AUTOSTAR INFORMATION Last updated: 22 October 2004

Ziploc Bag and Autostar Controller

Sent:	Friday, October 22, 2004 08:23:02
From:	Mathematical Sciences (oburkins@math.iupui.edu)
I bought my first telescope, an ETX125 this year.

Immediately I fell in love with this little ETX. I proudly took my
ETX125 to my first Star Party this summer. I spent half the night out
under the stars and was subject to a lot of dew.  My homemade Dewshield
worked perfectly.  However my Autostar controller became completely
covered with dew.  After I get home, I started thinking about how I
could prevent dew from collecting on my Autostar controller.  My
solution to this problem is a Ziploc storage bag.

I got a Ziploc storage bag from my wife. The bag I used is the one quart
size. It measured 7 inches by 8 inches. If you look carefully, the size
of the Ziploc bag is printed on the box. I cut a small hole in one
corner of the bag. I ran the cord through this hole and sealed the
Autostar controller inside the  Ziploc bag. I use Velcro to secure the
controller to the tripod leg. Therefore I put a strip of Velcro on the
back of the Ziploc bag. I found the Ziploc bag with Velcro easily held
the controller to the tripod leg.

Okay, you are asking yourself, can I really use the Autostar controller
with it inside a Ziploc bag?  I found that there was no problem in
reading the Liquid Crystals Display. Also it was not difficult to use
the buttons of the Autostar to enter data.  I was actually pleasantly
surprised as to how easy it was to use my Ziploc-Autostar. Now when I
have my ETX125 outside and I'm expecting a lot of dew, I immediately get
out my Ziploc storage bag.
 

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