Anyone ever used two small refractors to make a binoscope?

[omaroo]

I've just gone and done it again. I've bought a second William Optics 66mm Petzval scope to match my original one. I intend to create for myself a binoscope from them. There are some good websites that describe what people have done, but they are all top-end and rather expensive looking. Has anyone ever made a set for themselves? Adjustment of interocular distance with two diagonals is going to be the hard part I think. There is a guy in Japan who manufactures a system using two 45 deg erecting prisms one on top of the other to allow the I/O distance to come right down. He also manufactures (or did) a system to allow parallel skewing adjustment between the two OTA's.

Have anyone any experience in this sort of thing?

Cheers
Chris

http://www.cloudynights.com/images/Binoscope%20Close%20IPD.jpg

http://www.cloudynights.com/images/Binoscope%20far%20IPD.jpg

http://www.cloudynights.com/images/Binoscope%20Megrez%20Binoscope.jpg

[phoenix]

Chris, What a brilliant idea, I have never seen this system before, Those white diagonals did you buy them locally ? Did you make the bracket between the two scopes ?






Cheers Jason :pipethinker:

[omaroo]

Hey there Jason :)

No, I haven't bought the diagonals yet - they're about $1,400 from Japan - and the inter-scope mounting plate is exy too. I'm just exploring options now that I have two matched f/6 short-tube scopes for the job. Should be an interesting little project.

Here's the guy's page in Japan: http://www.page.sannet.ne.jp/mazmoto/index-e.htm

Cheers
Chris

[Radar]

Awesome concept Chris. Those diagonals are very professional looking to. So that scope in the photo is not yours? I'd be interesed to hear just how good the system is. Be nice to stick a couple of SCT's side by side.

:cool!:

[omaroo]

Thanks everyone & G'Day Ray :)

No, that binoscope isn't mine. That one is made up of two Megrez 80's I believe (that'd be nice...), but mine will consist of two semi-APO Petzval 66ED's. There are binoculars out there taht will kill this system for views....but I think that they attract mortage-type prices. Should be interesting anyway!

Cheers
Chris