Standard on all Truss-Dobsonians 12.0" and larger. Black Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP), the new industry-standard now that Ebony Star laminate has been discontinued, is utilized on both azimuth and altitude axes. But rest assured we would never use the weak and ineffective means of a butt-joint to build our telescopes. The cell also has a cooling fan which is powered by an AA battery pack which plugs into the fan. There are many variations: An intake or an exhaust fan, one big or a several small ones. Note, these cells are fabricated from aluminum square tubing and u-channel, utilizing rivets for joinery, versus steel and welding. However in my case I found out that at low speed settings the vibrations are negligible, and I couldn't notice any effect from them even during planetary astrophotography. The cell pivots from the lower "rung" and is held in place by two 5/16" bolts with acorn nuts on the face-side of the mirrorbox. It might be a good idea to mount it on some sort of circular mask (preferably with a mesh dust filter), which will force the air into the OTA. Your choice of focuser colors include Black, Red, Green, Blue and Gold. You don't have to wait for lengthy telescope cooldown with this handy and effective cooling fan. The Z12, comes with a 30mm SuperView eyepiece (51x), 9mm Plossl eyepiece (169x), a laser collimator, and a 9×50 right-angle correct image finderscope. Each mirror is supplied with a Zygo test report. This method for building boxes adds strength and rigidity not found in other types of wood joinery. Power from a battery source enters the DewBuster and then is split out via the various ports to electronics such as dew heaters, setting circles, cooling fans, etc. A clear disadvantage to this method is having to drill holes in the OTA. Antares Optics 1/20 P-V Secondary Mirrors with 96% enhanced reflectivity aluminum and SiO overcoat. It is a small Li-Ion battery which powers the cooling fan and a dew controller box. The nails are countersunk and wood-filled. Three eccentric side bumpers keep your primary mirror centered in the mirrorbox while rubberized mirror clips keep the mirror from tipping out of the cell. I've attached such device to my telescope, with its "outside" sensor fixed to the back surface of the mirror (you can see it in a previous picture). The fourth pad, which takes some of the load of the scope, reduces the load taken by the three outer pads, thus decreasing friction allowing for a scope that is easier to slew by hand. While choosing the fan which is turned on during the observing - important consideration is the fan size and quality: A a quality "silent PC" type of fan from a known manufacturer (with ball or oil bearings) usually will do the job. Moonlite Telescope Accessories' "Ball & Socket" Truss Connectors make a positive, repeatable, long lasting connection at the lower end of the truss structure. Moonlite 2"/1.25" Single Speed Crayford Focusers with 1.25" eyepiece adapters, and 2" and 1.25" brass compression rings. For my 8" Orion Newtonian (and later for the 10" Skywatcher as well) I've simply attached a large rear fan directly to the mirror cell. Aurora Precision's machined/anodized aluminum upper Truss Connectors are the latest and greatest product for making a rigid connection between the upper end of the truss structure and your upper tube assembly (UTA). Reflector telescope active cooling methods and different fan placements A large rear mounted intake fan, which blows the air on the mirror's surface, is the most effective for actually cooling the mirror. However in practice it not always true, since with one of my fans I found out that lower frequency vibrations of a large fan (a quality and expensive Noctua model) actually affect my telescope more then higher frequency vibrations of a smaller fan. Standard color is Black for all Teeter's Telescopes, but additional colors available upon request (see website). A Telrad is available as a no cost swap, while optical finderscopes are available as Upgrades or in addition to a QuickFinder or a Telrad. 9-point (for 10" aperture) or 18-point (for 12.5"-20" apertures) powder coated aluminum primary mirror flotation support cells. This effect is especially severe in case of cold weather during winter and/or large mirrors. Please inquire for specific and binding price quotes for your particular project(s). Uses eight D-cell … A large fan is capable of producing the same airflow as a small one, while working at lower RPM speed - Therefore theoretically it should produce less vibration. We have chosen the DewBuster Controller as standard equipment on our telescopes for organized splitting of 12-volt power to various accessories. Each piece is tested before and after the coating process. Additional option is to attach side fans, right over the mirror's surface. When combined with virgin Teflon the motions are smooth and free. Fully round groundboard with three virgin Teflon pads, located at 120-degree separation, with a fourth central pad for smooth azimuth motion. See our video at left for more specifics on how we use this type of wood joinery. A combination of rear and side fans can be used both for effective cool-down and for controlling the boundary layer. Also the mirror itself might change its properties if different parts of the mirror have different temperatures (a common cause for a spherical aberration). This article details the addition of a cooling fan to my Dobsonian telescope, the construction of which is detailed on a separate article. Our standard design also includes a Kevlar lower-edge sling support. Probably a better (and a more complex) way would be to use some sort of dampening rubber to fight the vibrations. Bespoke Telescope Design, Fabrication, Sales & Service Since 2002, Black Velvet Light Trap in Upper Tube Assembly, Moonlite Ball & Socket Lower Truss Connectors, Virgin Teflon with Center Pad for Azimuth. During assembly of our telescopes outdoor grade wood glue is used to further enhance the strength of this connection. Rigel Systems QuickFinder reflex finders. Typically used to join flat wood boards together, as in making large table tops, we have taken the tongue and groove (T&G) and modified it to create a 90 degree corner. Each fan boasts 33.4 CFM (cubic foot per minute) air flow to help significantly accelerate cooling of your Dobsonian telescope's optics. Dual Speed focusers from Moonlite and StarLight Instruments available as Upgrades. Note: nowadays it's very cheap to buy an electronic thermometer with an external sensor which is supposed to show "inside" and "outside" temperature. Component                                                                Virtues of this Component. Please see our Video describing our "Truss Ring" system. That is because it takes longer for the glass mirror to cool down, than for air temperature to drop as the night progresses. Astrosystems rigid 4-vane Spider and Secondary Mirror Holder with four-point collimation adjustment. With the "Truss Ring," the UTA can be placed on top of the truss poles while standing on the ground. The aluminum allows for a lighterweight cell and the rivets, which provide great strength, are less labor intensive which allow us to provide these cells at lower cost yet retain every bit of structural stability of their heavier welded steel counterparts. black-anodized Truss Poles on our 10" scopes, and 1.250" O.D. As shown at left, the scope can be transported or stored ready for use in this configuration. Note that it my latest 12" Orion UK Newtonian the factory mounted small fan is also integrated into the mirror cell, and it's not causing noticeable vibrations. Complete brass package (corner protectors, handles, acorn nuts, shoulder washers, mirrorbox counterweight hooks, UTA strut bolts, etc.). They virtually disappear after wood stain, sealer and polyurethane/varnish are applied. We have discriminately chosen CATSEYE center spots for application to all our scope Primaries and confidently recommend CATSEYE passive tools and accessories for your collimation needs to enable you to get the best possible performance from our products - See the CATSEYE Site for more info on these collimation tools: www.catseyecollimation.com. Some experienced amateur astronomers claim that this is a must have modification for a serious planetary telescope. 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