Re: [ATM] Ants of the World -- Unite!

["Bill Kelley" <flex@commspeed.net>]

ATM list,

At this point I wish to weigh in and give some history as to how the 
following post of Richard Snashall  originated and where it is going:

A short time ago I asked Richard to help me design a 2 mirror optical 
instrument that could be built as a compact package and in various 
configurations be used as a projector that could be optimized optically for 
any distance from a screen; could be optimized as a near range microscope, 
mid, or distant range telescope; and could be employed as a camera lens that 
would give optimum resolution for objects both near and far.  This is now 
possible because flex technology with the same flex system can seamlessly 
flex a mirror to reproduce all of the conics from a sphere to a hyperboloid. 
I proposed that control of tension be coupled to the position of the 
focuser- thus when in focus the shape of the mirror is optimized for that 
distance.

Richard has done a splendid job of sorting through the designs for such a 
device and has done the laborious calculations to configure it. This list 
contains many skilled in optics and engineering who can contribute and build 
on this idea.

My associate and local mechanical genius, Jim Ristow, helped me set up a 
simple proof-of-concept with a 13.1" F4.8  flexed Newt looking at a back 
lighted 100 line Ronchi screen near by as a target. Marvelous image at 500 
power with the mirror detuned to an appropriate ellipsoid! Comments and help 
most welcome.

Bill Kelley



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard F.L.R. Snashall" <rflrs@rcn.com>
To: "ATM List" <atm@atmlist.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 11:08 AM
Subject: [ATM] Ants of the World -- Unite!


>I read somewhere that the new HDTV chips are about 2/3 inch
> across... suppose 16.5 mm covers the active region.
>
> A two mirror system with a field flattener to utilize this
> chip might be (400 mm f/10):
>
>    http://users.rcn.com/rflrs/frc1-11f.atm
>    http://users.rcn.com/rflrs/frc1-11f.len
>    http://users.rcn.com/rflrs/frc1-11f.txt
>    http://users.rcn.com/rflrs/frc1-11f.zmx
>
> The chip could be mounted on the primary (allowing about 1 cm
> for all the attachment stuff).  For the infinite object distance,
> this system has some uncorrected coma -- but is still diffraction
> limited over the full chip.
>
> Suppose, though, you use the telescope to look at an closer object,
> one at 20 m.  I propose you might use two methods simultaneously to
> achieve the focus change: moving the secondary further from the
> primary and, using flex technology, change the conic of the primary
> (actually relaxing the stress):
>
>    http://users.rcn.com/rflrs/frc1-11m.atm
>    http://users.rcn.com/rflrs/frc1-11m.len
>    http://users.rcn.com/rflrs/frc1-11m.txt
>    http://users.rcn.com/rflrs/frc1-11m.zmx
>
> At this distance, the coma is nearly gone; the design is roughly
> lambda/250 RMS over the entire HDTV chip.
>
> You could push further, say down to 5 m (only 25% longer than the
> initial focal length):
>
>    http://users.rcn.com/rflrs/frc1-11n.atm
>    http://users.rcn.com/rflrs/frc1-11n.len
>    http://users.rcn.com/rflrs/frc1-11n.txt
>    http://users.rcn.com/rflrs/frc1-11n.zmx
>
> At this object distance the, the object and image sizes are roughly
> the same.
>
> With that much aperture, one can only hope that that ant doesn't
> figure out how to use a mirror to reflect sunlight!;-)
> _______________________________________________
> ATM mailing list http://www.atmlist.net/
>
> 


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