• Welcome to Orpington Astronomical Society.
 

News:

New version SMF 2.1.4 installed. You may need to clear cookies and login again...

Main Menu

Pier Progress

Started by Fay, Jun 27, 2009, 18:33:27

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

RobertM

Fay, having looked back through this post I think it's the photos, probably down to too much vino collapso. Either that or you need one of these http://www.redferret.net/?p=11678

Mike

How far does that go down? Looks rather small to me.
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. Carl Sagan

Ian


Fay

#33
I put the ED80 on it tonight & had a look around. Had to be a bit careful as not bolted down.

Mac, I must say your x4 Televue was great on the Moon!! It would be even better on the Orion.

Mike, 2' 2"
It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!

Mac

QuoteI will get a proper cover, they are very expensive, but wonder if any will prevent dew going up the bottom staying on the inside.

Go to your garden center and get a large water butt.  £25


and then cover it with  a tarp, or in my case a £5 Bar-B-Q cover.



The water butt is completly water proof. and the cover should stop birds. :oops: if you tie it tight.

All i do is to leave the filter on and the scope is sealed. in water ingress, if it does the the hot summers days all 3  of them will dry it out.
Failing that use the desiccant packs.


Rocket Pooch

You pier is definately not level....

MarkS

Looks like the garden is on a steep incline.

Mark

Fay

Well, Mark, been fine tuning today, & it is level, top & bottom. I am going out tonight but will come back & polar align again take a picture of Moon hopefully. I only have ed80 on there as pier not bolted down yet.


Mac, that is a good idea for your cover, very man like(water butt)but it is not a woman's idea!!!! It would be like wearing yellow shoes & a red frock!   :lol:
It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!

mickw

John, yep sorry you're right, for some reason alignment didn't occur to me.
Plonker  :roll:

Mmmmmm yellow shoes and red frock       :oops:
Oi Fay, wot you got against Minnie Mouse   :D
Growing Old is mandatory - Growing Up is optional

Fay

It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!

Mike

Seriously, for such a small base is 2 foot depth enough? Surely that is going to move around with all that weight on top?
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. Carl Sagan

Fay

will soon see Mike!  Hope I don't hear a thud & look around to see it all on it's side   :o

Will have to be done again then!
It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!

Fay


Bolt holes drilled & hoovered out




Holes drilled then made sure lined up with base



a resin stuff is squirted into the holes & then the bolts are screws down into it. Problem was, the paste sets rock hard in about a minute. John noticed the colour of the resin in two of the holes, was a different colour to the othertwo & thaought that the hardener was probably not the right mix, so had to get it out quickly & clean 2 bolts off. When he finally had done all four he put the pier on quickley as one of the bolts did not look straight, so got it on while going was good!

Tape made sure it was in correct position. Difficult to manouvre something resembling a torpedo.




Finally finished, test setup, still loads of cables to figure out, but all seems really firm.



Handy shelf, I bought as well. Pleased with final result.

It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!

Mac

so how easy is it to align your pier north?
does the whole of the top swivel?

Fay

well I aligned it before bolts went in, & we got the base in the best position, the steel top has three positions where the, can't think of name, bit of metal that you move the head around against via the two black knobs can go. When you loosen the bolt that goes into the bottom of the head, then you can move position.     
It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!