A new Dobsonian mount developed for a school

I refurbished a old telescope which was gathering dust at a school in Bengaluru. Telescpe mount is madeup of 19mm plywood. Base is attached with 3 wheels for smoother movement. Here in this design mirror cell is modified with a 1400 grams counter weight to balance the scope. Helical focusser was machined to replace a cheap plastic one, finder scope was also developed with a aluminium ring, lot of work....took me one month to complete the scope. There is no conventional cradle here, this is replaced with a 1 inch thick circular wooden blank attached to the tube. Optical performance is quite good. Lot of running around to get things done but i enjoyed this project.


Working shots.....































After painting.....ready to be assembled.......



Installing viewfinder......



Installig the spider assembly......



Installing focusser.....



Viewfinder assembly.....



New mirror cell.....



Mirror cell with 1.4 kg counterweight









A new circular base with wheels



Viewfinder rings & base developed from scraped aluminium



Viewfinder after powdercoating.......



Helical focusser before & after machining......



Focsser closeup......zero image shift!!!!!



Focusser with eyepiece.....



Aluminized mirror in a cell ready to be mounted......



Beautifully crafted telescope.....ready to explore the universe......

Main reason for DIY is not about saving money, to gain knowledge, handling of tools, new skills, and the enormous feeling of satisfaction that comes from building your own equipment. This is worth far more than money. DIY for the fun of creation,to learn, or to get something that can't be bought & tweaking to your taste. DIY is one of the most absorbing and satisfying hobbies around. DIY approach is more about satisfaction and creation than anything else.

Solar Eclipse shots from Bangalore