See captioned photos 22-25 here:https://www.cloudyniractor-focuser/ for more detail on building a flush valve focuser, as Bob mentions. See the images how I plan to assemble it. I started by trying to drill out a metal gear for the focuser shaft. #@$%^#@!!!!! 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. 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. I'm' glad I did, because I didn't like the first color that I had chosen. This is the mirror box for my 16", with Jim doing a bit of cleanup sanding. 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. Drawing lines between opposite corners of the tube box sides allowed me to locate the center point on each side. 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. You will need to order one sized for your telescope's focuser shaft size. I don't have the skills to build a focuser using a. The mirror cell: University Optics (eventually). This means I can use FocusMax to do the focusing. Realizing that it could not be the University Optics cell already, I thought, Noit couldn't be but, in fact, it was. Install on Windows 10, this part is pretty straightforward. Deep space photos like these require HOURS of exposure for each one. A celebration of the Maker Movement, a family-friendly showcase of invention and creativity that gathers Post 10 of the same LSDF focuser thread also links to Art Bianconi's archived 2008 original flush valve focuser posts. However more than the focuser, I liked your scope. All in all it seemed like a pretty robust design, so I gave it And a couple of upright bearing blocks. the tube is cardboard as well, you can also get a quality mirror at telescope.com for much cheaper. Topics such as Today I purchased what is called atank nipple in India. Able to make myself using my own humble tools (or toys as the pros will call them!). They use a simple plywood mirror cell, stating that for an 8 inch mirror this cell will be adequate. astronowanabe, Pierre Lemay, LarsMalmgren and. 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). As I understand, you are using it for a refractor. 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. A homemade 16 inch dob lightweight telescope, DS-4 - XMission 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. 4 years ago Just drill holes in both ends and mount the lenses. Given any mirror measurements, PLOP will provide the ideal support layout and how much distortion to expect for any number of flotation points. focuser. Focusers of telescopes. Types, difference, specifications - Star Hunter corners of the squares provide nice nooks for the eyepiece and eyepiece The Focuser and other items: (Scope Stuff). Once I decided to build a scope myself I had to decide on the aperture of the scope. Just to make sure I liked the stain, I applied some to a piece of scrap wood. If you connect the 12V power with the barrel connector (right side of photo), the Nano should light up without the USB connection. I really had to, since the underside of my telescope's focuser is all curves, no flat area for attaching the mounting bracket. Did you make this project? Pretty dry but important! This will determine the size of the coupler you will use to connect the stepper motor. As the telescope tilts toward the horizon, the mirror must be supported on its edge. The one company that did provide a price quoted over $500more than I was willing to pay for cardboard! Step 4Attaching the Side Bearings and assembling the Rocker. try { Crayford focusers are considered superior to entry-level rack and pinion focusers, normally found in this type of device. with a genuine question or comment about the design. Perfect for astrophotography or during high power planetary observation. you don't need to paint it (or worry about paint flaking off it). Edited by sunrag, 28 May 2020 - 10:44 PM. he might just have a $3200 camera, they aren't very hard to come by. My secondary is 4; for tips on choosing size, click here. My DIY Motorized Telescope Focuser - YouTube This software creates a model of your telescope by measuring out of focus star sizes at various points. My guess is that photo was taken with a refractor. This makes for better sky photographs as the exposure time can be lengthened,. 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. There are a number of technical reasons why these photographs could not have come from this Optical Tube Assembly. Thin-wall aluminum tubing is used to attach the mirror box to the secondary cage. Slide the eyepiece into the focuser and try it out. 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. 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). While round tubing is sturdy, square tubing is easier to work with. 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. Line the underside of the rocker box with a ring of ABS plastic to allow it to ride on the base. Wooden Telescope Part 2: Tube and Mount - Instructables His passion is using CAD design and his homemade CNC router to bring large wood projects to life. I attached keepers 1 inches wide by 5 inches long, extending above the bottom of the arcs by about 1 inches. In the "ARDUINO FIRMWARE" folder, in it you will find a ZIP file "myFP2-Firmware 312-1.zip". love to hear from people who are interested in this focuser design. 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. It doesn't. A tilted focuser will have no effect on the image quality. 11 years ago work really well, for a fraction of the cost of a commercial Crayford Staples or finishing nails work fine, but be sure they dont bump up above the surface of the plastic. document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); installations. So I decided to make my own, using my normal "blunder in naively and see what happens" approach to making things. Be creative! Nice work and great instructable! You will need to remove the regular focus knob on your telescope's 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. While a sling or whiffletree provide the best edge support, a two-point edge support is much easier to construct. Homemade 12.5 Inch Dobsonian Telescope - Instructables Crayford-style design with four bearings and one driveshaft. I used a hole saw to cut a wooden plug to fit inside the 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. 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. We all know the problems with focusing. This extra space would allow the tube to be repositioned within the tube box to rotate the eyepiece or balance the tube. 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. and hope it doesn't fall off I have no idea how much mail this idea will generate, so I can't 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. Along with some silver bits . 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 Plus it comes in black, so you don't need to paint it (or worry about paint flaking off it). Find a special something for the makers in your life. Connect the Arduino USB cable and upload some test sketches. Since my focuser shaft is 6mm, I ordered the coupler shown here in the 6mm to 8mm version from Amazon. We are now ready for some testing. 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. I will post the pic of final focuser once ready. Or in my case, back to SolidWorks :-). 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. on Introduction. stronger, but would give me a coarser focus action because of their Thanks Bob. Well, it sort of looks like a focuser.. See pictures below. I had to take apart the focuser in order to get my bolts in place. 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. The only thing on the list that was a bit difficult to find was baltic birch plywood, which had to be special ordered from the lumber yard. (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.) a try. The Crayford Focuser and DIY Focuser for Homemade Telescope Here is what I was working on but looks like I need a better design. Share it with us! I brought a saw with me so that I cut it in half to fit in my minivan. Contact cement is permanent, so the only solution would be to replace the tube! After another 3 weeks, I was concerned that I had not received the mirror. I attached them with very small brads, countersinking the brads. It interfaces to the computer via USB and comes with an ASCOM driver. I have already seen some designs on CN, Stellafane and web but still checking if someone has recently made anything simpler. An Altitude Azimuth mount would also require a field rotator.There's no way these were taken with an Orion GoTo Mount. My telescope is the Orion ED80T-CF. The blue pieces of the rocker box and ground board are arranged as in the diagrams in (figure 2). As I read the book I decided that I should build a 12.5 inch truss tube scope. 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. 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 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. 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. It turns out the the extra 1/16 allowed far too much side to side movement between the rocker and ground board. my 12.5" trackball, but I didn't Telescope Magazine. The box should be deep enough to allow the mirror box to swing all the way down. This is the upper tube that contains the flat secondary mirror, Telrad finder, and focuser. the side of a rigid secondary cage. Those are the last screws to be tightened. 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. the interior diameter is just a nudge over 2". Community Forum Software by IP.BoardLicensed to: Cloudy Nights. together tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators across the globe. If you found some good surplus lenses, you will have made a stunningly good objective for your scope. 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. The focuser shaft on the telescope is 13.1mm in diameter. how much travel you actually need, you can cut the tube off so none of on my binocular scope for quite a while now and really like them. The little app is simple and works great. NEMA-17 Stepper Motor - see below, there are two options. 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. Quick demo of my motorized focuser, and I will create a detailed tutorial if enough people are interested. I hate focusing. To cut the circles, I used a router with a straight cutting bit and a circle cutting jig. That's pretty much the focuser. 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. Once I had my design set, I was ready to buy the parts. I had installed the mirror about an inch too far away from the focuser. Gift the gift of Make: Magazine this holiday season! I read the entire thread and surely its going to help me building my focuser. Robert Brown did an excellent video on how to work out your stepper motor requirements. My wife helped me by moving the mirror into and out of the tube around the marked spot while I stood at the eyepiece trying to bring some distant trees into focus. The secondary holder is adjustable, so I could didn't have to get the location perfect. DIY Truss Dob input: How to design truss? DO NOT drill out the holes in the board! The diameter of the focuser is usually indicated in inches. I wasn't there so i can be 100% but i do not think my friend was lying to me and i believe the pictures are from my telescope my kids use it for stargazing a lot i have seen some deepspace but i use it mainly for sketching the moon and i like to view solar flares. Showcasing amazing maker projects of 2022. The drawings are only approximately to scale. Motorise Your Own Telescope (updated 10-19-2017). - Instructables This cost around $100 to build and all of the components came from. I only use the OTA. Overall, I'm very happy with the outcome of this project - focusing is now a joy. on Step 5. . 10 years ago 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. 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. 11 years ago Use the externalMirror Edge Support Calculatorto decide whether to use a two-point, four-point (whiffletree), or sling support. Finally, attach your polar alignment device and align it with the hinge. More commercial crayford focusers are of a more enclosed form, whereas mine is more "open frame" approach. Tom's Homemade Telescope Page - 14 inch dob - Google Easy DIY motorized battery free telescope focuser - YouTube I then ran a bead of glue on the mark, and after it dried I cut out the nylon up to the glue. scope, I only put knobs on the outsides. 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. When you want to focus, you just open the program and press focus. Your astrophotographer friend may have included his own images from his setup. A Beginner's Guide to Collimation - Gary Seronik Quick demo of my motorized focuser, and I will create a detailed tutorial if enough people are interested. After another 3 weeks, I was concerned that I had not received the mirror. eyepiece on the ground (or worse, on your primary mirror!) The cage should be a hollow cylinder about wider than the mirror, with the focuser mounted directly facing the secondary mirror. I took the whole tube assembly outside. A few months later I ordered some other things from Scopestuff, including strips of Ebony Star laminate for the side bearings, a ring of Ebony Star for the rocker bottom, a strip of teflon to cut pieces for the ground board and side bearings, and a new base for my Telrad finder. on Step 3. 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. Finally, I attached Keepers to the sides of the rocker at the bottom of the arcs using screws and glue. an eyepiece. Since these focusers were going side-by-side on a binocular By adjusting the bolts, the mirror can be pointed toward the correct spot. I don't *do* pretty. the drive shaft close against the drawtube. In my build, the cage was cut on a CNC router from plywood, with threaded T-nuts added to support a truss assembly. 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. Bill, Impressive work and great idea about LSDF focuser. Again from the main FILES page, go to "ASCOM DRIVERS" and download everything. Im quite happy with the result, and the view in its large mirror is phenomenal. Above youll find an interactive 3D rendering of the Sketchup file I used to design and cut all of the parts for my telescope. Here is a link to the main FILES area on Robert Brown's site. I like the old way of using stepper motors and other stuff introduced years ago by Mel Bartels, he is a master for me. When they arrived, they were beautifully and carefully packaged with the secondary already installed in its holder. This simple homemade device will reduce star trails far better than if the camera was mounted on a tripod alone. drneilmb, thanks for sharing the focuser design. 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. 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. Inside the OTA is a ring of tightly fitting flocking paper that prevents any light getting in around the drawtube. Fast forward a few months to the next time I had the tube outside. 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 part is very strong! You currently have javascript disabled. I had already made a lightweight focuser for My homemade motorized telescope focuser for Celestron C8. 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. Homemade Electric Telescope Focuser - Stargazers Lounge Make sure the shroud can slip on and off of the assembled scope, and that it stretches along the circumference (not lengthwise). 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. Given that you can make the drawtube any length you on Step 5, 9 years ago Plus it comes in black, so by cranking I have built a homemade electric focuser for my Celestron 8SE using a radio control hobby servo and some spare parts. exactly 2" with adhesive labels placed one at a time inside the tube The next day, I called back to ask their opinion about the kind of spider and secondary holder to order. My plan for wrapping the tube seemed good, but I am not too pleased with the final result. With adapters for any Meade 1x200-ACF or LS model, and chord to plug into focuser port. After cutting the circles for the side bearings, I set up the jig to cut the curved edges of the rocker sides. I would love to see your build when you are finished with it . It turned out that they had an incorrect zip code and the package was still waiting to be sent. Place the focuser, draw the position of the screws with a pencil and remove the focuser. I also have an extended photographic build diary of this telescope posted on Imgur. Subscribe to the premier DIY magazine today, Community access, print, and digital Magazine, and more. It is used to setup water outlet from overhead water tanks. Also no obvious diffraction spikes in the m31 photo. SDO/HMI Continuum Image on 2023.03.04 at 1259 UT, Remote computer working with no extra networking. - Bill. rod for the drive axle it would have a fairly fine motion. 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. #2 knitting needle would be just about right. I centered the focuser 8 inches from the top of the tube, using a 2.5 inch hole drilling saw with smaller holes for the bolts that would hold the focuser. (actually, it ended up a smidge more than 2 inches) Lighter than the existing focuser. The overall project is super cheap, we're building this thing for something like $50 in materials. How to make diy focuser pvc - YouTube (Sorry you 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. 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. I laughed, packed up the cell with a long letter describing the series of events that led to the return, and put it in the mail. This is the kind of simple off the shelf design I was looking for. crafts, science & engineering, design, and technology. This is not recommended for shared computers. If your optical train is heavy and the focuser has to bear it (see above) then this motor may be a better choice. Carve out a hole on the top part of the sonotube first. So, as they say, "back to the drawing board". Start with the small components first. I told them to take their time and get it right. Knitting needles are So, am curious to see what others have designed and built and proud to show off here on the homage to Crayford thread. needle so the knitting needle will be snug against the drawtube without 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 hole did need to be enlarged slightly by moving the bit within the hole , but in the end, the fit seems right. I'd be willing to bet that you could easily grind your own 12.5 inch next time and save some $$. 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. A free program that lights childrens creative fires and allows them to explore projects in areas such as arts & They're fairly I did not glue the bearings to the tube box in case I needed to adjust the position later. I even began taking careful notes about needed supplies and plans for each piece of the truss tube scope.
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