From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>
Date: July 5, 2005 4:47:00 PM MDT
To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com
Cc: Willie Strickland <willie@igc.org>
Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] home made adapter
Hi Willie;
Thanks for the photo - which seems to explains a fair bit about what may be happening.
That does flop around though, doesn't it? The slightest shift in orientation of the scope or drag from the FW cable will cause it to lose position - even 1/10th of an inch will cause it to be "whacked" for focus or maintaining image location. It really is that sensitive.
The simplest thing thing is to order an adapter (the lens you screw in uses M12 x 0.5 thread) for a 1.25", but maybe you want to build your own?
If you want to build your own what you might want to look into is visiting the plumbing department of Home Hardware (or similar place) and check out the plastic fittings area.
Basically you look for a plastic hex nut and matching thread part (two partially black painted items on the right in the image below),
, but hollow so light AND the screw in original lens can go through it. Note that I have removed the ring around the lens (just rotate it a few time and it slides off or back on again) , so that I could screw it back into the mount thread if I wanted too. The bottom hex nut part should be big enough so that it fits over (or can be stretched / widened with a knife / power tools) the black plastic mount on the camera board., as shown below.
You may need to trim the hex nut edges so that it fits flush on the black camera mount or within your camera case. You then force the lower hex but down until it's flush with the camera mount and epoxy it into place. You also epoxy the 1.25" adapter (your 35mm plastic film can) onto the upper hex nut. The thing is you must be quite careful in how these items get glued to each other and try to keep them as centered and as perpendicular as possible. After they are dried, you screw them together and have a solid mount. To use the camera as a web camera, you remove the upper hexnut / 1.25" part and then screw the lens (without lens cap) back into threaded mount. You may need to use tweezers etc. to screw it in for focus focus, but at least you can still use it.
HTH..
Milton J. Aupperle
President
ASC - Aupperle Services and Contracting
Mac Software (Drivers, Components and Application) Specialist
#1005 - 815 14th Avenue. S.W.
Calgary Alberta Canada T2R0N5
1-(403)-229-9456
www.outcastsoft.com
On 5-Jul-05, at 3:31 PM, Willie Strickland wrote:
At 9:37 AM -0600 7/5/05, Milton Aupperle wrote:
Umm .. how long is this home adapter you've made then? On my longest home made one, it's 1.5 inches from the CCD to where the 1.25" barrel fits into the eyepiece holder.
Made from a plastic 35mm canister and a white base cut from a milk jug to fit the Fire-i body to make it easy to align in the dark. I would say that the Fire-i chip is between 2-2.25 cm from where it is attached including adapter. I measured it, but not on the scope that is why it is not precise.
I am attaching 2 photos of the adapter and camera.
<a06230904bef0a44f2c77>
<a06230904bef0a44f2c77>
I simply unscrew the lens from the Fire-i, then attach the adapter with the home made (from bicycle inner tube) rubber bands. I know the picts wont make it to the Yahoo group, but they will to you Milton.
--
Willie Strickland