Dave's 16 Inch Binocular Telescope Page

The truss tube design has a lot of advantages especially when it comes to portability. After having built a 12.5 in. truss tube telescope several years ago I decided that this was the only option for my new design. The lower pole clamp blocks were of a standard split block design. However for the top end I chose to use commercially available units, from Moonlite.

 
These have a ball joint insert that is attached to the end of the pole. This ball joint is inserted into a suitably shaped block with a locking screw which makes assembly quick and effortless in the dark. I have had no problems with flexure of the truss poles, however I am currently experiencing small problems with repeatability each time the unit is assembled. After looking closely I found that the length of my truss poles varies by up to half a millimetre. I believe once this has been corrected the unit should go together precisely as it was left during the last observing session. There are a total of 12 poles with the centre section completely open. A cloth shroud is also in place to help prevent stray light entering the eyepiece. Also this helps prevent large objects falling into the mirrors.