Over the years I have heard from many of you stating that you plan to mount your MI-250 permanently however you also attend 4-5 star parties per year. In the past that has meant that you purchase two piers- one for home and one for the field. We are now offering a solution to that.
I have modified our old work horse, the MI-8P, to something quite versatile. It can go to the field and be used with the legs or it can be bolted down to a concrete slab at your observatory or in the back yard.
The permanent/portable pier has a 3/8" thick by 12" diameter flange welded to the bottom. The flange has been pre drilled with ¾" holes at 120 degrees. Support gussets have been welded in place at 120 degrees as well. There are also the leg holes between each gusset.
New for our piers: The leg holes now have "weld nuts" welded to the inside of the column. Older MI-8P's had to be laid down on it's side to bolt on each leg with a hex head, nut and washer. Our new MI-8P can now be stood upright and each leg attached with an Alan wrench. In addition to the weld nuts, I've increased the number of baffles on the inside. Damping time is incredibly- sub second. Life is good…..
An option on the
new permanent portable pier is the door frame and access door.
It is wide enough to place your Gemini
inside the column. An internal shelf is conveniently placed under
the bottom of the door. I foresee future versions capable of running
the cables into the pier with only the hand control on the outside.
A power cord hole is drilled near the bottom of the column. A power cord can be run up through the column and into the Gemini.
Finally an optional
stainless steel handle has been added near the top side. It is
offered when the door version is ordered.
Features: