Re-assembly, continued

Tie downs keep everything in place

Starball and planet cage are back on

Geocentric Earth installed. Working into the night.

Getting there ..

The star of "the network"

Ready to put the cover on

Spitz rotating table, perhaps Steve can confirm?

Sorry.. I have stepped over to the "other side"

Your having way too much fun!

I never knew they made one for the A3P. You learn something new every day.

I gotta ask....Is this assembly taking place in your house? Are you not married?

Steve

I live mostly alone here and all furniture downstairs is being removed to
fit in more projectors that are coming 2008-2009. A pair of 512's will
have the largest footprint. I do the assembly in here where temperature
and humidity can be precisely controlled, although things are really
starting to get a bit crowded. The whole house reeks of electrolytic
capacitors, ozone and machine oil

Putting on the attachments

Finished adding the accessories and rolled in the console today.

Pictures from July are helpful to remember "the way it was".. Now where did all those
loose wires go? I will have to figure out what they were for. I can see that this job
will take some time..

The other A3P's don't have these engraved tags marking each aux port.

I was supposed to be doing yardwork today

borrowed a coulple of attachments from the Chabot A3P, but they are tagged so
I won't forget

I really like that rotating base. I've never seen that before with any A3P projector. You might have one of a kind.

I have seen at least one other one like this, at the Suits-Bueche Planetarium in the Schenectady Museum, Planetarium Manager, Steven LJ Russo and Assistant Planetarium Manager, Megan Dominguez in the picture, not sure who the third person is if somebody knows I will add it
here. Hopefully they won't mind if I show this picture from their web site to show the same round top as the BYUI A3P. I wonder how many of these that Spitz made, and how many are still operational.

I saw those tags on another picture somewhere but I can't remember where. At first I thought they were added by the owner, but now I'm not so sure. Perhaps it is something that was added by Spitz at the very end of the A3P's run.

It looks like they have the name tags as well.

Now I believe that the rotation base as well as the name tags were improvements made as the A4 came out and both projectors were in production together in the early 70's. Also the three strengthening cables on your machine appeared on the A4 and later the 512. I believe you have one of the last A3P's made.

Referring to picture in post 102. Also note the star ball mount has changed from the normal A3P. This is looking more like the A4 mount only we don't have the optical projection of the coordinates.

What is the projector sitting on top of the latitude drive cover in post #105 just to the left of the zenith and geocentric Earth projectors?

Spitz Manual came with! notes written on front say 1977 and price quote
from Spitz for a model 512 at $124,000

Found the schematic for "the network" of Spice modules from BYUI, making it
in theory possible to re-create the BYUI planetarium in Phoenix sans the dome.
I don't see any connections between the Spice equipment and the Spitz A3P
control circuits.

You have a sharp eye for detail, I hadn't even noticed that yet!

It's one of the hand-made attachments. The one on the left is a metal cap with
holes drilled in it. The one on the right is a twilight or dawn projector. thing
is made from metal and bolted to the latitude drive cover, with a slow turning gear-driven motor under each. these guys built all kinds of neat stuff

I found another instance of the custom Spitz A3P cabinetry like BYUI. The similar console is at a college in New England. This one has a different angle than BYUI.
I am starting to suspect that Spitz made these in their woodshop back in the day
as a custom order.

That's interesting, I thought the Spice system was suppose to control the Spitz projector as well making for a totally automated program.

I must get out there and see all these new goodies.

I'm beginning to think everyone of these machines was a custom order. But that's what makes them unique.

There are a dozen or so wires that are patched into the back of the A3P control panel that had to be cut to separate the two control panel sections and the Spice stuff was in the second console.. Unfortunately these wires did not get marked. I wonder how to get them connected again, I have not found any schematics yet that shows how to patch an A3P into Spice automation. While I was disassembling the projector all the wires were removed from the terminal blocks shown in pic and all I have for reference are these photos I managed to take.

Finally saved up enough pennies to get some new ornamental perforated steel like Spitz uses on all their A3P pedestals and consoles. www.decorativeiron.com of Houston, TX sells small quantities. I have enough to fix what the kids did to this console, I suppose it was impossible for the kiddies to resist mashing it in on the way out of the planetarium at the end of a field trip. Anybody need a piece? I will have plenty left over after this project. Hard to find this stuff in small quantities. A little gold spray paint on this perforation, and re-installed the back of this A3P aux console will make it look fabulous again.

This material has a bit more open area, but is close enough. It is twice the thickness of the old material and won't be nearly as gratifying to mash on it anymore.

Chuck Jones from California and Ron Walker meet in person for the first time, over at the houseatarium in Phoenix. Brigham Young Spitz A3P in the background.

Ron explains something about the A3P starball formerly of the Downing Planetarium in Fresno, that Chuck purchased for his fascinating A3P build project. Restored southern hemisphere from The Saint STP hybrid sits on some crates in the background.

Ron got the Brigham Young Spitz A3P working after 30 minutes of effort. This machine has not been operational since July 4, 2008 when it was extracted from the dome in Rexburg Idaho. Ron is a bonafide wizard and walking encyclopedia when it comes to this stuff.

Friday was planetarium funhouse night and I enjoyed Chuck's and Ron's lively conversation, so much information being exchanged that it was hard for me to keep up.

Both Ron and Chuck are extremely knowledgeable about these machines, and I spent most of the time just listening.

Chuck brought his A3P analog set from California for Ron and I to look at, and admire.

Chuck has great plans for his star machine, and has already acquired many difficult to find parts for his project.

Who is that mad scientist guy?

Ahhh.... chips.. Salsa... Beer... planetarium projectors... and no female to disapprove!

(re: there was no "um, you guys, I need to wipe the table off")

Chuck picked up an A3P pedestal, starball and cup hanger for his project. I am glad to see someone of such high skill, receive these parts which I have not had the time nor resources to do anything with.

A pretty solid setup that requires some TLC and expertise, I can't wait to see Chuck's finished projector which will some employ advanced custom modifications and circuitry.

Spitz really did make a great product. Chuck's machine has the old-style dual counterweights which I believe to be from the early days of production, of the pre-arc lamp incandescent models. The starball is believed to be originally from the Downing Planetarium in Fresno, prior to their upgrade years ago.