RE: Dont Do This!
| Subject: | RE: Dont Do This! |
| From: | Frank Nowling |
| Date: | Mon Apr 15 19:58:37 1996 |
local electronics supply shop. I didnt even try to trouble shoot the
original. The replacement supplies 13.8 volts/1.7 amps. I went with
nearly double the current capacity just so the start up current draw
wouldnt overload the new transformer. One nice advantage is that the
new transformer has a cord for the ac input. I cut the cigerette
adapter off the old transformer and soldered it onto the new one. I
also use the Meade 12 to 18v adapter with this setup.
As to my procedure for powering up, Ive noticed that my scopes
power switch seems to bounce causing the scope not to boot properly
sometimes. To get around this, I bought a small surge strip with a
power switch on it. I then plug in my scope power and dew zapper into
the strip and use the strips power switch to turn everything on.
As a side note, there was a discussion here about what to do with all
the cords running to the scope, and how to avoid tripping over them.
Since I have a power line and a data line going to my scope, and I am
a volunteer at a public observatory, this was a problem. My solution
was to buy a 6 x 10 piece of indoor/outdoor carpet to cover the
cords.
Crude ascii drawing:
---------------
AC : o :
PC :~~~~~~~~~~~x :
: o o :
---------------
x marks the spot of the hole in the carpet.
o marks where the tripod legs go.
~ marks how I run my lines.
I just run my cords from the AC source and my notebook under the
carpet to the scope. Coming up through a hole centered beneath the
tripod keeps the cords neatly out of the way.
In the year Ive done this Ive not had a problem. Since I set up on
concrete, this is fairly stable. It provides a little cushion not
only for my feet but also if I drop something. (Of course the sound
of my 35 Panoptic hitting anything will still kill me on the spot.) I
dont know how stable this would be in grass, but I suppose you could
cut holes or slits for your tripod legs.
An unexpected benefit is that people seem to slow down at the edge of
the carpet when they approach my scope.
Clear Skies,
Frank
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
Frank L. Nowling III - fnowling@neosoft.com - Houston, TX
http://www.netropolis.net/frankn
9,932,339 Galaxies, 9,932,340 Galaxies, DAMN! 1 Galaxy, 2 Galaxies
