Design and Construction of the Alt-azimuth Mount (Part 2)

Finishing touches

To preserve the beautiful structure of the wood, a three layer clear finish was applied to the wood. The steel parts are painted in "old copper" finish.

The lifting mechanism for transition between transport on castors and observing on feet. An effortless way to move 270 kg (600 lbs) around:

The housing for the motors and electronics. To protect the SiTech controller (the two black boxes in the centre of the image) a clear PE sheet will be added (so that the LEDs on the controller remain visible):

Four side-bearings will keep the OTA nicely centered:

An idle roller serves as a clutch for the altitude drive. To take the load off the altitude drive, simply fasten the knob to raise the bearing:

The aluminum strip on the side of the ground board disk is the driving surface for the azimuth rim drive. The contact force can be controlled with the two black knobs. If they are completely released, the azimuth drive is no longer engaged.

Three simple clips prevent the ground board from falling off during transport:

The rolling surface for the ground board track rollers is a strip of aluminum sheet:

Ready for the Optical Tube Assembly...

Other construction details can be found in the Alt-azimuth Mount Design and Construction (Part 1) page.