: : Does anyone know of a web page where the various forms of equatorial mounts are illustrated?

: : I know there are at least a half-dozen different arrangements but I don't know how the differ.

: : I am planning to build an equatorial mount for my 8" Newt. in my home observatory and keep my Dobs base for portable use. : : I'd like to compare the various types of mount before I start building.

: : Thanks folks!

: I don't know of any websites with illustrations. But "Standard Handbook for Telescope Making", Neale Howard,Harper and Row Pulishers has several equatorial designs illustrated.

: I have built a couple of EQ mounts. What materials do you plan to use and what do you plan to do with the scope once mounted (photo,visual etc.) also, what are the scope spec's? All will influence the mount design. What is the nature, dimensions etc. of your observatory?

Thanks for the comments Bill.

I have finished the mount now - a modified yoke design. Materials used were 2x3x1/8 steel tube for the base. The "wheel" is 2 layers of 3/4 plywood and the polar axle is 4" iron pipe. The "framing" between the wheel and the axle is 3/4x0.080 steel tubing, and the scope mount (on the front of the wheel) as also 3/4x0.080 steel.

It has good rigidity and a resonant frequency of about 2 Hz with very good damping.

I have equiped it with stepper motors for Dec & RA and I am working on the electronics now. (Since I have worked as a microelectronic developer, I'm doing my own embeded-processor controller.)

I don't have an obs yet - I wanted to get the mount done and proven first so that the obs could be designed to suit the mount.

The core of the whole thing is an 8" Newt made here in Canada with off-shore parts.

As to what I will do with it - that hasn't been finalized. I'm a relative novice and I still like to pick something out of the catalog and try to find it. I also like designing and building things, so I will probably end up with a home-brew CCD camera on the scope and probably remote controls.

• Re: Eq. Mount Info - Bill/">Bill - April 28, 1999 - 22:26 UTC
  • Re: Eq. Mount Info - Chris/">Chris - October 17, 1999 - 03:28 UTC