Lesson plan
PLate OPtimizer
PLate OPtimizer, or PLOP is a CAD program used by amateur telescope makers to design primary mirror support cells for reflecting telescopes. It was developed by telescope maker David Lewis, first described in 1999, and used to simplify calculations needed in the design of mirror support cells. It was based on Toshimi Taki's 1993 program PLATE, with a simplified user interface, thus giving it wide acceptance among makers of large Dobsonian style amateur telescopes, with good support for mirrors as thin as two inches for a diameter of thirty inches.
Article summary
PLate OPtimizer, or PLOP is a CAD program used by amateur telescope makers to design primary mirror support cells for reflecting telescopes. It was developed by telescope maker David Lewis, first described in 1999, and used to simplify calculations needed in the design of mirror support cells. It was based on Toshimi Taki's 1993 program PLATE, with a simplified user interface, thus giving it wide acceptance among makers of large Dobsonian style amateur telescopes, with good support for mirrors as thin as two inches for a diameter of thirty inches.
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