Eric's Astronomy

HOME EQUIPMENT OBSERVATORY





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Last Update: April 22, 2005


 My Telescope

Here's my Meade LX200 GPS w/ UHTC coatings. I have it set up in my portable observatory. You can see the AstroZap dew sheild, and my battery pack.




AstroZap Dew Shield

I really like this dew shield. It has a velcro strip from front to back; thus, you can unroll it and lay it flat. Also, it has a built in dew heater. I also have one of these for my ETX90 EC.
   




Case


I really liked the JMI case, but I felt that the money was better spent on other accessories like filters. So I asked my dad to build this one or me. It is constructed of cabinet grade 1/2" oak plywood. I purchased case hardware (latches, handles and corners) on ebay. I was fortunate enough to get some end-of-run foam from a local manufacturer. The whole assembly is mounted on had trucks. For me, this is working very well. Everything stores well in the upright position and travels in the horizontal position.
   


                    


Accessory Tray / Guide Plate
This actually a pizza pan - 17". I got this idea from Scott Baker. You can see the three nylon spacers that I use as a guide for monting the scope. The tray allows plenty of space for eyepices, and other small stuff like filters. Also, on the back you can see the nichromium wire that I use as a due heater. I took the wire from an electric blanket. All of this was the brainchild of Scott Baker. I got the idea for my laser brackett from him also.

Look at Scott's other really good ideas.



   

                    

Accessory Tray / Lens Cover
I wanted some extra space for stuff while observing. It dawned on me that my lens cover would serve as a good accessory tray. So, I cut a cardboard tube (in which some moon maps were mailed) to a length of 15.875 inches. The tube rest on the lower tripod supports while it holds the lens cover firmly up against the tripod legs. It's very stable and secure. Becuase it is under my heated tray, it is shielded from dew. The original caps for the tube are used. A screw projecting from the lower cap keeps the tube centered by resting in the hole that is in the center of the lower tripod supports. I'll paint the tube with some black Rustoleum to protect against moisture damage.

   



Tripod Bag
Yeah, it's just a bag. BUT, I got this way cheaper than a Meade or ScopeTronix bag. I got this at my local Army/Navy Surplus store for about $30. The canvas is very heavy and the zipper is very heavy duty. The bag not only holds my tripod, but also the cover to my observatory (scroll up).
   



Accessory Case

This is from Home Depot - 30$. The tray is perfect for cords, my finderscope, and other small stuff. Under the tray is where I store my battery, my 3x5 star chart cards, and some winter clothing when appropriate. The lid has some convenient compartments good for AA batteries, allen wrenches, and other small stuff.
   



Red Lights
I use the Photon Fusion head lamp quite a bit. I've never ran the batteries down in one night. It has a dim mode and a very bright mode, and I do mean bright. Its great for breaking down equipment and loading up in the middle of the night. The switch is easily located. The other light you see, is a shake and use flashlight. It will stay on for about 20 min with only a couple minutes of shaking.
   




Laser Point & Bracket
The laser pointer is a 9.8 mw green laser. I had it custom made. Don't be too impressed. I found this guy on the net. You have to come to him via recommendation. So, I found someone else with one of these and got their recommendation. I'm very pleased with the laser, and I find it very helpful when slewing to a new location.

I made the bracket. I used a copper T and a copper coupling. I cut the coupling laterally and flattened it. I then shaped it to match the curvature of my finder scope. Then, I mounted the T to it with Gorilla glue (great stuff if you've never tried it!). I drilled the holes in the T just slightly smaller than the set screws. The set screws became self tapping in the soft copper. The whole assembly is mounted to the finderscope with two way foam tape. Works great! Scott Baker's design inspired me on this one.
 
 


                   

Filters
So far, I have aquired a color filter set from Scopetronix, a Meade Moon Filter, a Lumicon Deep Sky (light pollution) filter, a Lumincon Nebula Filter, and a Lumicon OIII filter.

Filter Wheel
This is from AstroEngineering, a British company. It holds five filters or, four filters with a see through postion. Man, this is one fine piece of work. It's really nice to change eyepieces and not have to move the filter from eyepiece to eyepiece. Also, this allows for immediate comparison of filters.
   

More Pics of inside and wiring here.




Battery
I recently put together this battery pack for my LX200 10". Friday, I ran all of my dew heaters off it for four hours. When I got home I checked the voltage - 12.73. Virtually unphased. This is a marine battery from walmart $39, and from my local autoparts store I bought the case ($10), accessory outlet w/ low power indicator ($6) switch ($2), 14 ga wire ($4), and from Home Depot, two 1/2" screws with nuts and washers (<$1). The switch cuts off power to the lighter recepticles - don't want the indicator lights burning all the time. The screws are connected to the battery posts and allow me to charge the battery without removing it from the case.




Battery
You know, I just don't understand why I don't hear more people talking about using these. I paid less than $30 for it. It will run the scope all night. It recharges in the house. As you can see, it has two recepticles for 12v plugins. One night, I left my radio on in the truck for my listening pleasure. Being the brilliant person I am ( not), I forgot about the fact that the radio was powered with a 65 watt amp. So, when it was time to pack it up, I noticed the music wasn't playing - I had run down the battery in my truck. This little jewel, after 4 hours of observing, boosted my truck to a start. Whew! Its a good thing because, I was way out in the woods. It would have been a very long walk back to civilization.
   





Observer's Chair

Actually this is an additional support for a table saw. The top adjusts up and down quickly and easy. It folds up well too. I sit stradle most of the time, but otherwise is comfortable too. $22.