6 Inch Newtonian Telescope

thingiverse

Update Jan 1, 2021: Shared Fusion 360 Files for Those Who Requested Them. Enjoy. Update Dec 28, 2020: Enhanced 4" Telescope: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4700213 This prototype telescope design uses a 6-inch primary mirror and a 35mm secondary. Adapters are included for 20mm and 32mm eyepieces; additional sizes can be easily modeled. The telescope features standard 20mm extruded aluminum rails, combined with M4, M5, and 1/4-20 hardware, as well as generic z-axis or heatbed springs for the primary kinematic mirror mount and secondary mount. The main mounts utilize 12mm M5 screws and t-nuts in the rails. Future plans include uploading Fusion 360 files and assembly instructions; meanwhile, STLs are available for anyone to experiment with. Initial testing revealed that the telescope functions well with minimal adjustment before collimation. Mounting brackets have been included for attaching the telescope to a standard 1/4-20 camera shoe, but it's recommended to use a more substantial attachment. The design allows for additional rails, enabling the use of a Dobsonian mount or EQ. This particular mirror has a 750mm focal length; while optical modeling for other f numbers hasn't been done yet, the design should be relatively flexible. Note that clearances are intentionally tight; depending on your printer, you may need to adjust flow or under extrusion values to achieve desired clearances.