The filter slide slides back and forth tripping each switch which will light up the proper indicator light. This is my updated version. The prototype is on the 20" scope which was the reason it won at Astrofest, as well as, the reason Randy Cunningham of Astrosystems asked for my design to include in his then (1993) newly-created TeleKit concept....

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Here is the filter slide mounted on the focuser board. Deep Sky and OIII filters will go in the outer two holes with the center remaining open....

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The knob will bring the filters back and forth under the focuser....

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Pretty good alignment of the slide pieces and focuser hole....

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These are Cherry pole seats with 2" washers which will be positive stops for the truss poles as well as the electrical contact for each pole to bring power, ground, or signal to the cage, not seen is the wire soldered to the backside to be routed inside the cage....

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One either side of the focuser board is 1/4" Luan, a bendable plywood to which Walnut veneer is glued. The scope's name, Elements in Harmony IV is getting stenciled and will get three coats of Urethane on it....

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It's starting to look very nice....

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These are the indicator lights I fabricated. LED holders with hot glue surrounding the LED, the top shaved flush, followed by a transparency disk with the letters stenciled onto it, and finished with three coats of clear nail polish....

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In operation, all three LED's will be dimly lit, adjustable with a potentiometer mounted within the Telrad which supplies power through a connector when the Telrad is seated in its base. The chosen filter or clear center opening glows brighter than the other three so you know which one is on purely by the one of three or the names....

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These next couple of pictures the cage is complete....

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The focuser looks small.... Five power jacks are seen in this picture, two at the bottom near the pole seat as extras should I find I need a power jack, two by the Telrad for the Telrad heater and eyepiece heater, and a single jack to the far left by the stanchion pole for the 8" touchscreen....

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A view of the spider and secondary holder installed....

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The filter slide has a cover to eliminate any reflections off of the filters and provide some dew protection by having only a small air gap above the filters....

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An articulating arm was built to accomodate the 8" touchscreen. It clamps to the lower cage ring and can move to be directly left of the eyepiece when the scope is pointed straight up or at the horizon....

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The touchscreen is a very slick addition to the scope. One, I don't have to go up and down the ladder to interact with the laptop, two, it pushes out of the way if I don't need it....

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