THE BINOCULAR BOX!
Click on the Plans for Larger Picture!
" RECOMMENDATION: "It's come to my attention that some of you are experiencing double imaging! I must admit I made an error, I was thinking about stability when I recommended using a thick mirror, trouble is, a thick mirror will reflect dual images, 1.) from the reflective silvering of the mirror and 2.)from the front of the glass of the mirror, causing the light of the image to bend, thus creating a dual image. "NOT GOOD!!! Use a "THIN" FLAT MIRROR the thinner the better OR A FIRST SURFACE MIRROR, if you can find one for the best results! First surface mirrors can be found in old xerox machines or copying machines if your so inclined to hunt an old machine down!?!
My most "Sincere" apologies if this has caused anyone any inconvience?!?!
Troubles? Questions?Email me @ stormkng@uniserve.com
ANSWERS FOR YOUR QUESTIONS:
1.Yes the image will be upside down if you are looking at the sky in front of you - but right way up if you are looking at the sky behind you.
2. Dowels could be ok, but you need something to 'lock' in position so you don't have to balance the Binoculars or Mirror all the time. The "Original" used wing nuts and short bolts for the pivots.
3. a) Base is 12" x 12" usually
b) Mirror board is about 8" deep and 10 1/2" wide
c) Side supports for binoc board is 10" high where as the mirror supports are 3" high and about 2 to 3" wide, 3/4" thick. Support board for binocs is 10 1/2" wide (just like the mirror support)enough to rest binocs - rest at front can be a 1 1/2" square block, for the front swivel of the binocs to rest on ( mounted close to the inside of the binoc support board) Only needs adjustment if other family members have different-size binocs or different widths between their eyes. Usually not necessary.
Hope all this helps.
READ THIS!
The Fraser Valley Astronomers Society is dedicated to the education of Astronomy!
It has been my experience that people from all over, are very interested with respect to what is out there in our universe. The young and the old, from all walks of life, have this unquenchable thirst to know whats out there in the great beyond. People all over the world from time to time, stop and look up, ponder and wonder. And usually a remote thought will enter their minds.. I wish I had a telescope right now!
Trouble here is, "MOST" people already DO have one! Maybe not in the real sense of the word.. but a telescope none the less.. BINOCULARS...YES thats right Binoculars! Now how on earth, you may ask, can binoculars be deemed as a telescope?
Here's how! Anything that can aid the human eye in magnifying an image in space can be considered a telescope! I don't care if all you have are a pair of opera glasses.. they too can be used as a telescope.. and the great thing about this is that you don't end up with a sore neck..nor sore shaky arms.. remember!?! GRAVITY REALLY WORKS, 17 p.s.i! Or as my young son would say DAD! GRAVITY SUCKS! Hence the shaky arms after holding those bino's up for a long period of time...
HERES THE TRICK!
Take a flat mirror..the thinner the better (first surface mirror are better still, can be found in old xerox machines.)..and place it on a picnic table. Now using your arms, like a tripod..position yourself over the mirror..and look into it with your binoculars.. WELL whaddaya know STARS! TONS OF EM, THOUSANDS of em...Billions and Billions and Billions of em.. *Ahem sorry got carried away there!*
Now get a bit more inventive..and put a 1 inch dowel under the mirror or a piece of wood to change the angle of the mirror..now your looking behind your head or down towards the horizon, depending on which way the mirror is tipped! (You remain in the same position the only thing that moves is the mirror!) You will succumb to the realization, that "HEY!?! This is like reading a book!!
The Bino Box..allows the user to mount his binoculars on a secure platform, granting him/her a hands free, steady, sturdy image of the night sky. Check it out..make one for the kids this spring,summer,fall,winter!...They'll sit there for hours!!
DON'T HAVE TELESCOPE OR BINOCULARS??? Well don't run down to your favorite mega store and pay 300 bucks for a dust collector telescope, I'd hate to see you waste your money! Get yourself a nice pair of 10x50 binoculars to start your odessey..they range in price from 49.95 to 500.00 dollars and at those prices you should find it easy to fit a pair into your budget. If you compare the Binoculars against the (what I affectionately call the) curiosity telescope "50mm" at the store..you'll realize they are almost the same things in nature..
The objective lense at the front of the telescope is 50mm the Binocular's are the same 50mm! The only real difference between the two are the eyepieces.. the telescope may come with a 20mm, 12.5 mm and a 4 mm, where as the binoculars come with a 27mm set of eyepieces..or there abouts!
Now some food for thought..at night your eyes dialate to somewhere, near 7 millimeters, so in order for you to see an image in a 4 mm .965 eyepiece.. what do you need to do? To see an image in that 4 mm eyepiece?? Yep you guessed it, the all important FACE PLANT! and what do most kids see at that kind of magnification?? EYE-LASHES! *Blink Blink!*
For the most part the 12.5 is difficult as well.
Hence the reason why I call the 50mm telescope, the in the closet, upright, dust collecting, paper weight!
So what will Johnny or Sarah use most if they are using the 50mm telescope? Why the 20mm eyepiece of course! So why bother?? With the 10x50 binoculars (10 meaning 10 times magnification) and a Binocular Box.. Johnny and Sarah will see the very same image as if they were using the 50mm telescope and 20mm eyepiece.. and HERE they gets to use BOTH EYES!
NOW! When they have the bug for Astronomy!!! And have done some considerable learning of the night sky, with respect to constellations, and the where abouts of some deep sky objects or for that matter the positions of the planets.. would I consider buying them a telescope! Not just any ole telescope.. A REAL TELESCOPE! A telescope that has a respectable apeture, 4", 6", 8" or for that matter maybe a 10" Dobsonian (fondly known as a LIGHT BUCKET)or even a greater size (depends on the appetite *huge grin*).. These types {Cassegrain, Dobsonian, Newtonian's, just to name a few) are telescopes that require a 1.25 inch eyepieces.. (1 1/4 inches in diameter much larger than the standard .965 eyepiece) these are comfortable eyepieces..and work very very well.. But lets not get into that at this point of the game... the thing here is we want you to enjoy looking at the moon, the milky way, the moons orbiting Jupiter or just clusters of Stars..
So I offer up these plans for the Simple Binocular Box.. Print it off and enjoy your vacation amongst the stars!! I recommend that you print these plans out using the "LandScape Mode in your printer setup!"
Clear Skys all!
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