Telescope-to-camera mount adapter (for the Lidl Skylux tripod mount) by Schorhr

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Still a work in progress, but is now tested and works!
Things you could improve:
-Higer to avoid collision with the bolt on the mount if you want to use two discs on the threaded rod
-Larger opening to tighten with your finger once it's installed
FINAL Update 18 feb 2012: USE Zero23.stl
Fixed different things.
Work in Progress. Use at your own risk.
I am not reliable for any damage on your telescope.
ABS is a bit soft, the mount's screw will damage the part when it's too tight. Glueing wood or a metal plate onto the part would be one way to solve this issue. If you have other ideas, please let me know!
(In case you are looking for new earring designs, stay tuned. For now, some boring useful niche stuff.)
The Lidl Skylux 70/700 telescope comes with a rather stable parallactic mount, unlike other cheap entry level telescopes you can get in catalogs or at supermarkets (usually a 76/900 newtonian reflector on a shaky plastic AZ mount).
I got hold of a used Lidl Skylux to use the mount for the Skywatcher 102/1300mm Maksutov and/or a DSLR camera. The only problem:
It has no standard photo mount.
Unbelievable, I could not find any CAD/3D files for this relativly common telescope mount. Just some telescope stores offer an adapter for €20 or €30, which is more then what I payed for the used mount WITH telescope!
If you compare the original mounting system and this design, you will note that this will slide in and is not as narrow as the original (which could be easily removed by just taking it out the top when the screw was loose enough). I did this to make sure it fits tightly without relying on the screw to hold all the weight, as FMD plastic parts are not as rigid as molded parts...
It might be possible to reduce the thickness even more, but the ABS tends to be too soft. As the telescope needs to be as stable as possible, it might even be a good idea to close the top completely.
The v20 SKP file includes a version where the screw is behind the adapter, but this will most likely be too fragile due to everage effects.
The main problem I see (aside the screw damaging the plastic) is that the increased height will reduce stability. If you can live without the comfort of a wing bolt, you could decrease the height and use a regular screw.
Please post any comments, suggestions or your personal print results into the comments, thank you!
(PS: Lidl, Skylux, Sky-Watcher & Co are registered trademarks and I am not associated in any way with the companies. This part is a hobby project, and I am not liable for any damage that may result from my bad design or your device having another mount type.)