Design
The telescope started simply as a wish list of features:
- All components, with the exception of the secondary mirror,
must be homemade.
- Dual speed, motorized equatorial mount.
- Entire OTA must rotate so that collimation is maintained.
This short wish list led to problems that were solved by adding
additional features. For example, in order to rotate the entire
OTA, I opted for electric collimation so that a central bearing
could be used to support the weight of the tube. The following
features were added as the telescope progressed:
- Electric collimation.
- Anti-dew system.
- Drag and Drop clutches on both the RA and Dec axis.
- Ball and socket truss connectors. (I'm not good with angles)
- Optical encoders for a future enhancement.
