Weasner's Meade ETX TechTips

ETX TECHNICAL TIPS
Last updated: 25 May 2003

Homemade Caps and Covers

Subject:	ETX105EC - objective cap
Sent:	Friday, May 23, 2003 18:55:35
From:	C.Fry@BTinternet.com (Chris Fry)
In addition to my whinge about the field tripod assembly hassle, I also
find that the objective cover tends to bind up very easily - and this is
very temperature sensitive.

Do you know of any outlets in the UK which might provide an alternative
slip-on cover for the ETX105?

I am considering making up my own if necessary. If anyone else has found
a convenient lid or similar I would be interested to learn of their
solution.

Regards

Chris Fry

Mike here: Making a cap (for almost anything) is easy. Cut out a disk of stiff cardboard (even the backing of pads of paper can work). Make it the same diameter as the tube. Cut out a strip of paper about an inch wide and as long as the circumference of the tube. Attach the strip to the side of the disk, hold it in place with scotch tape. Once you have the basic cap assembled, cover the entire cap with black (or your favorite color) masking tape. This adds strength to the cap and (slightly) improves its look. I've made many of this type of cap for several decades for camera lenses, finderscopes, and telescopes, and even made a small filter box this way.

These photos show the finderscope cap I made for use when observing the Sun. The photo on the left shows the outside, covered in black photographic masking tape. The photo on the right shows the inside; you can see the end disk as well as the strip around the disk.

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