Scope Mods, Have you done any/Plan to do any?

Keith

It's just a 9v PP3 battery in the hand controller.

cheers

Finished a few more scope mods.

Drilled another hole in the OTA so I could move the 9x50 RACI finderscope over to make room for the telrad beside the focusser. Saves my neck.

Spray painted my Red Hand Trolley Black. Made a permanent OTA support to replace the piece of Styrofoam block from the original packaging I was using. I also made a flat pack table for the EP case that can be transported with the scope on the trolley and then the table mounts on top of the trolley to become a movable EP table with wheels.

I also did a few other things. I replaced the stock teflon azimuth pads with Magic Sliders (for moving furniture) and waxed the underside of the base. This was to improve stiction in azimuth. Its a recommended mod on the Orion SkyQuest yahoo group. I also inserted a steel washer between the secondary holder and the collimation thumbscrews. (My first mod to the scope). The top of the secondary holder that the collimation screws push against is aluminium. This is a softer metal and the thumbscrews were making little dents meaning it was hard to collimate as the adjustment screws would tend to slip back into the dents. The harder stell washer prevents this. Collimation of the secondary was so much easier and more precise today!

While I had the secondary off I took the opportunity to check focusser alignment. I was worried this might be off because the first day I had the scope I stupidly fiddled with the focusser colimation screws. Turns out I hadn't managed to screw it up that day. . I checked alignment by threading a weighted length of string throught the secondary holder on the spider. With the scope vertical and my laser collimator inserted and illuminating the string, I could see the focusser was perfectly aligned in that axis. I then positioned a ruler resting on a spider vane so that the end corner was illuminated by the laser spot and took note of the distance to the spider vane. I then measured from the laser spot on the far side of the OTA from the focusser to the spider vand on the other side. Exactly the same distance. So my focusser was perfectly aligned in that axis too. I marked the spot on the far side of the OTA to save all the string and measuring malarky if i ever need to check focusser alignment again.

Next mods are Flocking the inside of the OTA and installing a motorfocusser. (Thanks CJbigboy! )

Think i'll follow Euronymous and just put a Metallica sticker on mine.

Thats a nice set up you have there Keith. I love the eyepiece case you have (and the eyepieces).
I noticed last time I was in Atlantic Homecare or Homebase that they are selling retractable trolleys like the one you have but they fold down into a small package (€50 I think). Ideal for a Dob of ths size.

Very nice Keith !
good job on the scope trolly, it makes using the scope so much easier!

Well done Keith, you've put a lot of thought, effort (and no doubt a few spondoolicks) into this. Hope it makes things easier and more enjoyable for you.

All I plan to do for now is replace my stock focuser with a low profile to give me enough in-focus for my DSLR with a t-adapter attached.

I did however buy a Keter storage unit, and my scope now lives permanently outdoors always cooled to ambient, and easy to access, setup and break down in less time.