Re: ATM 2001 Oregon Star Party telescope walkabout

[Mel Bartels <mbartels@efn.org>]

> I assume "flex" was not a design objective but a result of an optimization
> for light weight without reducing effectiveness?  Doesn't the flexibility

Dan Gray is the originator as far as I know, and he designed it to be
flexible on purpose, so that 4 support points could be used on the ground
ring instead of the traditional 3.  Think of it this way: the flex rocker
is designed to almost eliminate the rocker and put the altitude support
bearings directly above the azimuth support points.  In fact, in toying
with the design, you can use the same block of teflon for both alt and az
points, typing the 4 blocks of teflon together with thin rods.

During the last year we had a discussion on this group, captured in the
archives, about dispensing with the rocker completely, and allowing the
altitude rim to slide on the azimuth ring.    The (dis)advantage is that
the scope can tip.  By using the flex rocker, you control the tip.

> cause an error in ALT tracking and guiding or is the flexibility in another
> axis?  By rocker do you mean the nearly semicircular part of the ALT

Yes - the altitude rim is the outside rim of the altitude bearings that
sit on the rocker's support points.

Mel Bartels