pageTracker._trackPageview(); Drill a hole and attach the ball head using a shorter 1/4" 20 bolt. This unit takes signals from your computer and drives the stepper motor on the focuser. After waiting for the contact cement to dry to the touch, and with my wife's help, I carefully aligned the edge of the veneer with the guideline on the tube and pressed the first inch together. The little app is simple and works great. 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. Here is what I was working on but looks like I need a better design. We were careful to press out any bubbles as we went, but when the job was done we found that there were multiple bubbles in the veneer. This consists of a small black box of electronics. Other supplies that I bought for this project include wood, various bits of hardware, stain and finishing supplies, and a circle cutting jig for a router. Use the externalMirror Edge Support Calculatorto decide whether to use a two-point, four-point (whiffletree), or sling support. It is size 1.25 inch with a clear inside dia-meter. (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.) You will look through these as you rotate the wheel. The overall project is super cheap, we're building this thing for something like $50 in materials. Topics such as If you're not familiar with Arduino, watch some tutorial videos. I like the old way of using stepper motors and other stuff introduced years ago by Mel Bartels, he is a master for me. And bolt to scope This project is based on Robert Brown's "Arduino ASCOM Focuser Pro2 DIY". 5 weeks after I had ordered the mirror, I called to ask about its status. I am a retired USAF electronics engineer, and might even do much of the construction of the base with welded structural tubing, as, I do have a complete metal working shop besides my wood shop, here. If you follow the procedures described above, your telescope's optics will be perfectly aligned. The rocker sides are each made of two identical pieces of inch plywood glued together, creating two sides one inch thick. Make the hole diameter fairly snug, too. Several functions may not work. Sonotube (14 inch diameter, 12 feet long): $70, Focuser (GSO 2 speed low profile Crayford): $139, Total cost for supplies for this project: $1700. 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. It seems to surfaces to put the bearings in and a vee at the bottom that would hold My homemade motorized telescope focuser for Celestron C8. Install on Windows 10, this part is pretty straightforward. on Introduction. With the DRV8825 and Arduino Nano plugged in, the basic board is complete. Make the drawtube longer than you think you'll need, just in The rocker arms must also have guides to keep it on the track; flat metal 12 braces lined with ABS plastic work nicely. You need some purple bits You should watch (and bookmark) this video. I have not yet figured out a better way to hold the tube. This is where you will use screws to strongly attach the focuser onto the tube. They suggested a construction supply place on the other side of the city that I had not called yet. This focuser (see pic at bottom) was motorised by me several years ago, but the motorised system didn't give me very fine control, and the motor running at fast speed tended to make the Artemis camera crash. It's easy to shim it to exactly 2" with adhesive labels placed one at a time inside the tube until a 2" eyepiece or 1.25" adapter is snug. Unfortunately I don't have a 3d printer. In amateur astrophotography, we run our telescopes overnight. I wanted to finish that instructable before the contest ended but was too late :-). After picking up a copy of The Dobsonian Telescope by David Kriege, I built my first telescope with a 12-diameter mirror, then later tackled a 12 lightweight scope. Meade Zero Image-Shift Electronic Micro-Focuser This high precision focuser allows you to obtain an extremely accurate image focus. The bigger upvc nut will be attached to focuser plate and longer threaded side will be used on it for the focusing. It is used to setup water outlet from overhead water tanks. 11 years ago Or rather, I hated it. PhotoPictureResizer_190723_214534574_crop_2558x3105_copy_1023x1242.jpg. needle to be just a little too flexible for the weight of a diagonal and Focuser (GSO 2 speed low profile Crayford): $139 Ebony star strips: 2 @ $10 Ebony star ring: $59 Teflon strip: $11 Telrad base: $10 Baltic Birch " sheet (60X60): $42 Baltic Birch 5/8" sheet (60X60): $48 Circle cutting jig: $30 Birch Veneer (4X8 piece): $65 Hardware, stain, other supplies: $80 Total cost for supplies for this project: $1700 both sides. I decided to keep this tube for now and if I run into problems with it, I can replace it later. The mirror box encloses the mirror cell and allows the entire telescope to rotate vertically. I am working on a diy focuser design for my 6" F/8 telescope and asking suggestions for simple focuser. I pointed it at distant trees and had no problem bringing the image into focus with all of my eyepieces. (A badly tilted focuser may subtly alter the illumination pattern of the focal plane to a degree that would be impossible to perceive visually but that's about it.) Thanks again for the 'ible. stronger, but would give me a coarser focus action because of their 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. If you look in the FILES area on Robert Brown's site (see link above) you will see a sub-folder "3D Printed Parts". This sure is going to be a project I will work on. Once you get it working, there's some calibration you need to do. Ideally, the spacer would be 1 inch long and have a smaller diameter, but I didn't get this one right the first time. 5 weeks after I had ordered the mirror, I called to ask about its status. This cost around $100 to build and all of the components came from. If you mess up, you can turn the hole into a slot, but avoid The day I received the refund, I ordered a mirror cell from University Optics. Not sure if it is available in the USA. You need a drawtube of course. Wooden Telescope Part 2: Tube and Mount - Instructables This arrangement turns 100% true, no wobble. Homage to Homemade Crayford Focusers - Cloudy Nights The box should be deep enough to allow the mirror box to swing all the way down. 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 sanded all parts of the telescope with 220 grit sandpaper followed by 400 grit, making a very smooth surface to apply the stain. he might just have a $3200 camera, they aren't very hard to come by. Measure the diameter of the exposed shaft. spambots that search the internet for addresses to send junk mail to.) I had chosen a boxy, rigid design for the binocular scope, so an inch or so apart, so the focuser body could be pretty low profile. larger diameter. As I read the book I decided that I should build a 12.5 inch truss tube scope. Until I see photos of this scope setup for these pictures and an explanation of the exact equipment used, I cannot believe that these pictures were taken with this OTA. Crayford-style design with four bearings and one driveshaft. Build a Backyard Dobsonian Telescope - Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for I found out pretty quickly that building my own telescope would only be a bargain if I made my own mirror and mechanical parts. My plan for wrapping the tube seemed good, but I am not too pleased with the final result. Again from the main FILES page, go to "ASCOM DRIVERS" and download everything. My secondary is 4; for tips on choosing size, click here. I've been using the above pair I will get good 30-40 mm focusing range. It features 2 semicircular arms, and mounting points for the trusses (T-nuts are fine), as well as a lid to keep the mirror safe when the telescope is not in use. 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. Community Forum Software by IP.BoardLicensed to: Cloudy Nights. Next, attach the eyepiece and the focuser to the top part of the telescope tube. Given that you can make the drawtube any length you I tried to call, but the voice mail had a recording stating that the customer was unable to receive messages. My first telescope I built was a 10" F8. adapter set screws to slide into. But, especially on cold evenings, the focus may go out in the middle of the night. Low, or Zero slop when changing direction. The focal length of the mirror is 61 inches. But, like many of you I'm sure, the biggest reason I'm doing this is for the pure geeky fun of it! I set things up in daylight and collimated the scope. The diameter of the focuser is usually indicated in inches. The focuser knob had two set screws. I waited until dark and pointed the scope at the sky. Thank you for your pages. Your astrophotographer friend may have included his own images from his setup. 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. Plus it comes in black, so The focuser shaft on the telescope is 13.1mm in diameter. My telescope is the Orion ED80T-CF. You will need to order one sized for your telescope's focuser shaft size. I had some carboy caps that make good knobs. Rock Paper Scissors Using Tinkercad Circuits and Arduino, Punchy the MECH & the Autonomous Fight Club, Soft-sensor-saurus | an E-textile Soft Sensor Soft Toy With LED Light. 7 years ago Have you made any mods on it since you built it? How to make diy focuser pvc - YouTube When you're ready to go on to testing with the windows driver, you want "myFP2_DRV8825_312-1", open that folder. If you're not using heavy eyepieces, you probably don't need A celebration of the Maker Movement, a family-friendly showcase of invention and creativity that gathers For about $3 we can buy a tank valve kit that has a threaded 2" i.d. 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. So I was looking for a cheap, light-but-sturdy design for a While I will freely admit that most astro-photography is WAY beyond me, you certainly do NOT need a $3200 camera to do so. And, once your telescope is finished, be sure to join a local astronomy club to learn more about the sky and share your hobby with others. 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). To do this, the mirror cell needs to be supported by 3 large bolts, at least 2 of which are adjustable. A Pocket Sundial From a Broken Pocket Watch! I paid the 50% deposit and dreamed of DSOs. The sides were attached with wood glue and clamps with a few small brads to hold everything in place. The wide square footprint would make it pretty stable when mounted to 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 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. Whether you need a basic rack-and-pinion telescope focuser for your homemade telescope project or a premium Crayford-type model with dual-speed focusing as a performance upgrade, you have come to the right place. 3D Printed Futuristic Space Age Wall Clock, http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=0&Number=4721255. 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. There are a number of technical reasons why these photographs could not have come from this Optical Tube Assembly. I first tried my 32mm plossl eyepiece. To cut the circles, I used a router with a straight cutting bit and a circle cutting jig. I was inspired to build telescopes during a trip out to McDonald Observatory in west Texas, where I saw a 36 fork-mounted telescope, tiny in comparison to the huge research telescopes at the site. After the second call, I received a response that it would be ready at the end of the following week. Plus it comes in black, so you don't need to paint it (or worry about paint flaking off it). A bit of a monster! case you need more focuser travel than you thought. Attach the ball head to the top 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. I attached small felt pads to the inside of the keepers to protect the side bearings from scratches, but discovered that the side bearings would not fit because of the thickness of the pads. I plan to use an FTA over it in case an extension is needed. I had already made a lightweight focuser for on Introduction. It stalled when tension on the belt increased. When I looked at the costs, I seriously considered buying an Orion telescope instead of building my own. together tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators across the globe. My newtonian telescope, like most others, came fitted with a nasty rack and pinion focuser. 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 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. Finally it was etched in caustic soda, and anodised matt black. This scope was originally made as a travel scope using an eight inch mirror that I ground and polished at the St Pete Astronomy Clubs Mirror Lab. Because thebasic movement and optics requirements are relatively simple, much of the design is left to the builder. They use a simple plywood mirror cell, stating that for an 8 inch mirror this cell will be adequate. try { too far. Maker-written books designed to inform and delight! The telescopes size is classified by the size of its mirror. 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. 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. To interface with the computer, I have used the Artemis Focuser module from Steve, Arthur and Co. A 6 in primary mirror does not have enough weight to make the dob stable. This allows for a small clearance between the outside of the tube and the inside of the tube box (14 3/8). #@$%^#@!!!!! Thanks for your article. After looking at many focuser options with a big range of prices, I decided to order a GSO 2 speed Crayford focuser from ScopeStuff. 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. DIY Electric Focuser - ATM, Optics and DIY Forum - Cloudy Nights on Step 1, Richards in our local astronomy club. I welded mine from steel square tubing. This is the first telescope that I have built. 10 inch or 12 inch. I am using scrap upvc pipe material. Trim off any unused fabric along the base. At their suggestion, I also ordered a 2.6 inch secondary mirror. 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. I did run into a small problem with the focuser. I had to take apart the focuser in order to get my bolts in place. ill ask him for a detailed list of what he used and when i get that ill post it here for you. They eyepiece height ended up being about 5'10" high at zenith. I used one of the top scraps from the rocker sides to mark an angle of 70 degrees from the center of the arc to the curved cut in order to properly space 1 X 7/8 teflon pads on the arcs. I particularly like that the design can be integrated directly into the focuser board to make a very, very simple UTA. As the thread shows you could also build the dual speed version, all made of plywood, if you feel ready to tackle a slightly more complex project for a cost of about 5$ more. 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. 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. If you don't want to go that route, contact me at gary.hethcoat@gmail.com since I have a lot of spare parts and I can sell you a "kit" with a PCB and only the parts you need. The original Crayford Focuser is on display there. This cost around $100 to build and all of the components came from Jaycar, except the brackets which were made with 1.2mm sheet metal. telescope page, I wasn't really eager to buy two commercial Crayford The company has a reputation for excellent optics, and it was neither the most expensive, nor the least. It's easy to shim it to I have several of the books on building a Dobsonian Telescope. Thanks Pinbout for sharing your design. Drawing lines between opposite corners of the tube box sides allowed me to locate the center point on each side. Inside the OTA is a ring of tightly fitting flocking paper that prevents any light getting in around the drawtube. 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. document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); Pierre Lemay, thanks for sharing your simple and incredible design. (actually, it ended up a smidge more than 2 inches) Lighter than the existing focuser. While round tubing is sturdy, square tubing is easier to work with. Whether you need a basic rack-and-pinion telescope focuser for your homemade telescope project or a premium Crayford-type model with dual-speed focusing as a performance upgrade, you have come to the right place. When you add the minimum distance from the eyepiece to the secondary mirror together with the distance from the secondary mirror to the primary, the total length should be the primary mirrors focal length. Fairly easy to build and could be adapted to suit any SCT focuser. Two inch internal diameter drawtube. 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. tube and nut that fits the outside threads. I had talked with their owner about mirrors and mirror cells once, and I was very impressed by his knowledge of telescope building. After the glue dried but before the clamps were removed, I added corner braces to all four corners of the tube using glue and brads to hold them in place. This combination has proved to be effective for all positions except when the tube is pointed directly up. forward and back along with the drawtube when you focus, and you'll get In the sub-folder "Cases" you will see many variants of the case for the DRV8825 based focusers. I am thankful to enjoy the inspiration, and the details, that you provide, as I will soon be constructing a Dobsonian Telescope. initiatives for the next generation of makers. A week after they said they would send the secondary and other parts, I called to ask if things had been sent. I took the whole tube assembly outside. Download and check them out, I just grabbed the first one and printed it. This proved fatal for the stepper motor! 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. I applied contact cement to the first inch of the veneer and the mating inch of the tube. This is the mirror box for my 16", with Jim doing a bit of cleanup sanding. Make an account on JLCPCB.com, upload the Gerber zip file, that's it! I ordered the focuser, received an immediate email confirming the order, and it arrived two days later. Perfect for visual observations with very heavy mirrors. 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. Please feel free to email me at the address on the right. The hole is made slightly larger than the shaft, this is normal. I didn't receive any confirmation email after a few days, so I tried to send them an email. a 3/4" thickness. Able to shift heavy loads of kit ie over 1000g. it sticks into your light path. This Instructable describe the planning, design, and parts of the scope, as well as the process of building The scope. Keeping with the 'simple ' part of your request, here is a helical 2"/1.25" focuser made from std plumbing parts. Cost is $25 - $30, and you will have 5 PCBs in about a week. This is my copy of the telescope that Sir Isaac Newton presented to the Royal Society of London in 1671, and is considered to be the first successful reflecting telescope. I think I got what I wanted and seems best solution for me. wobbly knob still works, and adds character. exactly 2" with adhesive labels placed one at a time inside the tube I do it with aluminium alloy, aluminium tube and nice work. 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. This is the upper tube that contains the flat secondary mirror, Telrad finder, and focuser. 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. It turned out that they had an incorrect zip code and the package was still waiting to be sent. It has become an indispensable piece of equipment for me that so beats hacking and filing PVC pipes etc. This allowed me to cut perfect identical circles. Overall, I'm very happy with the outcome of this project - focusing is now a joy. Before attaching the sides and front to the bottom with wood screws, I wanted to make sure those screws would not interfere with the Ebony Star ring that would be attached to the rocker bottom. If you're going for simple, have you considered a helical focuser? Share it with us! I have no idea how much mail this idea will generate, so I can't "); Once I had my design set, I was ready to buy the parts. Able to shift heavy loads of kit ie over 1000g. The flat wants to be running parallel to the long axis of the tube. Once its cut to length, drill a hole through each end of the tubing with a drill press. I carefully cut exactly through the center of each side bearing circle to make my semicircles. Dobsonians come in all shapes and sizes, from small 4-8 builds all the way up to massive 24-36 creations. 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. After the second call, I received a response that it would be ready at the end of the following week. Place the focuser, draw the position of the screws with a pencil and remove the focuser. And a couple of upright bearing blocks. Reply Very simple and portable. SDO/HMI Continuum Image on 2023.03.04 at 1259 UT, Remote computer working with no extra networking. (The 8 inches from the center of the secondary to the field stop in the focuser is the same 8 inches from the center of the focuser to the top of the tube.) This combination has the best resolution (steps/revolution), so I didn't see any reason to build anything else. I made this Crayford style focuser using plywood scraps and surplus bearings. 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 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. Dobsonian telescopes are popular with amateur telescope makers for their ease of design and construction, portability, and their use of large optical mirrors. Since my focuser shaft is 6mm, I ordered the coupler shown here in the 6mm to 8mm version from Amazon. 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. I have no dog in this hunt whatsoever, but if people are impressed by these photographs and vote for it because of them when there's no proof that this scope generated the photos and there IS data to the contrary (see below), then that's certainly not fair to the other contestants. 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. 10 years ago Once built, line the undersides of the arms with textured ABS plastic as a bearing surface. The drawings are only approximately to scale. I had some carboy caps that make good knobs. In my build, the cage was cut on a CNC router from plywood, with threaded T-nuts added to support a truss assembly. This is not recommended for shared computers. When I ordered the cell, I paid through paypal, which immediately deducts money from my checking account. 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. Only problem is if I put a diagonal it wants to rotate the helical part. Ask Question Step 5: Stepper Motor Choice #2 - NEMA-17 Geared Stepper Motor If your optical train is heavy and the focuser has to bear it (see above) then this motor may be a better choice. In addition, we use third-party cookies to help us analyze and understand usage. Total cost for supplies for this project: It took a lot longer than I expected to receive my mirror and other parts from Discovery. and an eyepiece. While a sling or whiffletree provide the best edge support, a two-point edge support is much easier to construct. I was concerned that it would be difficult to find, but I was able to order it from a local woodworking shop. I hate focusing. In order for the Rocker Box to pivot on the Ground Board, a center pin is placed in a hole at the exact center of the Ground Board and Rocker Bottom. The email bounced back to me. 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 file a dispute with Paypal to begin the process of getting my money back. But by this time I had thought about building my own scope for several weeks, and getting one off the shelf seemed pretty boring by comparison! Once I decided to build a scope myself I had to decide on the aperture of the scope. Telescope Electronic Focuser : 16 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables
homemade telescope focuser
homemade telescope focuser
