My astronomy projects DIY

This is for you that think it's better to spend time then money on your hobbies.

Be careful if you want to do something similar as I do here. I do many mistakes and what's right for me can be wrong for you and your equipment, you can destroy it! Content:

Follow Astrofriend

Mounts:

EQDirect cable between EQ6/HEQ5 mount and computer and some ideas about wireless controlling.

First published: 2021

AstroEQ for SkyWatcher EQ6 mount ?

First published: 2021

SkyWatcher EQ6 mount and 300 mm lens setup:

First published: 2020

SkyWatcher HEQ5 mount as a portable mount and how I control it with Raspberry / Astroberry:

First published: 2021

DC hub motors:

DC hub motors can be used for a lot of things. Maybe a direct driven mount, or ?

First published: 2023

SkyWatcher EQ6 mount, OnStep driver:

It's time to take a new look into my EQ6 mount.

First published: 2024

SkyWatcher EQ6 mount, dismantling / rebuilding:

My mount has become very heavy to rotate nowadays, time to do something about it.

First published: 2019

SkyWatcher EQ6 mount, wedge rebuilding:

First published: 2019

Making of a concrete pier for a SkyWatcher EQ6 / HEQ5 mount.

First published: 2017

Repair of SkyWatcher's Star Adventurer and looking inside part one

First published: 2017

Repair of SkyWatcher's Star Adventurer part two

First published: 2018

SkyWatcher's Star Adventurer wedge modification

First published: 2018

SkyWatcher's Star Adventurer L-bracket modification

First published: 2018

Star Adventurer and angled viewfinder

This angled viewfinder made a revolution for me who live at latitude 60 degrees.

First published: 2018

Star Adventurer, new modified tripod

When travel you need the equipment to be small and light.

First published: 2019

How to build a equatorial mount that don't need meridian flip?

First published: 2017

This is not my own project, it's a new astronomy friend who also has the name Lars.

Lars B's projects.

First published: 2019

One more friend, Jacek and his building tips for astronomy:

Jacek's projects.

First published: 2023

I just come by this simple EQ2 mount. Have not yet figure out to what use.

First published: 2017

My first digital camera setup.

First published: 2017

Focusing:

Focus and temperature drift.

First published: 2023

Implement a stepper motor focus with temperature compensation.

First published: 2019

Ideas for a focuser and camera rotator.

First published: 2024

Repair and adjust focus friction slider.

First published: 2018

Development of a 3" focuser with 3D-printed Rack and Pinion gears.

First published: 2021

Development of a 3" focuser with 3D-printed Push Pull design.

First published: 2022

To my new stepper motor focuser I need a driver that works with INDI drivers:

First published: 2022

Repair of focus' fine adjuster.

First published: 2019

My first attempt to build a stepper motor focus.

First published: 2017

Image processing:

Get higher resolution with Drizzling or Super resolution technique:

First published: 2020

Cameras:

Nikon D800, a good astro camera ? I investigate how this camera can replace my Canon 6D:

Updated with how I built adapter to Pentax 645 medium format lens and other devices to my new wide angle system.

First published: 2024

Old ZWO ASI120mm/mc cameras with USB2 do not always work under Linux system. Here I do upgrades of the camera to fix that:

I have also done a simple test of the Ekos internal auto guider vs PHD2 auto guider.

First published: 2023

How to get raw files from a web camera.

First published: 2017

Optics:

TS130 upgrade, 130 mm f/7 APO telescope:

First published: 2023

Pentax 645 FA* 300 mm ED f/4 lens:

First published: 2023

Pentax 645 300 mm ED f/4 lens, can it replace my Canon 300 mm L f/4 as a low vignetting lens ?

First published: 2020

Why don't design your own Newton telescope?

First published: 2017

My full frame camera needs a bigger flattener to reduce the vignetting. This time I built my flattener system from a 3" x1 Altair Planostar Flattener.

First published: 2017

DIY/3D Flat Field Calibrator project. When processing astro images it's important to have good quality MasterFlats.

First published: 2022

To my new transportable mount I need some shorter focal length lens. A Sigma APO 150mm f2.8 maybe. I did some simple test how the vignetting looks.

First published: 2017

Analyses of vignetting of my lenses and telescopes:

First published: 2019

Astrophotography test of medium format Pentax SMC 67 165 mm f/2.8 lens:

Can I have any use of an old medium format lens?

First published: 2018

Sigma APO 150 mm f/2.8
vs
Pentax SMC 67 165 mm f/2.8:

Can I have any use of an old medium format lens?

First published: 2018

Ideas about a high efficient narrow band camera system.

First published: 2017

Big binocular, 25x100mm.

First published: 2019

Making a heating band or dew heater for anti dew.

First published: 2017

Computers, Windows:

Making of battery box and Windows astroserver

Now including both version 1 and version 2.

First published: 2017

Make a database of stars to use in CdC for color calibration

First published: 2017

Computers, Linux (KStars):

KStars, Raspberry power:

A Raspberry and its peripherals needs power, different volt and current needs.

First published: 2024

KStars setup WIFI, hotspot etc:

First published: 2022

KStars and Linux, good to know commands, udev rules:

First published: 2021

KStars and GPS clock:

First published: 2021

Setup astroserver with Raspberry Pi5. My third astroserver, OS and KStars 64-bit:

First published: 2024

Setup astroserver with Raspberry Pi4. This is my second attempt to build an astroserver with a Raspberry. Astroberry 32-bit is used. Now I use the much faster Raspberry Pi4:

First published: 2020

Setup astroserver with Raspberry Pi3. I'm sure many as I have thought about those small Raspberry computers and if they can be used as an astroserver. Can an old Windows guy like me learn how to build and use one?

This project didn't perform very well, mostly because of the slow computer, a Raspberry Pi3+.

First published: 2017

INDI driver project:
In Linux most devices have INDI drivers. When you find something wrong with it you sometimes have to solve it by your self:

First published: 2023

Other Projects:

Small practical knobs and brackets. There is always a need for this and now it can be design in 3D CAD and then 3D-printed:

First published: 2022

3D printer assembling and setup:

It's time for me to learn something new, 3D printing technology.

First published: 2019

Rebuilding the telescope box to a telescope Carriage.

First published: 2017

An observatory is something that I have dreamed about for many years. This is how I build mine.

First published: 2017

Fight Light pollution with synchronized streetlamps

First published: 2017

I have some thoughts about a monochrome camera. With that I must have some filters and a filter wheel. Here I'm playing around with the CAD and design that, maybe it can be done.

First published: 2023

After some years with my 3D-printer I got some experience how to do it. Now I want to test if I can design an off-axis adapter. A special one, medium format and two filter drawers.

First published: 2022

Full frame adapter modification for Riccardi 2.5" field flattener to TS130 APO refractor and off-axis adapter implementation.

First published: 2019

GoPro Camera for meteor shower photographing.

First published: 2020

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