Re: Computer/Stepper motor driven telescope?
Willie Koorts (wpk@saao.ac.za)
Wed, 10 Sep 1997 14:21:57 +0200 (GMT+0200)
On Wed, 10 Sep 1997, Henry Titchen wrote:
> I am very interested in constructing a mount for a small reflector
> telescope that is moved by computer controlled stepper motors. I would
> like to be able to automatically track various LEO satellites using this
> setup.
>
> I realise that software/hardware is available commercially to do this but
> can I do it on a small budget?
> Does anyone on this list have experience with such apparatus?
Hi Henry
I can strongly recommend you have a look at Mel Bartel's "Motorize your
Telescope" page - http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~mbartels/altaz/altaz.html -
(for incase I typed it wrong, there is a link from my HP under telescope making).
I was so inspired by Mel's article that I started making one for my satellite
tracking telescope (80mm spotting scope). I finished the mount and the drive
electronics (a simplified version of Mel's) and got the software to a stage
where I moved the mount around. Unfortunately I have not worked on it for a
while now.
A good source for (cheap/free) low power stepper motors are ones from old
5 1/4" floppy drives - they seem to be strong enough to drive my 80mm
refractor. To go for Mel's drive, they must be the unipolar type ie.
the ones with more than 4 wires.
Regards
Willie
Willie Koorts wpk@saao.ac.za http://www.saao.ac.za/~wpk/
Cape Town, Observatory 33d 56' 03"S 18d 28' 36"E GMT + 2h
Wellington, South Africa 33d 38' 56"S 19d 00' 52"E GMT + 2h