Printable Equitorial mount

thingiverse

UPDATE 11/12/17: I've got a brand-new, bigger version printed and under construction right now, so keep an eye out for the models once it's done. I'm building a printable equatorial mount for a telescope with a dovetail. I plan to use 1/2" threaded rods, 1/2" x 9/8" x 5/16" bearings, and 1/2" nuts to keep everything together. It's designed to use two steppers - I'll test if NEMA 17s will work, otherwise high-torque NEMA 23s. They'll be belt-driving the RA and Dec axis of the mount. This doesn't include a way to attach to a tripod or anything, so grab your hot glue gun and drill press. Honestly, I have no idea if this will work or how many pounds it will hold; most likely variable on plastic (I'm using ColorFabb Ngen - Clear personally). UPDATE 10/14/16: - I've designed a 'belt' box to decrease the arcseconds traveled. ~211 arcsec per 1 step to ~4 arcsec per 1 step (1:42.25 ratio). I'll be using GT2 3mm timing belt from OpenBuildsPartsStore.com. - I also redesigned the polar knob to make it faster to print (I do recommend a cloth or something to tighten it since it is a little hard to grab; I'll redesign that later). Pictures soon! - Quick redesign of the declination drive cover. I don't know why I put bearings there since it shouldn't be freely spinning. Put a hole for a 1/2" nut instead, and I recommend epoxying the nut into place (as straight as physically possible). Might want to clamp some scrap metal or plastic on the nut and flat end of the drive cover to make sure it is flat. UPDATE 11/15/16: - Finally put it all together: http://imgur.com/a/sjWkY - I'll be updating these models soon, once I get some time to fix them. - Scrapped the bottom knob tightener thing; I bought a cheap 1/2" threaded knob off of Amazon and put some locktite red on it. - Redesigned the axis drives (again); decided on a 15 and 100 tooth pulley setup (15:100:15:100) which gives a 1:44.4 gear ratio. I'll mess with programming later. Print Settings: Printer: Lautr3k Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: Yes Resolution: Whatever you can Infill: 50%+