TravelWide Repair Question

[Drew Bedo]

Holidays are over and 2018 is here . . .What is the status of this effort?

[Corran]

Hi Drew, and everyone else who is looking for a repair - I have some GOOD NEWS!

plaubel has been working on this slow and sure and as of now he has a working template. I am under the understanding that the part will be replicated using CAD and laser-cutting. Thanks for your patience with this - hopefully the replacement part will be available in the next couple of months.

[Drew Bedo]

Good News indeed!

MONTHS? Well OK.

Patience is a virtue. Yet a wise man once said, "Virtue is its own revenge." But I think he was talking about Las Vegas.

[Corran]

I probably shouldn't have given any time prediction. It's really out of my hands, and when the part is done it'll need to be shipped overseas to me and then out to those wanting it here in the states. It's coming together though, and that's the important part I wished to convey.

[Drew Bedo]

Sure . . .I was trying to be funny.

I am hoping to us my TravelWide mounted to a telescope mounting both to a rail and linked with some adaptation of a T-mount tube. The helical will only be used to adjust the distance for linking the two units so ease of operation is not critical.

Hoping to get that stacked telephoto perspective seen in smaller formats.

[Tin Can]

Drew an admirable goal.

However, you will be suspending the entire TW body directly on the broken parts. No fix will last long in this usage. Perhaps you like the low mass of the TW but inserting film holders will never be gentle.

Good luck.

I need a telescope soon as I finally live where there are visible stars.

[Drew Bedo]

Thanks for the on-point observation.

However the plan is to support and align both the TW and a Celestron C-90 from below on an Arca-Swiss compatible rail. The T-Mount and tube is merely fo align and connect the optical components while excluding light. Image formation at the film plane will be through direct eyepiece projection or by optically coupling the 'scope through the TWs mounted 90mm lens. Exposure will be controlled with a molunted leaf shutter or with a lens cap . . .depending on what is possible. Apature will be fixed at something very small and will be be determined through testing.

I did something like this many years ago with a Speed Graphic beater and a B&L zoom spotting scope. Results wewre interesting (big sun rising behind a windmill), but the rig was cumbersome to use

I Have some of the bits already. The damaged lens mount put this whole project on a back burner.

[Tin Can]

Now I understand your desire to get this project back on track.

We look forward to your results.

[Corran]

Yes, sounds like a cool project!!

[plywood]

I am curious Drew, the C90 focal length is 1250mm working at f13.9 but will it cover 4X5? I would think the image circle would be too small.

Ah ha! I read your post more carefully. Eyepiece projection, got it.
Last August solar eclipse I was not in the path of totality and I used the same method, eyepiece projection with an old 60mm refractor, the telescope FL is 700mm and I used a 15mm eyepiece to project about a 3.5inch diameter image. This allowed myself and the neighbors to view the eclipse safely.