ETX TECHNICAL TIPS Last updated: 24 August 2004

ETX90 Budget Dewcap

Sent:	Tuesday, August 24, 2004 18:58:43
From:	LLhunter@aol.com (LLhunter@aol.com)
Thought that I would drop you a line and let you know that I have really
enjoyed your website.  It is great to have such a comprehensive
collection of knowledge and experiences all in one place.

I don't particularly like to spend large amounts of money on things that
I can make for myself so I put my mind to producing a dewcap for my
ETX90.  I'll cut to the chase -- after some reflection and brainstorming
here's what I came up with:

I fashioned a cap out of a 4 inch styrene coupling for PVC pipe which
can be obtained from any of the large home impovement chains.  I decided
against the  already-black coupling off the shelf because it was quite
heavy and figured it was probably too heavy for the drives.

The coupling I ended up purchasing was white and pretty light. To make
it black I sprayed it over with several coats of black Plasti Dip rubber
coating. I tried some cheap flat black spray paint, but it rubbed off on
everything it touched.  After the plasti dip dried I tried it out.  It
fit over the tube and the inner ring of the coupling rested nicely on
the end.  The result was a fairly light and durable dewcap that cost
about $5 instead of $15 to $25 which is the price range of the
commercial caps.  So far it seems to do it's job and doesn't appear to
interfere with viewing.

Take care,
 
Jim Hunt

Go back to the Tech Tips page.

Go back to the ETX Home Page.