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Thread: Planetarium Star Projectors

  1. #221
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    Quote Originally Posted by Picasso View Post
    OMG!! The size of the head on that thing I had no idea! If you ever need warehouse space in Oakland, CA let me know, I'd be happy to host one of these.
    Picasso, thanks ! This could be a real possibility to put some of this on the road. Current plans call for the 4 foot diameter ball to be reassembled on the core then mounted in the yoke and bolted to the rotating base atop the square pedestal. This will permit movement on 3 axis like a gimbal as per the original design. The assembled height will be an imposing 14 feet tall which will max out the range of my gantry crane. We experimented with an alternative light source within the star chamber and the effect was astonishingly bright. The original xenon arc lamps and PSU's are currently at Ron's being rebuilt but that doesn't mean that this is the ONLY way to light it ! The Starscape is a marvel of engineering by Spitz Space Labs, the prototype was developed during the Apollo space program and used to train NASA astronauts in spacecraft pitch and yaw. The 4 foot sphere projects over 10,000 stars and deep space objects such as galaxies and nebula. The challenge has been, to increase the light output to a tremendous degree, and I believe we now have a way to do that although it is just in the theory stage. We did a few experiments, and the results yielded a eureka moment. It was an honor and a priviledge to spend this time with Swami Dog and Karl, both bring amazing talents both technically and artistically in this remarkable media. The real magic will happen when we bring all these pieces of gear into complete harmony. A fourth star projector will be added here in April, it is the same size as the blue Minolta and is a classic optical star-plate machine that was once installed in the National Museum of Natural History. All will be on casters so the 30,000+ star images can be evenly dispersed over a large palette. Adding the Lumia effects, AVI Omniscan full-dome shows and other scanning effects should put it "over the top" and beyond. If Swami and Karl weren't around, this dream may have always been simply a pipe dream.

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    Last edited by SpitzSTP; 04-08-2012 at 12:21.

  2. #222
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    Bradfo69 is offline Pending BST Forum Purchases: $47,127,283.53
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    I've just enjoyed my colored "Easter eggs". Nice job guys! You know when this becomes mobile, there's um...a little event in Newton, North Carolina.......

  3. #223
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    swamidog is online now Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
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    wow... what a great time that was! i can't wait until we get together again. i forget to give you money for the pizza. i'll buy next time.

    i'm kicking myself for not brining a real camera, but i dropped some cell photos on my flickr site:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/swamido...th/6912871964/

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    suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.

  4. #224
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    Here is one on eBay. Suggested price: $9,999 ... kinda spendy. But, with "make an offer".

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Konica-Minol...item5649b87f76

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  5. #225
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    Starscape assembly. this thing is HUGE. It occupies the entire span of the gantry which is about 6 feet wide, and the machine without starglobes is about 11 feet tall. It makes the other star machines in here look like toys.
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  6. #226
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    When the projector was removed from Kansas City, all of the wires that run through the yoke arms had to be cut in order to disassemble the machine. A small opening at the base of the yoke is where all of the connections are made. Unfortunately, Spitz made no allowance for disassembly and transport of this device after it was originally installed and it must have been "custom wired in place". When taking it apart I spent several hours down in the pit carefully labelling each wire before it was cut looking forward to the day it would be revived. The guy who was helping me commented that he was getting tired of looking at the top of my head while I was down there labelling wires. A custom plate is fabricated out of a piece of scrap aluminum. There are over 50 wires that pass through the slip rings so I added six rows of 10-position terminal blocks mounted back-to-back so each row can be removed individually in order to get at the contacts and re-attach the wires. Although the contacts are close I am not worried about arcing since all of the xenon high-voltage is in the star chambers AFTER the central core slip rings. Now that this piece has been made the next step will be to painstakingly re-attach the wires and label them with numbered wire markers effectively making this machine "portable" although I doubt I will ever move it again by myself.
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    Last edited by SpitzSTP; 04-26-2012 at 18:16.

  7. #227
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    I thought the Starscape had alot of connections.. I friend of mine sent me this picture of his Spitz model STP planetarium projector backplane. There is still a model STP in operation in Miami, FL.
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  8. #228
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    Hi

    Not much to say other than...

    Picture 1. I wouldn't want to start figuring where that lot went if it ever got disconnected.

    Picture 2. Beautiful

    I'm really loving this thread, I only got to see the London Planetarium once as a kid, was probably around 40 years ago. It still lives in my memory as an awesome experience. I clearly remember the 'big thing in the middle' and the feeling of mystery as I looked on in awe. It's really something that you're putting in all this work to save these magnificent instruments for future generations.

    We just need to get a planetarium back in the UK someday.

    Cheers

    Jem
    Quote: "There is a theory which states that if ever, for any reason, anyone discovers what exactly the Universe is for and why it is here it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another that states that this has already happened.”... Douglas Adams 1952 - 2001

  9. #229
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jem View Post
    Hi

    Not much to say other than...

    Picture 1. I wouldn't want to start figuring where that lot went if it ever got disconnected.

    Picture 2. Beautiful

    I'm really loving this thread, I only got to see the London Planetarium once as a kid, was probably around 40 years ago. It still lives in my memory as an awesome experience. I clearly remember the 'big thing in the middle' and the feeling of mystery as I looked on in awe. It's really something that you're putting in all this work to save these magnificent instruments for future generations.

    We just need to get a planetarium back in the UK someday.

    Cheers

    Jem
    Hello Jem, thank you for the comments, I am so glad there are others that appreciate these light sources (other than lasers) and the remarkable history they represent. Is the Peter Harrison Planetarium at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich still open? I did a quick search on the net and found references to "HD projection technology" http://www.rmg.co.uk/visit/planetarium-shows/ though it does not sound like they are using an opto-mechanical star projector. I enjoy any show under a dome and the newest digital technology is incredible, however I still prefer the star images produced by these older machines. Many of today's shows lean more toward entertainment as opposed to old-school traditional astronomy which I favor, a fact which probably dates me. I recall the first planetarium show I ever saw as a kid in 5th grade on a school field trip to the Kirkpatrick Planetarium in Oklahoma City. They had a venerable Spitz model A3P and the mystery of that odd-looking device in the center of the dome was more than half of the magic. Never did I imagine 40 years later I would have four of these classic A3P's in the house at one time or another (be careful what you wish for!). Although it may sound odd to mention it these instruments have a distinct odor, a blend of old insulation, electrolytic capacitors, ozone and machine oil. Whenever I bring another machine in here I can immediately detect its unique smell, a smell of "history". More spectacular than the machines themselves is the magic they produce overhead when it is too dark to see the machine thanks to all who read these posts because it provides encouragement to keep working on these projects and I am glad that I am not the only one left who still cares about them. By the time most people remember these instruments and ask, what ever happened to all of them, most will already be gone forever. Perhaps the only reason there are still some of these around is due to the pitiful funding that many institutions are trying to operate within, preventing replacement with newer technology. In this photo I have painted the custom terminal block plate in a matte black textured finish to match the Starscape, re-attaching the wires inside will be next. The size and weight of the main bearing (pictured) reminds me of a truck axle of a greyhound bus. I only wish I had more time to work on them.
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    Last edited by SpitzSTP; 04-29-2012 at 00:07.

  10. #230
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    Quote Originally Posted by SpitzSTP View Post
    I am so glad there are others that appreciate these light sources (other than lasers) and the remarkable history they represent.
    I can assure you that many more people are enjoying this thread, like me for instance. I just prefer not to post too much, so as not to disrupt your narration.
    Keep it up and please post as many photos as possible, whenever you find the time!! For some of us, this is as close as we will ever get to these star machines
    "its called character briggs..."

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