Re: [ATM] Time for a "new standard" ATM telescope project?

[Gil McFarlane <gilboastro@yahoo.com>]

--- "Eric S. JoJohansson<esesjaharveerg> wrote: 

> I've been thinking about alternatives and one that 
> comes to mind would be using 
> a large diameter piece of pipe such as a six-inch 
> piece of PVC (6 inch diameter 
> that is) and mounting a fork off the end. This 
> would set up a very low to the 
> ground mount with a low center of gravity. Like the 
> ball mount, this amount 
> could be wheeled around with scope in place without 
> much concern for tipping 
> everything over. in order to make the polar axis 
> round enough for photography, 
> it will take a degree of machining which should be 
> something one can accomplish 
> at home with a few simple to build tools. 
> 
> anyway, it's still a rough idea. Maybe I'll have 
> the time and energy to build 
> it this fall. 
> 

First of all, I love ANYTHING that includes PVC pipe
and "simple to build tools". So it sounds good to me!
I've been thinking about how one would essentially tip
a dob mount and take advantage of the large bearing
surfaces to account for the lack of precision
machining - (one would need to find a way to deal with
the friction against the shaft that is absent in the
dob mount.) Perhaps the 6" pvc pipe could help solve
that problem (imagine a dob, inclined to match the
latitude, with a central 6" (home ground to round) PVC
shaft running through the 18" flat bearing surface.  I
suppose that a dob mount really is just a fork mount
after all - hmmm.


       
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