[ATM] balancing a light scope

[artbianconi@blast.net]

While I agree that a larger scope is not as susceptible to 
changes in CG, it is still very simple to incorporate a 
compensatory device when changing from light to heavy eyepieces. 
In fact, the device I use compensates for a change from a 1.25" 
eye piece to a Nikon 35 mm motorized camera in a split second.

Simply attach two parallel strips of "U" shaped metal shelf 
extrusions like those you find at Loew's or H.D. for installing 
shelves. They have lots of rectangular holes for hooking the 
standards plus a screw hole every foot for attaching them to the 
studs behind your all. 

Attach them longitudinally, to the exterior of the telescope tube 
but better if you can secure them to the tube cradle. I set mine 
about rails 2 inches apart. My rails are are two feet long.

Now go visit an Automotive Audio equipment store and ask to 
salvage a pair of blown out speakers from the trash. The bigger 
the better! Kids today like to push those speakers until the bass 
notes rattle man hole covers! The magnets needed to manage that 
wattage are power and heavy.

Gut the speaker cones, so you can get at the carbon magnets. By 
whatever means is appropriate, separate the magnet from the frame 
so you are left with just the magnet which is typically circular 
and sandwiched between two heavy metal disks. Throw everything 
else out. 

Now, when faced with a CG change, simply slide the magnet up or 
down the twin rails. The magnet is powerful and will hang on to 
those two strips with a vengeance! With practice, you will know 
just where to move the magnet to maintain balance.  Why two 
magnets? Camera body's are heavy. You'll need the 2nd magnet when 
sporting a film camera. 

The two inch spacing between the rails was dictated by the size 
of the magnetic surface of my speaker magnets. Your's may vary.

I tested for the optimum location for the rails before drilling 
holes by attaching them to the scope with duct tape and cycling 
through from the lightest to the heaviest of optics and sliding 
the magnets to rebalance. when I identified the spot, I then 
drilled and secured the rails.

Lastly, I attached a safety line to the magnet made from twisted 
wire made for hanging heavy pictures and a release clip from a 
tackle shop. Loosing a heavy magnet on a small scope may not pose 
a threat but loosing one when the scope is a 12.5" f-8, is a 
whole other story!

Art Bianconi
Milford, NJ
 
> It's been my experience that the lighter the telescope,
> even with a heavier mirror, the more susceptable it is to
> imbalance, especially from Mr Nagler's or Mr. Pentax's heavy
> pieces of glass. There is no way to go from a 1 1/4" eyepiece
> to one of the bigger Nagler's and maintain a balance point in a
> lightweight scope.
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