Polar Alignment Tray with 3 Options

thingiverse

Aligning an equatorial telescope mount to Earth's polar axis requires precise tracking, and various modern methods can achieve this. Polar scopes and software solutions utilizing telescope cameras offer accurate polar alignment options. However, many entry-level mounts lack a reliable method for polar alignment. This tray assembly addresses the problem by providing three distinct approaches to achieve polar alignment. The assembly consists of two parts: a tray and a dovetail, secured together with #4-40 x 1/2 inch screws and nuts. The dovetail is designed to fit into a standard Vixen telescope mount used on mounts like the Explore Scientific G11, EXOS2, or iEXOS 100 (and many other brands). The tray accommodates an iPhone such as the iPhone 7,8,or 10 small or large version (82mm maximum width) and features a holder for a red dot finderscope made by Celestron. Additionally, it has mounting holes to secure a QHY PoleMaster electronic polar scope. A brief explanation of each alignment technique follows. For each method, the tray is installed in the mount's Vixen dovetail grip with the telescope removed. The mount is then homed, leveled, and pointed as close to north as possible with elevation set to the user's approximate latitude. iPhone Technique (Preferred Method): Download the app "Polar Scope Align Pro." Bring up the app and select the three dots at the bottom right corner of the main page screen. Then select the sun icon just above the three dots on the bottom right. This displays a circular target, and as you rotate and elevate the iPhone, a crosshair appears when aligned with Earth's polar axis. Place the iPhone in the tray and align the mount to the polar axis using the adjustment features on the mount. Red Dot Finder Technique: Attach the red dot finder to the small dovetail on the right side of the tray. (Assuming the red dot finder has been previously aligned to the telescope's axis.) Turn on the power to the red dot, and look through the finder. Adjust the mount so that the red dot falls on Polaris. QHY PoleMaster Technique: Mount the QHY PoleMaster on the rear wall of the tray using the three holes provided (likely with M3 screws). The cable should be directed to the right as shown in the picture above. Follow the instructions provided with the PoleMaster to adjust the mount. Using any of these techniques should result in alignment within a degree or so, which is suitable for most applications.