Excellent video. No stupid music. No endless babbling. Straight to the point without explaining every simple detail. If only every DIY video could be like this. Well done Sir.
great video! i did have to have a chuckle when you are walking down to the garden and said its a great place for a pier and then "would have been a great place for an observatory too.."
Very nice option to not having a full on observatory. Actually with wireless connectivity it is no different than an observatory in that you eliminated all that back and forth work, connecting cables isn't a big deal, in fact I sometimes leave everything intact if I'm planning on a two or three night imaging session, but I'm on a tripod. Great idea and solution. Setting up and breaking down is a PITA and eats into imaging time time besides.
Nice one mate - short and sweet. Love how you used the drainage pipe as a cover. I am going to build a pier as well - Waiting on the utility company's to do their survey's so I don't cut through a cable or water pipe. Cheers Jim
I really love this build and I'm going to build one like it - the corrugated tube is a really good idea, lots of concrete and makes a good and solid construction! Would like to see a follow-up video on it. If there were anything you would have done differently if doing it again - what worked great and what worked not so great. I like that you only did one plate, where many other has multiple plates, but it seems like you have enough room to level it off and get underneath to lock the mount in place. How did it go with leaving the mount outside for the past 3 years - did you do it? My plan is to add mains power and ethernet jack next to it as well...just have to wait for my EQ6-R to arrive - it's in backorder everywhere :/
That's a vid I'd pay to see. No more rat problems. Those pesky varmints turned in to pink mist. Overkill? Then again, you'd never have any problems with your neighbors ever again! Just kidding. Won't you think of the hedgehogs, kind of thing. Love those little fellas running about at night. Wouldn't want to upset them. :-)
The problem today is Men are too scared to tell their woman to piss off. Do what you want and stand up for yourself. But not anymore, he even called her the "Boss"
Thanks Mark, and yes I have left it out, double covered all year, although I did take it off for a clean and re-grease. Yes power and Ethernet would have been nice, but the only issues I have had are with USB connectors, so being able to take in the connecting unit has helped with the reliability
It's an interesting question. The thermal cycling probably means Polar alignment needs to be checked regularly. I will be keeping a close eye on it, but I have also adopted several layers of protection: firstly I have used ACF50 to coat and protect the exposed parts likely to rust. This is a great product! Then a towel is draped over the mount, to help reduce dew and moisture, and avoid 'chaffing' on the outer layers. Second layer is a plastic bag cover, waterproofing, and then the green cover you see in the video, protecting from the elements inc sun. So even if there is a leak in the outer cover the inner one should still protect it.. I will let you know in the spring if there was any issue! Thanks for watching
+ Mikey I'm very interested in how your mount fared outside, 9 months on. My AZEQ6 arrived yesterday (your review helped sway me to buy it), and I absolutely love it so far. But hell, it's a beast to hump around, mount on the tripod, and align, BUT I'm really quite anxious about leaving such costly kit outside. How do you apply that ACF50, ands where?
@@HelmutBemboka Hi, everything is working fine. I have stripped and cleaned/ regreased the mount once, and replaced the covers because of wear. I now use a double layer with an old towel between (the mount and the cover), and some of that non slip rubber Mat between the two covers, as the first cover wore thin at the top, and started to let water in during heavy rains. This double cover is working fine for 1 yr already :-)
That I a great looking Pier and nice tutorial. Can i ask if once you have polar aligned. does taking the scope off and then putting it back knock your polar alignment off at all?? Cheers
Intriguing. The posting is three years old. Anyhow, I have a question for Mieky. Will the counter weight hit the pier if you set the latitude to about 5 degrees. Your latitude may be much higher but I am just curious. Thank you.
Mohamed, Hi. I’ve never tried it that low, it will be pretty close, I’ll try it next time I’m doing a PA. maybe someone else can comment on their pier? A smaller diameter support would help a bit.
Hi Robert, I looked at that originally also. If you were only a visual astronomer, mount will take it, but for imaging, then the weight and also the moment from the extra length of the scope makes it less than ideal
@MikeyJ so would I be OK with a 10" like yours on the same mount az-eq6 pro gt thanks for you help I'm really trying to get this right I have a celestron nextstar evolution 8" and a sky max 127mm but I just want a newtonian telescope 10"or 12" and a pier like yours I can have an observatory in the garden or just a pier in the garden
@MikeyJ thanks for your help I really really need help I just want to use it for the moon and planet's and the sun I'm just a beginner could I use starsense outo aline on the mount
Could you provide the pans you used for the adapater plate? I'm trying to accomplish the same thing, but I need the plans for the adapter to take a machine shop. Thanks!
I'm liking this pier design - I've been thinking that putting a conduit either in the pier or next to it to run data/power/etc would be a good idea so you aren't stepping on wires when working around the scope...
@@Afterburner true, power to the scope would have been good, but i just run an extension cable to my DIY powerbox, and its done, so compared to the extra trenches, protection and cost, im OK with the 'dumb pier' approach
Not enough concrete there to stabilize the pier. Lots of real professional advice out there. This isn’t one of them. The pros advise a 1m x 1m x 1m cube of concrete to provide a suitable pier base
@@davidthompson9879 well, you’re right that they suggest much more than I used, and had I the room I would have used more. The reality is that it’s been in place for more than 4 years without any issues, my rationale was based on a tripod being stable enough to take long exposures, and the pier is certainly more stable than that. I want to add one more thing.. your comment is made quite aggressively, and I don’t respect your opinion for that. I did what I could in the space and cost constraints of my circumstances, and I am very pleased with the result. If you want to do it with a different approach, fine, I don’t need to comment on your ideas to know mine worked out just fine. Thanks for watching…
@@MikeyJ you have no idea the context as you cannot see me or read my body language which means you can only assume. I cannot influence your assumptions from the written word. All i am saying is your pier is susceptible to both movement and vibration due to its design so it should be pointed out that this is your idea of a pier and is not the accepted norm for a pier
@@davidthompson9879 it appears you are the one making assumptions.. I already showed it with a 10” Newtonian mounted, and I can say explicitly that it has no issues with stability. Astro photography is challenging, we’d probably all like to have better equipment. This video isn’t to say everybody should do the same as me, but it is a great improvement on moving all my gear around every time there is a clear sky, so I am happy with my diy pier, and that’s what it is… not kit peak.. it’s a great almost free way to improve my Astro setup. If I was doing it again I would change some things, but more concrete because ‘the professionals’ and keyboard warriors say so wouldn’t be at the top of the list.
Your mount is only as solid as your 3 threaded rods. Not very !! I don't understand why people build piers this way. You'd be way better off bolting the mount directly to the concrete face. But then you ask " how do make my mount level?" It doesn't really need to be level.
Excellent video. No stupid music. No endless babbling. Straight to the point without explaining every simple detail. If only every DIY video could be like this. Well done Sir.
Took the words right out of my finger tips.
I put a pier in the garden too saves a lot of hassle my Eq6 has lived under a telegizmo cover for about 4 years permanently 👍 clear skies hopefully 🙏🏻
great video! i did have to have a chuckle when you are walking down to the garden and said its a great place for a pier and then "would have been a great place for an observatory too.."
Great job! Thanks for taking the time to make and share!!!
Yep, 'The Boss' I know all about that too 😃There is a car brake disc that fits exactly, saves on custom machining.
This is absolutely brilliant buddy 👏🏼👏🏼
Super! Très bonne vidéo, simple, claire et précis. 👍
Paul du Québec, Canada.
Very nice option to not having a full on observatory. Actually with wireless connectivity it is no different than an observatory in that you eliminated all that back and forth work, connecting cables isn't a big deal, in fact I sometimes leave everything intact if I'm planning on a two or three night imaging session, but I'm on a tripod. Great idea and solution. Setting up and breaking down is a PITA and eats into imaging time time besides.
Very innovative, nice work!
Great video - I would love something like this in my garden .
Storming Barney thanks. You should do it, it’s great 😀
Fantastic! I love homemade projects. :)
Me too :)
I like the approach of the drainage pipe - nice work MikeyJ
Thanks Jeff, it works really well, and I'm happy with it :)
Nice one mate - short and sweet. Love how you used the drainage pipe as a cover. I am going to build a pier as well - Waiting on the utility company's to do their survey's so I don't cut through a cable or water pipe.
Cheers
Jim
Thanks Jim, good idea on the survey, i did a check on the original building plans and all was ok. Good luck with it, it saves so much time on setup!
for anyone doing this, old brake discs make great pier adapters
I have two in my workshop I didn't toss. Noted!
I see I’m not the only one to use my beer belly to support the scope when attaching to the mount... 😁👍🏻
Ha! the only thing i can say is.. Works as designed.. ;-)
Very well done. How does your mount fare under the cover?
very professional indeed!
Looks great! Was wondering how is the corrugated drain pipe standing before adding rods and pouring cement? Isn’t that flexible?
Hello, Well done! How is the pier working out for you? only 2 feet in the ground ? How is your guiding with this pier?
Great job!! awesome
I really love this build and I'm going to build one like it - the corrugated tube is a really good idea, lots of concrete and makes a good and solid construction! Would like to see a follow-up video on it. If there were anything you would have done differently if doing it again - what worked great and what worked not so great. I like that you only did one plate, where many other has multiple plates, but it seems like you have enough room to level it off and get underneath to lock the mount in place. How did it go with leaving the mount outside for the past 3 years - did you do it?
My plan is to add mains power and ethernet jack next to it as well...just have to wait for my EQ6-R to arrive - it's in backorder everywhere :/
How has the mount held up a few years on? Has the cover been sufficient to keep elements out and keep bits from corroding etc?
Brilliant. Have you ever had trouble with the weather?
how has the eq6 held up throughout the seasons? Have you had to replace anything internally?
Where do I get a brother in-law with a nice workshop for custom machining?
How crucial is it that the bolts for the mount are pointing up at 90deg and not day 89.9 degrees?
just a bit more clearance room to the plate , I cant see any other big issue with it.
You could mount a .50 cal Anti-Materiel on that and it wouldn't budge.
Probably quite good for taking photos of the stars as well!
lol, nice idea... :)
That's a vid I'd pay to see. No more rat problems. Those pesky varmints turned in to pink mist.
Overkill?
Then again, you'd never have any problems with your neighbors ever again!
Just kidding. Won't you think of the hedgehogs, kind of thing. Love those little fellas running about at night. Wouldn't want to upset them.
:-)
"I've got the permission from the boss" you are great!
I'm so glad my boss fired me, hehe!
The problem today is Men are too scared to tell their woman to piss off. Do what you want and stand up for yourself. But not anymore, he even called her the "Boss"
do you leave mount out all year long? Did you regret not running any power lines up the pier inside the concrete? Nice job!!
Thanks Mark, and yes I have left it out, double covered all year, although I did take it off for a clean and re-grease. Yes power and Ethernet would have been nice, but the only issues I have had are with USB connectors, so being able to take in the connecting unit has helped with the reliability
Would the continuous hot/cold cycle especially in winter damage the mount at all even under the cover?
It's an interesting question. The thermal cycling probably means Polar alignment needs to be checked regularly. I will be keeping a close eye on it, but I have also adopted several layers of protection: firstly I have used ACF50 to coat and protect the exposed parts likely to rust. This is a great product! Then a towel is draped over the mount, to help reduce dew and moisture, and avoid 'chaffing' on the outer layers. Second layer is a plastic bag cover, waterproofing, and then the green cover you see in the video, protecting from the elements inc sun. So even if there is a leak in the outer cover the inner one should still protect it.. I will let you know in the spring if there was any issue! Thanks for watching
+ Mikey I'm very interested in how your mount fared outside, 9 months on. My AZEQ6 arrived yesterday (your review helped sway me to buy it), and I absolutely love it so far. But hell, it's a beast to hump around, mount on the tripod, and align, BUT I'm really quite anxious about leaving such costly kit outside. How do you apply that ACF50, ands where?
@@MikeyJ Hi - great video! Would you happen to be able to give an update on how the mount has held up outside, 3 years on? Thanks!
@@HelmutBemboka Hi, everything is working fine. I have stripped and cleaned/ regreased the mount once, and replaced the covers because of wear. I now use a double layer with an old towel between (the mount and the cover), and some of that non slip rubber Mat between the two covers, as the first cover wore thin at the top, and started to let water in during heavy rains. This double cover is working fine for 1 yr already :-)
@@MikeyJ ok great. Thanks for the update :-)
That I a great looking Pier and nice tutorial. Can i ask if once you have polar aligned. does taking the scope off and then putting it back knock your polar alignment off at all?? Cheers
Hi Andy, thanks. It seems to be quite stiff, I check PA from time to time, but reliable so far
@@MikeyJ . That's worth knowing. Gr8 vid.
Intriguing. The posting is three years old. Anyhow, I have a question for Mieky. Will the counter weight hit the pier if you set the latitude to about 5 degrees. Your latitude may be much higher but I am just curious. Thank you.
Mohamed, Hi. I’ve never tried it that low, it will be pretty close, I’ll try it next time I’m doing a PA. maybe someone else can comment on their pier? A smaller diameter support would help a bit.
Do you have any measurements/blueprints of this setup please
Yes sure, contact me through the about page on YT and I’ll email the plate dims
@@MikeyJ please email them to :
msola46@gmail.com
Just did...still waiting...many thanks
@@solamanproductions hi, sorry upgrade of computer today, soon as it’s done I will get to the file and send 😉
@@MikeyJ cheers
Hi there could I use a 12" Newtonian on a az-eq6 gt mount like yours is set up thanks
Hi Robert, I looked at that originally also. If you were only a visual astronomer, mount will take it, but for imaging, then the weight and also the moment from the extra length of the scope makes it less than ideal
@MikeyJ so would I be OK with a 10" like yours on the same mount az-eq6 pro gt thanks for you help I'm really trying to get this right I have a celestron nextstar evolution 8" and a sky max 127mm but I just want a newtonian telescope 10"or 12" and a pier like yours I can have an observatory in the garden or just a pier in the garden
Yes the 10” works great on it 👍🏻
@MikeyJ thanks for your help I really really need help I just want to use it for the moon and planet's and the sun I'm just a beginner could I use starsense outo aline on the mount
Could you provide the pans you used for the adapater plate? I'm trying to accomplish the same thing, but I need the plans for the adapter to take a machine shop. Thanks!
man bearpig, sure...if I can find them, I’ll drop you a message later
@@MikeyJ That would be amazing!! Thanks
@@manbearpig5962 drop me an email (look at the about section of my channel) and ill send you the pdf of the adapter :)
@@MikeyJ You're a life saver! Email sent!
How is this in winters? Snow or rain getting in?
Chris 570 hi, it’s been outside since Oct last year, survives well, with the two layered cover, but I also use acf50 to protect the steel
@@MikeyJ sorry...not sure what bnb u mean...acf50
Chris 570 hi Chris, google for acf50 and you will find ‘anti corrosion spray’. It’s pricey, but good 👍🏼
I'm liking this pier design - I've been thinking that putting a conduit either in the pier or next to it to run data/power/etc would be a good idea so you aren't stepping on wires when working around the scope...
@@Afterburner true, power to the scope would have been good, but i just run an extension cable to my DIY powerbox, and its done, so compared to the extra trenches, protection and cost, im OK with the 'dumb pier' approach
Very nice. Very jealous.
Hi take your wife out for a nice meal and she might let you have a Observatory it might work interesting video though thanks
Not enough concrete there to stabilize the pier. Lots of real professional advice out there. This isn’t one of them. The pros advise a 1m x 1m x 1m cube of concrete to provide a suitable pier base
@@davidthompson9879 well, you’re right that they suggest much more than I used, and had I the room I would have used more. The reality is that it’s been in place for more than 4 years without any issues, my rationale was based on a tripod being stable enough to take long exposures, and the pier is certainly more stable than that. I want to add one more thing.. your comment is made quite aggressively, and I don’t respect your opinion for that. I did what I could in the space and cost constraints of my circumstances, and I am very pleased with the result. If you want to do it with a different approach, fine, I don’t need to comment on your ideas to know mine worked out just fine. Thanks for watching…
@@MikeyJ you have no idea the context as you cannot see me or read my body language which means you can only assume. I cannot influence your assumptions from the written word. All i am saying is your pier is susceptible to both movement and vibration due to its design so it should be pointed out that this is your idea of a pier and is not the accepted norm for a pier
@@davidthompson9879 it appears you are the one making assumptions.. I already showed it with a 10” Newtonian mounted, and I can say explicitly that it has no issues with stability. Astro photography is challenging, we’d probably all like to have better equipment. This video isn’t to say everybody should do the same as me, but it is a great improvement on moving all my gear around every time there is a clear sky, so I am happy with my diy pier, and that’s what it is… not kit peak.. it’s a great almost free way to improve my Astro setup. If I was doing it again I would change some things, but more concrete because ‘the professionals’ and keyboard warriors say so wouldn’t be at the top of the list.
@@MikeyJ i have a comment but i will keep it to myself. You have a nice day and enjoy your pier
Your mount is only as solid as your 3 threaded rods. Not very !! I don't understand why people build piers this way. You'd be way better off bolting the mount directly to the concrete face. But then you ask " how do make my mount level?" It doesn't really need to be level.