- My Camera Adapter for the Coronado PST -

This page describes how I made a camera adapter to attach my Canon EOS 10D to my Coronado PST.

The ingredients from The Home Depot :
- 1 1/2 x 1 copper coupling (039923307682) : $5.88
- 603WBA In-Sink-Erator Style Disposal Gasket (042805079232) : $2.97
- IRWIN HANSON 4-40NC Plug Tap and Drill Bit (042526802096) : $4.26
- 3pcs. #4-40 x 3/4" Round Head Machine Screws : $0.98
- 3pcs. #4-40 x 1/4" Round Head Machine Screws : $0.98





First task was to make it fit in the eye-piece holder. This required some filing...





..until it fit prefectly.





Next step was to take the eye-piece (12mm) and my old camera adaptor and ...





... disassemble them, so that I can survey how to fit things and where.





The eye-piece core fit nicely in the coupling, I only had to make sure,
that it won't go anywhere by putting some screws through the copper piece.
Drilling and tapping was required.





The next step was about how to affix the old camera adapter.
I checked on my Canon EOS 10D how deep the eye-piece can go inside
the camera before interfering with the mirror reflex system and
marked the coupling for "shortening" ( red dots )...





This part was the most intense manual labor in this project...





After about an hour and several blisters, it was cut...





I drilled the old camera adapter and tap'd it, drove through
the 3/4" screws. I put the eye-piece core inside the coupling and
fixed it with the 1/4" screws and some padding from plastic.





Put the camera adapter on the coupling, drove the screws
through, marked the locations and drilled little indentations
to allow the screws from the camera adapter to grab on.
I pulled the ISE gasket rubber ring on the coupling to fill the gap.





Mounted the now functional adapter and checked
if it works. It did... Note the rubber ring for sealing...





Did the weight testing, it seems to hold... ;-)





My little solar observer case has a place for this new adapter!





I can finally concentrate on WHAT to photograph
rather than on HOW to hold the camera...





A cap from the Glacéau VitaminWater was a good fit on the top,
meanwhile I use the bottom cap from the Coronado 12mm eyepiece.

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Go to the Photos... or to the PST Technical page...