homemade telescope focuser

Next, attach the eyepiece and the focuser to the top part of the telescope tube. I attached three feet equally spaced on top of the ring, and on the opposite side attached teflon pads 1 X 1 directly above the feet using very small brads and countersinking the brads below the surface of the teflon. I suppose that one could complete this project without these two tools, but it would be difficult to cut the pieces accurately enough for a good fit. The back of the mirror floats on 3 or more support points (this build uses 6) that are calculated usinga software tool called PLOP. Likewise, the side bearings are made of two identical semicircles of 5/8 inch plywood glued together, creating side bearings that are 1 inches thick. It turns out the the extra 1/16 allowed far too much side to side movement between the rocker and ground board. The one company that did provide a price quoted over $500more than I was willing to pay for cardboard! This is the upper tube that contains the flat secondary mirror, Telrad finder, and focuser. Line the underside of the rocker box with a ring of ABS plastic to allow it to ride on the base. The basic points I wanted to cover: What did I end up with? 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. I was annoyed to have made the mistake, but very glad that I checked the position on stars before wrapping the tube in veneer. Since these focusers were going side-by-side on a binocular I am working on a diy focuser design for my 6" F/8 telescope and asking suggestions for simple focuser. Finally, attach your polar alignment device and align it with the hinge. My homemade motorized telescope focuser for Celestron C8. My homemade motorized telescope focuser for Celestron C8. Perfect for visual observations with very heavy mirrors. Finally it was etched in caustic soda, and anodised matt black. I decided to order a mirror cell from them because the owner had talked about a new cell he was excited about. A decent machinest will do a far better job, but, there is always a lot more pleasure to be gained per astrophoto when you make bits yourself. Pioneered by John Dobson in the 1960s, the instrument combines a Newtonian reflector telescope with a unique two-axis movable base. My first telescope I built was a 10" F8. work really well, for a fraction of the cost of a commercial Crayford My telescope is the Orion ED80T-CF. I file a dispute with Paypal to begin the process of getting my money back. Ideally, the spacer would be 1 inch long and have a smaller diameter, but I didn't get this one right the first time. needle to be just a little too flexible for the weight of a diagonal and To hold the tube in place within the tube box, I used a combination of pieces of felt inside the box and wooden shims between the tube and the box. If you connect the 12V power with the barrel connector (right side of photo), the Nano should light up without the USB connection. The box should be deep enough to allow the mirror box to swing all the way down. (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.) The version number "312" here may change if Robert posts new firmware. Orion Dynamo Mini for powering a Nexstar 6SE? Download the Gerber Files. Quick demo of my motorized focuser, and I will create a detailed tutorial if enough people are interested. His passion is using CAD design and his homemade CNC router to bring large wood projects to life. I used the "LEDandBuzzer" and "TestStepsDRV8825" tests. The rocker arms must also have guides to keep it on the track; flat metal 12 braces lined with ABS plastic work nicely. Pierre Lemay, thanks for sharing your simple and incredible design. Helicals are adaptable to both refractors and reflectors, but do not "play nice" with zoom eyepieces because "zooming" becomes a two handed operation to avoid changing focus. A on Step 5, 9 years ago This simple homemade device will reduce star trails far better than if the camera was mounted on a tripod alone. . I had talked with their owner about mirrors and mirror cells once, and I was very impressed by his knowledge of telescope building. Connect the Arduino USB cable and upload some test sketches. I was finishing this inner debate when I got a copy of the book The Dobsonian Telescope by Kriege and Berry as a Christmas gift. 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. This allowed me to cut perfect identical circles. Very simple and portable. I set things up in daylight and collimated the scope. I call shenanigans on every picture in this post except for the the moon. Fire up focusmax, and shoot some images! Pretty dry but important! I got no response to phone calls or emails after another week, and decided to wait until the primary would be finished in another two weeks. I tried to call, but the voice mail had a recording stating that the customer was unable to receive messages. Orient this assembly to allow you to view an object on the far horizon. I have several of the books on building a Dobsonian Telescope. This consists of a small black box of electronics. For my project I needed a 14 inch diameter, and I had a tough time finding one. A wide hole will let the knitting needle creep Because thebasic movement and optics requirements are relatively simple, much of the design is left to the builder. After the second call, I received a response that it would be ready at the end of the following week. As it turned out, the mirror cell was too large to fit into my 14 inch sonotube. The cell from Anttler's, for which I had received a refund, had arrived. However more than the focuser, I liked your scope. The Artemis module works extremely well, and is to be strongly recommended. 3D Printed Futuristic Space Age Wall Clock, http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=0&Number=4721255. Actually getting the parts into my hands turned out to be more of a challenge than I would have expected, but in the end, I have a wonderful telescope that I enjoy very much. Edited by sunrag, 28 May 2020 - 10:44 PM. Now attach the screw eyes and the rubber band on the side of the board. The Crayford focuser is a simplified focusing mechanism for amateur astronomical telescopes. More commercial crayford focusers are of a more enclosed form, whereas mine is more "open frame" approach. Before finishing the tube with a wrap of veneer, I wanted to make sure that the primary was in the correct position. Building the mirror box is tricky, because the entire optical assembly (mirror cell, mirror box, trusses, secondary cage) must balance at the center of rotation of the arms. knitting needle where it goes through the hole, so it's not a big deal, I feel it is a wonderful thing to free oneself from the "store-bought" world, as Tombaugh did, and to use your imagination and skills to develop your own, personal way of viewing the sky. Share it with us! I had already made a lightweight focuser for You should now be able to drill the 4 holes at each corner. Parts List (the full story of acquiring the parts), The primary, secondary, spider and secondary holderDiscovery Optics. . larger diameter. I welded mine from steel square tubing. On the cutting diagram, you can see that the side bearings were cut 26 inches long. You will need to remove the regular focus knob on your telescope's focuser. Motion is very smooth. Sew the seam, and sew an elastic cord into the top to secure it to the secondary cage. 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. 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. Next step, before my first acquisition of any parts, is to get with any amateur astronomers in Central Florida, so, wish me luck! Given that you can make the drawtube any length you needle so the knitting needle will be snug against the drawtube without With an outer diameter of 14 3/16, I cut the Tube Box sides 15 5/8 and 14 5/8slightly less than my extra inch extra on each side. In my case I decided to make a custom bracket. Thin-wall aluminum tubing is used to attach the mirror box to the secondary cage. 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. Obviously an open truss telescope. Since my focuser shaft is 6mm, I ordered the coupler shown here in the 6mm to 8mm version from Amazon. A Pocket Sundial From a Broken Pocket Watch! I placed my telrad, optical finder, and an eyepiece on the focuser end of the tube and, using a broomstick as a balance point, found that the tube balanced 22 inches from the bottom. While a sling or whiffletree provide the best edge support, a two-point edge support is much easier to construct. On the bottom of the Bottom board is a ring of Ebony Star laminate that glides over the three teflon pads located directly above the feet on the ground board. After a dry fit of the rocker to make sure that the tube box with side bearings would fit well, I glued the rocker sides to the rocker front, holding them in place with small nails and clamping overnight. When I ordered the cell, I paid through paypal, which immediately deducts money from my checking account. I made this Crayford style focuser using plywood scraps and surplus bearings. narrow the frame. The sides were attached with wood glue and clamps with a few small brads to hold everything in place. Picture of DS-4. These are mounted 120 degrees apart and use 4 inexpensive bearings to support the tube. I paid the 50% deposit and dreamed of DSOs. rod for the drive axle it would have a fairly fine motion. my 12.5" trackball, but I didn't my thoughts naturally gravitated toward a boxy focuser to go with it. I then ran a bead of glue on the mark, and after it dried I cut out the nylon up to the glue. Bore out some 2.5 inch bar and mill a flat down the side making sure it is lined up. Thanks Pinbout for sharing your design. It was easy enough to drill a hole and tap threads for a the interior diameter is just a nudge over 2". It has a 6mm shaft. Plan ahead by carefully weighing all components and approximating the center mass of the optical assembly. I called to express my concern and was told that it had all been packaged a few weeks ago and that it should have been sent. You need a drawtube of course. 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. Using plywood, make 4 attachment blocks to pair the trusses together and create a small ledge for the secondary cage to rest on while you secure it. in the tube so they'll hit the knitting needle before your drawtube runs I decided to order an aluminum mirror cell from University Optics instead so that the mirror could be supported at 9 different points. The focuser shaft on the telescope is 13.1mm in diameter. I used a hole saw to cut a wooden plug to fit inside the I carefully cut exactly through the center of each side bearing circle to make my semicircles. I was still doing some construction on the morning of the event, but I succeeded in making first light on that clear, dark night in late July. i am not trying to win this contest with photos. The next day my wife called me at work to tell me a box had arrived with telescope stuff. It is not very powerful, it will not supply enough torque if you put any load on it or have a heavy optical train (like I do) and the focuser has to "pull" it upward when the telescope is vertical. Again from the main FILES page, go to "ASCOM DRIVERS" and download everything. When you figure out astronowanabe, Pierre Lemay, LarsMalmgren and. i got a email that someone built a telescope close to mine that has seen the stuff in the photos here is a link to his site http://www.synapticsystems.com/sky/scopes/Dob.htmlif i seem a bit rude please forgive me i just spent 12hrs in a plane i have jetlag and im sitting in a airport.i would like to thank lvlasertech for keeping this instructable lively and informative. To make the hole for the focuser, I used the focuser tube to mark a circle in the shroud. 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. Able to make myself using my own humble tools (or toys as the pros will call them!) but try for a snug fit if you can. once. I will have a lot of fun building my homemade 12.5 inch Dobsonian Telescope!!! 1/4" x 20 bolt, and the nylon bolt end against the smooth knitting Finally, I attached Keepers to the sides of the rocker at the bottom of the arcs using screws and glue. Edited by howardcano, 24 May 2020 - 09:29 PM. Unfortunately I don't have a 3d printer. Overall, I'm very happy with the outcome of this project - focusing is now a joy. The bigger upvc nut will be attached to focuser plate and longer threaded side will be used on it for the focusing. by cranking Make an account on JLCPCB.com, upload the Gerber zip file, that's it! One of the neat things about the square design is that the Headers for the LEDs, buzzer (2-pin) and temperature probe (3-pin). Have you made any mods on it since you built it? SDO/HMI Continuum Image on 2023.03.04 at 1259 UT, Remote computer working with no extra networking. Thanks Peter. Thin 1/16 Kydex plastic should be cut to length to line the inside of the cage as a baffle to block outside light. I got a different stain, tested it, and went back to work. That way you won't be dropping your drawtube and Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality. Rack & Pinion: For many years the standard focuser was of the rack-and-pinion type - a small pinion gear moved the flat toothed rack that was attached to or built into the moving focusing tube that holds the eyepiece.However, this geared system was far from ideal, with some wobble due to the friction fit between the fixed and moving tubes and backlash due to the gears. This motor is available on Amazon. Fairly easy to build and could be adapted to suit any SCT focuser. The plate has slotted screw holes for tensioning the 6mm belt. Star Adventurer Pro Pack Counter Weight Bar Thumb Screw Upgrade. guarantee a response, but I'll do my best to answer everyone who writes It stalled when tension on the belt increased. try { Once I decided to build a scope myself I had to decide on the aperture of the scope. Accordingly, with 1.25 focuser, you can use 1.25 eyepieces, with 2 focuser - both 2 eyepieces and 1.25 (through a special . a try. ill ask him for a detailed list of what he used and when i get that ill post it here for you. 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. think that design would be rigid enough under the weight of a diagonal I will post the pic of final focuser once ready. I found a used 16 primary on eBay. You need some purple bits #2 knitting needle would be just about right. and an eyepiece. The pieces were cut down to 15 3/8 and 14 3/8, allowing just under 1/8 inch on each side. Make the hole diameter fairly snug, too. The silly colours are mainly due to me experimenting with various clothes dyes in the anodising. So I was looking for a cheap, light-but-sturdy design for a Not worth the effort, price is tooo high. I found out pretty quickly that building my own telescope would only be a bargain if I made my own mirror and mechanical parts. Position "0" is with the focuser all the way IN (at least for a refractor). 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. This resulted in a gear that wasn't true and "wobbled" a bit. A 6 in primary mirror does not have enough weight to make the dob stable. Once the pieces were cut and I held them around the tube, I decided to cut them a bit smaller because the extra space was too much. Having an RS trade counter 2 miles away is such a luxury! pageTracker._trackPageview(); It is named after the Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society, Crayford, London, England where it was invented by John Wall, a member of the astronomical society which meets there. 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. It may take you a while to adjust the image correctly, but it's not hard to do, just time consuming. 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. I first tried my 32mm plossl eyepiece. 5 weeks after I had ordered the mirror, I called to ask about its status. In amateur astrophotography, we run our telescopes overnight. It is used to setup water outlet from overhead water tanks. When I looked at the costs, I seriously considered buying an Orion telescope instead of building my own. forces the knitting needle against the drawtube and the drawtube against The arc at the top of the sides needed to have a radius 1/8 inch larger than that of the side bearings to account for the thickness of the teflon pads that would fit between. A few months later I ordered some other things from Scopestuff, including strips of Ebony Star laminate for the side bearings, a ring of Ebony Star for the rocker bottom, a strip of teflon to cut pieces for the ground board and side bearings, and a new base for my Telrad finder. By adjusting the bolts, the mirror can be pointed toward the correct spot. This NEMA-17 direct drive stepper motor is available from Adafruit and many other sellers. Two of the holes for the bolts were blocked by knobs. Two different construction supply companies told me that sonotubes were not available with a 14 inch diameter, even by special order. But I wanted a larger mirror, and, at that size, grinding my own was not an option. 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.". I do it with aluminium alloy, aluminium tube and nice work. I'd It's rigid, lightweight, and I pointed it at distant trees and had no problem bringing the image into focus with all of my eyepieces. DIY Truss Dob input: How to design truss? weight. LVLaserTech is right please do not vote for the pictures my instructable is for the build of the telescope not the quality of the photos.and as i said before i was not there is there a possibility that he sent me the wrong photos sure is there a possibility that he used a different mount than the one i saw sure is there a possibility that he is lying to me me about what he did sure. I had the thought that as long as I was going to build it I should build it as big as I could afford. Those are the last screws to be tightened. I only do functional. Or rather, I hated it. Only problem is if I put a diagonal it wants to rotate the helical part. Did you make this project? I did find, though, that the 3D printed gear would slip on the shaft, so it needed a set screw. Just to make sure I liked the stain, I applied some to a piece of scrap wood. I then temporarily installed the secondary mirror so that I could measure the approximate distance to the center of the secondary in order to locate the holes for the focuser. Remember: It is the quality and SIZE of the capture chip, NOT the megapixels that determines quality. Measure twice, drill Inside the OTA is a ring of tightly fitting flocking paper that prevents any light getting in around the drawtube. off the bearings. The lumber yard also gave me a lower price than I expected. Thank you for your pages. Another thing, the resolution on the Dumbell nebula seems a bit too high for that telescope. on Step 5. There are sub-folders for the different versions. Similar photos at http://www.telescopegeek.com/gallery.htm require 100+ minute exposure times on his 20" telescope and $3200 camera. Below are cutting diagrams and diagrams of the rocker and tube box with side bearings. I'm also going to focus on only one version of Robert's focuser (there are many). 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. I suspected that the company was either in trouble or no longer in business. I called to express my concern and was told that it had all been packaged a few weeks ago and that it, For complete instructions on building a telescope such as this one, I strongly recommend buying a copy of, After cutting the circles for the side bearings, I set up the jig to cut the curved edges of the rocker sides. If your optical train is heavy and the focuser has to bear it (see above) then this motor may be a better choice. Dobsonian telescopes are popular with amateur telescope makers for their ease of design and construction, portability, and their use of large optical mirrors. To glue the side bearings and rocker sides to full thickness, I covered a side with wood glue, then carefully lined up the pieces and put two small nails into the pieces to hold them in place. I began building it in the spring of 2008, but the bulk of the work was done in July of 2008 with first light occurring on July 25. If you look in the FILES area on Robert Brown's site (see link above) you will see a sub-folder "3D Printed Parts". We tried this in our back yard, but found that it was too difficult to aim both the tube and the moving mirror at distant trees in our suburban yard. help eliminate slippage when the focuser is pointed straight upward. Thicker walls also required thicker side bearings so that the outside of the bearings would line up with the outside of the rocker sides. 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. I wanted to wrap the tube in veneer because I had seen a homemade telescope on a website that used veneer and I liked the look. an eyepiece. At their suggestion, I also ordered a 2.6 inch secondary mirror. 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. After the second call, I received a response that it would be ready at the end of the following week. That's pretty much the focuser. crafts, science & engineering, design, and technology. The overall project is super cheap, we're building this thing for something like $50 in materials. They suggested a construction supply place on the other side of the city that I had not called yet. It is size 1.25 inch with a clear inside dia-meter. It took about 3 weeks but, since Anttler's did not even reply to the Paypal dispute, I received a Paypal refund. The extra force will also This software creates a model of your telescope by measuring out of focus star sizes at various points. It took yet another call a week later for the items to actually be mailed. Just as it was about to come into focus, the focuser bottomed out. Showcasing amazing maker projects of 2022. This unit takes signals from your computer and drives the stepper motor on the focuser. 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. I The email bounced back to me. Move the jigs until you can comfortably place a variety of eyepieces in the focuser and get a sharp image, then carefully measure the separation distances. The plastic will ride on teflon pads, creating just enough traction for the telescope to avoid sliding on its own while not making it too difficult to point at things in the sky. To place the primary mirror, I installed the secondary and installed the primary in the mirror cell. I started with a spacer that with a inch outer diameter.

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homemade telescope focuser

homemade telescope focuser