22" F4.0 truss dob design thoughts/questionsPosted By Doug Summers |
I've been dreaming about an ultralight 22" design that falls somewhere between a Greg Babcock design (look at his 24" ultralight) and an Obsession (which I currently own an 18" model of). I wonder why innovative design thoughts aren't gaining ground (why don't mirror cells pivot (tailgait) for easy cleaning of the primary mirror), and why aren't the altitude bearings attached directly to the mirror cell (eliminating most of the primary box/rocker assembly height). Does anyone know of a person/company that's on the leading edge of new ultralight large dob designs where the box assembly isn't the end-all design goal and feet-on-the-ground viewing is king? I'd love to find that company or forum to support. Maybe if a few of us were more forceful in driving design considerations, we'd have more choices. Large dob designs seem to be in a rut and in need of some creative engineering to get to the next breakthrough. Anyone want to offer an opinion of who's leading the pack in new design thoughts for the big ones? I'm stuck between capitulating for a smaller commercial scope than I want (due to the boxy designs), and making my own scope (which may be problematic while I work through issues to "get it right"). Ideas?