Astronomical Equipment – Night Sky in Focus

DIY Microfocuser

I’ve built an electronic automatic focuser (EAF) for my Tamron 80 to 210 mm telephoto (zoom) lens for automated and precise focusing. The focuser was built with a stepper motor, an A4988 stepper motor driver, an Arduino Uno, and a repurposed azimuth adjustment mechanism of an old Vixen mount.

Vixen’s alt-az mount azimuth lock mechanism happens to be wide enough to fit a telephoto lens. It allows fine movement using the fine adjustment knob attached to a stepper motor with 60:16 pulley and belt system. It features a clutch mechanism that allows for manual focusing. The lens and the camera are held in place with mounting rings from an old 80 mm Vixen refractor. An aluminum baseplate is used to mount together as a unit the lens, camera, focuser, finder scope, and guide scope. The controller for the focuser was housed in a project box. A dovetail bar connects the whole assembly to the telescope mount.

I have tested the focuser on several imaging runs now and it appears to be working fine, especially with wide-field targets such as the Lagoon and Veil Nebula. To watch a video showing the microfocuser in action, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Polar Scope for Vixen GP Mount

I have installed a Kenko polar scope to a Vixen Great Polaris (GP) mount. I modified the polar scope’s coupler to fit the Vixen GP mount. Instead of the standard threaded coupling, I used three screws to attach the polar scope onto the mount. A separate set of centering screws allow alignment of the star map overlay with that of the actual stars in the sky.

Kenko polar scope attached to a Vixen Great Polaris (GP) mount

A polar scope is helpful in aligning the mount’s polar axis with that of the Earth’s axis of rotation, but it lacks the precision required for astrophotography. When imaging at longer focal lengths, I recommend not relying on a polar scope, but instead use the declination drift alignment method for polar alignment. It looks at two stars, one in the eastern or western horizon, and another in the meridian near the celestial equator, allowing for better polar alignment even without the view of Polaris.

Star chart from a 1990 polar scope still works!

DIY Tamron to Astrocam Adapter

I have a 1980 Tamron 80 mm to 210 mm telephoto (zoom) lens that I intend to use for astrophotography. I could not find a dedicated astro camera adapter for this particular lens so I just improvised one. I used epoxy to connect a Tamron to Canon EOS adapter and an M42 connector for my ASI 533 astro camera.

After several imaging sessions with the Lagoon and Veil Nebula, the DIY adapter appears to work.

Related links:
Universal Camera Adapter
DSLR to Telescope Adapter

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Electronic Focuser | Reflector

I’ve built an electronic automatic focuser (EAF) for my Vixen R114 reflector for automated and precise focusing. The focuser was built with a geared stepper motor, A4988 stepper motor driver, and an Arduino Uno.

DIY Electronic Focuser for a Vixen R114 reflector

The focuser is ASCOM compliant and works with astronomy software such as the Nighttime Imaging N Astronomy (NINA) for automated focusing during unattended imaging. To watch a video showing the focuser’s movement, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Pier Extension

I have built a DIY pier extension to allow my DIY go-to telescope to move without hitting the tripod legs. It consists of three 12-inch L-bars (which I later shortened to 7.5 inches, after measuring the minimum clearance required) that lift the tripod head. I repurposed a tripod head from an old tripod to serve as the base where the L-bars and the tripod legs connect to. The pier extension allows unattended imaging without the risk of damage to the mount or telescope.

To watch a video of the telescope performing a successful meridian flip without hitting the tripod legs, click here.

Related link: Converting the Vixen Great Polaris mount into a Go-to mount

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Telescope Controller | OnStep

I have built a controller for my Vixen Great Polaris mount using the OnStep go-to telescope controller. I used an Arduino Mega 2560 as the main controller board, a pair of LV8729 stepper motor driver, and an HC-05 bluetooth module (which connects to the OnStep Android app).

I also built a Smart Hand Controller (SHC) using an ESP32 module, an OLED display, and a button array. The SHC connects to the same serial communication lines (Rx and TX pins) used by the HC-05 bluetooth module. I use a toggle switch to select between the HC-05 Bluetooth module for the Android controller and the Smart Hand Controller with ESP32 module.

I used a pair of 200-step-per-revolution stepper motors paired with 60-teeth and 16-teeth pulley and belt drive system to motorize the Vixen Great Polaris mount with 144:1 worm drive. In this configuration, the total steps are 200 steps * 60/16 reduction * 144/1 teeth worm drive = 108,000 steps per 360 degrees at full stepping. Actual testing showed that accurate tracking is possible even at just 1/64 microsteps (as evident in a 60 second unguided exposures at 900 mm focal length). This brings the total steps per revolution to 6, 912, 000 per 360 degrees, or 19,200 per degree. You need to configure these values in the OnStep code.

The OnStep telescope controller can be connected to NINA to enable automatic slewing to targets and use plate-solving to validate and refine its pointing accuracy. It also connects with Stellarium to display real-time the telescope’s current position.

Unguided 60 sec exposures at 900 mm with an OnStep-controlled mount, Dumbbell Nebula (1 hour)

OnStep will have very accurate pointing and tracking even with just one-star alignment, if properly polar-aligned.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Vixen R114 on Great Polaris Mount

I have recently acquired a Vixen R114 Newtonian reflector (114 mm aperture, 900 mm focal length at f/7.9) on a Great Polaris equatorial mount. The mount does not have motors, but I have converted it into a fully-automated go-to and tracking mount capable of unguided exposures of at least 60 seconds (field-tested without guiding).

The reflector has a very good primary and secondary mirror cells which allowed precise collimation and prevent strained optics. The stock focuser is a 0.965 in barrel which I modified and converted to the 1.25 in standard. The rack-and-pinion focusing mechanism is very precise and sturdy enough to hold an ASI 533 astronomy camera even without using the focuser lock. It comes with a 6 x 30 mm finder which is adequate for pointing at bright targets.

The Vixen R114 on Great Polaris equatorial mount now serves as my long focal length telescope both for visual observation and imaging.

Related links:
Converting the Vixen Great Polaris mount into a Go-to mount
Sky-Watcher Equinox 100ED

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Portable Telescope Setup

I have a TravelScope70 which has served as a guide scope for my imaging setup for many years. Now that I have shifted to an off-axis guider (OAG) setup, the TravelScope70 is now being repurposed back to a grab-and-go travel light telescope setup, to be used particularly in astronomy outreach events and visual observations.

Aluminum-lined hard case for the Celestron TravelScope70

The TravelScope70 is a good small-aperture low-magnification telescope, if paired with a good diagonal and set of eyepieces. It will show good views of the moon and allow decent moon photography. Due to the short focal length, small aperture, and lack of a dedicated and more robust mount, the TravelScope70 may be limited to moon viewing and other large and bright targets such as star clusters and nebula.

Related link: Celestron Travel Scope 70

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Projector Lens Telescope

Projectors have lenses that may be used to build low-magnification telescopes. I happen to have found an old 70 mm diameter LCD projector lens with focal length of 105-210 mm which I paired up with an eyepiece to build a DIY telescope.

This projector lens, while not designed to be used as a telescope lens, may still provide good views. I measured the proper focus distance and used a DIY adapter to attach a 2-in diagonal mirror and a 40 mm lens to it. This combination produced a 2.6 by 70 to 5.25 by 70 finder scope (wide field of view with ability to zoom). Focusing is done by sliding the eyepiece in and out of the diagonal’s eyepiece holder. I then made an improvised reticle (cross hair) to finally complete the setup. I will be using this DIY projector lens telescope in star-hopping to deep-sky targets and scanning large areas of the sky.

Related link: View all home-brewed DIY astronomy equipment

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Focal Reducer

I have built a DIY focal length reducer (focal reducer) by inserting a converging lens from an old telescope along the optical system of a Sky-Watcher Equinox 100ED . The telescope’s native focal length is 900 mm at f/9. With the DIY reducer, the focal length is reduced to 628 mm at f/6.28 using the objective lens of a Vixen 80 mm f/11 achromat.

Focal reducers are optical elements (usually a convex lens or lens group) that converge light from a telescope’s objective. It shortens the focal length and in effect, produces a faster telescope (lower f/ratio) and widens the field of view (larger portion of the sky is imaged). Any decent quality converging lens should work as a focal reducer (in this use case, a lens from a telescope I no longer use). It works opposite to a Barlow lens which increases the focal length by using a concave lens or diverging lens. DIY focal reducers may introduce aberration and must be considered when attempting this modification.

To reach focus, I had to shorten the optical tube by about 200 mm, and then reattach the focuser. The focuser’s draw tube was also shortened by 55 mm to prevent it from obstructing the light and stopping down the objective lens when the draw tube moves inward. The telescope’s optical tube has an inner diameter of about 100 mm which has enough space to accommodate various lenses. Only the central 60 mm part of the reducer is used to refract the light cone due to the presence of a light baffle in the telescope’s optical tube assembly.

Lagoon Nebula M8 imaged with a 4 in refractor at 628 mm focal length, an ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, dual band H-alpha and O-III filter, with an ASI 174MM guide camera.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Off-Axis Guider (OAG)

I have built a DIY off-axis guider (OAG) using a mirror from a DSLR camera, some tube extenders (2 in and 1.25 in diameter), and a webcam. Best guiding performance currently at 0.33″ (arcsecond) RMS error, at 900 mm focal length, using a mount with DIY controller.

In off-axis guiding, the telescope functions both as an imaging scope and a guide scope. In this configuration, a mirror or a prism receives a portion of the light without blocking the main imaging sensor, sending the light to a guide camera. In this build, I used a high-quality mirror I happen to have found in a non-working Canon 1100D. To build the OAG, I removed the lens from a Barlow so I could get a 1.25 inch barrel for the webcam attachment, and then fastened it perpendicular to a 2 inch extender, where an appropriate side hole has been made. I then fabricated a small mirror mount (like a secondary mirror mount in a Newtonian) using some brass material, to send the reflected light on to the side. The placement of the mirror and the proper spacing to achieve focus required trial-and-error. To use the OAG, focus the main camera first, and then slide the guide camera in or out to achieve focus.

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, imaged with the DIY Off-Axis Guider

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Declination Motor

Using a gearbox from an electronic screw driver and a stepper motor from a printer, I’ve built a declination motor drive (direct drive and using gearbox).

The electronic screw driver has a DC motor which I removed and swapped with an old printer’s stepper motor. The gearbox attaches to the declination worm screw using an improvised coupler. I designed it to feature a clutch knob to disengage the motor drive in case I need to slew manually, using the fine adjustment knob.

The stepper motor is driven with an A4988 stepper motor driver board and controlled with an Arduino Uno microcontroller. Two push buttons are used to slew the telescope north or south. I had to perform a field test in order to correctly set the motor’s speed to match the slew speed of the RA motor. The declination motor can be used for declination guiding. I have also tested it to work with a DIY go-to controller.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Counterweights

Equatorial telescopes near the equator have polar axis with very low elevation and as a result, the counterweights may hit one of the tripod legs. With this new set of DIY counterweights, I was able to reposition the weights just enough distance to clear the north-side tripod leg, while at the same time, shift the weights closer to the polar axis, making the whole system more stable.

Custom counterweights for a Kenko NES mount

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Microfocuser | Canon 50 mm f/1.8

When imaging targets using a DSLR lens, achieving proper focus may be difficult even when using a Bahtinov mask. Focus adjustments involving very small and precise steps can be achieved using a microfocusing mechanism. In this DIY project, I have modified a Canon 50 mm f/1.8 lens and tapped onto its built in electronic microfocuser. It uses an L293D stepper motor driver and an Arduino Uno.

The focuser is ASCOM compliant and works with astronomy software such as the Nighttime Imaging N Astronomy (NINA) for automated focusing during unattended imaging. The modification should work with any lens with built in electronic focusers.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Equatorial Wedge

I have fabricated a customized equatorial wedge for a colleague. An equatorial wedge is simply a platform that is tilted to precisely match the latitude of a place. When used with a wedge, an altitude-azimuth telescope mount may be used in equatorial configuration.

Equatorial wedge fabricated at a local machine shop

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Baader ND 5.0 Solar Filter

I have been using a Baader Neutral Density (ND) 5.0 Solar Safety Film filter for several years now in solar photography and visual observation. According to the specifications, it reduces solar intensity by a factor of 100,000.

Baader film solar filter mounted on a telescope

The filter looks like a thin reflective plastic sheet, about A4 size (20 cm by 29 cm). When used with binoculars or telescope, it must be cut to the right size to cover the whole aperture of the optical instrument and installed securely on a rigid frame. Alternatively, the filter may be used without a telescope. Based on my experience, while the solar film may look very delicate and fragile, it is very durable and does not easily get damaged. Special attention, however, must be given to ensure that the film does not get stretched or folded to retain its properties.

Sunspot AR12192 | Sky-Watcher 4 in f/9 refractor

The Baader ND 5.0 solar filter produces sharp images with good contrast without changing the white balance. The filter I purchased in 2011 which has been used extensively in almost every solar event visible in my locality is still in excellent condition.

To view posts on DIY projects and astronomical equipment, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Celestron OIII Narrowband Filter

The 2-inch Celestron OIII (oxygen III) band-pass filter that allows the 496 nm and 501 nm lines emitted by planetary and emission nebula. The filter looks like a polished mirror that allows some green light that corresponds to the light emitted by emission and planetary nebula to pass through but blocks everything else including most light pollution.

I used this filter extensively in visual observation by ‘blinking’ it in and out between the eye and the eyepiece, a technique used in observing O-III planetary nebula. The use of the filter results in enhanced contrast between the sky and the nebula.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Electronic Focuser | Refractor

I’ve built an electronic automatic focuser (EAF) for my Sky-Watcher Equinox 100ED refractor for automated and precise focusing. The focuser was built with a stepper motor from an old printer, a gearbox from an electronic screwdriver, A4988 stepper motor driver, and an Arduino Uno.

The focuser is ASCOM compliant and works with astronomy software such as the Nighttime Imaging N Astronomy (NINA) for automated focusing during unattended imaging. When the autofocus command is called, NINA takes a series of photos (with a Canon 50D DSLR) at various focus distances and measures the diameter of stars for star fields or the highest contrast for moon and planets. It then calculates the proper distance travel for best focus, and then moves the focuser to focus. An automatic focuser ensures that stars remain focused during unattended imaging runs while you are away from the telescope.

Autofocusing with a DIY Electronic Focuser

This DIY electronic focuser attached to a standard Crayford focuser features 50,000 focus positions, with buttons for manual focus adjustment and calibration. The controller keeps track of the draw tube’s current position and saves this information even when the focuser is powered off.

Precise focusing of Jupiter using an Electronic Auto-Focuser

I have tested the focuser on several imaging runs now and it appears to be working fine, especially with planets in which I image at 3600 mm focal length.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Intervalometer

I’ve built a simple DIY intervalometer for deep-sky imaging, to enable my DSLR camera to take a series of photos of galaxies and nebula. It features a rotary dial with preset exposure times. When used with an autoguider setup, the intervalometer allows taking unattended exposures, while the telescope tracks a galaxy or nebula.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Shutter Switch | Canon 50D

I’ve built a remote shutter switch for my Canon 50D to enable it to take exposures longer than 30 seconds, which is essential in astrophotography. Since the camera already has a battery grip, I just bypassed the battery grip’s shutter button and put an external switch. To make it removable, I used a wire that plugs into a socket hidden neatly in the battery compartment.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

	Eteny on DIY Pier Extension
	Ggreybeard on DIY Pier Extension
	Ggreybeard on Laser Pointer Finder
	Ggreybeard on Carina Nebula \| 565 mm
	Chris A Mahar on DIY Planetary Camera
	Eteny on DIY Electronic Focuser \| …
	Ggreybeard on DIY Electronic Focuser \| …
	Eteny on DIY Guide Scope Rings
	Bruce Lathrop on DIY Guide Scope Rings
	Eteny on DIY Planetary Camera
	Riccardo Aeritel Giu… on DIY Planetary Camera
	dev soi on DIY Planetary Camera

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