raspberrypi.org/magpi The Official Raspberry Pi Projects Book 35
The red tint to the screen
helps to better protect
Mike’s night vision when
realigning to new objectsTRACKING TELESCOPE MOUNT Projects
>STEP-01
Creating the parts
Mike used his own tools to design and cut the
appropriate parts for the mount out of ½ ̋ aluminium.
This allowed for greater control of the final look.>STEP-02
3D-printing pulleys
Mike redesigned pre-existing technical documents to
make them fit within the mount. With 288 teeth, this
pulley was the largest he could print.>STEP-03
Getting on the level
This large bullseye level allowed for less complication
when aligning the telescope to the desired object,
ensuring he was always on a flat surface.SCOPING THE
SOLAR SYSTEM
Two turntables with 60 mm
thrust ball bearings act as the basis
for the motion mechanics, cut
from ½ ̋ thick aluminium. Mike
then had to build his own drive
pulleys using 3D-printed parts and
fibreglass flanges. He amended
technical documents he’d found
online, removing teeth, until the
pulley fitted perfectly within the
build. From here, he also went on
to print, rout, and fit all the pieces
needed for the mount and frame
before turning to a less-familiar
subject: the Raspberry Pi.
Mike originally created a script
that would position the telescope
to align with celestial objects by
way of information from the US
Naval Observatory. However,
upon completing the code, he
discovered PyEphem, a Python
package that offered a much larger
scope for celestial exploration.
Though he had the PyEphem
code, he couldn’t find anything
to control the stepper motors and
linear acceleration, so he was still
faced with the challenge of quickly
learning enough Python to see
him through.
Once he’d cleared up his
prototype breadboard and
soldered the boards into
place, Mike fitted the Pi with a
touchscreen. The screen enables
him to select one of 800 preset
targets for the telescope to focus
on. If he wants to view any otherobject, he simply uses a small
wireless keyboard to enter the
chosen coordinates manually.
Mike went to school to study
mechanical engineering, though
he attributes much of his skill
to being a hobbyist. “My hobby
is making things and I’ve been
doing it since I was old enough
to hold a screwdriver.” He even
converted his home lathe and
router to be CNC, and built his
own 3D printer too.My hobby is making things and
I’ve been doing it since I was old
enough to hold a screwdriver