Here is the description of an home made device which carry our Audine camera and allow a simple and efficient focusing on our 305mm Newton Telescope.

We used some aluminium plates and L-shaped parts for the actual mount, and we used the roller bearing device of a sliding door in order to allow a precise and slackless longitudal motion. Two of these roller device are set parallel on the mount, and the camera is screwed on it (see photos). The L-shaped part is also screwed on the telescope in place of the eyepiece. The stepper motor is fixed on an other L-shaped part, and it's driven by a little device (a common home assembly kit); the speed of the motor can be adjusted with a potentiometer.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

On the opposite photo, you can see a side view of the carriage (without the camera), and the little grey box containing the electronic command of the stepper motor. The link with the motor has been made with a DIN plug. The device is supplied with 5V DC coming from the power supply (behind the focusing device). You can remark the camera on the power supply.
From now on, we realise the focusing 'manualy', with swithches, and using the focusing function of Pisco: the focusing is hence really very fast done!
The next step will certainly be to use the serial port in order to focuse directly from Pisco (see the Pisco help for more precisions).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

On the opposite photo, a view of the carriage mounted on the telescope. Remark (red arrows) the two 'stopping' switches which cut off the power supply of the motor before it come to the two ends of the screw. The linking between the screw and the motor has been made with a rubber coupling sleeve. The camera is screwed on the carriage using the little milled cylindrical part (between the two arrows).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

An other view of the carriage mounted on the Newton telescope. Remark on the top and on the back of the camera the two little valves used to fill the camera with dry gas, in odrer to avoid it freezing.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Contact: (pas de lien direct: protection anti-spam)