9 ms·

OpenAstroTracker: 3D printed, open source star tracker

170 points by trishmapow2 5y ago

krisoft 5y ago
If you have a black plastic object, why would you show it over a black background? It’s very stylish but I just can’t see it.
- app4soft 5y ago
  Here is GitHub repo of OpenAstroTech project.[0] [0] https://github.com/OpenAstroTech https://github.com/OpenAstroTech
  - krisoft 5y ago
    Thank you! Found this video linked from the github page you linked: https://youtu.be/9MNLAIyqGoA https://youtu.be/9MNLAIyqGoA Now that I can see it its clear that this is a very impressive mechanism!
    - trishmapow2 5y ago
      And that was one year ago too! Now the much more powerful and precise NEMA steppers are supported, plus so much behind the scenes work on improving software / driver reliability. Amazing project and community.
- Scene_Cast2 5y ago
  I think your issue is with the lack of brightness and contrast, and not with black-on-black (which, I'd dare say, is not a bad choice - see macrophotography, and how they are always looking for the blackest background materials)
- dylan604 5y ago
  Cause it's cool and hip. They wanted art/cinematic look, instead of product shots that would be useful. I felt the same way though. Some of the shots, they used a background simulating a blurred out star field which was a tremendous improvement over the solid black, but still very difficult to see. I did like the red highlight, but still that background.
Tepix 5y ago
This is pretty cool. Can the parts also be made with a laser cutter? The astrotracker appears to be a bit bigger than what i'm looking for: A DIY alternative to the Omegon Mini Track LX2/LX3.
- Aachen 5y ago
  I see that device is mechanical, didn't know that existed, that's quite cool! Is there an advantage to it not requiring electricity, though, or is it just the cool factor?
  - Tepix 5y ago
    One less battery to worry about i guess.
TaylorAlexander 5y ago
Looks great! I have long wanted something like this.
withinboredom 5y ago
To whomever authored the title: it should read “open source; built with 3D printed parts” I’m always on the lookout for neat things to 3D print. The current title is deceiving in that you cannot fully 3D print the whole thing. It looks cool though!
- trishmapow2 5y ago
  Hmm while I see your point, I was going for conciseness and I think it's reasonable to assume that extra parts are required - we can't quite print stepper motors at home yet! The rest of the basic requirements is nuts/bolts (standard kit stuff), and a $5 microcontroller[1]. (Things like the aluminium base can also be 3D printed, but it's not recommended for stability. There are lots of optional components that greatly improve usage.) [1]: https://wiki.openastrotech.com/OpenAstroTracker/ShoppingList https://wiki.openastrotech.com/OpenAstroTracker/ShoppingList
  - washadjeffmad 5y ago
    I think GP's point isn't off the mark here, but also that the title doesn't need to be altered. There's no need for any additional electronics to construct a Dobsonian and mount capable of manually tracking DSOs, for instance. I say this as someone who uses "computerized" and EQ mounts, but I also assumed from the title that this was a completely 3D printable project (sans mirrors, I can print my own washers and bolts), which is way more exciting a prospect than having to buy or put together a fairly complex kit, just not all of it if you have a 3D printer. I just 3D printed a custom IR CCD mount for my CST, but I'm very interested in adapting this to some of my designs, so thank you for sharing!
    - trishmapow2 5y ago
      Oh sure, but in my defence a simple Dob eq platform hardly requires any software, so 'open source' would be a strange thing to point out ;) A lot of the hard work is the custom PC software & getting it ASCOM compatible for autoguiding, etc.
Aachen 5y ago
The kit costs over 200 bucks. I've been very causally considering whether to get into astrophotography, so don't yet know anything about it but I'm curious: what makes this so expensive? A printed frame is cheap, and the other major component is a way for it to automatically move. Are the motors the expensive part then, because they have to be so precise?
- noir_lord 5y ago
  A couple of hundred bucks seems pretty reasonable. You have to source all the parts, make sure they work together properly and assemble the kit. I mean $200 isn't a lot of money for something you'd potentially get years and years of use out off.
  - Aachen 5y ago
    Sure, but my question is why it carries this price tag, not whether I'll get years of use out of it. So if I understand your comment correctly, it's the R&D (making sure all parts work together correctly) that decides the majority of the price here, not one of the actual components?
    - yreg 5y ago
      It seems like there is a lot of human work as well (print the parts, pack it, ship it, customer support…). I wouldn't do this for random internet people for less.
    - dylan604 5y ago
      Why are you arguing this? Are you really arguing the price of the unit because it's made from $2 worth of plastic, so why the mark up? Why does a car cost so much when there's clearly not $30k worth of parts in it. Why does a house cost $500k when there's only $70k of material. Trolls have to eat too I guess. From your continued asking of the "why" question, it makes me wonder if you've ever tried to build a DIY anything yourself. Developing something like this involves a lot of the designer's literal blood, sweat, and tears. There are all sorts of levels of DIY from using 2x4s to machine precision accuracy. I will say, that precision is what astro is all about though. A seemingly innocent +/-1 degree accuracy will be okay-ish for something like wide-angle DSLR type shots, but once you start using longer lenses, you will be wasting your time.
delgaudm 5y ago
Not nearly to the level of this project, but if you want to dabble with taking long exposures of the sky: Consider the simple "barn door tracker"[0][1][2] to try astrophotography. After all was said and done my sky was too polluted for anything worthwhile, but the simplicity of it still intrigues me, and may be an intermediate step before going all in on the OAT. [0] https://garyseronik.com/build-a-hinge-tracker-for-astrophotography/ https://garyseronik.com/build-a-hinge-tracker-for-astrophoto... [1] https://www.astropix.com/bgda/sample2/sample2.html https://www.astropix.com/bgda/sample2/sample2.html [2] https://sites.google.com/view/emvilza/proyectos/star-tracker/eng/mechanics-calculations-barndoor-mount https://sites.google.com/view/emvilza/proyectos/star-tracker...
- acidburnNSA 5y ago
  Seconded. I got some "great" (for me) shots using a simple barn door build of the 2017 eclipse and the neowise comet. Just needs 2 pieces of wood, a theaded rod, an esp8266, a stepper motor, a hinge, and some bolts
- abraae 5y ago
  Dangerous rabbit hole! Must. Not. Enter!
- KMnO4 5y ago
  Many years ago I read an article where someone used a regular DSLR and a barn door tracker to detect exoplanets (ie planets that orbit a different star). This is what got me into astrophotography. https://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/hands-on/diy-exoplanet-detector https://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/hands-on/diy-exoplanet-d...
tpmx 5y ago
https://wiki.openastrotech.com/en/OpenAstroTracker https://wiki.openastrotech.com/en/OpenAstroTracker seems like a better starting point. The main web site is frustratingly vague. This wiki start page actually manages to explain what the thing does: OpenAstroTracker is an equatorial mount which "compensates for Earth's rotation by having one rotational axis parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation". You can mount a camera (mostly a DLSR or DSLM) on top of it and it rotates with the same speed as our earth rotation in order to remove stars movement relatively to the camera and allow longer exposures this way. The mount is being controlled by an Arduino. The Arduino is controlling multiple stepper motors which in turn rotate the camera mount. The mount provides multiple options for control: LCD Keypad, USB Serial connection, WiFi. Latter two enable remote control with special astrophotography software based either on the LX200 protocol, ASCOM or INDI platforms.
gattr 5y ago
A few fellow astrophotographers have built and used them successfully (forum link in Polish): https://astropolis.pl/topic/71039-monta%C5%BC-wirus-2020/ https://astropolis.pl/topic/71039-monta%C5%BC-wirus-2020/

170 points by trishmapow2 5y ago

If you have a black plastic object, why would you show it over a black background? It’s very stylish but I just can’t see it.

app4soft 5y ago
Here is GitHub repo of OpenAstroTech project.[0] [0] https://github.com/OpenAstroTech https://github.com/OpenAstroTech
- krisoft 5y ago
  Thank you! Found this video linked from the github page you linked: https://youtu.be/9MNLAIyqGoA https://youtu.be/9MNLAIyqGoA Now that I can see it its clear that this is a very impressive mechanism!
  - trishmapow2 5y ago
    And that was one year ago too! Now the much more powerful and precise NEMA steppers are supported, plus so much behind the scenes work on improving software / driver reliability. Amazing project and community.
Scene_Cast2 5y ago
I think your issue is with the lack of brightness and contrast, and not with black-on-black (which, I'd dare say, is not a bad choice - see macrophotography, and how they are always looking for the blackest background materials)
dylan604 5y ago
Cause it's cool and hip. They wanted art/cinematic look, instead of product shots that would be useful. I felt the same way though. Some of the shots, they used a background simulating a blurred out star field which was a tremendous improvement over the solid black, but still very difficult to see. I did like the red highlight, but still that background.

Tepix 5y ago

This is pretty cool. Can the parts also be made with a laser cutter? The astrotracker appears to be a bit bigger than what i'm looking for: A DIY alternative to the Omegon Mini Track LX2/LX3.

Aachen 5y ago
I see that device is mechanical, didn't know that existed, that's quite cool! Is there an advantage to it not requiring electricity, though, or is it just the cool factor?
- Tepix 5y ago
  One less battery to worry about i guess.

TaylorAlexander 5y ago

Looks great! I have long wanted something like this.

withinboredom 5y ago

To whomever authored the title: it should read “open source; built with 3D printed parts” I’m always on the lookout for neat things to 3D print. The current title is deceiving in that you cannot fully 3D print the whole thing. It looks cool though!

trishmapow2 5y ago
Hmm while I see your point, I was going for conciseness and I think it's reasonable to assume that extra parts are required - we can't quite print stepper motors at home yet! The rest of the basic requirements is nuts/bolts (standard kit stuff), and a $5 microcontroller[1]. (Things like the aluminium base can also be 3D printed, but it's not recommended for stability. There are lots of optional components that greatly improve usage.) [1]: https://wiki.openastrotech.com/OpenAstroTracker/ShoppingList https://wiki.openastrotech.com/OpenAstroTracker/ShoppingList
- washadjeffmad 5y ago
  I think GP's point isn't off the mark here, but also that the title doesn't need to be altered. There's no need for any additional electronics to construct a Dobsonian and mount capable of manually tracking DSOs, for instance. I say this as someone who uses "computerized" and EQ mounts, but I also assumed from the title that this was a completely 3D printable project (sans mirrors, I can print my own washers and bolts), which is way more exciting a prospect than having to buy or put together a fairly complex kit, just not all of it if you have a 3D printer. I just 3D printed a custom IR CCD mount for my CST, but I'm very interested in adapting this to some of my designs, so thank you for sharing!
  - trishmapow2 5y ago
    Oh sure, but in my defence a simple Dob eq platform hardly requires any software, so 'open source' would be a strange thing to point out ;) A lot of the hard work is the custom PC software & getting it ASCOM compatible for autoguiding, etc.

Aachen 5y ago

The kit costs over 200 bucks. I've been very causally considering whether to get into astrophotography, so don't yet know anything about it but I'm curious: what makes this so expensive? A printed frame is cheap, and the other major component is a way for it to automatically move. Are the motors the expensive part then, because they have to be so precise?

noir_lord 5y ago
A couple of hundred bucks seems pretty reasonable. You have to source all the parts, make sure they work together properly and assemble the kit. I mean $200 isn't a lot of money for something you'd potentially get years and years of use out off.
- Aachen 5y ago
  Sure, but my question is why it carries this price tag, not whether I'll get years of use out of it. So if I understand your comment correctly, it's the R&D (making sure all parts work together correctly) that decides the majority of the price here, not one of the actual components?
  - yreg 5y ago
    It seems like there is a lot of human work as well (print the parts, pack it, ship it, customer support…). I wouldn't do this for random internet people for less.
  - dylan604 5y ago
    Why are you arguing this? Are you really arguing the price of the unit because it's made from $2 worth of plastic, so why the mark up? Why does a car cost so much when there's clearly not $30k worth of parts in it. Why does a house cost $500k when there's only $70k of material. Trolls have to eat too I guess. From your continued asking of the "why" question, it makes me wonder if you've ever tried to build a DIY anything yourself. Developing something like this involves a lot of the designer's literal blood, sweat, and tears. There are all sorts of levels of DIY from using 2x4s to machine precision accuracy. I will say, that precision is what astro is all about though. A seemingly innocent +/-1 degree accuracy will be okay-ish for something like wide-angle DSLR type shots, but once you start using longer lenses, you will be wasting your time.

delgaudm 5y ago

Not nearly to the level of this project, but if you want to dabble with taking long exposures of the sky: Consider the simple "barn door tracker"[0][1][2] to try astrophotography. After all was said and done my sky was too polluted for anything worthwhile, but the simplicity of it still intrigues me, and may be an intermediate step before going all in on the OAT. [0] https://garyseronik.com/build-a-hinge-tracker-for-astrophotography/ https://garyseronik.com/build-a-hinge-tracker-for-astrophoto... [1] https://www.astropix.com/bgda/sample2/sample2.html https://www.astropix.com/bgda/sample2/sample2.html [2] https://sites.google.com/view/emvilza/proyectos/star-tracker/eng/mechanics-calculations-barndoor-mount https://sites.google.com/view/emvilza/proyectos/star-tracker...

acidburnNSA 5y ago
Seconded. I got some "great" (for me) shots using a simple barn door build of the 2017 eclipse and the neowise comet. Just needs 2 pieces of wood, a theaded rod, an esp8266, a stepper motor, a hinge, and some bolts
abraae 5y ago
Dangerous rabbit hole! Must. Not. Enter!
KMnO4 5y ago
Many years ago I read an article where someone used a regular DSLR and a barn door tracker to detect exoplanets (ie planets that orbit a different star). This is what got me into astrophotography. https://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/hands-on/diy-exoplanet-detector https://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/hands-on/diy-exoplanet-d...

tpmx 5y ago

https://wiki.openastrotech.com/en/OpenAstroTracker https://wiki.openastrotech.com/en/OpenAstroTracker seems like a better starting point. The main web site is frustratingly vague. This wiki start page actually manages to explain what the thing does: OpenAstroTracker is an equatorial mount which "compensates for Earth's rotation by having one rotational axis parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation". You can mount a camera (mostly a DLSR or DSLM) on top of it and it rotates with the same speed as our earth rotation in order to remove stars movement relatively to the camera and allow longer exposures this way. The mount is being controlled by an Arduino. The Arduino is controlling multiple stepper motors which in turn rotate the camera mount. The mount provides multiple options for control: LCD Keypad, USB Serial connection, WiFi. Latter two enable remote control with special astrophotography software based either on the LX200 protocol, ASCOM or INDI platforms.

gattr 5y ago

A few fellow astrophotographers have built and used them successfully (forum link in Polish): https://astropolis.pl/topic/71039-monta%C5%BC-wirus-2020/ https://astropolis.pl/topic/71039-monta%C5%BC-wirus-2020/