The Giant Binocular

Thanks, were pretty good up here in North Queensland (so far, it may change once full travel is allowed)
 
Have YOU had a chance to view through them yet?? I mean a long clear dark nights worth of deep sky viewing?? How much did they end up weighing? Are they automated (motorized) at all or are you planning on computerization at all? I'm just trying to figure out when I need to get my air fare arranged so I can
drop in on you for a month or so. I understand you are great cook.
 
The mirrors havnt been started yet so no lookee through them possible,
Cant wait though.
manual only, I dont think I will add controllers as I'm not into photography, I find half the fun is hunting the objects down.
For some reasone it produces a sense of great satisfaction when I find it.
I have been told I'm a passable cook occasionally
 
Dang, I forgot all about you mechanically deforming spherically ground mirrors into paraboloids. You've been at this project so long (or is it my memory being so short) I forgot all about the glass not being ground yet. Yes, I too prefer hands-on sky searcher. It's much more satisfying and relaxing. How much does this thing weigh even without the mirrors?
 
I'm in a quandry deciding upon what type of focusser to use.
I rather fancy a helical crayford with a micro adjustment because it will look cool and work very well.
Using some 6mm stainless ball races it will be compact but zero room for any misalignment.
Now I've got the circle segments drawn accurately I feel its worth a crack
But I'm having a bit of a problem finding some seamless stainless tube for the eyepiece holder of the correct or close enough diameter.
Or
do I make a 4xstart helical thread which I have practiced cutting and can be done in aluminium all bored and turned to size.
Easier to do but not in keeping with the over the top design so far.
Decisions decisions.
 
I use Starlight Instrument FetherTouch Focusers in all my scopes.

I could never make a focuser as beautiful as they can.
 
They are beautiful Mitch but I believe I suffer from the "Have to make it myself" syndrome.
I do get as much joy from building as observing so I will get there eventually.
The skies here have been appalling for so long now that I have forgotten what it looks like so I guess its good I love the building. :laughing:
 
I have decided to go with the dual speed Helical Crayford as proposed by Pierre Lemay on cloudy nights
I will be attempting to refine it down to the smallest package I can.
The main problem is I cannot find any stainless tube for the focussing tube with sufficient material to allow me to bore it out to 31.75mm to fit an eyepiece into and still leave sufficient material for rigid support.
I wont use alloy as I've found with the other helical crayfords I've built that long term usage mars the surface with the ball races.
In a blinding flash I suddenly realised why not just place a top collar of aluminium on a length of 1.25" stainless of 1.2mm thickness to hold the eyepiece, theres heaps of that size available.
So thats what I will do.
All that agonising regarding drawing a circle and dividing it equally was to get the bearings in the correct place and alignment and to allow projections of various axis so I can drill the holes for the bearing shafts at the correct angles.
Quick code for the sketches
Magenta = eyepiece tube, it is pressed against 4 the inclined roller bearings so a screwing motion moves it up or down.
Red = 4x6mm roller bearings
Gold = 6mm shaft with a 6 start by 1mm thread, the gold knob turns it pushing the white plastic block against the magenta tube thus turning it a small amount for fine focus.
White = Delrin block that is pushed against the magenta tube thus pressing the tube against the 4 roller bearings.
Blue = various fixing screws
Grey = aluminium 12mm plate to hold everything together
Green = cast aluminium tube that the grey plate is screwed to then is screwed into the top right angled diagonal that protrudes from the side of the rotating top cage.
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