I only use the OTA. When you figure out I marked the expected position of the secondary by measuring 61 inches down from the end of the tube. 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. (Sorry you This sure is going to be a project I will work on. I used my router to "mill" a flat area for better contact with the focus adjustment rod. DO NOT drill out the holes in the board! Pioneered by John Dobson in the 1960s, the instrument combines a Newtonian reflector telescope with a unique two-axis movable base. The company has a reputation for excellent optics, and it was neither the most expensive, nor the least. forces the knitting needle against the drawtube and the drawtube against I was finishing this inner debate when I got a copy of the book The Dobsonian Telescope by Kriege and Berry as a Christmas gift. 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. Before I wrapped the tube (and before I discovered the problem with the primary placement) I determined the balance point on the tube. You need to order it sized for your focuser shaft size. 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. 1N5408 3A Diode (you may need to make the pins smaller to fit through the holes in the board. As I read the book I decided that I should build a 12.5 inch truss tube scope. The telescopes size is classified by the size of its mirror. Connect the Arduino USB cable and upload some test sketches. Your choice here will be recorded for all Make.co Websites. But who cares, really? All that remained was to design and print a bracket, and buy the needed parts. I ended up modifying it a bit after printing. I sanded all parts of the telescope with 220 grit sandpaper followed by 400 grit, making a very smooth surface to apply the stain. The focuser 'knob' on the Celestron is just a rubber sleeve that usually pulls off easily. Some of these are essential for the basic functionalities of our websites. The ARtemis module came in a kit form actually just two circuit boards one of which I had to source the parts, build and box myself. I also doubled the thickness of the rocker sides (not the front wall) to provide better support for the heavier tube. 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! 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. A Beginner's Guide to Collimation - Gary Seronik Tom's Homemade Telescope Page - Udder Nonsense - Google Nice one. was straight so I wouldn't get a wobbly knob. In amateur astrophotography, we run our telescopes overnight. exactly 2" with adhesive labels placed one at a time inside the tube on Step 5, 9 years ago Cost is $25 - $30, and you will have 5 PCBs in about a week. 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. try { curated by us, the people behind Make: and the Maker Faire. The last time I checked, that particular SBIG camera used on TelescopeGeek had an eight month lead time.A 20" scope gathers 2.6 times more light than a 12.5" scope, therefore equivalent exposures on this one would take 200+ minutes, at least. I am working on a diy focuser design for my 6" F/8 telescope and asking suggestions for simple focuser. If your optical train is heavy and the focuser has to bear it (see above) then this motor may be a better choice. 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. case you need more focuser travel than you thought. It was May 12th. Yet I was also becoming infected with aperture fever. 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. i am not trying to win this contest with photos. With Simple | Space Built one of these http://emediadesigns.com/focuser/ working really well only cost less than 40.00. Able to shift heavy loads of kit ie over 1000g. 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 have one on my 12" f/5 truss dob and the focuser knob is on the top surface of the UTA. A 6 in primary mirror does not have enough weight to make the dob stable. Motorise Your Own Telescope (updated 10-19-2017). - Instructables With Simple, Homemade Telescopes, You Can Explore the Stars (Op-Ed) The box should be deep enough to allow the mirror box to swing all the way down. Since my focuser shaft is 6mm, I ordered the coupler shown here in the 6mm to 8mm version from Amazon. 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. I have no idea how much mail this idea will generate, so I can't To view, go here: http://emediadesigns.com/focuser/ And for those who like to work with 3D printers, both the single speed and dual-speed versions could easily be printed. Made of plywood, the rocker box supports the mirror box on 1 teflon pads, allowing it to rotate vertically. The overall project is super cheap, we're building this thing for something like $50 in materials. Un-real!!! 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. This arrangement turns 100% true, no wobble. Concluding that I would not be able to buy a tube off the shelf, I found a couple of companies that took special orders on cardboard tubes. This cost around $100 to build and all of the components came from Jaycar, except the brackets which were made with 1.2mm sheet metal. Maker-written books designed to inform and delight! Two inch internal diameter drawtube. The base of the telescope should be a wide, sturdy square or circle of wood with teflon bearing pads matched to the ABS plastic ring of the rocker box. Deep space photos like these require HOURS of exposure for each one. Instead of the rack and pinion, they have a smooth spring-loaded shaft which holds the focus tube against four opposing bearing surfaces, and controls its movement. I placed my telrad, optical finder, and an eyepiece on the focuser end of the tube and, using a broomstick as a balance point, found that the tube balanced 22 inches from the bottom. 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. I used the "LEDandBuzzer" and "TestStepsDRV8825" tests. Shorter thread side will be used to attach the eyepiece. You won't need to write any sketches from scratch, but you will at least need to figure out how to upload them to the Nano. 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. Once built, line the undersides of the arms with textured ABS plastic as a bearing surface. At this point, the scope was pretty much finished. Post 10 of the same LSDF focuser thread also links to Art Bianconi's archived 2008 original flush valve focuser posts. I also wanted to strengthen and protect the cardboard tube. Quick demo of my motorized focuser, and I will create a detailed tutorial if enough people are interested. The project took several months off and on to complete, although a skilled Maker could put a similar one together in a few weeks. by cranking There was the expense, for one, but also the 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. Put it all together In addition, we use third-party cookies to help us analyze and understand usage. A wide hole will let the knitting needle creep When the skies were dark enough for observing I found that the scope moves easily into position and holds that position well. Remember: It is the quality and SIZE of the capture chip, NOT the megapixels that determines quality. 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. 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 The glue should keep the nylon from fraying. Homage to Homemade Crayford Focusers - Cloudy Nights That evening I spent most of my time rediscovering the many DSOs around Sagittarius, especially the Lagoon Nebula and the Trifid Nebula. Most people will want a knob on Your astrophotographer friend may have included his own images from his setup. I want to make this direct drive system work. 10 years ago tube and nut that fits the outside threads. I had some carboy caps that make good knobs. As the authors describe the benefits of a truss design, it is hard to dispute their arguments. They have many items for ATMers and I had frequently visited their website when planning my scope. I did run into a small problem with the focuser. on Step 1, interesting build, its just like my old Odyssey brand scope from the mid 1990's. 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. I call shenanigans on every picture in this post except for the the moon. 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. the bearings, totally eliminating any flex. This one is based on the DRV8825 driver chip and a NEMA-17 stepper motor. Earthbound1 likes this #2 dave brock Mercury-Atlas on my binocular scope for quite a while now and really like them. The email bounced back to me. I plan to use an FTA over it in case an extension is needed. To get a slide-fit in a 3D printed part, you normally make the hole 0.5mm larger than the shaft. Tom's Homemade Telescope Page - DIY Craford Focuser - Google I'm also going to focus on only one version of Robert's focuser (there are many). I tried to call, but the voice mail had a recording stating that the customer was unable to receive messages. I had considered a Moonlite or Featherlite focuser, but I knew from my experience with my 6 inch scope that I wanted a 2 speed focuser, and the price tag of their 2 speed focusers scared me away. I wanted to finish that instructable before the contest ended but was too late :-). I knew that I would be returning the mirror cell to them, but just for fun I decided to see how it would fit in the tube. small, it's surprisingly rigid. I also have an extended photographic build diary of this telescope posted on Imgur. : "http://www. 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. 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. Just to make sure I liked the stain, I applied some to a piece of scrap wood. I will post the pic of final focuser once ready. Stellafane The Focuser I read the entire thread and surely its going to help me building my focuser. 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. Several functions may not work. Unfortunately I don't have a 3d printer. Featured in the February, 2015 issue of Sky & This is where you will use screws to strongly attach the focuser onto the tube. Secondary mirror with spider holder Search on eBay for a matched set. I also figured that the extra expense was worth it, considering the amount of money I was investing in the project overall. I would love to see your build when you are finished with it . Or rather, I hated it. 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). The dimensions of the Tube Box Sides are based on the outer diameter of my tube14 3/16. With the DRV8825 and Arduino Nano plugged in, the basic board is complete. Funny how the bigger they are the better for dobs. You should watch (and bookmark) this video. 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 am thankful to enjoy the inspiration, and the details, that you provide, as I will soon be constructing a Dobsonian Telescope. CNC files (optional) Download the Sketchup files. You really need a step ladder even for my 10" when pointed overhead. The version number "312" here may change if Robert posts new firmware. 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. This makes for better sky photographs as the exposure time can be lengthened,. Two of the holes for the bolts were blocked by knobs. It turned out that they had an incorrect zip code and the package was still waiting to be sent. Actually getting the parts into my hands turned out to be more of a challenge than I would have expected, but in the end, I have a wonderful telescope that I enjoy very much. Perfect for astrophotography or during high power planetary observation. A week after they said they would send the secondary and other parts, I called to ask if things had been sent. They're fairly The silly colours are mainly due to me experimenting with various clothes dyes in the anodising. They said they would make the brackets extra long to accommodate the mirror and it would take about a week. Share it with us! I drilled the holes in the center of the ground board and rocker bottom using a 9/16 bit, thinking that I needed the extra 1/16 so that the spacer could move. This motor is available on Amazon. 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 decided to order an aluminum mirror cell from University Optics instead so that the mirror could be supported at 9 different points. both sides. Able to make myself using my own humble tools (or toys as the pros will call them!) You need a drawtube of course. To test the concept I used a short piece of two inch PVC for the draw tube. 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. The Artemis module works extremely well, and is to be strongly recommended. This motor has a 5mm drive shaft. The heaviest piece is 40 lbs, and the total scope weighs about 60 lbs (not counting the baffle). I have already seen some designs on CN, Stellafane and web but still checking if someone has recently made anything simpler. Tom's Homemade Telescope Page - Issac Newton Scope - Google More Homemade Refractor Telescope DIY Erecting Prism Binoviewer Focuser here: Did you make this project? 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 tube is cardboard as well, you can also get a quality mirror at telescope.com for much cheaper. 11 years ago Wooden Telescope Part 2: Tube and Mount - Instructables I started with a spacer that with a inch outer diameter. I ground and figured the mirror with little troubles, making my focault tester, etc. Again from the main FILES page, go to "ASCOM DRIVERS" and download everything. After a few weeks of no communication from them, no ability to phone or email them, and no mirror cell arriving. how much travel you actually need, you can cut the tube off so none of I do have another tube that can be used around the drawtube, but it doesn't really add anything. 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. Drawing lines between opposite corners of the tube box sides allowed me to locate the center point on each side. This is the mirror box for my 16", with Jim doing a bit of cleanup sanding. Using a compass, I drew lines for the inside and outside of the Ebony Star ring on the top and bottom of the rocker bottom. That is dirt cheap compared to the cost of commercially available focusers, which can top $1000 and are much heavier than what we will build. Perfect for visual observations with very heavy mirrors. Membership connects and supports the people and projects that shape our future and supports the learning The mirror cell: University Optics (eventually). When I ordered the cell, I paid through paypal, which immediately deducts money from my checking account. How to make diy focuser pvc - YouTube 4 years ago 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). var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? To do this, the mirror cell needs to be supported by 3 large bolts, at least 2 of which are adjustable. To glue the side bearings and rocker sides to full thickness, I covered a side with wood glue, then carefully lined up the pieces and put two small nails into the pieces to hold them in place. 5 weeks after I had ordered the mirror, I called to ask about its status. Parts List (the full story of acquiring the parts), The primary, secondary, spider and secondary holderDiscovery Optics. It may take you a while to adjust the image correctly, but it's not hard to do, just time consuming. PVC pipe makes great drawtubes. We tried this in our back yard, but found that it was too difficult to aim both the tube and the moving mirror at distant trees in our suburban yard. I don't have the skills to build a focuser using a. on Step 5. Knitting needles are on Introduction. 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. too far. 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. 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. Telescope Electronic Focuser : 16 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables the side of a rigid secondary cage. This resulted in a gear that wasn't true and "wobbled" a bit. Sonotube (14 inch diameter, 12 feet long): $70, Focuser (GSO 2 speed low profile Crayford): $139, Total cost for supplies for this project: $1700. If you're not using heavy eyepieces, you probably don't need I'd be willing to bet that you could easily grind your own 12.5 inch next time and save some $$. I hate focusing. DIY Remote Telescope Focuser - YouTube I've been using the above pair The wide square footprint would make it pretty stable when mounted to If you enter it in the next contest please let me know and i will make sure to vote for you. Gift the gift of Make: Magazine this holiday season! 11 years ago Now attach the screw eyes and the rubber band on the side of the board. I was concerned that it would be difficult to find, but I was able to order it from a local woodworking shop. Fairly easy to build and could be adapted to suit any SCT focuser. I had chosen a boxy, rigid design for the binocular scope, so Part numbers 351-4574 and 336-422. Homemade Electric Telescope Focuser - Stargazers Lounge The focal length of the mirror is 61 inches. After waiting for the contact cement to dry to the touch, and with my wife's help, I carefully aligned the edge of the veneer with the guideline on the tube and pressed the first inch together. The next day my wife called me at work to tell me a box had arrived with telescope stuff. I like the old way of using stepper motors and other stuff introduced years ago by Mel Bartels, he is a master for me. The motor is much lighter than the geared motor. accessible by all ages and skill ranges. The little app is simple and works great. 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. The hole did need to be enlarged slightly by moving the bit within the hole , but in the end, the fit seems right. Thicker knitting needles would be even Carve out a hole on the top part of the sonotube first. Drill a hole and attach the ball head using a shorter 1/4" 20 bolt. Another thing, the resolution on the Dumbell nebula seems a bit too high for that telescope. Sh2-169 and Sh2-168, IC5146 Cocoon Nebula, Caldwell 19, Sh 2-125. It interfaces to the computer via USB and comes with an ASCOM driver. Coupler for NEMA-17 Stepper Motor (also two choices, see below), LM7808 Voltage Regulator with TO-220 package -, Mini On/Off 3-pin 2-position slide switch -, Headers and wire (miscellaneous sizes and gauges), these are important so you can replace the component if it is damaged, LM7808 voltage regulator w/TO-220 heat sink package, 2-pin headers for 12V power and on/off switch. We use cookies to continuously improve our websites for you and optimize its design and customization. Measure twice, drill Now I can simply insert the PVC cap on the end of a 4" pvc tube. 11 years ago 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. A smart collection of books, magazines, electronics kits, robots, microcontrollers, tools, supplies, and more The bearings only need to be Interfaced with a computer, so the computer can make the decisions about where the best focus is. 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. Download and check them out, I just grabbed the first one and printed it. So, for my telescope I used a 6mm to 5mm coupler available on Amazon. The cage should be a hollow cylinder about wider than the mirror, with the focuser mounted directly facing the secondary mirror. Let me see if I can get similar plumbing parts here. It stalled when tension on the belt increased. I set things up in daylight and collimated the scope. To place the primary mirror, I installed the secondary and installed the primary in the mirror cell. 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. 11 years ago My plan for wrapping the tube seemed good, but I am not too pleased with the final result. once. on Introduction, Very nice build nikon20. Here is a link to the main FILES area on Robert Brown's site. the nylon screws going up from the bottom, but I found the knitting How to make a $30 DIY star tracker for astrophotography This is the first telescope that I have built. Able to make myself using my own humble tools (or toys as the pros will call them!). I would also like to know about how you can take such fantastic pictures without a field rotator and an autoguider system. So, am curious to see what others have designed and built and proud to show off here on the homage to Crayford thread. 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. 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. The bigger upvc nut will be attached to focuser plate and longer threaded side will be used on it for the focusing. We are now ready for some testing. I was still doing some construction on the morning of the event, but I succeeded in making first light on that clear, dark night in late July. 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.