HARDWARES including D.I.Y. projects
Telescope Finder scope Mirror on map FOV plate Pirate eye LED flashlight Eyepieces Sketch board Binoculars Compass Solar Filter Sight tube

My observing site is home front yard, telescope 4.5" newtonian focal range 1000 mm or f 8.8 with equatorial mount, pointing to MARS. This no brand telescope came with wrong collimation.

Right angle finder scope 6 X 30, FOV (Field Of View) width 6 degree It quite usefully & comfortably when observing at high declination near the zenith to avoid horizon sky glow of bangkok

Mirror attached with epoxy putty at base for self standing on star chart. it mirror image of star chart will match to view from right angle finder FOV circles were drawn on transparent sheet, the green or blue color is more readable under red LED flash light. It should be permanent pen, I have some lesson as at first time I used erasable one, one night, it dropped to the moist grass and some color dropped to my star chart

Hopping on star chart by using (1)FOV circles sheet, (2) red LED flash lights (3) mirror standing on transparent sheet near FOV circle. They can be moved as a set by sliding the transparent sheet on star chart

pirate eye shutter was made from swimming goggle paint with black color. it helps reduce eyes stress on the long observing session of good seeing night.
On Aug 2001, I found better tool, it is welding goggle, by removing black filter and clear guard from right side, the left side was left black. It work well as the side guard will help protect local light polluted and more comfortable.

Recently I used eye pad, which use for sleeping on the plane, by cutting a hold on one side. It is better than above two type.

Red LED flash lights, I saw this project from Sky & Telescope web site. but I can't find jumbo LED in bangkok, instead I found multiple LED ( 6 LED in one), I built two units for easier to read sky chart under high light polluted condition

My favorite eyepieces are ORION Explorer 25mm & 10mm which give power 40x & 100x and provide FOV width 1.25 & 0.5 degree accordingly. On the right are two Huygens eyepieces 20mm & 6mm (50x & 167x) supplied with the telescope, their FOV quite narrow. I use H 6mm for some planetary observing, its eye relief is very short

My sketches were done on sketch board attached with a RED LED flash light ,this unit use single LED supported with hard copper wire that can be bent around sketching area. I use A4 paper (80 gram), and B2 pencil for sketching. The background of this picture is dark cloth for covering over my head at eyepiece in order to eliminate locally light polluted. when I went to cloth shop, I selected by covering my head and observed overhead lighting leak in,..what a funny hobby like this!?

Binocular 10 x 50, FOV width 5 degree. good for M44 & M45, but it quite heavy when hold with hands ,I brought mount adapter for tripod just about 10$US, it works well near horizon but difficult to observe near the zenith.

I use compass for north direction alignment as at my observing site can't see Polaris. by this method, it sufficient for visual observing & sketching. I also brought a circular level for legs adjustment, but haven't used yet (I brought it from Singapore as I can't find in bangkok)

My solar filter is home made from BAADER Astro-solar film. Same as right-top, my Baader solar filter is mounted on cardboard cylinder ,lower-right is Solar Skreen by Roger W. Tuthill, Inc., left-top is Type 2 Plus and lower-left is Polymer Plus by Thousand Oaks Optical, Identi-View Class A by JMB, Inc. at the center. Baader is the best for sun spot as reviewed by Phil Harrington in Astronomy, April 2001, Page 72-75. For my first test, umbra and penumbra are very clear and sharp edge, I also saw white features near sun limb which have never seen before from other glass filter.

My sigh tubes were made by sink drain pipe (plastic tube with chromium coating) The sight hole was drilled on kodak film can cap with drill bit 1/16". The cross hair made by white nylon thread. The detail is in Starware Page 195-196.
The upper is model 1 , a cross hair was made at the end.
The lower is model 2 , it has additional cross hair at middle.

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