homemade telescope focuser

They suggested a construction supply place on the other side of the city that I had not called yet. Attach the eye piece to another cardboard piece and pass it through the hole from the inside of the tube. var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-1008534-4"); Make sure the shroud can slip on and off of the assembled scope, and that it stretches along the circumference (not lengthwise). was straight so I wouldn't get a wobbly knob. The base and the rocker box in my telescope are secured with a skate bearing assembly but could be more simply attached with a bolt through the center. Thanks for your article. I phoned in the order in the last week of February and was told that it would take about 4 weeks to deliver the mirror. But let me see what items I can arrange to make a helical. and hope it doesn't fall off Both cameras have fairly small megapixels by todays' standards, and are certainly obsolete, but do the job extremely well! Just to make sure I liked the stain, I applied some to a piece of scrap wood. Subscribe to the premier DIY magazine today, Community access, print, and digital Magazine, and more. Robert is a super guy and more than willing to help those who choose to follow in his footsteps. I decided to use baltic birch because it is recommended by Kriege and Berry as well as many online sources. 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. The mirror box encloses the mirror cell and allows the entire telescope to rotate vertically. narrow the frame. This makes for better sky photographs as the exposure time can be lengthened,. It is size 1.25 inch with a clear inside dia-meter. A couple setscrews and you're up & running with an off the shelf solution. Because thebasic movement and optics requirements are relatively simple, much of the design is left to the builder. 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. Download and unzip. NEMA-17 Stepper Motor - see below, there are two options. an eyepiece. needle adds no friction that I can feel to the focus action. The hole is made slightly larger than the shaft, this is normal. 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. A neet site: http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/CAMERAS.HTM Cool instructable, Dude! I drilled holes for the screws that avoided the location of the ring, and attached the rocker bottom. Now I can simply insert the PVC cap on the end of a 4" pvc tube. 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. I'll use an aluminum tube for the finished draw tube but for now the plastic tube . The flat wants to be running parallel to the long axis of the tube. Nice one. 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. On the cutting diagram, you can see that the side bearings were cut 26 inches long. This allowed me to cut perfect identical circles. Deep space photos like these require HOURS of exposure for each one. Before you do this, the stepper motor will probably move, but it will make a 'stuttering' sound instead of moving smoothly. Once your telescope is assembled, drape black woven velveteen around the truss assembly, clipping it with safety pins. My secondary is 4; for tips on choosing size, click here. The overall project is super cheap, we're building this thing for something like $50 in materials. 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. I even began taking careful notes about needed supplies and plans for each piece of the truss tube scope. Newton, and others including James Gregory and Laurent Cassegrain, believed that a reflecting telescope would not be affected by the chromatic aberration that affected . Able to shift heavy loads of kit ie over 1000g. I am working on a diy focuser design for my 6" F/8 telescope and asking suggestions for simple focuser. In the "ARDUINO FIRMWARE" folder, in it you will find a ZIP file "myFP2-Firmware 312-1.zip". I call shenanigans on every picture in this post except for the the moon. needle to be just a little too flexible for the weight of a diagonal and This sure is going to be a project I will work on. adapter set screws to slide into. I only do functional. Primary telescope mirror aftermarket, homemade, or custom-made. I read the entire thread and surely its going to help me building my focuser. #2 knitting needle would be just about right. 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. When I looked at the costs, I seriously considered buying an Orion telescope instead of building my own. This allows for a small clearance between the outside of the tube and the inside of the tube box (14 3/8). If you follow the procedures described above, your telescope's optics will be perfectly aligned. I plan to use an FTA over it in case an extension is needed. All that remained was to design and print a bracket, and buy the needed parts. (actually, it ended up a smidge more than 2 inches) Lighter than the existing focuser. off the bearings. I would love to see your build when you are finished with it . The glue should keep the nylon from fraying. Bill, Impressive work and great idea about LSDF focuser. Several of my Recent Images have been focused with this system. If you're not using heavy eyepieces, you probably don't need Upload that main sketch to the Nano. The version number "312" here may change if Robert posts new firmware. Home centers and hardware stores did not carry large sizes. forces the knitting needle against the drawtube and the drawtube against As the telescope tilts toward the horizon, the mirror must be supported on its edge. Quick demo of my motorized focuser, and I will create a detailed tutorial if enough people are interested. Two of the holes for the bolts were blocked by knobs. I also have an extended photographic build diary of this telescope posted on Imgur. 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. curated by us, the people behind Make: and the Maker Faire. My newtonian telescope, like most others, came fitted with a nasty rack and pinion focuser. The scope including the optics, truss tubes, and eye pieces all stored in a single box making it easy to store and transport by car, but it was a little too big to fit in the overhead compartment or under the seat on most aircraft. The Crayford Focuser and DIY Focuser for Homemade Telescope By trukmeeilee in Circuits Cameras 3,461 3 1 Download Favorite By trukmeeilee Follow More by the author: The Crayford focuser is a simplified focusing mechanism for amateur astronomical telescopes. The lumber yard also gave me a lower price than I expected. I did find, though, that the 3D printed gear would slip on the shaft, so it needed a set screw. 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. A free program that lights childrens creative fires and allows them to explore projects in areas such as arts & As I continued to read, however, I was struck by the many complications of the design and, frankly, how many ways I could screw it up. Unfortunately I don't have a 3d printer. PhotoPictureResizer_190723_214534574_crop_2558x3105_copy_1023x1242.jpg. This is not recommended for shared computers. 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 one company that did provide a price quoted over $500more than I was willing to pay for cardboard! My homemade motorized telescope focuser for Celestron C8. If you found some good surplus lenses, you will have made a stunningly good objective for your scope. I took the whole tube assembly outside. The 2-1.25" adapter is a sink drain slip fitting in 1-1/4" size that slips into the large tube for 1.25 EP's. Here is a simple 3D printed helical focuser that cost just a few cents (assuming you have a 3D printer). Parts List (the full story of acquiring the parts), The primary, secondary, spider and secondary holderDiscovery Optics. I was certain not to move the jig at all before cutting the second circle. 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. At this point, the scope was pretty much finished. Low, or Zero slop when changing direction. And the legs of the base should be as wide as possible to accommodate weight imbalance as the telescope is moved around, to avoid tipping. Make the hole diameter fairly snug, too. 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. Telescope Magazine. I will post the pic of final focuser once ready. Below are cutting diagrams and diagrams of the rocker and tube box with side bearings. Once I had my design set, I was ready to buy the parts. The cage should be a hollow cylinder about wider than the mirror, with the focuser mounted directly facing the secondary mirror. Use the externalMirror Edge Support Calculatorto decide whether to use a two-point, four-point (whiffletree), or sling support. 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. Measure the diameter of the exposed shaft. If you are (for example) doing a focuser for a catadioptric telescope like a Celestron C-8 or similar, the focus knob has no load on it so this smaller, lighter motor will do the trick. 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. I called in the order and explained that I would be using a mirror two inches thick. I used a hole saw to cut a wooden plug to fit inside the too far. 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. Again from the main FILES page, go to "ASCOM DRIVERS" and download everything. Be creative! Using heavy grit sandpaper I brought back the surface of the keeper enough for the side bearings to fit inside the felt pads. pageTracker._trackPageview(); Just drill holes in both ends and mount the lenses. 8 years ago Built one of these http://emediadesigns.com/focuser/ working really well only cost less than 40.00. Here we see the following components installed: Notice we are NOT populating the parts of the board intended for Wifi or BLED. 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. Over how many nights did this photography session take place? 4 years ago Slide the eyepiece into the focuser and try it out. Every primary telescope mirror has a fixed focal length thats usually 4 to 6 times the width of the mirror. They're fairly DIY Truss Dob input: How to design truss? It was easy enough to drill a hole and tap threads for a Before I wrapped the tube (and before I discovered the problem with the primary placement) I determined the balance point on the tube. Like i said these are not my photos and i cannot coment on exactly how he set it up as i was not there all i can say is i saw the mount he used when he picked up the telescope. 4 years ago I'm' glad I did, because I didn't like the first color that I had chosen. 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. Or rather, I hated it. The day I received the refund, I ordered a mirror cell from University Optics. They even offered to send the spider, secondary holder, and secondary mirror immediately so that I could begin working on the tube while I waited for the primary. 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. The rocker arms must also have guides to keep it on the track; flat metal 12 braces lined with ABS plastic work nicely. knitting needle where it goes through the hole, so it's not a big deal, That way you won't be dropping your drawtube and I decided to keep this tube for now and if I run into problems with it, I can replace it later. If your optical train is heavy and the focuser has to bear it (see above) then this motor may be a better choice. A Pocket Sundial From a Broken Pocket Watch! Thin-wall aluminum tubing is used to attach the mirror box to the secondary cage. The drawings are only approximately to scale. CNC files (optional) Download the Sketchup files. I used the "LEDandBuzzer" and "TestStepsDRV8825" tests. As I mentioned on my binocular An electronic focuser, which moves the focus knob through a combination of hardware and software, solves this problem. It's rigid, lightweight, and 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. But, like many of you I'm sure, the biggest reason I'm doing this is for the pure geeky fun of it! I pointed it at distant trees and had no problem bringing the image into focus with all of my eyepieces. control. The shroud made from two 22 inch tall containers came out short, so I had to add an eleven inch strip of nylon. Sew the seam, and sew an elastic cord into the top to secure it to the secondary cage. Keeping with the 'simple ' part of your request, here is a helical 2"/1.25" focuser made from std plumbing parts. 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. My homemade motorized telescope focuser for Celestron C8. I like the old way of using stepper motors and other stuff introduced years ago by Mel Bartels, he is a master for me. I had already made a lightweight focuser for I want to make this direct drive system work. After the second call, I received a response that it would be ready at the end of the following week. 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. Rather than use a sheet of plastic Kydex to finish the tube, as recommended in K/B, I ordered a sheet of birch veneer. 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. The dimensions of the Tube Box Sides are based on the outer diameter of my tube14 3/16. Depending on your telescope, one of the Brackets that Robert has may work for you. This extra space would allow the tube to be repositioned within the tube box to rotate the eyepiece or balance the tube. #@$%^#@!!!!! My DIY Motorized Telescope Focuser - YouTube I use a 3D printer and an old gear motor to create an electronic telescope focuser.This is my first attempt at voiceover, I'm using a headset. Thicker knitting needles would be even I made a similar helical focuser with a nice 2 inch thing I found in Classifieds. It took yet another call a week later for the items to actually be mailed. It stalled when tension on the belt increased. Edited by Pierre Lemay, 25 May 2020 - 08:10 AM. rod for the drive axle it would have a fairly fine motion. 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. The basic points I wanted to cover: What did I end up with? on Step 1, Richards in our local astronomy club. Crayford focusers are considered superior to entry-level rack and pinion focusers, normally found in this type of device. 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. In my build, the cage was cut on a CNC router from plywood, with threaded T-nuts added to support a truss assembly. wobbly knob still works, and adds character. It uses a primary mirror to capture and reflect light, a secondary mirror to direct light into an eyepiece, and a focuser to make fine adjustments for viewing. I was concerned that it would be difficult to find, but I was able to order it from a local woodworking shop. Carve out a hole on the top part of the sonotube first. Another vote for Pierre's helical Crayford design. 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. with a genuine question or comment about the design. As it turned out, the mirror cell was too large to fit into my 14 inch sonotube. I It's the same in form, but has a perfect, true 13.35mm hole. "https://ssl." It turned out that they had an incorrect zip code and the package was still waiting to be sent. When you figure out I waited until dark and pointed the scope at the sky. The Focuser and other items: (Scope Stuff). The email bounced back to me. I decided to order a mirror cell from them because the owner had talked about a new cell he was excited about. in the tube so they'll hit the knitting needle before your drawtube runs (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.) 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. Some quick tips to note if you are making a homemade telescope are: 1. 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. It uses a primary mirror to capture and reflect light, a secondary mirror to direct light into an eyepiece, and a focuser to make fine adjustments for viewing. Install on Windows 10, this part is pretty straightforward. Im sorry to hear you couldn't make the contest. 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. To get a slide-fit in a 3D printed part, you normally make the hole 0.5mm larger than the shaft. 11 years ago 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. You can see that my Moonlite focuser was slightly larger than the sides of the tube. One of the companies I had considered as a supplier for the primary mirror was Anttler's Optical. Place the focuser, draw the position of the screws with a pencil and remove the focuser. My DIY Motorized Telescope Focuser - YouTube I use a 3D printer and an old gear motor to create an electronic telescope focuser.This is my first attempt at voiceover, I'm using a headset. In addition, we use third-party cookies to help us analyze and understand usage. This is the mirror box for my 16", with Jim doing a bit of cleanup sanding. It took about 3 weeks but, since Anttler's did not even reply to the Paypal dispute, I received a Paypal refund. This consists of a small black box of electronics. A wide hole will let the knitting needle creep I found a used 16 primary on eBay. 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. Picture of DS-4. Similar photos at http://www.telescopegeek.com/gallery.htm require 100+ minute exposure times on his 20" telescope and $3200 camera. Accordingly, with 1.25 focuser, you can use 1.25 eyepieces, with 2 focuser - both 2 eyepieces and 1.25 (through a special . both sides. Crayford focusers are considered superior to entry-level rack and pinion That evening I spent most of my time rediscovering the many DSOs around Sagittarius, especially the Lagoon Nebula and the Trifid Nebula. Find a special something for the makers in your life. Before finishing the tube with a wrap of veneer, I wanted to make sure that the primary was in the correct position. See captioned photos 22-25 here:https://www.cloudyniractor-focuser/ for more detail on building a flush valve focuser, as Bob mentions. Dobsonian telescopes are popular with amateur telescope makers for their ease of design and construction, portability, and their use of large optical mirrors. Your choice here will be recorded for all Make.co Websites. It has become an indispensable piece of equipment for me that so beats hacking and filing PVC pipes etc. And a couple of upright bearing blocks. on Step 5, After much debit and doubt i have taken the photos down cause i cannot be 100% sure that they were taking from my scope as i was not there to verify them and i do not want my contest entry to be based on photos and not the build process.

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