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Solid
and Pocketed Dovetail Plate: 20.0" x 7.0" x 0.815" |
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The new dovetail plate works with many existing dovetail
systems on the market, like the Paramount ME's VersaPlate. The
unique attribute about this plate is that its bolt pattern, onto
the telescope, is much wider, 6.0" on centers, and the plate
is thicker than most dovetail plates. The wider bolt pattern
and thicker plate both contribute to greater stiffness in the
system. As telescope size rises, so should the accessories used
to secure them. |
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Images on this page were shown with a silver color
to help display product details. Standard color for these plates
is clear or black anodized. Plate is machined from 6061-T6 aluminum. |
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This large dovetail will be offered in both
solid and pocketed versions. The solid version ($325) will weigh
9.1 lbs, while the pocketed version ($465) will weigh 4.1 lbs. |
The
first large batch of dovetail plates has arrived near the end
of September, 2007. |
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The VersaPlate on the Paramount ME can bolt onto the
declination housing in one of three locations: forward, aft or
centered. The hole patterns are spaced 1.06" from each other.
When this is used with a 16" Dream Astrograph Tube, which
has four bolt on locations for the above dovetail, spaced at
intervals of 2.0", it allows the plates to be controlled
to within roughly 1" of a wide range of center of gravities.
This means the dovetail should never be protruding more than
1/2" from the VersaPlate. This also means all four of the
dovetail hand-knob/set pins are used on the VersaPlate. The widest
pins are roughly 18.8" apart from each other. Again, a wider
connection means more stability in the system. |
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The
20" Dream dovetail plates will be used on one company's
16" f5 Cassegrains for a world-wide IR project. |
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