I'm new here

[Vroobel]

Hi there,

I'm new at this place, so I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Tomasz, I'm a true astronomer amateur since May 2017, I bought then my 10" Bresser Messier Newtonian telescope with Dobsonian mount, but I am interested in astronomy and the Universe in general all my live. Please forgive me any misspellings if happen - I'm not English.

I'd like to show you my DIY experience related with astronomy. After one month of pure observations I was considering some amends in my telescope, so within a few next months added two step motors and my own solution of motorizing Az and Alt axes: GT2 timing belt. The Arduino and Nintendo controller were responsible for steering them firstly, but I quickly understood that they are too weak for some astronomical calculations taken from fantastic book: "Astronomical Algorithms" written by Belgian astronomer Jean Meeus, so the Rasperry Pi computer became its successor. Presently I create my own software responsible for tracking the objects and my goal is to make my own GoTo-like system on the Dobsonian mount. You can see the earlier stage of the process in my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9AMgmFpcYcRZuP65-SghPA

I also have my own blog, unfortunately still in Polish language, because of lack of a time for proper translation (I'd like to do it myself). There are most actual and accurate descriptions and pictures of the project and its every single part. If you are interested in reading using the Google Translator, you can find it here:

https://astrovroobel.wordpress.com/  (https://astrovroobel.wordpress.com/krok-po-kroku/)

Within next few months I realized that the precision given by step motors and the applied gear is too bad to have a pleasure with observing even the star or planet can stay at eyepiece field about 20-30 mins (this solution gives me 139,000 positions per one full revolution in Az axis). So then I started preparing my own machine allowing to perform really big worm gear using 3/8"x16 tap. I can serve wheels up to 600mm of diameter. Presently I make two 448mm wheels having 888 teeth that will give me 1,420,800 positions per revolution, thus over 10 times better precision using even only 8 micro steps of the step motors. Please be patient, I will place relevant video on my YT channel soon.

By the way, excluding the motorized 10" Newtonian telescope I have:
- eyepieces: Explore Scientific 2" and 1.25" 25mm, Vixen 1.25" SLV 6mm,
- 2" Revelation ED 2x Barlow's lens,
- Baader OIII and UV/IR cut filters,
- Orion 2" and 1.25" polarizing filters,
- strong 100mW green laser pointer with hand made holder (working as object finder now, but it will be used by Go-To-like system during a calibration process soon),
- hand made full aperture solar filter with Baader ND5.0 foil,
- hand made 3-wheels platform for easier movement of the telescope during the observation,
- main mirror cooler,
- mentioned Raspberry Pi computer with 4x20 LCD co-working with Bluetooth controller and some sensors (GPS receiver will be installed later),
- hand made micro focuser with similar step motor equipped by planetary gear,
- amended webcam Microsoft LifeCam Studio with removed lens,
- mobile power station based on car battery.
 

If you are interested in some of my solutions or would you like to talk about them, please don't hesitate to write the question here or send a private message to me.

I'd like to meet people interested the same subject: astronomy (and DIY as well), living in Liverpool or not too far from the city, but I'm also eager to travel with the telescope to any darker place if somebody could show me the palce. I have quite big car, so the travel isn't a problem for me.

[Gina]

Hi Tomasz and welcome to SGL.  Hope you enjoy your time here ?

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi Tomasz and welcome to SGL. 

[MarsG76]

Hi Tomasz, welcome to SGL... you definitely have some great ingenuity happening there... I too like modding and engineering peripherals for my astro gear... current project.. active cooling my astro modded DSLR...

Clear skies,

Mariusz