knob, and a drill press to make sure the hole for the knitting needle Today I purchased what is called atank nipple in India. His passion is using CAD design and his homemade CNC router to bring large wood projects to life. Make sure the shroud can slip on and off of the assembled scope, and that it stretches along the circumference (not lengthwise). This software creates a model of your telescope by measuring out of focus star sizes at various points. All i did was supply the telescope as far as his camera equipment i dont know what he used i never saw it all i know is he had my scope for about a month while i was traveling and he gave me these photos. Topics such as They're fairly And a couple of upright bearing blocks. document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); Accordingly, with 1.25 focuser, you can use 1.25 eyepieces, with 2 focuser - both 2 eyepieces and 1.25 (through a special . Brandon Lawler is a hobbyist telescope Maker and an active member of the Central Texas Astronomical Society. adapter set screws to slide into. It is named after the Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society, Crayford, London, England where it was invented by John Wall, a member of the astronomical society which meets there. I installed the spider first, about one inch down from the end of the square end of the tube. My secondary is 4; for tips on choosing size, click here. spambots that search the internet for addresses to send junk mail to.) 100A81BF-2145-44D5-BC76-66DBF43BAD58.jpeg. Thicker walls also required thicker side bearings so that the outside of the bearings would line up with the outside of the rocker sides. Here is what I was working on but looks like I need a better design. Orion Dynamo Mini for powering a Nexstar 6SE? Thicker knitting needles would be even I had already made a lightweight focuser for 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. 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. 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. When you're ready to go on to testing with the windows driver, you want "myFP2_DRV8825_312-1", open that folder. You need to order it sized for your focuser shaft size. the tube is cardboard as well, you can also get a quality mirror at telescope.com for much cheaper. I did not wrap the tube until I had completed the base. Those are the last screws to be tightened. I found out pretty quickly that building my own telescope would only be a bargain if I made my own mirror and mechanical parts. SDO/HMI Continuum Image on 2023.03.04 at 1259 UT, Remote computer working with no extra networking. The flat wants to be running parallel to the long axis of the tube. Frustrated by these difficulties, I stopped by one more hardware store to ask for advice. Rock on! Upload that main sketch to the Nano. I hate focusing. flexing. You should now be able to drill the 4 holes at each corner. Perfect for visual observations with very heavy mirrors. I'm' glad I did, because I didn't like the first color that I had chosen. 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. Home centers and hardware stores did not carry large sizes. 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. Quick demo of my motorized focuser, and I will create a detailed tutorial if enough people are interested. You need some purple bits 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. If you follow the procedures described above, your telescope's optics will be perfectly aligned. I had some carboy caps that make good knobs. You currently have javascript disabled. Built one of these http://emediadesigns.com/focuser/ working really well only cost less than 40.00. Star Adventurer Pro Pack Counter Weight Bar Thumb Screw Upgrade. Not sure if it is available in the USA. 4 years ago Plus it comes in black, so drneilmb, thanks for sharing the focuser design. When the skies were dark enough for observing I found that the scope moves easily into position and holds that position well. Featured in the February, 2015 issue of Sky & A week later the cell arrived (on schedule) from University Optics. focuser. Save over 40% off the annual cover price for a full year (4 issues) of Make. More commercial crayford focusers are of a more enclosed form, whereas mine is more "open frame" approach. 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. While I will freely admit that most astro-photography is WAY beyond me, you certainly do NOT need a $3200 camera to do so. 5 weeks after I had ordered the mirror, I called to ask about its status. 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. As the authors describe the benefits of a truss design, it is hard to dispute their arguments. I file a dispute with Paypal to begin the process of getting my money back. My newtonian telescope, like most others, came fitted with a nasty rack and pinion focuser. This unit takes signals from your computer and drives the stepper motor on the focuser. I by cranking on Introduction. The version number "312" here may change if Robert posts new firmware. Once you get it working, there's some calibration you need to do. Crayford-style design with four bearings and one driveshaft. Read the documentation though, there are a lot of functions and options. Newton, and others including James Gregory and Laurent Cassegrain, believed that a reflecting telescope would not be affected by the chromatic aberration that affected . Now I can simply insert the PVC cap on the end of a 4" pvc tube. Thin 1/16 Kydex plastic should be cut to length to line the inside of the cage as a baffle to block outside light. I had to take apart the focuser in order to get my bolts in place. I would also like to know about how you can take such fantastic pictures without a field rotator and an autoguider system. You should watch (and bookmark) this video. I I then attached the Ebony Star ring using contact cement. The hole is made slightly larger than the shaft, this is normal. 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. That helps with low-profile The bearings only need to be We were careful to press out any bubbles as we went, but when the job was done we found that there were multiple bubbles in the veneer. The overall project is super cheap, we're building this thing for something like $50 in materials. Quick demo of my motorized focuser, and I will create a detailed tutorial if enough people are interested. Crayford focusers are considered superior to entry-level rack and pinion focusers, normally found in this type of device. But, like many of you I'm sure, the biggest reason I'm doing this is for the pure geeky fun of it! Above youll find an interactive 3D rendering of the Sketchup file I used to design and cut all of the parts for my telescope. If you connect the 12V power with the barrel connector (right side of photo), the Nano should light up without the USB connection. I was certain not to move the jig at all before cutting the second circle. All that remained was to design and print a bracket, and buy the needed parts. 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. var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-1008534-4"); forward and back along with the drawtube when you focus, and you'll get 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. 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. Also no obvious diffraction spikes in the m31 photo. I told them to take their time and get it right. I do have another tube that can be used around the drawtube, but it doesn't really add anything. After the pieces were glued together, I used a belt sander to smooth out any rough edges, being careful to keep both rocker sides and both side bearings exactly the same. the bearings right at the edge of the frame, reducing the frame to 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. Subscribe to the premier DIY magazine today, Community access, print, and digital Magazine, and more. More Homemade Refractor Telescope DIY Erecting Prism Binoviewer Focuser here: Did you make this project? The heaviest piece is 40 lbs, and the total scope weighs about 60 lbs (not counting the baffle). 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! Page 1 of 2 - DIY focuser design - posted in ATM, Optics and DIY Forum: Hi I am working on a diy focuser design for my 6 F/8 telescope and asking suggestions for simple focuser. 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. But I wanted a larger mirror, and, at that size, grinding my own was not an option. Just to make sure I liked the stain, I applied some to a piece of scrap wood. This combination has the best resolution (steps/revolution), so I didn't see any reason to build anything else. 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. I set things up in daylight and collimated the scope. Share it with us! During assembly, youll attach the trusses to the mirror box, then sit the secondary cage on top and bolt everything in place. This combination has proved to be effective for all positions except when the tube is pointed directly up. Cost is $25 - $30, and you will have 5 PCBs in about a week. In the sub-folder "Cases" you will see many variants of the case for the DRV8825 based focusers. he might just have a $3200 camera, they aren't very hard to come by. It had been described by many as the most important recent volume for anyone planning to build a dob, and I have to agree. } catch(err) {}, SH-232 Sharpless sh-232, sh-231, sh-233, sh-235, NGC2174 Monkey Head Nebula, Sharpless 252, Sh2-252, HDW3 Hartl-Dengel-Weinberger 3 PN G149.4-09.2, SH-198 Sharpless 198, Soul Nebula, IC1848, NGC281 IC11, Sharpless Sh2-184, Pacman Nebula, SH2-173 SH2-173 Phantom of the Opera LBN 593, SH2-168 Sharpless HII regions. This will determine the size of the coupler you will use to connect the stepper motor. The little app is simple and works great. Next, attach the eyepiece and the focuser to the top part of the telescope tube. It's rigid, lightweight, and If you're not familiar with Arduino, watch some tutorial videos. 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. This is my copy of the telescope that Sir Isaac Newton presented to the Royal Society of London in 1671, and is considered to be the first successful reflecting telescope. I had installed the mirror about an inch too far away from the focuser. Please explain, in detail, how you attached your tube to the very unique drive system of an XT12G mount. and hope it doesn't fall off help eliminate slippage when the focuser is pointed straight upward. Did you make this project? I had nearly completed the base and put things together for the first time. 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. I decided to use baltic birch because it is recommended by Kriege and Berry as well as many online sources. Homemade astronomy. Place the focuser, draw the position of the screws with a pencil and remove the focuser. A project collaboration and documentation platform. After cutting the circles for the side bearings, I set up the jig to cut the curved edges of the rocker sides. The focuser knob had two set screws. with a genuine question or comment about the design. work really well, for a fraction of the cost of a commercial Crayford Un-real!!! Edited by Pierre Lemay, 25 May 2020 - 08:10 AM. large in diameter (1.6") so that adds to the fine-ness of the focus 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. Headers for the LEDs, buzzer (2-pin) and temperature probe (3-pin). Maker-written books designed to inform and delight! There are sub-folders for the different versions. Only problem is if I put a diagonal it wants to rotate the helical part. DIY Truss Dob input: How to design truss? Similar photos at http://www.telescopegeek.com/gallery.htm require 100+ minute exposure times on his 20" telescope and $3200 camera. When you figure out I wanted to finish that instructable before the contest ended but was too late :-). I attached three feet equally spaced on top of the ring, and on the opposite side attached teflon pads 1 X 1 directly above the feet using very small brads and countersinking the brads below the surface of the teflon. I drew a guide line straight down the side of the tube and cut the veneer to length with one extra inch on each side68 inches long. The lumber yard also gave me a lower price than I expected. love to hear from people who are interested in this focuser design. forces the knitting needle against the drawtube and the drawtube against You can easily, and economically (10$) build a Crayford Helical Focuser like the one pictured above in one evening with simple tools. the bearings, totally eliminating any flex. Membership connects and supports the people and projects that shape our future and supports the learning This is the first telescope that I have built. I particularly like that the design can be integrated directly into the focuser board to make a very, very simple UTA. They eyepiece height ended up being about 5'10" high at zenith. This means you lose much of the night's images. I was annoyed to have made the mistake, but very glad that I checked the position on stars before wrapping the tube in veneer. Robert Brown did an excellent video on how to work out your stepper motor requirements. In amateur astrophotography, we run our telescopes overnight. To cut the circles, I used a router with a straight cutting bit and a circle cutting jig. narrow the frame. initiatives for the next generation of makers. a try. accessible by all ages and skill ranges. Measure twice, drill Start with the small components first. 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. Using a compass I drew circles on the top and bottom of the ground board to mark the inside and outside of the teflon ring on the bottom of the rocker bottom. ASIAIR - Is there an easy way to load Messier catalog into Autorun? Thanks again for the 'ible. Gift the gift of Make: Magazine this holiday season! By adjusting the bolts, the mirror can be pointed toward the correct spot. I brought a saw with me so that I cut it in half to fit in my minivan. The last chapter of the book describes a plan for an 8 inch sonotube dob with a few design elements from their truss design, and, as I read that chapter, the simplicity of its construction was very appealing. I took the whole tube assembly outside. 11 years ago Make the hole diameter fairly snug, too. Edited by sunrag, 28 May 2020 - 10:44 PM. It is used to setup water outlet from overhead water tanks. Able to shift heavy loads of kit ie over 1000g. haven't yet found any design elements that need improvement. It just 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. Again from the main FILES page, go to "ASCOM DRIVERS" and download everything. 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. Remember: It is the quality and SIZE of the capture chip, NOT the megapixels that determines quality. So, am curious to see what others have designed and built and proud to show off here on the homage to Crayford thread. Edited by howardcano, 24 May 2020 - 09:29 PM. It was May 12th. The one company that did provide a price quoted over $500more than I was willing to pay for cardboard! 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. Over how many nights did this photography session take place? . The email bounced back to me. I had some carboy caps that make good knobs. 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. A 6 in primary mirror does not have enough weight to make the dob stable. 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. Your choice here will be recorded for all Make.co Websites. As it turned out, the mirror cell was too large to fit into my 14 inch sonotube. Download the Gerber Files. It took about 3 weeks but, since Anttler's did not even reply to the Paypal dispute, I received a Paypal refund. I gave them a call and they said they had one on the shelf14 inches in diameter and 12 feet long! I made a similar helical focuser with a nice 2 inch thing I found in Classifieds. Thanks Bob. Most of these have one or two set screws. 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. Fire up focusmax, and shoot some images! This is where you will use screws to strongly attach the focuser onto the tube. I'd PhotoPictureResizer_190723_214534574_crop_2558x3105_copy_1023x1242.jpg. Crayford focusers are considered superior to entry-level rack and pinion The basic points I wanted to cover: What did I end up with? the drive shaft close against the drawtube. I will post the pic of final focuser once ready. This arrangement turns 100% true, no wobble. I also figured that the extra expense was worth it, considering the amount of money I was investing in the project overall. The glue should keep the nylon from fraying. What materials did you use? Sonotube (14 inch diameter, 12 feet long): $70, Focuser (GSO 2 speed low profile Crayford): $139, Total cost for supplies for this project: $1700. Finally, I attached Keepers to the sides of the rocker at the bottom of the arcs using screws and glue. The rocker arms must also have guides to keep it on the track; flat metal 12 braces lined with ABS plastic work nicely. 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. Since my plan called for purchasing the mirrors and mechanical parts there were several decisions to be made and several vendors to contact. Your astrophotographer friend may have included his own images from his setup. 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. 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. larger diameter. 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.". ScopeStuff is awesome!! Along with some silver bits 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. Pioneered by John Dobson in the 1960s, the instrument combines a Newtonian reflector telescope with a unique two-axis movable base. The Dob is really a great design. Nice looking telescope. A Pocket Sundial From a Broken Pocket Watch! It has become an indispensable piece of equipment for me that so beats hacking and filing PVC pipes etc. My concern turned to alarm when my wife told me that Discovery had charged the balance due on all items to my account a few weeks earlier. Once its cut to length, drill a hole through each end of the tubing with a drill press. I think I got what I wanted and seems best solution for me. To get this arc, I actually moved the radius of the jig, At some point in the building process, my goal became to finish the scope by RocheStar Fest, an annual event of the. I waited until dark and pointed the scope at the sky. Two different construction supply companies told me that sonotubes were not available with a 14 inch diameter, even by special order. Showcasing amazing maker projects of 2022. Dobsonians come in all shapes and sizes, from small 4-8 builds all the way up to massive 24-36 creations. If not, you may need to design and print your own bracket(s), gears, and so on. "); The rocker sides are each made of two identical pieces of inch plywood glued together, creating two sides one inch thick. Interfaced with a computer, so the computer can make the decisions about where the best focus is. on Step 5, 9 years ago I decided to keep this tube for now and if I run into problems with it, I can replace it later. Once I decided to build a scope myself I had to decide on the aperture of the scope. Several of my Recent Images have been focused with this system. But, especially on cold evenings, the focus may go out in the middle of the night. To view, go here: http://emediadesigns.com/focuser/ And you can tell it's not a mosaic because the stars at the corners show coma/field curvature artifacts. It would cost less and they have a very good reputation. All Orion 1.25" and 2" telescope focusers are engineered to provide smooth drawtube action to ensure you hit the exact focus point . once. It may take you a while to adjust the image correctly, but it's not hard to do, just time consuming. Several clamps were used to hold the pieces together overnight. . 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.