Planetarium Star Projectors

[polishedball]

BJ is a bit off the grid for abit, I think work has him doing some traveling or just busy. Hopefully we will hear from him soon.

I've got nothing special to add. I just wanted to give the thread a "bump" so it's not "out of sight, out of mind.". It's been a truly facinating read since day one when I first saw it and, it hasn't gotten any activity in over a month. Someday, I think helping out on one of these "warrior weekends" would be an incredible experience. Something to go in my "bucket list".

[GoolGaul]

I've got nothing special to add. I just wanted to give the thread a "bump" so it's not "out of sight, out of mind.". It's been a truly facinating read since day one when I first saw it and, it hasn't gotten any activity in over a month. Someday, I think helping out on one of these "warrior weekends" would be an incredible experience. Something to go in my "bucket list".

The immense 'coolness' factor is primarily why I jumped in on this, when Spitz comes to rescue a projector in my region. Actually my son wants to document the process, as he is a budding filmmaker.

Then again, there is surely some interesting bits and pieces that aren't going to be scooped up that might be fun to tinker with...


Speaking of, is there a more defined timeline on the local project BJ?

[Laser Wizardry]

BJ is a bit off the grid for abit, I think work has him doing some traveling or just busy. Hopefully we will hear from him soon.

Work has Brent in and out of home for work, some projects are on hold, others are just in slow motion.

We did fire up and test the AVI Omniscan before he had to take off, but have not had a chance to hook up his generator and get the Chroma 5 tested.

I believe he said all star machine projects are on hold at the moment.

What little time he does have will likely be consumed with family obligations.

[SpitzSTP]

Thank you all, for reading these posts and expressing a shared interest in a few of my endeavors. Saving a few of these opto-mechanical star projectors has been a rewarding experience, an eccentric mix of flying around the country with my trusty toolbox in tow, renting trucks, checking into hotel rooms that rarely get used because most of the night is spent in a concrete pit or pulling miles of wire at 3 am. At times I wonder why I am doing this but when the projectors are safely at home ready for restoration the reward begins to sink in... another one, rescued from the dumpster. I apologize for the delay in keeping this thread active, I do have an active project in the queue .. this one, a classic GOTO to be replaced with another projector, with the old one slated for retirement. The old machine won't be retired, it will be given a new lease on life.. a well deserved fate given the truly classic, crisp optical star fields it produces .. the type of starfield that no digital projector can hold a candle to despite all of the advancements in digital technology. My good friend Karl dropped by the other day to help test out the AVI Omniscan that was pulled from the Union Station Science Center in Kansas City, MO over the summer. I am very fortunate to have his expertise, and for the truckload of equipment he brought over to the house to test it with. I am proud to report that the AVI Omniscan system is ALIVE and WELL running on his solid-state light source fed through the AVI fiber optic cable to the scanning tower head. Here are a few pictures of this occasion which I hope will be of some interest to the group. We spent a good 6 or 8 hours running some of the AVI shows on the HD24, and watching the awesome graphics coming out of this ultra wide angle lens. Audio signals from the HD24 were piped into the stereo system as we watched Pink Floyd / The Wall.. This is indeed a full-dome projection system that will be most interesting to see how we can best put it to use in the future. Like the star projectors, this system also gets a second lease on life and it is our hope to blend the laser effects with the starfields produced from the opto-mechanical star projectors. Check out the photos .. and catch a glimpse or two of a few of the star machines in various states of restoration. Thanks to all for your interest in these projects, there is so much more to come.

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I've got nothing special to add. I just wanted to give the thread a "bump" so it's not "out of sight, out of mind.". It's been a truly facinating read since day one when I first saw it and, it hasn't gotten any activity in over a month. Someday, I think helping out on one of these "warrior weekends" would be an incredible experience. Something to go in my "bucket list".

[SpitzSTP]

More pictures...

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[SpitzSTP]

More pictures...

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[SpitzSTP]

Yes, more pictures...

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[SpitzSTP]

okay sure, more..

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[polishedball]

Nice work Guys!

[mophead]

Nice work Guys!

Indeed. Thanks for sharing the pics.

[SpitzSTP]

Plans are underway... for another trip.

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[SpitzSTP]

Pictures of a machine that a good friend pulled out of the southeast over the past few weeks. This one is an early, classic Minolta with a truly spectacular optical starfield.

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[polishedball]

I need to stop looking at these.... closes eyes, starts to dream, gets worse,, maybe i need one lol

[Bradfo69]

I need to stop looking at these.... closes eyes, starts to dream, gets worse,, maybe i need one lol

We're ALL thinkin' it! LOL (I just kinda want a dome right now though!)

[SpitzSTP]

Be careful what you wish for !!!!!!!!!!!!!

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We're ALL thinkin' it! LOL (I just kinda want a dome right now though!)

[Bradfo69]

Ain't that the truth! (This man knows me already!)

[SpitzSTP]

Next on the docket: Spitz 512 and control system (similar to the one pictured, this will be the fourth 512 I have taken out), then a GOTO / Viewlex, one of only two of this particular model known to still be operational in the US. This GOTO is very special, and has a colorful pedigree steeped in history. The Spitz 512 has sat in a defunct school for several years after the school district fired all the staff and closed the school. The planetarium was converted into a storage area, but the projector sat intact and undisturbed within. This 512 will go to another high school to begin a new lease on life, continuing to educate. The GOTO will go to Phoenix to join the others.

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[swamidog]

that is so beautiful...

Next on the docket: Spitz 512 and control system (similar to the one pictured, this will be the fourth 512 I have taken out), then a GOTO / Viewlex, one of only two of this particular model known to still be operational in the US. This GOTO is very special, and has a colorful pedigree steeped in history. The Spitz 512 has sat in a defunct school for several years after the school district fired all the staff and closed the school. The planetarium was converted into a storage area, but the projector sat intact and undisturbed within. This 512 will go to another high school to begin a new lease on life, continuing to educate. The GOTO will go to Phoenix to join the others.

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[SpitzSTP]

So I have holed up on the east coast in a hotel room for a month now... I dragged my tool chest up to the room so I can build some PC's - gee what i nerd. This one is for a stereo I can use with headphones while I am here. I also brought the old Omniscan Dell with the Pangolin card, to rebuild into another chassis. Leaving this Friday for the midwest to take out a Spitz 512 star projector, control system and elevator. The truck I rented has a liftgate, thank goodness since I am on my own again. I hope it doesn't dump alot of snow.

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[SpitzSTP]

A full day of fun here in Kansas City, MO. I flew in last night, rented a truck this morning and loaded out out a Spitz 512 planetarium projector and control system from Southwest High School, a.k.a. Southwest Early College. This institution recently upgraded to a Spitz SciDome Digital system (second photo snapped during a brief demo). This time I opted for a truck with a hydraulic lift-gate, as I am once again "solo" on this mission and time did not permit complete disassembly of the projector central core or control panel to reduce the weight. The 512 control panel is incredibly heavy and it took some doing to move it. Fortunately the center door mullions were removeable to allow the girth of the control console to clear the final obstacles on the way out the door. Since I have to fly back Sunday evening, time did not permit a cross-country jaunt westward therefore I placed it in climate-controlled storage for retrievel at a later date. These are magnificent machines and this one is in operating condition and very crisp cosmetically. A complete set of manuals came with it along with all of the associated control cables and opto-mechanical accessories such as the orrery and geocentric earth projector. As is often the case when I do these jobs, there were alot of extra goodies tossed in. This star projector will be installed at a high school in Colorado that I do volunteer work for, where it is desperately needed to replace an aging projector slated for retirement as soon as this one can be delivered. This is the fourth Spitz 512 I have removed over the past few years .. each one is unique in one aspect or another, no two are alike. I am especially thrilled to see this one serve again in the education field. The projector that is being replaced in Colorado, a classic GOTO/Viewlex once installed in the National Museum of Natural History, will come to Phoenix to join the others.
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[Picasso]

Love the Darwin Fish on the control panel.

[m2b]

Hey Mike, I am like a kid in a candy store in here. A friend of mine has been trying to get the permits to build a dome on his property in Cave Creek, AZ for a few years and is running up against alot of local opposition for erecting such a structure, not to mention the rediculous prices being charged simply for pouring a concrete foundation. He would have been better off getting permits to build a box structure making no mention of what it is for, and putting the dome inside of it. It would seem that actually having a dome may be firmly out of reach but there is nothing wrong with dreaming BIG , right ? At one point star projectors were firmly out of reach, with many of the ones I now have costing a quarter million dollars each, now nearly discarded for scrap. Often they just need a little TLC to get them running again. The Starscape projector is one that fascinates me as the prototype was originally built to train NASA astronauts and accurately simulates spacecraft pitch and yaw. Although this may place me at jeapordy of being a tad crazy I really would like to simulate the experience of leaving the planet and this may be the only way I can come close to that goal. Darken all the windows, get it pitch dark in here, fire up some stars and GO !! I am really looking forward to my time on this forum and I am truly thrilled to see the level of interest in what I am doing. Others I know, look at these machines and ask, "why do you have that in here" .. they just don't get it. The true magic only happens when it is too dark in here to even see the equipment. I somehow know, that you guys know what I am talking about

Hi all, brand new here and I just had to join. Another "It's A Small World After All" moment as I was cruising the web and found Mr. SpitzSTP. I'm the guy from Cave Creek and I finally got my permit to build a domed barn/tack room. It will be called either "The Barnetarium" or "The Star Barn". It will feature a Minolta IIB like the one in the left picture in post #5. The dome will be 30 feet in diameter and hopefully operational by the end of the year. While I'm not much into Lasers at this time (only so much of this fun stuff that I can afford to do), I'm sure Mr. SpitzSTP will stir my interest. Hopefully some day I'll be able to give laser as well as star shows.

[SpitzSTP]

Spitz 512 planetarium projector loaded yesterday in Kansas City, MO. This instrument was formerly installed at Southwest Early College (SWEC) and was removed last fall and placed into storage. This star projector still has alot of life left in it. It is being donated to Ft. Lupton High School in Colorado where it will be granted a new lease on life. I am glad to transport it now before gas prices rise any more than they already have.

[dar303]

One more saved, you are doing a great job!

[DZ]

Wow, nice job, Spitz. I'm curious, is this replacing an instrument in Colorado?