homemade telescope focuser

Perfect for visual observations with very heavy mirrors. 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. 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. together tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators across the globe. Fire up focusmax, and shoot some images! I tried this one first and found it wouldn't work for my application. But let me see what items I can arrange to make a helical. My newtonian telescope, like most others, came fitted with a nasty rack and pinion focuser. Be creative! I would love to see your build when you are finished with it . Two different construction supply companies told me that sonotubes were not available with a 14 inch diameter, even by special order. wobbly knob still works, and adds character. I also decided to make a separate mounting plate for the stepper motor, since I figured aligning the shafts precisely would be all but impossible. 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! I bought a 4" PVC Sewer pipe cap, used a hole saw to cut a 2.25" hole then attached the helical thing to the PVC cap. This unit takes signals from your computer and drives the stepper motor on the focuser. . If you mess up, you can turn the hole into a slot, but avoid it sticks into your light path. Drill a hole and attach the ball head using a shorter 1/4" 20 bolt. The focuser 'knob' on the Celestron is just a rubber sleeve that usually pulls off easily. We moved the operation to a nearby park and got a focused image of the most distant trees (300-400 yards away) quite easily. I'd be willing to bet that you could easily grind your own 12.5 inch next time and save some $$. 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. Membership connects and supports the people and projects that shape our future and supports the learning The diameter of the focuser is usually indicated in inches. I sourced my own Stepper motor and 1:150 reduction gearbox from RS, who are just up the road. Maker-written books designed to inform and delight! The wide square footprint would make it pretty stable when mounted to Crayford-style design with four bearings and one driveshaft. knitting needle where it goes through the hole, so it's not a big deal, SDO/HMI Continuum Image on 2023.03.04 at 1259 UT, Remote computer working with no extra networking. A Among amateur telescopes, the most common are focusers with landing diameters of 1.25 ", 2", rarely 0.965 ", and even less often - 3". They eyepiece height ended up being about 5'10" high at zenith. The hole is made slightly larger than the shaft, this is normal. Finally, I attached Keepers to the sides of the rocker at the bottom of the arcs using screws and glue. The dimensions of the Tube Box Sides are based on the outer diameter of my tube14 3/16. From everything I had read, I expected that getting a sonotube would be as easy as running to any hardware store and picking it up. 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. Crayford focusers are considered superior to entry-level rack and pinion I also have an extended photographic build diary of this telescope posted on Imgur. These will be stored in your browser only with your consent and you have the option to opt-out. Only problem is if I put a diagonal it wants to rotate the helical part. telescope page, I wasn't really eager to buy two commercial Crayford I drilled holes for the screws that avoided the location of the ring, and attached the rocker bottom. try { 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. Step 3The Side Bearings and Rocker Sides. 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. Finally, I glued a strip of Ebony Star laminante to the curves edge of each side bearing using contact cement, using a flush edge bit on a router to bring the edge of the laminate even with the edge of the wood after the cement had set. I paid the 50% deposit and dreamed of DSOs. It turns out that sonotubes are a stock item in 8 inch, 10 inch, 12 inch, and sometimes even 16 inch diameters. A neet site: http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/CAMERAS.HTM Cool instructable, Dude! 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. Now attach the screw eyes and the rubber band on the side of the board. the nylon screws going up from the bottom, but I found the knitting tube and nut that fits the outside threads. I have several of the books on building a Dobsonian Telescope. This is the upper tube that contains the flat secondary mirror, Telrad finder, and focuser. They use a simple plywood mirror cell, stating that for an 8 inch mirror this cell will be adequate. an eyepiece. With adapters for any Meade 1x200-ACF or LS model, and chord to plug into focuser port. small, it's surprisingly rigid. This NEMA-17 direct drive stepper motor is available from Adafruit and many other sellers. on Step 5, 9 years ago Showcasing amazing maker projects of 2022. I told them to take their time and get it right. Here is what I was working on but looks like I need a better design. If you found some good surplus lenses, you will have made a stunningly good objective for your scope. Someone is pulling someone's leg here. 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. I had to take apart the focuser in order to get my bolts in place. You will need to order one sized for your telescope's focuser shaft size. Finally, attach your polar alignment device and align it with the hinge. Funny how the bigger they are the better for dobs. Picture of DS-4. Orient this assembly to allow you to view an object on the far horizon. Since these focusers were going side-by-side on a binocular The premier publication of maker projects, skill-building tutorials, in-depth reviews, and inspirational stories, They have many items for ATMers and I had frequently visited their website when planning my scope. Two inch internal diameter drawtube. This extra space would allow the tube to be repositioned within the tube box to rotate the eyepiece or balance the tube. It took about 3 weeks but, since Anttler's did not even reply to the Paypal dispute, I received a Paypal refund. installations. on Step 3. After the second call, I received a response that it would be ready at the end of the following week. #@$%^#@!!!!! If you want a Crayford focuser with a knob instead of turning the draw tube, then Jerry Oltion's designhttp://www.jerryoltixycrayfords.htm using box frames and knitting needle drive shafts is also a fairly easy build. I had considered using a clear finish alone, but decided to use a dark red finish on the base and a clear finish on the tube, just because I like the look. To test the concept I used a short piece of two inch PVC for the draw tube. Let me see if I can get similar plumbing parts here. Im sorry to hear you couldn't make the contest. Also no obvious diffraction spikes in the m31 photo. 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. As I mentioned on my binocular narrow the frame. 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. My other telescope is a Celestron NexStar C6E. 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. The day I received the refund, I ordered a mirror cell from University Optics. See the images how I plan to assemble it. You reach a point where the picture doesn't seem to change much, so you never know where the very sweetest spot in the focus is. This will determine the size of the coupler you will use to connect the stepper motor. Slewing to find an object and then tracking an object on the sky, so when you make a homemade telescope on the motorisation process you will need high speed for slewing and low speed for tracking or fine movements. Featured in the February, 2015 issue of Sky & So I decided to make my own, using my normal "blunder in naively and see what happens" approach to making things. Next, attach the eyepiece and the focuser to the top part of the telescope tube. I called in the order and explained that I would be using a mirror two inches thick. 5 weeks after I had ordered the mirror, I called to ask about its status. 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 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. Connect the Arduino USB cable and upload some test sketches. Have you made any mods on it since you built it? The side bearings are each made from 2 identical semicircles of 5/8 inch plywood glued together to make a thickness of 1 inches. 100A81BF-2145-44D5-BC76-66DBF43BAD58.jpeg. I am using scrap upvc pipe material. Slide the eyepiece into the focuser and try it out. These are mounted 120 degrees apart and use 4 inexpensive bearings to support the tube. More commercial crayford focusers are of a more enclosed form, whereas mine is more "open frame" approach. on Step 5. In my build, the cage was cut on a CNC router from plywood, with threaded T-nuts added to support a truss assembly. This allowed me to cut perfect identical circles. 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. I particularly like that the design can be integrated directly into the focuser board to make a very, very simple UTA. This is the first telescope that I have built. I installed the spider first, about one inch down from the end of the square end of the tube. As I set of the scope, several club members came over to check things out and it was nice to hear the positive comments on the appearance of the scope. The company has a reputation for excellent optics, and it was neither the most expensive, nor the least. But who cares, really? 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. I wanted to finish that instructable before the contest ended but was too late :-). The little app is simple and works great. Brandon Lawler is a hobbyist telescope Maker and an active member of the Central Texas Astronomical Society. That way you won't be dropping your drawtube and I had chosen a boxy, rigid design for the binocular scope, so with a genuine question or comment about the design. I did run into a small problem with the focuser. 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. My guess is that photo was taken with a refractor. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality. corners of the squares provide nice nooks for the eyepiece and eyepiece off the bearings. 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. Drill the holes for the knitting Start with the small components first. It has a 6mm shaft. 8 years ago We all know the problems with focusing. 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. Nice looking telescope. A project collaboration and documentation platform. Use mild soap and distilled . I ended up modifying it a bit after printing. I decided to use baltic birch because it is recommended by Kriege and Berry as well as many online sources. Home centers and hardware stores did not carry large sizes. Thicker knitting needles would be even 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. larger diameter. It may take you a while to adjust the image correctly, but it's not hard to do, just time consuming. The spider, or secondary mirror holder, will suspend the mirror in the optical path in order to direct light into the focuser. In the "ARDUINO FIRMWARE" folder, in it you will find a ZIP file "myFP2-Firmware 312-1.zip". It has become an indispensable piece of equipment for me that so beats hacking and filing PVC pipes etc. 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. When the skies were dark enough for observing I found that the scope moves easily into position and holds that position well. You simply glue or screw the 'nut' part to your scope OTA, and thread the tube part in/out to focus. 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 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. Once your telescope is assembled, drape black woven velveteen around the truss assembly, clipping it with safety pins. The 48 inch width of the veneer was close enough to the diameter of the tube that I used it as is. Dozens of projects in every issue covering electronics, craft, fabrication, and more, Learn tips and skill-building tutorials from experts in the maker community. I built a second set of electronics, and I had the NEMA 17 Direct Drive motor left over since it didn't work for my Orion ED80T-CF refractor. When you want to focus, you just open the program and press focus. 4 years ago Low, or Zero slop when changing direction. This is because my router bit was inch and the arc would be cut by the outside edge of the bit (where the circle had been cut by the inside edge.) In my case I decided to make a custom bracket. 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. When they arrived, they were beautifully and carefully packaged with the secondary already installed in its holder. I built mine entirely from CNC-cut plywood, and fastened it together with 2 bolts. The mirror itself must also be able to tilt in three dimensions in order to aim its light at the secondary mirror (a process called collimation). a try. Measure twice, drill var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? he might just have a $3200 camera, they aren't very hard to come by. Nice one. Download the Gerber Files. It's easy to shim it to I plan to use an FTA over it in case an extension is needed. As I read the book I decided that I should build a 12.5 inch truss tube scope. Because thebasic movement and optics requirements are relatively simple, much of the design is left to the builder. by cranking Overall, I'm very happy with the outcome of this project - focusing is now a joy. I was concerned that it would be difficult to find, but I was able to order it from a local woodworking shop. I have not yet figured out a better way to hold the tube. I had the thought that as long as I was going to build it I should build it as big as I could afford. Cost is $25 - $30, and you will have 5 PCBs in about a week. knob, and a drill press to make sure the hole for the knitting needle I brought a saw with me so that I cut it in half to fit in my minivan. I had some carboy caps that make good knobs. I read the entire thread and surely its going to help me building my focuser. I don't have the skills to build a focuser using a. Below are cutting diagrams and diagrams of the rocker and tube box with side bearings. 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. 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 marked the expected position of the secondary by measuring 61 inches down from the end of the tube. 7 years ago A week later the cell arrived (on schedule) from University Optics. You can view and download the full file here. If you look in the FILES area on Robert Brown's site (see link above) you will see a sub-folder "3D Printed Parts". Just as it was about to come into focus, the focuser bottomed out. I also doubled the thickness of the rocker sides (not the front wall) to provide better support for the heavier tube. Finally it was etched in caustic soda, and anodised matt black. 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. 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. I did find, though, that the 3D printed gear would slip on the shaft, so it needed a set screw. large in diameter (1.6") so that adds to the fine-ness of the focus I carefully cut exactly through the center of each side bearing circle to make my semicircles. Parts List (the full story of acquiring the parts), The primary, secondary, spider and secondary holderDiscovery Optics. There are some test sketches in the "Tests" folder, start with those. 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. Measure the diameter of the exposed shaft. ScopeStuff is awesome!! Once I decided to build a scope myself I had to decide on the aperture of the scope. I used the "LEDandBuzzer" and "TestStepsDRV8825" tests. But -- you have to be careful that the mechanism is true and the motor does not have a load on it at any time, otherwise it will 'stall' and stop moving. They're fairly in the tube so they'll hit the knitting needle before your drawtube runs Interfaced with a computer, so the computer can make the decisions about where the best focus is. Make sure the shroud can slip on and off of the assembled scope, and that it stretches along the circumference (not lengthwise). All in all it seemed like a pretty robust design, so I gave it a 3/4" thickness. I Built one of these http://emediadesigns.com/focuser/ working really well only cost less than 40.00. Telescope Magazine. You really need a step ladder even for my 10" when pointed overhead. That's pretty much the focuser. The mount and tripod are pretty much useless for astrophotography. My telescope is the Orion ED80T-CF. I wanted the long focal length for good contrast. After looking at many focuser options with a big range of prices, I decided to order a GSO 2 speed Crayford focuser from ScopeStuff. This combination has the best resolution (steps/revolution), so I didn't see any reason to build anything else. I applied contact cement to the first inch of the veneer and the mating inch of the tube. PhotoPictureResizer_190723_214534574_crop_2558x3105_copy_1023x1242.jpg. The Dob is really a great design. 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. I tried to call, but the voice mail had a recording stating that the customer was unable to receive messages. I do it with aluminium alloy, aluminium tube and nice work. Make an account on JLCPCB.com, upload the Gerber zip file, that's it! Attach the eye piece to another cardboard piece and pass it through the hole from the inside of the tube. I then attached the Ebony Star ring using contact cement. Or in my case, back to SolidWorks :-). Not sure if it is available in the USA. Well, it sort of looks like a focuser.. See pictures below. 10 inch or 12 inch. The mirror box encloses the mirror cell and allows the entire telescope to rotate vertically. This can be shimmed out with paper wrapped around the accessible by all ages and skill ranges. I pointed it at distant trees and had no problem bringing the image into focus with all of my eyepieces. and hope it doesn't fall off I would also like to know about how you can take such fantastic pictures without a field rotator and an autoguider system. 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. 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. A week after they said they would send the secondary and other parts, I called to ask if things had been sent. The focuser shaft on the telescope is 13.1mm in diameter. Robert is a super guy and more than willing to help those who choose to follow in his footsteps. We use cookies to continuously improve our websites for you and optimize its design and customization. To get a slide-fit in a 3D printed part, you normally make the hole 0.5mm larger than the shaft. Orion Dynamo Mini for powering a Nexstar 6SE? The cage should be a hollow cylinder about wider than the mirror, with the focuser mounted directly facing the secondary mirror. This simple homemade device will reduce star trails far better than if the camera was mounted on a tripod alone. I described it two years ago in this thread:https://www.cloudyniuser/?p=8879835 . CNC files (optional) Download the Sketchup files. Here are a few photos of the "bracket", which is a simple 3D printed plate that mounts to the telescope's focuser ring, and serves as a mount for the stepper motor. Able to make myself using my own humble tools (or toys as the pros will call them!) One 6in dob I made was a complete failure. Ideally, the spacer would be 1 inch long and have a smaller diameter, but I didn't get this one right the first time. 1/4" x 20 bolt, and the nylon bolt end against the smooth knitting Sh2-169 and Sh2-168, IC5146 Cocoon Nebula, Caldwell 19, Sh 2-125. I then ran a bead of glue on the mark, and after it dried I cut out the nylon up to the glue. A couple setscrews and you're up & running with an off the shelf solution. 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. 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. I'm' glad I did, because I didn't like the first color that I had chosen. Plus it comes in black, so 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. I attached keepers 1 inches wide by 5 inches long, extending above the bottom of the arcs by about 1 inches. I decided to keep this tube for now and if I run into problems with it, I can replace it later. Obviously an open truss telescope. The sides were attached with wood glue and clamps with a few small brads to hold everything in place. After another 3 weeks, I was concerned that I had not received the mirror. I have no idea how much mail this idea will generate, so I can't Thanks Pinbout for sharing your design. Knitting needles are While I applaud your building of a homemade Dob, (giving you the FULL benefit of the doubt here) your "friend" has provided photographs that make it look like you're trying to win by cheating. Thanks Bob. The specific hardware used for this is described on the Building page. This resulted in a gear that wasn't true and "wobbled" a bit. 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. I decided that my best option was to scale up their 8 inch design for a 12.5 inch scope and sacrifice the portability and easier storage of a truss scope for something that I felt confident in building myself. It's the same in form, but has a perfect, true 13.35mm hole. 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. A 6 in primary mirror does not have enough weight to make the dob stable. Position "0" is with the focuser all the way IN (at least for a refractor). I decided to order an aluminum mirror cell from University Optics instead so that the mirror could be supported at 9 different points. And you can tell it's not a mosaic because the stars at the corners show coma/field curvature artifacts. 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. Community Forum Software by IP.BoardLicensed to: Cloudy Nights. As the telescope tilts toward the horizon, the mirror must be supported on its edge. I ordered the focuser, received an immediate email confirming the order, and it arrived two days later. The bearings only need to be case you need more focuser travel than you thought. Made of plywood, the rocker box supports the mirror box on 1 teflon pads, allowing it to rotate vertically. 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. On the cutting diagram, you can see that the side bearings were cut 26 inches long. The focuser is very smooth. 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. Place the focuser, draw the position of the screws with a pencil and remove the focuser. However more than the focuser, I liked your scope. It took a lot longer than I expected to receive my mirror and other parts from Discovery. You can see that my Moonlite focuser was slightly larger than the sides of the tube. You will need to order one sized for your telescope's focuser shaft size. 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 interior diameter is just a nudge over 2". More Homemade Refractor Telescope DIY Erecting Prism Binoviewer Focuser here: Did you make this project? This combination has proved to be effective for all positions except when the tube is pointed directly up. microcontrollers including Arduino and Raspberry Pi, Drones and 3D Printing, and more. Able to shift heavy loads of kit ie over 1000g. Some of the very best planetary and deep sky pics I have seen have come from a Fuji S3 professioanl camera [based on a Nikon body] and a Canon 20Da, which was designed with [I think] a user replaceable inside the mirror box filter for astral photography. An Altitude Azimuth mount would also require a field rotator.There's no way these were taken with an Orion GoTo Mount.