tracking platform for large format portable telescope

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tracking platform for large format portable telescope

Postby dhanger » Wed Apr 13, 2022 1:41 pm

I started this project 11 years ago after I built my 14" Dobsonian telescope and needed a tracking device for it. Since this class of telescope won't fit a traditional tripod mount some ingenious people developed what's known as an equatorial platform, which mimics the motion of an equatorial mount but limited in run time. All the platforms I looked at (mostly DIY and a couple of commercial versions) had one limitation: they are designed and built for one specific latitude. They can be moved a few degrees north or south and shimmed up but eventually the design fails outside of that range. Being the CNC guy I came up with a solution that runs on an Arduino and works mathematically correct for any latitude on earth, dubbed the Global Equatorial Platform (GEP). I started the project back when I was using LinuxCNC but I converted to UCCNC in the middle of it, so at least some of it was manufactured using UCCNC so I decided I was within my rights to post it here :mrgreen:

This photo shows my scope sitting on an early birch plywood prototype:

Desktop Background.jpg


After that I converted to aluminum, this is the latest version (of the platform, not me :lol: ):

20180728_145640.jpg


Clip of circuit board making, using UCCNC and autoleveller:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/f2pHb6sdiMaz95Xm6

Dan Hanger
dhanger
 
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Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2019 1:57 pm

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