This increases the load on the bearings, but they are so over-rated as it is that I don't think this will cause a problem.
It also INCREASES the bending load in the shaft between the bearings. Imagine that the bearings are so close together, that they are actually just one bearing, and see what the bending load is inside the bearing.
> 2. Shortened the distance between the top bearing and the scope-plate.
> The longer this distance is, the more flex it will experience. You
> will be adding significant weight out on that lever.
Right on.
> 3. Countersunk all your bolts/nuts and made your 1" steel shaft really 1",
> instead of 3/4" (purely ascii cosmetics :-).
Good idea for the graphic, but I don't think the 3/8 Inch plate will allow it. The 1.5 Inch (Now 1.0 Inch) collars will countersink just fine.
> I have a few questions about your design:
>
> a. Why did you make the dec shaft so long and the bearings so far apart?
It seemed like it would be more stable, and those were the measurements in the catalog from Opti-Craft.
> b. How do you intend to control the tension on the DEC shaft?
I don't know what this means.
> c. How will you allow manual or motorized adjustments of the DEC axis?
I was planning on a tangent-arm drive with a small bidirectional motor. One end gets attached to the shaft through a friction clutch, and the other end get attached to the plate.