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ZKP1
Aug 12, 2023 23:56:34 GMT -7
Post by scotttucker on Aug 12, 2023 23:56:34 GMT -7
Maybe not saved from the scrap heap but I hope to save this from becoming an ornament. Last week I picked up a little ZKP1 from a fantastic antique shop in London. I am not exactly sure where it comes from - the shop owner said it came from a small planetarium in the north of England. Its original owner died and he bought from his daughter. He said he would dig out her address so that I can perhaps find out a little more history. To my knowledge there are only 4 of these in the UK - one on display in the science museum, once recently retired in the Liverpool World Museum, one currently sat in a cupboard in the University of Plymouth and this one. I would love to know where it is from. If I make no progress via the daughter of the original owner I might write to Zeiss. It was being sold basically as an ornament - the stand, power supplies, planetary projectors are all missing/ lost. Nevertheless, I hope to get it up and running again. I can't describe the excitement of picking this up ready for the trip back to Cornwall. I had Sir Gare's vision of strapping a Zeiss to the roof of a dented VW in mind but had to settle for gently wedging it behind the passenger seat of on old Ford instead.
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ZKP1
Aug 13, 2023 0:04:00 GMT -7
Post by scotttucker on Aug 13, 2023 0:04:00 GMT -7
A close up of it back home - despite missing much of the external 'stuff' the actual starball and diurnal mount is complete and apart from a little surface rust on the eyelids is in good condition. It also looks very impressive next to the plastic 3d printed Zeiss!
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ZKP1
Aug 13, 2023 0:13:37 GMT -7
Post by scotttucker on Aug 13, 2023 0:13:37 GMT -7
To my surprise the main bulb was intact and still present. A Narva 12V 50W 67611 on a BA20d fitting. A quick scan on e-bay suggests they are quite hard to find so I have ordered the only replacement I could find from Germany + an LED equivalent that has the same fitting and rating to see if that would be better. The milky way and other minor projectors appear to use fairly standard 6V bulbs but they held in place by a little adapter jacket.
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ZKP1
Aug 13, 2023 0:16:51 GMT -7
Post by scotttucker on Aug 13, 2023 0:16:51 GMT -7
The internals are really dusty and will need a good clean - but all condensers are present The internal wiring looks to be in good condition
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ZKP1
Aug 13, 2023 0:23:36 GMT -7
Post by scotttucker on Aug 13, 2023 0:23:36 GMT -7
I spent a bit of time with a multi-meter working out which wires are connected to what. I could not resist rigging up a temporary power supply to give it a quick test. Main bulb test: Ecliptic projector test. This is a lensed line and is actually sharper than it looks in the photograph.
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ZKP1
Aug 13, 2023 0:27:44 GMT -7
Post by scotttucker on Aug 13, 2023 0:27:44 GMT -7
First light test. The wall is about 10cm away from the globe and at an angle - hence the distortion and out of focus elements but still really exciting. I will try to get some better photos later in the week.
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ZKP1
Aug 13, 2023 1:29:38 GMT -7
Post by mrgare5050 on Aug 13, 2023 1:29:38 GMT -7
( a Zeiss to the roof of a dented VW in mind but had to settle for gently wedging it behind the passenger seat of on old Ford instead.)
you DID IT! what a find, congratulations Duke! my dad wouldve been proud, he drove NOTHING but old Fords! AND with a mysterious past too, even better - you've got your own creation myth too now. nice!!!
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ZKP1
Aug 13, 2023 9:02:32 GMT -7
Post by Ron Walker on Aug 13, 2023 9:02:32 GMT -7
Congrats...you got it. Isn't it strange how we start and never expect to get these beautiful commercial projectors. Did you get the diurnal motor as well?
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ZKP1
Aug 13, 2023 11:52:53 GMT -7
Post by scotttucker on Aug 13, 2023 11:52:53 GMT -7
Congrats...you got it. Isn't it strange how we start and never expect to get these beautiful commercial projectors. Did you get the diurnal motor as well? Hi Ron - sadly not. The diurnal motion is very smooth and driven by a worm and wheel arrangement. The rod that would have connected the worm to the motor ends in a little universal joint as the motor was mounted on the frame and would have changed angle a bit (as far as I can tell). Nothing beyond the universal joint is there. Plan is to rig up either a stepper or variable speed motor in some way. You can turn the diurnal motion by hand with the little red knob visible in one of the pictures. I found a technical manual on the internet but it is in Romanian and I am using google translate to decipher small snippets. And yes - I would not have believed a few years ago that one would be within reach.
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ZKP1
Aug 13, 2023 12:20:50 GMT -7
Post by scotttucker on Aug 13, 2023 12:20:50 GMT -7
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ZKP1
Aug 13, 2023 12:23:54 GMT -7
Post by scotttucker on Aug 13, 2023 12:23:54 GMT -7
Just an arty shot.
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ZKP1
Aug 14, 2023 10:16:41 GMT -7
Post by Ron Walker on Aug 14, 2023 10:16:41 GMT -7
I bet you could use some schedule 40 plastic electrical conduit or water pipe and make the planetary projectors for that part of the machine. You might even find a set of the originals as I remember someone on one of the Facebook boards had a set they didn't know what to do with.
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Post by Ron Walker on Aug 14, 2023 10:21:44 GMT -7
"It matches pretty much exactly the Hopmann and Pannekoek map of the milky way featured on page 57 of From the Aratus Globe to the Zeiss Planetarium."
That was the first book I ever got some sixty years ago. I remember using a 2 1/4 X 3 1/4 camera to photograph those pictures to make transparencies to build my own projector. Coming across then (in reality or in a dream) started my renewed interest in building a planetarium in the early two-thousands.
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ZKP1
Aug 14, 2023 11:22:55 GMT -7
Post by scotttucker on Aug 14, 2023 11:22:55 GMT -7
"It matches pretty much exactly the Hopmann and Pannekoek map of the milky way featured on page 57 of From the Aratus Globe to the Zeiss Planetarium."That was the first book I ever got some sixty years ago. I remember using a 2 1/4 X 3 1/4 camera to photograph those pictures to make transparencies to build my own projector. Coming across then (in reality or in a dream) started my renewed interest in building a planetarium in the early two-thousands. That is a truly great idea. I guess the only downside of obtaining one of these things is that it maybe takes away the impetus to be really creative and inventive in terms of building your own. My forays into making my own star plates has taken a back seat but I hope to return to them when the immediate excitement of exploring this thing has subsided. Did you see James Hicks amazing light source post on FB yesterday? I do remember the post about the planet projectors on FB. It was bad timing for me but if I can't find some I will make some.
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ZKP1
Aug 14, 2023 12:15:59 GMT -7
Post by scotttucker on Aug 14, 2023 12:15:59 GMT -7
A picture of the milky way projection (or at least part of it)
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