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'''PLate OPtimizer''', or '''PLOP''' is a [[CAD program]] used by [[Amateur telescope making|amateur telescope makers]] to design [[primary mirror]] [[Mirror support cell|support cells]] for [[reflecting telescope]]s. It was developed by [[telescope]] maker David Lewis, first described in 1999,<ref>{{Cite journal| title = Cures for Unsupportive Mirror Cells| last = Lewis| first = David| journal = Sky & Telescope| issue = June| pages = 132–135| date = 1999 | volume = 97| bibcode = 1999S&T....97f.132L}}</ref> and used to simplify calculations needed in the design of mirror support cells.<ref>{{cite web| last = Holm| first = Mark| title = Mirror Cells for Amateur Telescope Makers| url = http://www.atmsite.org/contrib/Holm/Plop_optimized_cells/index.html| access-date = May 3, 2009 }}
</ref> It was based on Toshimi Taki's 1993 program PLATE,<ref>http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~zs3t-tk/cell/cell.htm{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Taki's brief intro to cell design</ref> with a simplified user interface, thus giving it wide acceptance among makers of large [[Dobsonian]] style amateur telescopes, with good support of mirrors as thin as two inches for a diameter of thirty inches.<ref>{{cite web| last = Anderson-Lee
| first = Jeff| title = Best of 18 and Over - A collection of plop cell designs
| url = http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~jonah/18plus/| access-date = May 3, 2009}}</ref>
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A basic mirror cell may be built using minimal calculation and simple materials such as wood and outdoor carpet, with a good example being [[John Dobson (astronomer)|Dobson's]] original telescopes. However, as amateurs sought to build larger and thinner mirrors, they found such designs inadequate.
Many amateur telescope makers use cells which are designed via [[equal area rule]] calculation, using programs such as David Chandler's [[public ___domain]] program, ''Cell''.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Chandler| first = David| title = Floatation Mirror Cell Design| url = http://www.davidchandler.com/cell.htm| access-date = 2009-06-21| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090817122733/http://www.davidchandler.com/cell.htm| archive-date = 2009-08-17}}</ref> However, such calculation does not account for mechanical stresses introduced in one part of a telescope mirror by another part, whereas [[finite element analysis]] can be used to reduce such [[Yield (engineering)|stress]]. Although general finite element analysis programs such as [[Nastran]] will work for mirror cells, an advantage of PLOP is that it can be set to ignore [[Deformation (engineering)|deformation]] that merely results in refocus of a mirror's [[parabola]].<ref>[http://www.atmsite.org/contrib/Holm/Plop_optimized_cells/cellfaq.html#old Atmsite PLOP FAQ]</ref> PLOP can be used to calculate floating support points for a mirror's [[Optical axis|axial]] (rear) support
Mirror cell calculations, whether using PLOP or another program, do not overcome errors introduced by gluing the mirror to its cell, excessive tightening of edge supports, nor impingement of the cell structure onto the mirror as result of differential cooling shrinkage. The significantly more complex calculations arising from the support needs of large [[honeycomb mirror]]s and those using [[active optics]] systems are outside the design parameters of such programs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/lbto/tech/ua9502.htm |title=UA-95-02: Mirror Support System for Large Honeycomb Mirrors |access-date=2009-11-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703082028/http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/lbto/tech/ua9502.htm |archive-date=2010-07-03 }} Mirror Support System for Large Honeycomb Mirrors</ref>
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==External resources==
* [http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~jonah/18plus/p18.html A Study of 18-point Mirror Cell Optimization Using Varying Forces] Jeff Anderson-Lee, January 2003
* [
* [http://www.cruxis.com/scope/scope1100_mirrorcell.htm Mechanical design of the 110 cm cruxis telescope]
* [http://stellafane.org/misc/links.html Stellafane links page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211175340/http://stellafane.org/misc/links.html |date=2021-02-11 }}
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