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INDUSTRYNEWS
VAN SLYKE INSTRUMENTS
Rummaging Through Pack Rat Paul’s List
Old telescopes never die; they just fade
to consignment in spare bedrooms, closets,
and garages that overflow with hoards of
astro gear. At least that’s the habit that
blights a few of us. But don’t you wish you
could spend some quality time rummaging
through those stacks of treasures Well, you
can – at least through a collection amassed
by one of the most prolific astro pack rats
we’ve encountered. We’re describing, of
course, “Pack Rat Paul” Van Slyke of Van
Slyke Instruments (VSI) and the amazingly
diverse result of a lifetime of astro-stuff
acquisition – much of which is truly one of
a kind.
Most of you know Paul as the master
designer and craftsman behind VSI’s lines
of extreme-capability telescope components
and accessories. Need a turret that
accepts six 2-inch eyepieces and has a slot
for easy insertion and removal of 2-inch filters
as well VSI makes those. Need an
ultra-fine-focus 3-inch
low-profile focuser with
stepper and servo control,
and temperature compensation,
and that looks like
it could move literal
mountains of astro gear
VSI makes those too. But
those are examples of
what is on the front-room
store shelves. The stuff
that has collected in Paul’s garage-sale room
is just as intriguing!
Need a million-volt Tesla Coil that can
be powered from a 120-volt AC, 20-am
recepticle Yes, there’s one on Paul’s List.
Need a Fluke frequency counter Ditto.
Need a 20-inch Plasma Disc Yep! Need a
4-inch, 6-jaw scroll lathe chuck There
were two; now there’s one. Need a 6-inch
diameter first-surface optical flat There
were three; now there is two. How about a
A million-volt Tesla Coil powered by a 120-volt, 20-amp AC
outlet Shocking
Swiss-made 24-inch digital height gage It’s
in there. DC gear-reduced servo motors
There’s a bunch of them.
But the collection isn’t nearly as large
as it was the last time we mentioned it in
this column a couple of years ago, so you
had best hurry. That last photo-sensor
tachometer for detecting RPM without
contact is looking awfully tempting to us.
Visit www.observatory.org/paulist/htm
before we do!
SKYSHED OBSERVATORIES
Releases 3D CAD Images of the SkyShed POD MAX
Production models of SkyShed
Observatories’ record-selling POD
(Personal Observatory Dome) had hardly
begun to ship before rumors of an even
larger version began circulating. That larger-
POD rumor transformed to POD-MAX
fact with the recent release by SkyShed of
3D CAD images of its new 12.5-foot-plus
observatory system.
The 12.5-foot-plus designation derives
from the fact that POD MAX will, as does
the standard POD, feature the option of
adding bays – up to six in the case of the
POD MAX – that will extend its working
diameter to almost 18 feet.
POD MAX is designed primarily for
serious astro-photographers who image
with large equipment, schools and public
institutions, and for corporate research. In
comparison with the popular
8-foot POD, POD MAX will
feature higher, thicker walls, a
tall steel door with deadbolt,
motorization, and Internet
interfacing from the ground
up. Because its primary focus
will be astrophotography and
research, the dome design will
employ a more traditional opening.
Shown is an interior view of the POD
MAX with a scaled model of PlaneWave
Instruments’ 0.7-meter CDK700 Alt-Az
Telescope System. The adult manikins are
scaled to 5 foot 9 inches tall.
The mobility concept that has helped
make the original POD so popular will be
built into the much larger POD MAX –
you won’t need a crane to lift it; just a friend
or two. As noted, the POD MAX dome
spans 12.5 feet and provides and internal
clearance of approximately the same height.
The walls are 6 feet 4 inches high and 5
inches thick. The door is 32 inches wide
and the design allows installation of two
doors should the user want to “file ‘em in
and out.” The dome is single-walled and
black-lined, as are the bay and wall sections.
For more information, follow
www.skyshedpod.com.
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY 15