The idea of an equatorial platform has been intriguing me for some time. The idea ofplanetary viewing without nudging the dob every 5 seconds was appealing, so I decided to have a go. My first attempt was finished a week ago and it worked, but there were some improvements needed that required minor redesigning, mainly to decrease vibration. These are currently being addressed. The cost has been minimal, bearings approx $30, salvaged steppermotor and belt from a scanner on council cleanup $nix, a kit controller from Jaycar $21, and bits of scrap metal, timber and ply.
Lots of fun nutting out the design and a huge thrill when I could watch Jupiter for 10 minutes without touching the scope. The maximum drive time is just over an hour before resetting.
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