*
Wednesday: I added a heavily reinforced padlock and hasp to the main doors as the first line of defense. Alarms, security cameras, remote controlled heavy machine guns and antipersonnel mines will follow in a strict series. Each new level will greet the thieves as they gain a new tread on the stepladder.
I did think of adding a large "scoreboard" to the outside of the building but decided it might encourage suicidal YouTube "chancers." Who were just trying to gain a few more [mouth breathing] followers in the hope of further increasing their own, obscene sponsorship.
My staged challenges will probably culminate in a [penultimate] brimstone and fire from an eBay flame thrower. And finally, but not least, my "pièce de résistance:" A 10,000 megaton, NK Magnus Opus, "Fat Kim," thermonuclear device. With free, 3 week postage via a Chinese dealer calling himself "Xi" on eBay[UK.]
This final solution would only be triggered should anyone ever reach the observatory floor itself. None of this is probably necessary, of course. Particularly given the mostly DIY and rather amateurish nature of my instrumentation. I just like playing with "my toys.' 😇
Thursday: I was working on a remote [backplate] collimation system for the second folding mirror of the 7" iStar refractor. Only to discover that all my initial efforts were in vain. I was merely pushing the square shanked, coach bolt out of its vital location hole as I applied pressure.
The control rod [tube] was certainly turning with the control knob but there was no change in cell position. I'll have to use a normal, all threaded, machine screw with a clamping nut to lock it firmly in place. Or even a simple cross-pin to stop the bolt from lifting out of its square hole. Some flexibility in the bolt's axis might be beneficial to prevent binding. Then the system should work exactly as planned.
There will eventually be two control 'rods' once I have ironed out the problems with the first. No point in doing it wrong twice before discovering how it really should have been done in the first place. I could have used stepper motors, timing belt drives and Arduino to adjust the mirror cells but I missed that class at school. By about 50 years, if memory serves.
Gave up on the remote, mirror collimation rods after cross-pinning the first as an experiment. Then added a second washer under each butterfly nut and the friction dropped from impossible with stretched fingertips to absolute zero. Now I'm able to adjust the mirror cell easily at arm's length. KISS with bells on! [Keep It Simple Stupid.]
*
No comments:
Post a Comment