Thanks for you kind words--it was a fun project!
I put up a few more pics today to show how the telescope disassembles into 2 parts: the tube w/ mirrors & focuser & eyepieces, and the base, which rotates & cradles the tube to allow it to tilt up/down.
Same link:
http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/ff97/infernolab/Space%20Invaders%20Telescope/?start=allTo answer all your questions:
- I think I started in late June or early July & spent only about 1-2hrs a week on average on it, probably.
- Somebody did a rough CAD model of the main parts, & I pretty much just went off his model (except for the shapes of the side panels of the base...and yes, I "cheated" & have a protrusion on the front for the control panel even though the real SI cabs didn't have that...).
- Cost was about $500ish for everything, including some extras. An SLR camera adapter, book, sky software, & a 3rd eypiece will put me at about $600.
- Size: Tube is cheap cardboard Sonotube from Home Depot: 7.5" dia x 48" or so long. I think the turntable base is 20" diameter, so I guess the base is about 24" high.
- Primary parabolic reflector mirror is 6" dia, 48" focal length.
- Tube graphics are from thinkgeek.com. Cabinet artwork is from various downloads, tweaked, printed @ Kinko's on vinyl, & glued on w/ 3M spray adhesive.
The first night I set it up, I could see the cloud bands across Jupiter, and when I looked @ the last full moon, I could clearly see peaks & valleys around the circumference of the moon--it's not just a perfectly circular disk up there in the sky w/ varying shades of gray--the circular border is actually jaggy--those mountains are pretty big relative to the moon's diameter!
-Jason