Post by katodog on Sept 13, 2006 21:24:59 GMT -6
I have an LXD75 AR6-AT, which I absolutely love. There is one problem, though, that had plagued me until I remedied it.
It seems Meade, in all of their expertise, had neglected to make a holder for the LXD75 mount to accomodate the Autostar controller. You could do it the cheap and easy way, and Velcro the controller to the mount, but I think that would just be a good way to knock it onto the ground. And believe me, you don't want to drop it. If you do, the mount goes psycho and spins on it's merry way until you freak out and turn it off.
Is this mount the black sheep of the family? It doesn't get the same treatment as others? Why is there an Autostar holder for the other Meade scopes, but not this one?
Well, anyway, I decided to tackle the problem myself and made a holder out of a wire coat hanger. I drilled (yeah, I know, I'm crazy) a couple of holes in the mount to pass the wire through, so it would be more stable. It actually works out perfect. The only problem is it's not the prettiest thing in the world. I then decided to make one out of plastic. So I grabbed some spare plastic from work and set out to make a holder. It actually came out looking and working pretty good, except that the spray paint didn't cooperate and it looks a liitle goofy in spots. But, anyway, I put a cell phone clip on it and it clips to the mount. No need to drill holes.
Now comes the million dollar question: What should I do if I want to market the holder? I'm sure that Meade could package it with the LXD75 mount, or a telescope distributor could sell it. I just can't figure out how to approach anyone with the idea. It's got to be a good idea.
Anybody have any ideas or suggestions?
It seems Meade, in all of their expertise, had neglected to make a holder for the LXD75 mount to accomodate the Autostar controller. You could do it the cheap and easy way, and Velcro the controller to the mount, but I think that would just be a good way to knock it onto the ground. And believe me, you don't want to drop it. If you do, the mount goes psycho and spins on it's merry way until you freak out and turn it off.
Is this mount the black sheep of the family? It doesn't get the same treatment as others? Why is there an Autostar holder for the other Meade scopes, but not this one?
Well, anyway, I decided to tackle the problem myself and made a holder out of a wire coat hanger. I drilled (yeah, I know, I'm crazy) a couple of holes in the mount to pass the wire through, so it would be more stable. It actually works out perfect. The only problem is it's not the prettiest thing in the world. I then decided to make one out of plastic. So I grabbed some spare plastic from work and set out to make a holder. It actually came out looking and working pretty good, except that the spray paint didn't cooperate and it looks a liitle goofy in spots. But, anyway, I put a cell phone clip on it and it clips to the mount. No need to drill holes.
Now comes the million dollar question: What should I do if I want to market the holder? I'm sure that Meade could package it with the LXD75 mount, or a telescope distributor could sell it. I just can't figure out how to approach anyone with the idea. It's got to be a good idea.
Anybody have any ideas or suggestions?