'Been Working on a Small Truss Scope...

I've been slowly piecing together a simple, but elegant (I hope) 6" f/5 truss scope. The idea is to make a truss assembly that can be used in a couple mount variations:

1) A highly portable and very lightweight travel/packing telescope, and
2) A nifty rotating truss tube, RA tracking telescope.

The optics are first rate--I've seen more crisp detail in Jupiter and Saturn than with any other scope I've owned. I know a lot of amateurs wouldn't consider a fast, small newtonian much more than a beginner scope, or a toy, but I think that is misguided thinking ;^).

I plan to finish the travel version first, then I'll work on the artistic wooden and electric/electronic mount second. What is shown is the interchangeable portion almost complete. It is very simple, made mostly from leftover stuff , but I like it thus far.

All thoughts/comments/complaints welcome...

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The full (less portable) mount (final version on the right). The truss cage will be mounted between upper ring and bottom plate when not in ultra-portable dob mode. I enlarged the altitude bearing until it became the dominant feature. I am calling it the "Arc Scope" for now.

More refinements to the drawing are being made, but the upper half of the mount will tilt to the user's latitude and it will track in RA. The captive truss assembly (shown partially complete in the prior posting) secured between upper and lower ring rotates for best eyepiece angle. The "C" has something like a 17+" radius, so the design is really only for smaller apertures/shorter focal lengths. I don't know if it's original, but I've never seen anything like it personally. It will probably take me months to finish the tracking mount with my schedule, but I thought I'd share anyway... I hope to finish the dob/travel mount in the next few days or so.

Cheers~

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Hi Bill,

The play in the tent snap is eliminated once you put the 10-degree tilt on the truss shaft. As I played with these in the bins at Lowe's Hardware, I noticed a small bit of movement in the assembled buttons, so I picked up some small rubber washers to place inside, under the screw of each button, which eliminated lateral movement. I found it unnecessary after I assembled it the first time--the tilt is just right to tighten everything up. A lot more tilt and there would be risk of unsnapping, less and there might be play and I'd use the washers. As is, it seems just right.

I've held the truss cage by the upper ring and shaken the whole assembly and it doesn't unsnap, so I'm not worried.

I also like how 4 little pieces of free banding strap material works to wedge the poles apart so well ;^). I'll be painting everything that looks rough later.

Hey I like that! Can you email me a bunch more photos of it? I just can't leave projects like that alone.