Below, you can find commonly asked questions concerning typical problems, as well as answers to them.
The lead time is 1-6 weeks after placing an order. BrightStar tourists viewers are manufactured in batches of 10 and a lot depends on the stage of production process when orders are placed.
The base has a very stiff 8 mm thick steel plate inside as well as a conical reinforcement in the middle, where the bending forces are accumulated. It has 8 holes placed evenly on a 290mm diameter circle. If you are sure the anchor bolts are holding tight you can use only 4 bolts. It is up to you if you prefer classic mechanical anchorbolts or chemical anchorage system. The suggested size may range from 8 x 120 mm to 14 x 200 mm depending on how precisely the drilling will be done… The holes in the steel plate are 15mm in diameter.
The fastest way to build a foundation that meets the minimum requirements is to buy 4 pieces of the so-called “Concrete drainage troughs” at your nearest building materials store / supermarket. Usually, one large piece is about 50x50x20 cm and weighs about 80-90 kg. 4 pieces should be buried in the ground next to each other, but contrary to the standard orientation – with a flat surface facing up instead of down. This way, we get a platform with weight of 300-400 kg and dimensions of about 1 x 1 m. The surface level should be about 1-2 cm above the surrounding ground. You can fix the base of the BrightStar binocular with chemical or mechanical anchors exactly in the middle of this foundation. A more professional solution is to prepare a dedicated reinforced concrete foundation. However the solution described prior to this one is fully sufficient and can easily withstand 10-20 years of duty. If the ground is very sandy, the only option is a dedicated foundation!
Another solution is to dig into the ground a welded steel construction (pictures below). It is a big 220mm steel pipe with 3pcs ~1m long arms that might be positioned at many different angles. You can even set the vertical depth – deeper in the ground or shalow depending on the physical characteristics and obstacles in the ground. Usually 2 arms are enough to get “rock solid” foundation. The top round plate for the towerviewer should be leveled 10-20 mm over the ground. This installation requires ~1 day of shoveling by 1 person or much faster with a small excavator. The negative aspect of this solution is increasing the shipping cost. BrightStar shares a technical documentation and you can order such or similiar steel structures in your local metalworks / welding shop to save on shiping cost.
Great, after placing your order you can ask us to send you a free self-adhesive foil with 8 holes cut on 290mm circle that matches the mounting holes of the BrightStar binocular base. You can just stick the foil to the ground and drill in indicated spotes. In this shipment you will also receive a thin metal plate so you can make sure the base will fit perfectly. The suggested depth of the holes should range 120-200 mm. Tip: start with the smaller drill at first to increase the precision.
MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE THERE ARE NO GRID POWER CABLES INSIDE THE FLOOR IN THE INSTALLATION SPOT. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE HIRE THE PROFESIONALS!
Yes, the most important is when you plan to install an extra 180° and 360° stand for children on terraces and close to the railing on the balconys. You should keep the right distance to the handrails. Children will try climb on the stand and on the railings.
non-coin version – 18 kg base, 16 kg body + scope
coin version – 14 kg base, 40 kg body + scope
card payment version – 14 kg base, 40 kg body + scope
Stand for children – 30 kg
Solar power support module – 7 kg
Our 2023 coin-operated binoculars work on an internal 12V battery charged from solar panels. The energy consumption is low and this system will operate totally offgrid without charging procedure. The 2023 tower viewers for tourists with a cashless card payment terminal are equipped with a big battery set and the photovoltaic system should also provide enough energy to maintain the power in the Central Europe climate from the spring to autumn. We receive the feedback that if binocular is well exposed to the sunlight it also operates without charging in winter.
The best solution is to prepare a 3-core cable with a cross-section of 1,5 mm2 – 2.5 mm2 and install it during the renovation or construction of the facility, but the investment is rarely so well planned. The best type of wire is LIYCY with metal protection shield around. Another solution is to forge the floor and insert the wire in the groove and then finish the floor. If it is possible you can drill down to a room under the viewing terrace. The quickest solution is to use floor cord covers to hide the cable, which is not the most professional solution, but is often used with satisfactory durability. When the binoculars’ 12V power wire is connected to the grid you must use the AC/DC inverter. The parameters should be 230/110 -> 12V and at least 25W of power.
There are 2 typical solutions of opening and closing the shutter in such products. One uses the mechanical shutter and the second uses a special PDLC film. However, only one of these solutions is significantly better. When the PDLC film is powered by current it becomes translucent. The problem is that the transparency is max ~ 90% which results in a lot of light loss and darker images. After the observation is over, the electric current is turned off and another problem occurs. When it gets opaque the image in the scope is NOT completely black. The PLDC film is still ~40% translucent and a lot of light still passes through. The image we see in eyepiece is white and “milky”. People say this causes the feeling like something in the binocular is broken or malfunctioning. As promising as it may be, this technology is still far from perfection, thus not very useful for our application. BrightStar coin-operated and credit card payment binoculars work with the traditional mechanical “flap” system which guarantees no light loss when the shutter is open and 100% black image when it is closed. The small servo drive that operates the shutter is very popular and easily available in any place on earth. Our logical driver allows us to adjust the position of the “flap” in the open and closed state.
In the mechanical coin selector the coin falls down on metal elements that are moved by the coin. These elements measure the weight, diameter, thickness and magnetic response. They are good if well set for typical coin in your country, but if one of these verification parameters is on the verge of error then correct coins can be randomly rejected. This is usually is not a big problem as the coin is returned and should be inserted again. The electronic coin selectors are much easier to set up and program (anyone can do it), though they consume some electricity, so this could reduce life on battery by 50%.
The platform has 8 holes with a size of 15mm, arranged evenly on a circle with a diameter of 290mm. It is a perfect match for the mounting holes of the binocular base. First, place the platform in the target place and then put on the base of the binocular so that the holes of both components match. Then install chemical or mechanical anchors in 8 or 4 holes and fasten everything tightly.
– Designed to cut reapair costs. It is possible to perform the entire electro-mechanical service without disassembling the top scope component with the optics.
– No need to ship binoculars to our company for service. We provide all customers with information how to disassemble and assemble out products on demand.
– High resistance to vandalism. All parts connected by hidden screws and not obvious methods (e.g left threads).
The typical focus distance is 100m up to infinity. In case you need custom range please tell us when you place the order.
If you need further information please contact us.
by mail sales@towerviewershop.com or by mobile phone +48 607 669 565