One More Sol'Ex ...

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One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by rsfoto »

... is printed and assembled

Hi,

Feeeling a bit better after COVID the last 3 days I have kicked myself in the Buttock and finished printing and assembling my Sol'Ex.

In order to get a uniform pressure I added some springs to the grating wheel.

At the beginning I had some trouble adjusting the parallelity of the spectrum to the camera FOV but then I found out the grating was not correctly seated against the support wall.

I am using an ASI 178MM camera. In the next days I will be getting a 240mm focal length guide scope and hope soon to start making some images.

Need to design a holder in order to put the enchilada on top of the H-alpha and White light telescopes.

Below some images of the new Sol'Ex
Attachments
SolEx_Spring_loaded.jpg
SolEx_Spring_loaded.jpg (261.24 KiB) Viewed 2449 times
SolEx_Grating_Ha_1a.JPG
SolEx_Grating_Ha_1a.JPG (590.49 KiB) Viewed 2449 times
SolEx_Grating_Hb_2a.JPG
SolEx_Grating_Hb_2a.JPG (622.9 KiB) Viewed 2449 times
SolEx_Slit.JPG
SolEx_Slit.JPG (183.12 KiB) Viewed 2449 times
SolEx_DoubleNa.JPG
SolEx_DoubleNa.JPG (602.28 KiB) Viewed 2449 times
SolEx_Side_view.jpg
SolEx_Side_view.jpg (237.73 KiB) Viewed 2449 times


regards Rainer

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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by Montana »

Well done Rainer!! it takes a quite a few weeks/months to properly get over Covid so take it easy :(

This looks great though and I look forward to first light :hamster:

Alexandra


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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by rsfoto »

Montana wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:06 pm Well done Rainer!! it takes a quite a few weeks/months to properly get over Covid so take it easy :(

This looks great though and I look forward to first light :hamster:

Alexandra
Hi Alexandra,

Thanks for your kind words.

Yesterday a friend brought me a 240mm finder scope @60mm aperture and so I can start to design the support parts until mine arrives.

The most weak and critical part is the connection of the Sol'Ex to the scope via the 1.25" nosepiece. The problem is the plastic as well as the fact the nose pieces only have 5mm of thread and this makes it weak. If the nose peieces would have maybe 10mm then this would not be critical.

Also I saw that the design of the parts to print for the Sol'Ex were really not optimized for 3D printing. It was designed as if a 3D printer behaves like a CNC milling process on Aluminum ...


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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by marktownley »

Very nice Rainer!

I've been watching a bit of the Solex stuff on youtube, it's interesting, maybe easier to get into than I first thought.

I'm glad it's not just me who has concerns about some of these 3D parts and their durability.

Mark


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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by galaxie427 »

Really like your spring tension mod on the grating wheel, Rainier!

Luka


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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by thesmiths »

rsfoto wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 4:39 pm
The most weak and critical part is the connection of the Sol'Ex to the scope via the 1.25" nosepiece. The problem is the plastic as well as the fact the nose pieces only have 5mm of thread and this makes it weak. If the nose pieces would have maybe 10mm then this would not be critical.

Also I saw that the design of the parts to print for the Sol'Ex were really not optimized for 3D printing. It was designed as if a 3D printer behaves like a CNC milling process on Aluminium ...
I would agree that the 1.25 inch nosepiece is the weakest part. I have built a Solex type of device (but made of foamboard instead of plastic) and found it was best to use a 2-inch nosepiece for stability. The 1.25 inch tends to tilt at the interface with the telescope. I'm sure it would not be too difficult to replace this part with a 2-inch adapter.


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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by rsfoto »

Hi,

The problem is not solved by using a 2" nose piece. The main problem here is that the nose pieces do only have 5mm of thread as you can see in the image below.

So what I did is to eliminate the nose piece and I am using the M42 thread of the helical focuser of the finder scope I will be using, The length of the thread here is 8mm which is a lot more and this is difficult to strip bending it. I made a special adapter washer and inserted it into the threaded piece in order to have a surface onto which I can tighten the helical focuser. OK, the advantage of this finder scope is that they have an extension draw tube which can be rotated and so the Sol'ex will be parallel seated to the finder scope holder.

I also improved the spring loading by using a wider spring and printed some rings in order to hols the spring correctly in place.

I also added a second stiffener to the slit / collimator tube assembly. Tightening from only one side has the disadvantage that you do not get the collimator lens tube into a parallel position.

I am waiting to get a long Vixen dovetail plate in order to design the complete support for the telescope as well as a support for the Sol'Ex and so avoid a sagging of the Sol'Ex against the telescope connection.

Some images

Sol'Ex_Ring_Aux_M42.JPG
Sol'Ex_Ring_Aux_M42.JPG (45.44 KiB) Viewed 2352 times
Sol'Ex_2nd_stiffener.jpg
Sol'Ex_2nd_stiffener.jpg (277.62 KiB) Viewed 2352 times
Sol'Ex_2nd_8mm_1.jpg
Sol'Ex_2nd_8mm_1.jpg (272.05 KiB) Viewed 2352 times
Sol'Ex_2nd_8mm_3.jpg
Sol'Ex_2nd_8mm_3.jpg (321.79 KiB) Viewed 2352 times
Sol'Ex_2nd_8mm_2.jpg
Sol'Ex_2nd_8mm_2.jpg (267.43 KiB) Viewed 2352 times
Sol'Ex_1.25np_5mm_thread.jpg
Sol'Ex_1.25np_5mm_thread.jpg (145.93 KiB) Viewed 2352 times
SolEx_Spring_loaded_1.jpg
SolEx_Spring_loaded_1.jpg (257.85 KiB) Viewed 2352 times
SolEx_Spring_Ring.JPG
SolEx_Spring_Ring.JPG (57.4 KiB) Viewed 2352 times
SolEx_Side_view_2.jpg
SolEx_Side_view_2.jpg (285.73 KiB) Viewed 2352 times
Last edited by rsfoto on Fri Jan 20, 2023 4:06 pm, edited 4 times in total.


regards Rainer

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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by marktownley »

You are having lots of design / engineering fun Rainer, I love it! :)


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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by rsfoto »

Hi,

My next step is to motorize the grating wheel as well as add a motor to the focuser and so be able to control the grating setting as well as focus remotely.

Designing the parts is not a problem but I have the problem of writing software fir an Arduino and creating a GUI.

Maybe a Sol'Ex user here who can program and joins the project ?

Below the first design for the grating wheel driven by a GT2 timing belt with 2mm pitch which is very common in the 3D printer industry.

Anybody ? ...

Grating_Wheel_GT2.JPG
Grating_Wheel_GT2.JPG (74.8 KiB) Viewed 2276 times


regards Rainer

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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by rsfoto »

Hi,

One more step ahead in order to mount the Sol'Ex on my mounts. I had some spare carbon fiber square rods and made the support.

I also designed a D-Dovetail plate (Losmandy type) which fits onto the saddle and the Sol'Ex will be riding on my mount next to the H-alpha scope.

Also at the end an adjuster for levelling the Sol'Ex against the telescope. Waiting to get the 6mm screws ...

SolEx_Side_view_3_rail.jpg
SolEx_Side_view_3_rail.jpg (199.5 KiB) Viewed 2269 times
SolEx_rail_adjuster.jpg
SolEx_rail_adjuster.jpg (147.78 KiB) Viewed 2269 times
D-Dovetail.JPG
D-Dovetail.JPG (66.45 KiB) Viewed 2269 times


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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by marktownley »

Enjoying seeing this build Rainer!


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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by rsfoto »

Thank You Mark,

Now I am designing the necessary gears for motorizing the grating wheel and the helical focuser.

I found two stepper motors in my drawers which have a diameter of about 22mm and very high reduction gear 152:1 which means for one turn on the output shaft I need to make 3648 steps. The stepper motor is a 15° per step motor.

Lots of fun but the only nit bit is reverse engineering of the Sol'Ex measurements.


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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by rsfoto »

Hi,

Yo Do List ...

Sol'Ex motorize Focuser = DONE

Sol'Ex Motorize grating wheel = Done

Repeatability of the focuser is nearly 99% but still need to solve the backlash problem of the Grating wheel but repeatabiity is quite good at maybe 80%. Need to correct every time mayb 4 to 6 steps.

The grating wheel has a resolution of 0.03289° per step or ~118" arc seconds.

The motors are from a by me made custom made focuser and rotator which I do not need anymore as the scope was decomisioned. An AT 8" RC Carbon fiber tube telescope.

SolEx_GWM_FM_1.jpg
SolEx_GWM_FM_1.jpg (154.4 KiB) Viewed 2159 times
SolEx_GWM_FM_2.jpg
SolEx_GWM_FM_2.jpg (205.23 KiB) Viewed 2159 times
SolEx_GWM_FM_3.jpg
SolEx_GWM_FM_3.jpg (192.56 KiB) Viewed 2159 times
SolEx_GWM_FM_4.jpg
SolEx_GWM_FM_4.jpg (201.09 KiB) Viewed 2159 times
SolEx_GWM_FM_5.jpg
SolEx_GWM_FM_5.jpg (165.97 KiB) Viewed 2159 times
SolEx_GWM_FM_6.jpg
SolEx_GWM_FM_6.jpg (179.31 KiB) Viewed 2159 times

and here a video of the grating moving from Order #0 to end of Scale = Atmospheric H2O. Backwards and forwards

From 1 to 6 seconds it is black because the grating does not show anytyhing. I tried to get the best possibe automatic exposure at an 2xposure time of 200ms.




regards Rainer

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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by DeepSolar64 »

WoW, Rainer. VERY nice SolEx engineering work. I am certainly impressed. I look forward to your first light tests.

I am surprised you are not going to mount it on a Tak!!

James


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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by rsfoto »

DeepSolar64 wrote: Tue Jan 24, 2023 6:27 am WoW, Rainer. VERY nice SolEx engineering work. I am certainly impressed. I look forward to your first light tests.

I am surprised you are not going to mount it on a Tak!!

James
Hi James,

I have a spare Takahashi Sky 90 f/5 450mm focal length, but that one is not collimated ... :cry: :cry: :cry:

On the other side that would be too wide and does not fit my D-Dovetail plate anymore ...


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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by marktownley »

Nice to see the developments!


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Re: One More Sol'Ex ...

Post by Solarex »

Sorry to resurect old thread, but I need a little advice about printing Sol'Ex as I am also new to 3d printing. The tubes have 90 degrees overhangs, how are they supposed to be printed?

As I see it whatever position they are set on the printer plate the print is going to fail.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated


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