My Giant Bino Mount

Wanna make a scope? Or better still, grind a mirror yourself. Or, you have some good tips in making a really useful accessory? This is the place to show what your hands can do...
Post Reply
User avatar
cataclysm
Posts: 1024
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:23 pm

My Giant Bino Mount

Post by cataclysm »

Hi all, recent deterioating haze situations have certainly leaves us all high and dry. Which is the reason for me to post my project here to share with my fellow Singastrorians. It was not exactly a new project, in fact I had it completed last Oct. However it has not seen much action yet.

I embarked on this project after trying in vain to acquire an off the shelf mount that is capable to handle my hefty 100mm bino. My contraption is a concoction of a parallever with counter weights and a bino 'cradle' of my own design. The concept of parallever really works well as opposed to a fixed tripod mount for bino viewing. It is extremely articulate, capable of maintaining 'even keel' at any heights and it also imposed a very small 'foot print'. You can literally bring the bino to your eye level at any heights, be it if you are standing , sitting or reclining. It will definately beats bino viewing on a tripod where you really have to 'adhered' your head to the mount. Not a very comfortable position.

The bino 'cradle' is worth a mention. It works like a fork mount inverted and the whole assembly is suspended at the end of the parallever. I discovered that having the the whole assembly suspended is a lot more stable than to prop it up the other way. However , the caveat is that looking up near the zenith is out of the question. I have unobstructed view of up to 80 degree from verticle which is good enough for me. A typical parallever will provides 3 axis of movement, but by employing the inverted fork mount, its able to provide 4 axis. In fact , a viewer can literally stand beneath the mount and pan 360 degree. My design is more function over form, but it really works like a gem.
User avatar
acc
Administrator
Posts: 2572
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2003 11:15 pm
Favourite scope: Mag1 Instruments 12.5" Portaball

Post by acc »

heh that's a really innovative design... Hope we can see it in action. Cute cats! :)
We do it in the dark...
Portaball 12.5"
Takahashi Mewlon 210
William Optics 110ED
...and all night long!
Post Reply