I got one of the original cradles a few years back and they are rock solid. I wanted to mount a FLT 132 on the same mount so I made a copy of the Homeyer half rings and just bolted them on upside down to effectively make a set of giant rings. Worked a treat and made the thing even more rigid, if that's possible. No need for SBS plates because its all along the axis of symmetry. My scope is also on a PME II and you will find the whole rig very effective.?
The radius of the cradle arms is fairly critical so it requires a large milling machine to accurately machine the 14-inch plus tube radius.??
Should read:? The radius of the cradle arms is fairly critical so it requires a large milling machine to accurately machine the 7-inch plus tube radius.??
Hello Paul.? I agree that ?300 is very reasonable. I was surprised by the cost of 6061 aluminium.? This version has approx.? $200 just in raw material.? Of course if I were to offer these for sale, I would not make a production run of less than maybe 10 units, so there would be the economy of scale.? Anecdotal evidence indicates that Andy Homeyer sold the 14-inch cradle for between 700 - 800 dollars.? In 2021, my estimate is somewhere in the $1000 - $1200 range to do it right with no short cuts, and based on a production run of 10 - 12 units.
I will be bolting the bottom plate (which is adjustable) directly to a Versaplate, as this C14 Edge will be mounted on a Paramount ME II.
Thanks for this Frank. I have a non edge C14 and just to chip in, for the avoidance of the dreaded flexure for astrophotography, avoid rubberised material on the fork arms. Probably a thin felt type material to avoid scratching the scope would be good. I've been toying with the idea of making something like the HC for a while and your post triggered me to contact my local machine shop here in the U.K., where I obtained a ball park figure of ?300 for production costs, which is very reasonable.
Do you intend to fix your HC to the dovetail plate or bolt directly to the mount ?
Bill, Paul, et al,? ?I had expected some interest along those lines and I haven't yet decided how I'm going to proceed.? I did work with a local machine shop and they used my drawings to produce the parts.? I supplied the 6061 aluminum bar stock and all other parts. The cradle arms are 1-inch thick.? The base plate is 1/2-inch thick.? I tried not to deviate from the original design. The radius of the cradle arms is fairly critical so it requires a large milling machine to accurately machine the 14-inch plus tube radius.??
I hope to post a thorough article in one of the astronomy sites.? I'll post here when its ready to publish.
Looks really good Frank. Do you have designs you'd be willing to share? I guess it's made from Aluminium alloy, did you do it yourself or get a machine shop involved? How much did it cost to make? Best wishes Paul
Hello I've been working since midsummer on a replica of the Hoymeyer Cradle (HC) that was designed by Andy Hoymeyer and sold by him in the early 2000's. Prior to commencing with this project, I tried to contact Andy, but discovered that he had passed away.? His website is still on line and I was able to download several photos.? I ordered a C14 Edge in August but did not receive it until early December.? Thus, I had no readily available reference for C14 dimensions.? Also, I did not know of? a local individual with a Hoymeyer Cradle.? Eventually, I made contact with a gentleman in Azizona, who had a C14 Edge mounted in a Hoymeyer Cradle, perhaps one of the last one's produce.? My Arizona contact was willing to provide dimensions from his HC.? From these a detailed, dimensioned set of? drawings were developed.??
My version of the scope cradle is finished and I am ready to mount my C14 and test the setup on my Paramount MEII.? I plan to fully document this project and will probably put it on Cloudy Nights.
Anyone replace or repair the Hansen Magnatorc DC 24v declination motor on their fork mount? Mine has a dead spot and I'm trying to find options. Thanks.
Frank A