homemade telescope focuser
I have not yet figured out a better way to hold the tube. We use cookies to continuously improve our websites for you and optimize its design and customization. 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. Crayford-style design with four bearings and one driveshaft. If you're not familiar with Arduino, watch some tutorial videos. Cost is $25 - $30, and you will have 5 PCBs in about a week. While round tubing is sturdy, square tubing is easier to work with. Tom's Homemade Telescope Page - DIY Craford Focuser - Google In my build, the minimum eyepiece-to-secondary mirror distance (13) plus the primary-to-secondary mirror distance (57) equals the focal length of 71, which is roughly 4.5 times the width of the 16 mirror. As the thread shows you could also build the dual speed version, all made of plywood, if you feel ready to tackle a slightly more complex project for a cost of about 5$ more. A 10 inch scope would not be very much longer or heavier than my 6 inch, yet it would allow me to see much more. I don't *do* pretty. Maker-written books designed to inform and delight! Here we see the following components installed: Notice we are NOT populating the parts of the board intended for Wifi or BLED. One of the companies I had considered as a supplier for the primary mirror was Anttler's Optical. 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. Not sure how your toilets are built over there, but here they use what is called a tank flush valve. Make sure the shroud can slip on and off of the assembled scope, and that it stretches along the circumference (not lengthwise). I drilled holes for the screws that avoided the location of the ring, and attached the rocker bottom. Headers for the LEDs, buzzer (2-pin) and temperature probe (3-pin). on Introduction. The focuser 'knob' on the Celestron is just a rubber sleeve that usually pulls off easily. After another 3 weeks, I was concerned that I had not received the mirror. His project is very well documented. The focuser shaft on the telescope is 13.1mm in diameter. The focal length of the mirror is 61 inches. 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. 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. curated by us, the people behind Make: and the Maker Faire. I have built a homemade electric focuser for my Celestron 8SE using a radio control hobby servo and some spare parts. Perfect for astrophotography or during high power planetary observation. I was certain not to move the jig at all before cutting the second circle. 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. The bigger upvc nut will be attached to focuser plate and longer threaded side will be used on it for the focusing. However more than the focuser, I liked your scope. So, am curious to see what others have designed and built and proud to show off here on the homage to Crayford thread. I am using scrap upvc pipe material. document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); on Introduction. Once I decided to build a scope myself I had to decide on the aperture of the scope. Bill, Impressive work and great idea about LSDF focuser. I tried to call, but the voice mail had a recording stating that the customer was unable to receive messages. I used my router to "mill" a flat area for better contact with the focus adjustment rod. Sew the seam, and sew an elastic cord into the top to secure it to the secondary cage. 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.". It was May 12th. A project collaboration and documentation platform. Your astrophotographer friend may have included his own images from his setup. Connect the Arduino USB cable and upload some test sketches. Part numbers 351-4574 and 336-422. Please explain, in detail, how you attached your tube to the very unique drive system of an XT12G mount. eyepiece on the ground (or worse, on your primary mirror!) 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. Two such companies would not give me a price because the order of a single tube was too small. This simple homemade device will reduce star trails far better than if the camera was mounted on a tripod alone. Thin-wall aluminum tubing is used to attach the mirror box to the secondary cage. This motor is available on Amazon. I'll use an aluminum tube for the finished draw tube but for now the plastic tube . 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. It seems to I installed the spider first, about one inch down from the end of the square end of the tube. I do have another tube that can be used around the drawtube, but it doesn't really add anything. tube and nut that fits the outside threads. 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. That way you won't be dropping your drawtube and Or in my case, back to SolidWorks :-). These are mounted 120 degrees apart and use 4 inexpensive bearings to support the tube. I want to put my 12.5 mirror in a collapsible structure so I can haul it easy, Say a truss tube design, 7 years ago I read the entire thread and surely its going to help me building my focuser. I told them to take their time and get it right. In scaling up the K/B 8 inch design, I made a few changes that, I hope, will improve the design for 12.5 inch aperture. Again from the main FILES page, go to "ASCOM DRIVERS" and download everything. I wanted a tight / press fit, so I only added half that, 0.25mm. 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. 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. If you go to buy all of the components for this project from dealers, you will see that you mostly have to buy at least 5 parts, sometimes bags of 50 parts! The side bearings are each made from 2 identical semicircles of 5/8 inch plywood glued together to make a thickness of 1 inches. Drill a hole and attach the ball head using a shorter 1/4" 20 bolt. To interface with the computer, I have used the Artemis Focuser module from Steve, Arthur and Co. 1" Rack & Pinion Focuser. An Altitude Azimuth mount would also require a field rotator.There's no way these were taken with an Orion GoTo Mount. I had to take apart the focuser in order to get my bolts in place. once. Another thing, the resolution on the Dumbell nebula seems a bit too high for that telescope. I had already made a lightweight focuser for I first tried my 32mm plossl eyepiece. surfaces to put the bearings in and a vee at the bottom that would hold The pieces were cut down to 15 3/8 and 14 3/8, allowing just under 1/8 inch on each side. Put it all together Along with some silver bits 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. 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. My guess is that photo was taken with a refractor. They suggested a construction supply place on the other side of the city that I had not called yet. Below are cutting diagrams and diagrams of the rocker and tube box with side bearings. It take automatic control of the CCD camera and focuser, and dances around magically on the screen, arriving at perfect focus within about 30s to 3 minutes depending on where you started from. 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. Building a Homemade Telescope Eyepiece - HubPages Tom's Homemade Telescope Page - Udder Nonsense - Google Orion Dynamo Mini for powering a Nexstar 6SE? Use mild soap and distilled . guarantee a response, but I'll do my best to answer everyone who writes Once built, line the undersides of the arms with textured ABS plastic as a bearing surface. I had installed the mirror about an inch too far away from the focuser. Brandon Lawler is a hobbyist telescope Maker and an active member of the Central Texas Astronomical Society. If your optical train is heavy and the focuser has to bear it (see above) then this motor may be a better choice. At their suggestion, I also ordered a 2.6 inch secondary mirror. 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. Quick demo of my motorized focuser, and I will create a detailed tutorial if enough people are interested. Also, I will work with my computer geek buddies, so that we eventually automate it using Linux on a Rock64, to run kstars for tracking, on INDI. 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. There are sub-folders for the different versions. I built mine entirely from CNC-cut plywood, and fastened it together with 2 bolts. How To Build A Dobsonian Telescope [Guide 2022] - DopeGuides This is the upper tube that contains the flat secondary mirror, Telrad finder, and focuser. My DIY Motorized Telescope Focuser - YouTube After a few weeks of no communication from them, no ability to phone or email them, and no mirror cell arriving. It may need some careful coaxing with a screwdriver. Pioneered by John Dobson in the 1960s, the instrument combines a Newtonian reflector telescope with a unique two-axis movable base. Able to make myself using my own humble tools (or toys as the pros will call them!) This Instructable describe the planning, design, and parts of the scope, as well as the process of building The scope. If not, you may need to design and print your own bracket(s), gears, and so on. This motor has a 5mm drive shaft. 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. The cell from Anttler's, for which I had received a refund, had arrived. Realizing that it could not be the University Optics cell already, I thought, Noit couldn't be but, in fact, it was. 11 years ago With the DRV8825 and Arduino Nano plugged in, the basic board is complete. 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. I told them to take their time and get it right. This motor has a larger shaft diameter (8mm) and is quite a bit heavier overall than the direct drive motor, mainly because of the gearbox. 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. The silly colours are mainly due to me experimenting with various clothes dyes in the anodising. I welded mine from steel square tubing. 100A81BF-2145-44D5-BC76-66DBF43BAD58.jpeg. For my project I needed a 14 inch diameter, and I had a tough time finding one. It takes the unknown out of focusing, and is easy to re-focus between filters, or refocus several times during a long exposure run as the world cools down. If you connect the 12V power with the barrel connector (right side of photo), the Nano should light up without the USB connection. Homemade Electric Telescope Focuser - Stargazers Lounge The cage should be a hollow cylinder about wider than the mirror, with the focuser mounted directly facing the secondary mirror. I marked the spot and moved things back inside to install the mirror. Be creative! the tube is cardboard as well, you can also get a quality mirror at telescope.com for much cheaper. I applied contact cement to the first inch of the veneer and the mating inch of the tube. The length of the Rocker Front also had to be changed so that the outside edge of the Side Bearings matched the outside edge of the Rocker Sides precisely. After the second call, I received a response that it would be ready at the end of the following week. Telescope Focusers | Orion Telescopes: Shop 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. 4 years ago Perfect for visual observations with very heavy mirrors. 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. 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. Electronics and software automate the process of taking pictures. The email bounced back to me. They eyepiece height ended up being about 5'10" high at zenith. 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. They have many items for ATMers and I had frequently visited their website when planning my scope. Frustrated by these difficulties, I stopped by one more hardware store to ask for advice. Remember: It is the quality and SIZE of the capture chip, NOT the megapixels that determines quality. Showcasing amazing maker projects of 2022. I found a used 16 primary on eBay. A smart collection of books, magazines, electronics kits, robots, microcontrollers, tools, supplies, and more 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. On that noteWARNING:do not look directly into the sun and never point a telescope into the sun without proper filtration you can damage your telescope and burn your retinas and possibly go blind i am not a astrophotographer so i cant comment on the quality of the pictures since there is so much doubt on the photos i will gladly take them down. I had some carboy caps that make good knobs. Make an account on JLCPCB.com, upload the Gerber zip file, that's it! To view, go here: http://emediadesigns.com/focuser/ 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. In my case I decided to make a custom bracket. my 12.5" trackball, but I didn't Finally, attach your polar alignment device and align it with the hinge. The focuser knob had two set screws. I like the old way of using stepper motors and other stuff introduced years ago by Mel Bartels, he is a master for me. 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. Contact cement is permanent, so the only solution would be to replace the tube! Stellafane The Focuser Two inch internal diameter drawtube. Newton, and others including James Gregory and Laurent Cassegrain, believed that a reflecting telescope would not be affected by the chromatic aberration that affected . I could not find a spacer to fit my 9/16 hole, so I bought the 11/16 spacer (1 1/8 long because that's what the store had) and a bit of the same size. A Pocket Sundial From a Broken Pocket Watch! Read the documentation though, there are a lot of functions and options. together tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators across the globe. Trim off any unused fabric along the base. I was annoyed to have made the mistake, but very glad that I checked the position on stars before wrapping the tube in veneer. As I read the book I decided that I should build a 12.5 inch truss tube scope.