TL Systems EzCBP Cylindrical Bearing Platform Kit

Like many first time telescope purchasers I wanted the most bang for my buck. In my case I decided to go with an 8-inch dobsonian as a starter scope. As every dob owner knows your “tracking system” consist of constantly bumping the scope every few seconds to keep an object in view. Not too labor intensive but tedious. After a while I got interested in doing a little astrophotography. For this I knew I needed some form of tracking.

I thought of several mount modifications. A true equatorial mount was out of the question, as one beefy enough to support an 8 inch scope would equal or exceed the cost of the scope. A home brewed fork mount was too labor intensive to construct. Then I began to take a look at equatorial platforms, which can provide steady tracking for about an hour (more than adequate for my needs).

I took a look at the available commercial platforms, but they started out at around $600 for a basic single axis model. I thought of building my own platform and began studying plans on the Internet. I knew I had some basic woodworking skills, however I also needed to construct a stepper motor drive circuit, which required some circuit board soldering beyond my abilities.

A couple of companies provide component kits for equatorial platforms.

I settled on a kit designed by Ted Lafleur of TL Systems. It includes basic assembly plans, all hardware for the platform (including the stepper controller). You just provide the wood, a few basic tools, a little solder for wire connections, and sweat.

The most difficult part of building the platform was cutting the radius for the north sector board. However Ted provides instructions for cutting it with basic hand tools. It can also be cut with a router and a circle-cutting jig. As luck would have it my brother-in-law owns a machine shop. I told him the radius I needed, he placed the board in a vertical CNC mill, punched a few buttons, and about 5 minutes later I was driving home with an oak board cut with a perfect radius!

The kit allows you to build an equatorial platform that tracks smoothly thanks to a high ratio stepper/gearbox. It’s also flexible in that you can build the platform to match the footprint of your rocker box if you want. As an option you can purchase the stepper controller fully wired and ready to go, I went with this option.

First light for the dob/platform combination was on a cold February night. I simply took a pocket compass and aligned the base of the platform to north. That’s all you need for visual use. (Try that with a standard equatorial mount.) Then I set the motor switch to track, and lo and behold Saturn stayed in my view without drifting away. There’s a potentiometer on the control so you can adjust tracking speed. It also has a switch that allows you to slew to east or west, which is perfect for centering an object, or strolling around the lunar surface.

The platform allows me to spend more time observing and less time fiddling with the scope, and I was able to build it for about half the price of a commercial single axis platform.

Thanks to TL Systems for making a platform kit that a poor Kentucky boy can afford!

Kevin Stephens
Bardstown, Kentucky

Added:  Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Reviewer:  John Kevin Stephens
Score:
Related Link:  EzCBP Cylindrical Bearing Equatorial Platform
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