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
Last edited by trent_julie; 07-07-2012 at 01:12 PM.
Reason: Typo
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
