Tag: OnStep Arduino

The original controller of this Meade LXD75 mount has failed and a DIY OnStep controller was used to repair the mount and restore its tracking and go-to capability. I have installed RA and declination motors and used an Arduino microcontroller to control the motors. Just like the mounts typical of this class and era, it has a 144:1 main shaft gear reduction, and looks very similar to the Vixen Great Polaris mount. It takes 144 full rotations of the worm to rotate the RA or declination shaft 360 degrees.

I used NEMA 17 stepper motors on an L-brackets with 16-teeth and 60-teeth pulley and belt drive system for each axis. The total steps are 200 steps * 60/16 reduction * 144/1 teeth worm drive with 1/64 micro-stepping, at 6, 912, 000 per 360 degrees, or 19,200 per degree. 

The mount uses 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). It is powered by a 12V 12A power supply. To watch a video of this Meade LDX75 OnStep conversion during testing, click here.

Related link:
DIY Controller for Vixen Great Polaris Mount

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

I have built an OnStep go-to telescope controller for a Vixen Great Polaris mount. 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.

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

Related link: Meade LXD75 OnStep Upgrade

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines