Az circle for my AZ5 - My Latest Kludge
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 5:07 pm
Not wanting to pull the encoders off my TW 1 and not willing to buy another set of encoders for my AZ5, I went with an analog az gauge.
The gauge is printed from a 360-degree protractor Web template appropriately resized and glued to a circle of vinyl plastic with Elmer's spray adhesive.
The pointer is held on with a piece of ever-so-stylish and practical Duck Tape (tm). The pointer itself is made from a piece of copper wire I cut off a mousetrap. No mice were ever caught in the trap anyway. The az circle is a friction fit and rotates around the column while the pointer is fixed.
While reminiscent of something created by a drunken chimpanzee, I tested it last night and it's reasonably accurate when paired with a Wixey digital angle gauge for altitude.
Possible future improvements include:
Replacing the vinyl base with stiffer polystyrene sheet.
Replacing the home printed az circle with a printed vinyl gauge from Oregon Rule Co.
Replacing the Duck Tape (tm) with green to match the SkyWatcher color or possibly something with an astronomical motif.
The gauge is printed from a 360-degree protractor Web template appropriately resized and glued to a circle of vinyl plastic with Elmer's spray adhesive.
The pointer is held on with a piece of ever-so-stylish and practical Duck Tape (tm). The pointer itself is made from a piece of copper wire I cut off a mousetrap. No mice were ever caught in the trap anyway. The az circle is a friction fit and rotates around the column while the pointer is fixed.
While reminiscent of something created by a drunken chimpanzee, I tested it last night and it's reasonably accurate when paired with a Wixey digital angle gauge for altitude.
Possible future improvements include:
Replacing the vinyl base with stiffer polystyrene sheet.
Replacing the home printed az circle with a printed vinyl gauge from Oregon Rule Co.
Replacing the Duck Tape (tm) with green to match the SkyWatcher color or possibly something with an astronomical motif.