Ad Astra Observatory

I decided to move forward with the strings concept before trying to do a total rework.

Things ended up being kind of expensive anyway; the parts to finish off the strings turned out to cost $110 or so.

Part of this is because I made a design decision while staring at hardware at the store; instead of adding lower strings, I am going to cover the distance with large turnbuckles instead. This meant buying 6 turnbuckles instead of 3, and bigger ones, which are a little more spendy. Also a couple of extra bits and bobs to get them connected up.

But I think this might help me in 3 ways.

First and foremost, I will be moving forward with the design. That’s key. The scope has sat around for too long gathering dust.

Second, the turnbuckles will be easy to install and very very stiff.

Finally, in a serendipitous convergence, the turnbuckles will add much-needed weight to the tail of the telescope. Currently, with the non-motor focuser and minimal camera rig at the upper cage, I need about 5# of extra weight at the tail to counterbalance. The turnbuckles will, I hope, help with this.

I am so glad that I made a trip to the hardware store. Now I have all the parts on-hand (and a way forward), I realize I’m 6 drill holes and about 45 minutes of installation away from being able to test again. Cool!