Chuck - Thanks for the lenses! I machined the housings for the 22mm eyepieces tonight using the PVC chunks. By turning the barrels to fit the .912" microscope standard, I was able to reduce the weight (the bino head is already pretty heavy), and shortening the length of the light path projection out of the bino head might make it easier to use on other scopes. The two eyepieces work very well in my scope! I don't know if the supplementary lenses within the bino head cause any magnification multiplier factor, but if not, 22mm should give a 41x image. What a wonderful view of the Moon with two eyes! The air was noticeably calmer tonight than last night, so when I aimed it at the Orion nebula, I could make out 3 of the Trapezium stars. (I got the same result with my 1 1/4" 22mm eyepiece, used conventionally thru the star diagonal. But with my 16mm, 56x, I was able to see all 4 stars.) I think I will benefit from some eyecups to shield the moonlight, and an astigmatism in my left eye prevents it from coming to a true focus without my glasses. As an additional bonus, these two eyepieces give a better view in my microscope, too, than the original ones do. This is my first real refractor. Boy, it's nice to be able to observe while sitting down. I probably won't be able to make the 10mm eyepieces for a couple days. Do they go together with the convex surfaces facing each other, like the symmetrical ones? I am very pleased. This is turning into one of my most successful projects. Bob Grant ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chuck Hards" <chuckhards@yahoo.com> To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, December 01, 2003 11:09 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] My $50 refractor, and a request for assistance
Bob, I have some lenses if you are willing to turn the housings on the lathe. Might even have some PVC chunks to use for them. The least expensive way to outfit a bino-viewer. I broke my right hand nine days ago and had surgery to install tiny steel screws. Won't have the use of the hand for a few more weeks. I'm envious of your atm industry! Send me your address off-line and I'll drop the lenses in the mail. Think I have 2 focal lengths/designs. One is a 22mm Plossl (symm.) and the other is a 10mm 3-element design using modern glass.
I've made several small refractors, some more sucessful than others. All were fun to design, build, and use.
C.
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