Home Brew Camera Inclinometer

After my success, well I got the flare in the centre of the frame even if there were too many clouds, I decided that to make life easier, and remove the guesswork, I could knock together an inclinometer that I could attach under the camera and to the tripod. After a bit of thinking, I decided on picking up a cheap plastic protractor from the local stationary store for £1.29 that I would mount to the side of a thin piece of wood and attach a plumbline to that. I then drilled out two holes by hand, holding the drill bit between my fingers and twizzling it, I figured using the drill would shatter the protractor. Then I drilled a suitable hole, to allow a 1/4" whitworth bolt through, in the thin piece of wood (about 10mm thick). Using some handy chipboard screws I had lying around, I attached the protractor to the side of the wood, 0° pointing downwards and 90° pointing to the rear. I took apart one of the Velbon tripod heads I have so that the rubber plate was free and used the 1/4" whitworth bolt from the camera piggyback point from my scope tube rings to push through the plate, up through the hole, through the rubber plate and protrude for insertion into the camera. Here's a shot of the inclinometer, nearly complete, in situ.



I have since added a piece of string, tied around the screw at the centre of the protractor and used a spare brass radiator bleed valve key I found in my toolbox as the weight. I've already thought of at least one improvement, by using a small ring on the screw thread with the string tied to that, the movement of the string rotating on the screw will be better. I've also been thinking if there's anyway of mounting another, adjustable, piece of wood with a level on, that I can also rest a compass on for that Azimuth bearing.

As you would expect, having completed this and eager to test it out, Heavens Above is predicting a superb and ideal target. An Iridium Flare at Mag -8 passing almost overhead, and the clouds have come in. Oh well.