homemade telescope focuser

I also wanted to buy the other mechanical partsmirror cell, spider, secondary holder, and focuserso that the performance of these pieces was not limited by my skills. I took the whole tube assembly outside. Pretty dry but important! Accordingly, with 1.25 focuser, you can use 1.25 eyepieces, with 2 focuser - both 2 eyepieces and 1.25 (through a special . I have not yet figured out a better way to hold the tube. Get hands-on with kits, books, and more from the Maker Shed, Skill builder, project tutorials, and more. I had considered a Moonlite or Featherlite focuser, but I knew from my experience with my 6 inch scope that I wanted a 2 speed focuser, and the price tag of their 2 speed focusers scared me away. on Step 1, Richards in our local astronomy club. I called in the order and explained that I would be using a mirror two inches thick. Once I decided to build a scope myself I had to decide on the aperture of the scope. See above, this motor does not produce a lot of torque, but you don't need much for this application since there is no 'load' on the focusing shaft. 1N5408 3A Diode (you may need to make the pins smaller to fit through the holes in the board. help eliminate slippage when the focuser is pointed straight upward. They have many items for ATMers and I had frequently visited their website when planning my scope. After going over the surfaces with a tack cloth to pick up the saw dust, I applied the stain and went over it with cheese cloth rags for an even finish. The hole did need to be enlarged slightly by moving the bit within the hole , but in the end, the fit seems right. Thank you for your pages. This combination has the best resolution (steps/revolution), so I didn't see any reason to build anything else. The belt and pulleys are off-the-shelf items available on Amazon. I call shenanigans on every picture in this post except for the the moon. After a few weeks of no communication from them, no ability to phone or email them, and no mirror cell arriving. Funny how the bigger they are the better for dobs. I used one of these scrap pieces to draw an angle of 70 degrees to the edge of the arc so that I could later place the teflon pads on the arcs. "https://ssl." The cell from Anttler's, for which I had received a refund, had arrived. I decided to keep this tube for now and if I run into problems with it, I can replace it later. For the ATMer I do find that there are an endless number of parts that can be designed and printed for home built telescopes and binoscopes. As I set of the scope, several club members came over to check things out and it was nice to hear the positive comments on the appearance of the scope. The glue should keep the nylon from fraying. Sew the seam, and sew an elastic cord into the top to secure it to the secondary cage. Home centers and hardware stores did not carry large sizes. Very simple and portable. I am using scrap upvc pipe material. The Focuser and other items: (Scope Stuff). I'm only hoping to supplement it a bit with some info and pictures aimed at those with limited skills (such as myself) :-) I'm not an electrical engineer, I'm more of a software guy with some limited knowledge of electronics and basic soldering and assembly skills. The original Crayford Focuser is on display there. You really need a step ladder even for my 10" when pointed overhead. Using a compass, I drew lines for the inside and outside of the Ebony Star ring on the top and bottom of the rocker bottom. All that remained was to design and print a bracket, and buy the needed parts. You should watch (and bookmark) this video. There are sub-folders for the different versions. microcontrollers including Arduino and Raspberry Pi, Drones and 3D Printing, and more. Lining up this center point with the center of the top of the side bearing, I brought the corner of the side bearing up to the edge of the tube box and attached it with screws. A project collaboration and documentation platform. together tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators across the globe. I did not own all of the tools that I needed for this project, particularly a table saw and router, so I did a lot of work while visiting my Dad. I told them I was on my way. The cutting diagram in (figure 1) shows how I cut the required pieces from two 60 X 60 pieces of Baltic Birch plywood, one inch thick, and one 5/8. forces the knitting needle against the drawtube and the drawtube against These have slop as you change direction, you can't do fine adjustments, they weigh a ton, and can flex alarmingly over time. I bought a 4" PVC Sewer pipe cap, used a hole saw to cut a 2.25" hole then attached the helical thing to the PVC cap. This makes for better sky photographs as the exposure time can be lengthened,. i am not trying to win this contest with photos. Un-real!!! Robert is a super guy and more than willing to help those who choose to follow in his footsteps. 24 T-nuts, with matching 2 bolts and knobs, 8 Aluminum tubing, thin wall, 1 square, 4 lengths I got mine from Cycle 24, Black woven velveteen, 68 Cut it so it stretches along the 6 axis. I had initially allowed for more of a gap, but realized once I cut the pieces and held the tube inside them that my gap was too large. This motor is available on Amazon. A free program that lights childrens creative fires and allows them to explore projects in areas such as arts & In order to check your measurements, you can construct jigs for your mirror cell and secondary cage, positioning them on a straight, adjustable track such as 2 planks of wood. After the second call, I received a response that it would be ready at the end of the following week. Step 4Attaching the Side Bearings and assembling the Rocker. var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? The last time I checked, that particular SBIG camera used on TelescopeGeek had an eight month lead time.A 20" scope gathers 2.6 times more light than a 12.5" scope, therefore equivalent exposures on this one would take 200+ minutes, at least. This was to allow the circle cutting jig to be attached to the board to cut the arcs from a center point of 25 inches above the ground. Please explain, in detail, how you attached your tube to the very unique drive system of an XT12G mount. Make the hole diameter fairly snug, too. Remember: It is the quality and SIZE of the capture chip, NOT the megapixels that determines quality. I carefully cut exactly through the center of each side bearing circle to make my semicircles. The project took several months off and on to complete, although a skilled Maker could put a similar one together in a few weeks. Slide the eyepiece into the focuser and try it out. By adjusting the bolts, the mirror can be pointed toward the correct spot. (Technically, it should have been 62.5 for a 12.5 inch f/5, but when the mirror came it had a note on the back that the focal length was 61 inches.) That helps with low-profile Topics such as When the skies were dark enough for observing I found that the scope moves easily into position and holds that position well. The balance point determines the height of the rocker sides, so I had to get this far before I cut the wood for the base. I do have another tube that can be used around the drawtube, but it doesn't really add anything. For my project I needed a 14 inch diameter, and I had a tough time finding one. SDO/HMI Continuum Image on 2023.03.04 at 1259 UT, Remote computer working with no extra networking. I want to make this direct drive system work. Position "0" is with the focuser all the way IN (at least for a refractor). Since my plan called for purchasing the mirrors and mechanical parts there were several decisions to be made and several vendors to contact. Their step by step instructions were invaluable to me as I built this scope. Dozens of projects in every issue covering electronics, craft, fabrication, and more, Learn tips and skill-building tutorials from experts in the maker community. My newtonian telescope, like most others, came fitted with a nasty rack and pinion focuser. drneilmb, thanks for sharing the focuser design. PhotoPictureResizer_190723_214534574_crop_2558x3105_copy_1023x1242.jpg. Link to the motor speed controller kit:http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=KC5225(a 5K external potentiometer will be required): http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=RP3508The drive motor:http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=YG2734The gears:http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=YG2736The motor forward/reverse switch:http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=ST0506The push button:http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=SP0711 Able to make myself using my own humble tools (or toys as the pros will call them!) installations. His project is very well documented. DO NOT drill out the holes in the board! We then spread contact cement over the remaining veneer and tube surface, waited for the glue to dry, and carefully rolled the tube over the veneer. I found out pretty quickly that building my own telescope would only be a bargain if I made my own mirror and mechanical parts. homemade Crayford focuser. The curved sides of the Side Bearings are also covered with strips of Ebony Star that glide on the teflon pads on the curved edges of the Rocker Sides (figure 3). You can see that my Moonlite focuser was slightly larger than the sides of the tube. I didn't bother reading his whole article to figure out what f/# he used) I am not trying to say that good AP isn't possible with a sonotube scope, (the 'friend' may very well have pulled it out of the dob mount, added rings and a dovetail, and mounted it on his CGE-Pro or comparable) but in this case it is unlikely.". Subscribe to the premier DIY magazine today, Community access, print, and digital Magazine, and more. Save over 40% off the annual cover price for a full year (4 issues) of Make. You will have to line up the diagonal and primary so that you see a centered image of the sonotube opening and the spyder in the eyepiece hole. Some quick tips to note if you are making a homemade telescope are: 1. Robert Brown did an excellent video on how to work out your stepper motor requirements. It has reminded me of one of my long term aims to make a telescope that has been buried by the demands of the rest of my life! Star Adventurer Pro Pack Counter Weight Bar Thumb Screw Upgrade. exactly 2" with adhesive labels placed one at a time inside the tube It I am working on a diy focuser design for my 6" F/8 telescope and asking suggestions for simple focuser. I didn't receive any confirmation email after a few days, so I tried to send them an email. All i did was supply the telescope as far as his camera equipment i dont know what he used i never saw it all i know is he had my scope for about a month while i was traveling and he gave me these photos. I also doubled the thickness of the rocker sides (not the front wall) to provide better support for the heavier tube. The kit just contains the electronics - it is up to the user to find a stepper motor and attach it to their own telescope focuser. off the bearings. When they arrived, they were beautifully and carefully packaged with the secondary already installed in its holder. I sanded all parts of the telescope with 220 grit sandpaper followed by 400 grit, making a very smooth surface to apply the stain. Since there is no drill bit that exactly matches the 13.1mm of the shaft, I had to do some rough enlargement of the hole. love to hear from people who are interested in this focuser design. I've been using the above pair I applied contact cement to the first inch of the veneer and the mating inch of the tube. I ground and figured the mirror with little troubles, making my focault tester, etc. 11 years ago The company has a reputation for excellent optics, and it was neither the most expensive, nor the least. You won't need to write any sketches from scratch, but you will at least need to figure out how to upload them to the Nano. Showcasing amazing maker projects of 2022. After waiting for the stain to dry for a day, I applied polyurethane in two coats, going over the surface with 0000 steel wool between coats. Slewing to find an object and then tracking an object on the sky, so when you make a homemade telescope on the motorisation process you will need high speed for slewing and low speed for tracking or fine movements. Both cameras have fairly small megapixels by todays' standards, and are certainly obsolete, but do the job extremely well! Yet I was also becoming infected with aperture fever. Download and check them out, I just grabbed the first one and printed it. Meade Zero Image-Shift Electronic Micro-Focuser This high precision focuser allows you to obtain an extremely accurate image focus. control. It was May 12th. I had cut the 12 foot tube in half in order to get it home in the first place, and a 6 foot section was the right size to work with for my f/5 12.5 inch. try { I decided to order a mirror cell from them because the owner had talked about a new cell he was excited about. The core of the telescope, the steel mirror cell holds and adjusts the heavy, curved primary mirror. astronowanabe, Pierre Lemay, LarsMalmgren and. and hope it doesn't fall off Primary telescope mirror aftermarket, homemade, or custom-made. You can easily, and economically (10$) build a Crayford Helical Focuser like the one pictured above in one evening with simple tools. 4 years ago It was important that the two circles be identical because the edges had to match perfectly when glued together and the two side bearings had to be identical in order for the altitude motion to work well. on Introduction. Share it with us! All in all it seemed like a pretty robust design, so I gave it I brought a saw with me so that I cut it in half to fit in my minivan. For a while I decided that 10 inch would be the best size. You should now be able to drill the 4 holes at each corner. Tips If you've got a 1.25 inch focuser, You can also use it for an objective. curated by us, the people behind Make: and the Maker Faire. 4 years ago If your optical train is heavy and the focuser has to bear it (see above) then this motor may be a better choice. Made of plywood, the rocker box supports the mirror box on 1 teflon pads, allowing it to rotate vertically. I don't have the skills to build a focuser using a. I used the "LEDandBuzzer" and "TestStepsDRV8825" tests. Connect the Arduino USB cable and upload some test sketches. Coupler for NEMA-17 Stepper Motor (also two choices, see below), LM7808 Voltage Regulator with TO-220 package -, Mini On/Off 3-pin 2-position slide switch -, Headers and wire (miscellaneous sizes and gauges), these are important so you can replace the component if it is damaged, LM7808 voltage regulator w/TO-220 heat sink package, 2-pin headers for 12V power and on/off switch. The mirror box encloses the mirror cell and allows the entire telescope to rotate vertically. At their suggestion, I also ordered a 2.6 inch secondary mirror. In the "ARDUINO FIRMWARE" folder, in it you will find a ZIP file "myFP2-Firmware 312-1.zip". Now attach the screw eyes and the rubber band on the side of the board. Thanks Bob. Plan ahead by carefully weighing all components and approximating the center mass of the optical assembly. Ideally, the spacer would be 1 inch long and have a smaller diameter, but I didn't get this one right the first time. accessible by all ages and skill ranges. This simple homemade device will reduce star trails far better than if the camera was mounted on a tripod alone. Make the drawtube longer than you think you'll need, just in This design could be adapted to practically any telescope or focuser, so I've kept my outline on the project brief. 10 inch or 12 inch. This consists of a small black box of electronics. At this point, the scope was pretty much finished. The only thing on the list that was a bit difficult to find was baltic birch plywood, which had to be special ordered from the lumber yard. I made a similar helical focuser with a nice 2 inch thing I found in Classifieds. As the authors describe the benefits of a truss design, it is hard to dispute their arguments. To get a slide-fit in a 3D printed part, you normally make the hole 0.5mm larger than the shaft. I tried to call, but the voice mail had a recording stating that the customer was unable to receive messages. experimented with various wires and rods and eventually decided that a The base of the telescope should be a wide, sturdy square or circle of wood with teflon bearing pads matched to the ABS plastic ring of the rocker box. New Creation Tamil 6.96K subscribers Welcome to New Creation Tamil Our Channel include of Guiding Videos: 1.DIY Projects 2.Awesome Ideas 3.Tips You are inter with New Creation Tamil you can enjoy. (Sorry you I knew that I would be returning the mirror cell to them, but just for fun I decided to see how it would fit in the tube. At some point in the building process, my goal became to finish the scope by RocheStar Fest, an annual event of the Rochester Astronomy Club. One of the neat things about the square design is that the The focuser shaft on the telescope is 13.1mm in diameter. The bigger upvc nut will be attached to focuser plate and longer threaded side will be used on it for the focusing. You simply glue or screw the 'nut' part to your scope OTA, and thread the tube part in/out to focus. All Dobsonian telescope projects are unique buildshere are the notes from my latest version to help get you familiar with the process and determine how youll design yours. Put it all together Here is a simple 3D printed helical focuser that cost just a few cents (assuming you have a 3D printer). A wide hole will let the knitting needle creep I attached keepers 1 inches wide by 5 inches long, extending above the bottom of the arcs by about 1 inches. To test the concept I used a short piece of two inch PVC for the draw tube. Im sorry to hear you couldn't make the contest. I particularly like that the design can be integrated directly into the focuser board to make a very, very simple UTA. Once Id built a CNC router, I embarked on my third telescope, featuring a 16 primary mirror with aluminum trusses, wide vertical bearing arcs, a steel front-adjustable mirror cell, and a rotating base. I would love to see your build when you are finished with it . OK, no, I do not have a homemade Crayford focuser but am planning to build a 3 incher for next years 17" reflector telescope project and to hold my new 30mm ES 100 degree EP. This means you lose much of the night's images. Having an RS trade counter 2 miles away is such a luxury! Given any mirror measurements, PLOP will provide the ideal support layout and how much distortion to expect for any number of flotation points. on my binocular scope for quite a while now and really like them. Bill, Impressive work and great idea about LSDF focuser. I'm' glad I did, because I didn't like the first color that I had chosen. Pioneered by John Dobson in the 1960s, the instrument combines a Newtonian reflector telescope with a unique two-axis movable base. Knitting needles are While a sling or whiffletree provide the best edge support, a two-point edge support is much easier to construct. The shroud made from two 22 inch tall containers came out short, so I had to add an eleven inch strip of nylon. ASIAIR - Is there an easy way to load Messier catalog into Autorun? If you mess up, you can turn the hole into a slot, but avoid Here is a link to the main FILES area on Robert Brown's site. . once. If you found some good surplus lenses, you will have made a stunningly good objective for your scope. I did find, though, that the 3D printed gear would slip on the shaft, so it needed a set screw. Plus it comes in black, so As I read the book I decided that I should build a 12.5 inch truss tube scope. Realizing that it could not be the University Optics cell already, I thought, Noit couldn't be but, in fact, it was. Download and unzip. flexing. Although they don't usually sell these parts, because I had ordered the mirrors from them they offered to sell me the spider and secondary holder that they use in their scopes. In addition, we use third-party cookies to help us analyze and understand usage. Here's a detailed response from a thread at CloudyNights:http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=0&Number=4721255 "The image scale is wrong on the M31 image, fits too much of the galaxy in for even a 35mm chip. Once its cut to length, drill a hole through each end of the tubing with a drill press. Focuser minimum height is 50 mm and maximum a little over 90 mm so it is good overall. As the telescope tilts toward the horizon, the mirror must be supported on its edge. To interface with the computer, I have used the Artemis Focuser module from Steve, Arthur and Co. The basic points I wanted to cover: What did I end up with? I have seen some VERY impressive photos similar to those, taken with Nikon D700 and D300 cameras, with the proper filters- and mounts- on a quality scope. Gift the gift of Make: Magazine this holiday season! document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); I am thankful to enjoy the inspiration, and the details, that you provide, as I will soon be constructing a Dobsonian Telescope. After another 3 weeks, I was concerned that I had not received the mirror. I have already seen some designs on CN, Stellafane and web but still checking if someone has recently made anything simpler. The next day my wife called me at work to tell me a box had arrived with telescope stuff. small, it's surprisingly rigid. If you're not using heavy eyepieces, you probably don't need Here's my 8" f/6 travel scope with a 2" PVC draw tube and the helical Crayford focuser built right in the focuser board. To cut the circles, I started with a depth of about 1/8 inch, then lowered the bit and cut a little more with each pass until I was through the board. Perfect for astrophotography or during high power planetary observation. The project creator Robert Brown made a good video on testing the board. Look down through the empty focuser. too far. that is a great website that guy has some fantastic photos. His passion is using CAD design and his homemade CNC router to bring large wood projects to life. Upload that main sketch to the Nano. You need to order it sized for your focuser shaft size. I would also like to know about how you can take such fantastic pictures without a field rotator and an autoguider system. The hole is made slightly larger than the shaft, this is normal. My concern turned to alarm when my wife told me that Discovery had charged the balance due on all items to my account a few weeks earlier. corners of the squares provide nice nooks for the eyepiece and eyepiece The pivot bolt consists of a 1 1/8 inch brass spacer with an 11/16 inch outer diameter, a 3/8 inch bolt 2 inches long, a stop nut, and two large washers. The drawings are only approximately to scale. Fairly easy to build and could be adapted to suit any SCT focuser. I sourced my own Stepper motor and 1:150 reduction gearbox from RS, who are just up the road. Reply Only problem is if I put a diagonal it wants to rotate the helical part. If you follow the procedures described above, your telescope's optics will be perfectly aligned. This is not recommended for shared computers. It took a lot longer than I expected to receive my mirror and other parts from Discovery. It may take you a while to adjust the image correctly, but it's not hard to do, just time consuming. In my build, the cage was cut on a CNC router from plywood, with threaded T-nuts added to support a truss assembly. Shorter thread side will be used to attach the eyepiece. The heaviest piece is 40 lbs, and the total scope weighs about 60 lbs (not counting the baffle). Overall, I'm very happy with the outcome of this project - focusing is now a joy. One of the companies I had considered as a supplier for the primary mirror was Anttler's Optical. I first tried my 32mm plossl eyepiece. After the pieces were glued together, I used a belt sander to smooth out any rough edges, being careful to keep both rocker sides and both side bearings exactly the same. 100A81BF-2145-44D5-BC76-66DBF43BAD58.jpeg. The diameter of the focuser is usually indicated in inches. However more than the focuser, I liked your scope. Those are the last screws to be tightened. Pierre Lemay, thanks for sharing your simple and incredible design. So, am curious to see what others have designed and built and proud to show off here on the homage to Crayford thread. Telescope Magazine. They suggested a construction supply place on the other side of the city that I had not called yet. The rocker arms must also have guides to keep it on the track; flat metal 12 braces lined with ABS plastic work nicely. I added three inches for a margin of error and in case I need to rebalance the tube in the future, making a distance of 25 inches from the balance point of the tube to the rocker bottom. Bore out some 2.5 inch bar and mill a flat down the side making sure it is lined up. I drew a guide line straight down the side of the tube and cut the veneer to length with one extra inch on each side68 inches long.

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