughly cut out.

4...The template was then secured to the work piece and routing commenced.

5...The bearings after routing. I used a radius bit on the router to finish them off.

6...Sanded and the stain going on.

[orion]

Number six pic....

[Radar]

Awesome Ed. I imagine this project is very close to being finished?

Ray

[orion]

Awesome Ed. I imagine this project is very close to being finished?

Ray

It sure is.
Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be star testing the optics before I send them away to get coated.

[orion]

The bottom of the telescope assembled.

I'm getting the truss poles today and the scope will be completed! (except for the electronics)

[wakaleo]

That is very nice workmanship Ed. You must be getting excited at the prospect of using this instrument. Are you planning to do astrophotography with this awesome-looking unit?

Jim

[orion]

That is very nice workmanship Ed. You must be getting excited at the prospect of using this instrument. Are you planning to do astrophotography with this awesome-looking unit?

Jim

I'm very excited!
In time to come I'll will be doing photography with it. But I will be limited to 15min exposures because of the field rotation.
With a scope of this aperture 15min is ample. Taking several 15min exposures and then using a software to de-rotate and stack the images I shouldn't have a problem.

[h0ughy]

I'm very excited!
In time to come I'll will be doing photography with it. But I will be limited to 15min exposures because of the field rotation.
With a scope of this aperture 15min is ample. Taking several 15min exposures and then using a software to de-rotate and stack the images I shouldn't have a problem.
yep be very happy to try the camera on it for you ED!!

[Radar]

This deserves a cold beer mate. Really looking forward to seeing some pics of the finished product :thumbsupmate:

Have you thought about naming it? I just thought of a good one whilst I was typing.

Dobzilla!

Good luck

Ray

[Tenacious Del]

well done Ed. we feel your excitment. :thumbsupmate:

[orion]

yep be very happy to try the camera on it for you ED!!
I've seen you in action with multiple cameras going at the same time!
You will be first on my list.


This deserves a cold beer mate. Really looking forward to seeing some pics of the finished product :thumbsupmate:

Have you thought about naming it? I just thought of a good one whilst I was typing.

Dobzilla!

Good luck

Ray

Actually Ray the scope has already been named but Dobzilla would have suited it nicely!

With some help from Houghy, (well a lot of help) we came up with the name A.C.E. the Australian Celestial Explorer.
Getting as we speak a brass plaque made with the name to go on the telescope.

[orion]

well done Ed. we feel your excitment. :thumbsupmate:

Thank you Dellio.

[hpcoolahan]

Looks Unreal Ed.
Going to be a real stunner when finnished.

Should we tell NASA to turn on the big countdown clock??:Chessy_Smile:

Clear Skies
Pat

[orion]

I assembled the telescope for the first time on Saturday night.
George came around and we put the optics in, to mainly see how the scope balanced out.
I was a little surprised because I thought it would be top heavy but it held it's own, Great! The scope moved effortlessly with the sealed bearings and it was a pleasure to use.

After collimating it for the first time (it took half an hour) we pointed it at the most obvious thing the moon and WOW!
Using a SWA24mm eyepiece the moon looked enormous by this time it was getting a bit late and we were a bit worn out.
I think the few beers we had in celebration contributed to that!

Anyway star testing is on the list for tonight if the weather is alright minus the beers

[Radar]

What a monster! Looks amazing Ed.

The secondary and eyepiece are much lower than I am used to seeing. Why is this? And if the secondary is half way up the scope instead of at the top, what is that round thing at the top :duh:

Congrats mate.

13111312131013111312

[orion]

Ray the mirror in the centre where the focuser is located is the tertiary.
The big thing up the top is where the secondary is housed.

The light rays come in and hit the primary mirror down the bottom.

That mirror reflects the light up to the top of the telescope hitting the secondary.

The secondary (which is the big thing up on top) reflects the light back down the telescope hitting the tertiary (which is in the middle of the telescope)

The tertiary is an elliptical mirror and is angled at a 90deg. This mirror reflects the light back out the focuser.

[Tenacious Del]

Three mirrors? I wasn't expecting this either. This is an amazing system Ed. :bow:

[Radar]

The tertiary is an elliptical mirror and is angled at a 90deg. This mirror reflects the light back out the focuser.

It's almost a schmidt cassegrain optical design. This is the first time I've seen a newtonian type scope with this config. What are the advantages to this system?

Also, with two other mirrors in the path, do you lose much light gathering ability?

Cheers

Ray

P.S Now I see why it took 30 minutes to collimate.

[AstroBob]

Seeing that car next to the dobsonian really brings the size home. Amazing project Orion. :smile: :smile: :smile:

[orion]

It's almost a schmidt cassegrain optical design. This is the first time I've seen a newtonian type scope with this config. What are the advantages to this system?

Also, with two other mirrors in the path, do you lose much light gathering ability?

Cheers

Ray

P.S Now I see why it took 30 minutes to collimate.

The advantages for me of the Nasmyth design is that you can observe comfortably not having to stand on a tall ladder all night to reach the eyepiece.
You do get some light loss because of the larger secondary, but that's no problem considering how comfortable is is observing through it.

If the secondary was slightly larger and figured with a more pronounce convex curvature there is no reason why the light rays would not exit where the axis of the ALT bearing is.

This would be good because it would enable people who are wheel chair bound to observe through a large aperture telescope!:smile:

The telescope took 30min to collimate initially. It won't take that long every time you set it up.

[CanisMajorTom]

Impressive thread Orion. Finally finished. The views will be amazing I'm sure. :bow:

[wakaleo]

Gidday Ed!

Strewth! Crikey! Strike me pink! (dribble, dribble - drool, drool).

Jim

[orion]

Impressive thread Orion. Finally finished. The views will be amazing I'm sure. :bow: Construction wise well, yes it is finished but I still have a bit to go. The mirrors need to get coated and the electrical work needs to be done.


Gidday Ed!

Strewth! Crikey! Strike me pink! (dribble, dribble - drool, drool).

Jim

LOL.....Thanks Jim.

[Tenacious Del]

The mirrors need to get coated and the electrical work needs to be done.
Thanks Jim.

Hi Orion, what do the coatings actually do?

[orion]

This will explain it to you, though on a slightly larger version than mine.....:tongue: :wink:
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=gxp6aMhoT9U

[orion]

I received my focuser that I ordered from Moonlite.
It's the CR4. What a beautiful piece of engineering!

I highly recomend it to anyone that is thinking on an upgrade on their focuser.

Here are the stats.....I ordered mine in blue.

1.45" low profile, Zero backlash, No image shift crayford design.
2" travel. Draw tube length is 3.6" with the filter holder.
Swing filter holder is threaded for both 48 and 49 mm filters and is operated by an above board lever mounted to the draw tube.
Racked down heigth is 1.45" , max racked up heigth is 3.45"
Vertical lifting capacity is 8 lbs. and is user adjustable for even greater capacity if needed.
Super smooth focus rate is .58" per revolution on standard side.
Inline slow motion has an 8.2 to 1 ratio.
Flat base dimensions are L=3.5" W=2.9" H=1.45"
Weight: 16.6 ounces.
Tip/tilt focuser alignment screws located in each corner of the base.
Sealed precision stainless steel bearings with lithium grease.
Base is highly polished, red anodized 6061 aluminum.
Draw tube, and adapter is highly polished, black anodized 6061 aluminum. (The flat on the draw tube is hand polished perfectly smooth which is why our focusers are so smooth-- No machine marks are left on the draw tubes' machined flat surface. This allows very small focus adjustments to be made without any sticky or notchy feel to the user.)
Knobs are 1" knurled 2024 polished aluminum.
All hardware is stainless steel.
Thumb screws are black nylon.

[AstroBob]

that is a really complex looking focuser mate. how is everything going with this project?

[malcant]

hey orion... when are you going to finish building my 24" scope? lol just kidding

[Radar]

hey orion... when are you going to finish building my 24" scope? lol just kidding

I think he said that as soon as he finishes my 24 inch, he's starting work on yours. :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:

(I wish):frown:

[Tenacious Del]

I think he said that as soon as he finishes my 24 inch, he's starting work on yours. :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:


Yours won't be finished for a while mate because he said he was doing mine first. :biggrin: :woot: :biggrin:

(sorry for hijacking your thread Ed). :itsme!:

[malcant]

ha ha... funny stuff.

[orion]

that is a really complex looking focuser mate. how is everything going with this project?

I have been extremely busy of late with other things so the electrical work on the telescope will have to wait.

We have been star testing the optics when the weather permits and all is going well.

[poppasmurf]

Well, that thing is absolutely AWE INSPIREING. Magnificent piece of work. Might even try that, on a bit smaller scale, myself one day if i'm game.