Solar Autoguider

[trent_julie]

Hi everyone,
I have finally completed work on my solar autoguider and a production version is complete and a how-to article is on it's way.

For those that have been watching my videos, you will understand the need to track the Sun precisely over many hours in order to make a timelapse.

The functional autoguider is only possible because of a few years of different designs and hundreds of dollars spent in failed designs. Soon my website will be updated so that orders can be taken.

However I do intend on giving away the design features in an upcoming magazine article so that anyone can build one to their own requirements.

Trent

[Poita]

Fantastic, can't wait for the how-to article. What sort of $$ will the commercial models be?

It looks great, how is the performance?

[trent_julie]

Hi Peter,
I will be looking at about $200 a unit which is just a tiny bit more than cost, it's not about a profit for me. Performance depends on the camera you use and software but between 20 arc sec and 5 arc min at worst. The limitation is not the guider but the software and camera that supports it, but I easily get full day quarter disk accuracy with an Orion star shoot and phd

Trent

[jamiep]

look forward to reading the article ... sounds like a great project that you've obviously thrown quite a few hours and dollars at.

Keep us posted when you release a 'kit'...

[trent_julie]

Jamie,
No problems, it shouldn't be too much longer, I have a new design that includes a built in finder. That is currently being built in Hong Kong. Oh and it looks good.

Trent

[Poita]

Any 'overview' type details of how it works to whet our appetites? I am intrigued!

[2stroke]

What are you guiding off sunspots? Sounds unreal and would have be kickarse when the Venus transit was going on :)

[John0z]

Trent,

Any particular reason why it is being built in HK? I.e. any special optics? I have a workshop just waiting for a project to make so will be very interested in this guiding solution.

-John

[trent_julie]

Hi John,
The reason why I have started using Hong Kong is that for a 1/6 of the price than the cheapest Aussie manufacturer, I can have a finish applied to the units. I would of loved to of kept it totally Australian manufactured but nobody here seemed interested. Besides I am now selling the guiders for less than the cost that was originally quoted to me for the case alone. And my money that I have invested has gone a lot further, I still assemble the units myself with optics and fixtures which I manufacture myself. But having said that if you where to match closely the price (within a few tens of dollars) and the same quality of work, I would be happy to shift my manufacturing to you.

Trent

[Poita]

Any update on this? I'm keen to see how it all works.

[trent_julie]

Hi Peter,
It works similar to a pinhole camera. I've given the go ahead for a magazine article, so I am looking forward to revealing all there.

Trent

[Poita]

Excellent. Which mag?

[frolinmod]

Whatever happened to this?

[h0ughy]

how did you go with this?