Category: Equipment

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Big toys for boys

an attempt this week to create a Mars image with the 89cm F10 ASA telescope in Leuven, obviously as a side to required work.

we arrived just before the cloud front, which crippled the seeing. No usable results on Mars, one average image on Jupiter.

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Setting up dual scopes on the GM2000

Parts were putchased and have been lying around since months. With Christmas break finally the time arrived to put everything together.

The setup consists of a 4″ 10micron clamp that sits on the mount’s head. Next a 10micron 4″ dovetail length 400mm. This should provide (based on sketcheds) sufficient space between the two telescopes.

At both ends of the dovetail two clamps were bolted-on: the original Baader Pan EQ 3″ clamp of 33cm (holding the C14) ; and second the 200mm 3″ 10micron clamp holding the Esprit refractor.

Things worked out well, balancing is ok and the GM2000 does not suffer in any way. I did need to add a 10kg counterweight. This Geoptik counterweight as a built-in adapter that can be removed, bringing the axis diameter from 30 to 40mm, so I removed that adapter to fit the shaft of the GM2000 (the GM1000 has a 30mm counterweight shaft)

With the help from Warre and Anse: finally both scopes on the mount!
Added a off-axis counterweight (500g) to balance the Esprit to the C14. It’s visible under the red-dot finder mounted on the Esprit.
Fully loaded with all electronics: powered USB3-hub, 12V 10A power converter, 12V 4-channel Dew Controller Hitecastro, NUC mini processor, GPS box, power distribution 12V ; cable management? never heard of 🙂 there is one 220V AC cable leading to the mount. All other equipment is piggy-back.
In action on Jupiter

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