Motorizing a GSO Dobsonian telescope. Romer Optics EZ GoTo.

Рет қаралды 11,363

Күн бұрын

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To automate my scope I installed the Ez Goto system from Romer Optics on my 16'' GSO Dobsonian. It provides accurate tracking and goto. The system is compatible with the following scopes;
GSO Dob 8"~16" bearing model.
(Also branded as StellaLyra / Zhumell Z series)
Aperura AD8" ~ AD16"
Orion SkyLine Dob Series
* Spring tension model scopes/ Skywatcher/Meade Light Bridge are NOT compatible.
Chapters
00:12 - Parts
03:00 - Build
07:44 - Wiring & testing
11:43 - Weatherproofing & setup
13:18 - First Light
** Parts From Romer Optics **
EZ GOTO KIT (list of parts / purchase guides at end of page):
romer-optics-llc.myshopify.co...
** Parts From Other vendors **
CNC Digital Microstep driver DM542 Stepper Motor Driver Controller 2-phase 20-50V DC Max 4.2A 42 57 86 Motor Driver for Nema 17, 23 and Nema 34 series stepper motor, Replace M542 M542H:
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08GCFNQF...
STEPPERONLINE Nema 17 Stepper Motor 59Ncm 2A 48mm 4 Wires w/ 1m Cable & Connector for DIY CNC 3D Printer:
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
Iverntech Nema 23 Stepper Motor 57x56mm Body 1.8 Stepper Angle 2.0A 2 Phase 4-Lead with 1M Cable for 3D Printer, CNC Machine:
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
Boost Module-200W 7A 6-35V to 6-55V High Power Step Up Booster Converter Charger Modules for Electric Equipment and Digital Products with Aluminum Case:
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Y4YHW8...
12V LED Digital Voltmeter, Waterproof Voltage Gauge Meter Battery Tester with Red Light Digital Screen Touch Display Panel for Car Boat Marine Vehicle Motorcycle Truck Camper ATV UTV
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
4PCS 100-150mm Galvanised Adjustable Elevated Post Base Support, Heavy Duty Roof Support for Building:
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
Glarks 486Pcs Wire Crimper Plier with Connector Set, SN-28B Ratchet Crimping Tool with 485Pcs 2.54mm 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pin Housing Connector Male Female Pin Header Crimp Connector for AWG28-18 Dupont Pins:
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07VQ6YNS...
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/out-of...
License code: UXBFJBPYX3VUAUOY
uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/dope
License code: UG43XPPEVH4BOGSU

Пікірлер: 91

@nikpan9744 3 ай бұрын

This video is exactly what I was looking for! I have the exact same telescope and was looking to upgrade it!

@StargazerMan 3 ай бұрын

Glad I could help!

@rabishankarbhattacharya7638 5 ай бұрын

This is amazing ❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉

@aaronbrinkerhoff3787 10 ай бұрын

Great video btw!

@icyxxxxx 22 күн бұрын

Nice!

@StargazerMan 21 күн бұрын

Thanks!

@danielbirrell6704 10 ай бұрын

Thanks. You've been a big help.

@StargazerMan 10 ай бұрын

You're welcome!

@igibomba 6 ай бұрын

This is a great video! I love my 8 inch dob, motorising it would make it even more powerful.

@StargazerMan 6 ай бұрын

Thanks. Yes! I find that not having to constantly nudge the scope along makes observation so much more enjoyable. You can concentrate on the object as opposed to tracking.

@138antares 9 ай бұрын

Very good.👍👍👍👍👍

@StargazerMan 7 ай бұрын

Thank you very much

@138antares 3 ай бұрын

Very good 👍👍👍👍👍

@StargazerMan 3 ай бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

@zeropointsingularity 10 ай бұрын

This is awesome! I've been looking for a way to automate my dob. Looks like it'll work well on my Orion.

@StargazerMan 10 ай бұрын

Go for it!

@StargazerMan 10 ай бұрын

Let us know how it works out!

@user-qq9ls7lx5n 5 ай бұрын

No entiendo como tiene pocos like, esta informacion vale mucho. Saludos

@StargazerMan 5 ай бұрын

¡Muchas gracias! Supongo que no somos muchos los astrónomos que estamos dispuestos a tomarnos la molestia de instalar manualmente una unidad de este tipo en un Dob. ¡Cielos despejados!

@KristoferSanders 18 күн бұрын

@StargazerMan A video I would love to see you do is: 1) EZ GOTO 2) Astrophotography Camera like ZWO ASI294MC or ToupTek ATR294C 3) Stellarium 4) Sharpcap (autostacking live view)

@StargazerMan 17 күн бұрын

Thanks! Challenge accepted. 😎 I'll put these to my list. I have an ASI469MC.

@KristoferSanders 17 күн бұрын

@@StargazerMan Awesome! Can’t wait to see it!

@StargazerMan 5 ай бұрын

New update for parts facebook.com/share/p/ZTr5J9BLTstYnZZh/

@Cheapass-tro 10 ай бұрын

Good video! Getting close to 1k subs there... Have another 1.

@StargazerMan 10 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@camus83489 7 ай бұрын

wow this is awesome, exactly what i've been looking for

@StargazerMan 7 ай бұрын

Cool! Hope it works out for you.

@camus83489 7 ай бұрын

how is the tracking - can it keep images centered for EAA and/or light weight astrophotography?@@StargazerMan

@StargazerMan 7 ай бұрын

The visual tracking is perfect (in the sense that I don't notice any movement even under high magnification). I've STILL not had a clear night long enough to set it up for planetary imaging. I'm excited to grab what I can of Jupiter right now but the weather is just being a pain as usual. I do plan to make an update video on using the 16'' to image - but just gotta wait. :-(

@davethinkingsystems 28 күн бұрын

This looks really good , thanks for posting it is quite an inspiration. May I ask how much friction is there in your azimuth mount. I have a 12" dob with the same type of plywood box mount but I am worried I have too much friction in the bottom for a stepper to turn ? Just looking for your opinion. I could get some rollers and mod the bottom if needed I guess.

@StargazerMan 28 күн бұрын

Thanks! I reckon for a 12" you'll not have any problems with the reccomended motor (ask Erik from Romer and he'll help you pick the right one, he's super friendly and knowledgeable) he's on Facebook Messenger if you search Romer Optics and really quick to reply. My 16" in this video is quite an effort to turn which is why I needed the higher torque motor. The drawback is that the stepper motors constantly draw current so I really only have the motors engaged when observing. I don't use the go-to from start to finish. When Im going to the next target, I disengage the clutch, select the object then hit go-to and manually slew. When I'm near the object I let go and the drives kick in for the final honing in.

@davethinkingsystems 28 күн бұрын

@@StargazerMan Thanks very much for replying and thanks for the info. I'll reach out and contact him. This looks like an excellent project to do and coming up to the longest days in the year it seems like a good time as well. Dark Skys mate

@ericdoty1520 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing that, I am about to attempt this with my 8” Dob. What phone mount setup are you using on your telescope?

@StargazerMan 9 ай бұрын

I used an old car phone holder. But having used it more and more, I find holding the phone easier.

@natdiamond 9 ай бұрын

I have the eyepiece holder on the side of the carousel and I lay my phone on that because I keep my eyepieces in a foam lined firearm type harbor freight case.

@ianjeffery3762 6 ай бұрын

Can i ask a question? Why did you dismantle the bearing? Would the large 1/4 steel cog fit with the standard bearing? Also how did you attach the at ans az sensors s?

@StargazerMan 6 ай бұрын

Great questions and I can see I didn't make that very clear at all! So for the bearing. The 1/4 steel cig arm part has to be attached to the bearing. For it to fit, Romer Optics will machine your bearing and pre drill the holes somit can be attached. If you have a lathe machine you can do it yourself. For the encoders, on the altitude, they supply a small part that you replace on the bearing that allows a small cylindrical magnet to be screwed on to the center of the bearing. There is a bracket then sits over that magnet (time stamp 10:04 in the video, it's the silver part with the push to logo on it). This connects to a similar bracket that sits over the Azimuth magnet (again part is provided) see timestamp 10:10 same kind of bracket with flashing LED light. Hope this helps! Frank.

@spliter200 10 ай бұрын

Which wheelbarrow did you get for your telescope? I have a 16in

@StargazerMan 10 ай бұрын

I built one from scratch (go to 13:18 in the video) with a few lengths of timber, wheelbarrow wheels, a length of threaded bar for the axel, some washers and locknuts. The metal arms were leftover roof racks.

@paulsterman7169 4 ай бұрын

Hi. I have a broken Orion XT10G scope. The mount broken. Is there a way to use this process to get the mount to work again? Thanks!

@StargazerMan 4 ай бұрын

Unfortunately not Paul. The system doesn't work with the XT10G type of mount. Hope you have better luck fixing it. It's a great scope.

@stevec6977 4 ай бұрын

What actually controls the motors, is there a micro controller of some kind, or does the apt on your phone do It?

@StargazerMan 4 ай бұрын

The App controls everything. :-)

@alpsirus Ай бұрын

Can I do this to my Meade light bridge plus 12inch dob??

@StargazerMan Ай бұрын

Hey. So the kit is not suitable for the light bridge scopes.

@astrovillager 9 ай бұрын

I am also trying to make a onstep goto,

@StargazerMan 9 ай бұрын

I looked at Onstep. Seems a very capable system!

@rockmusicvideoreviewer896 2 ай бұрын

Exactly what I am looking for! How much did all the parts add up? Not including the price of the telescope. Just all the parts to make the scope motorized. Thanks!

@StargazerMan 2 ай бұрын

Hey. I really must add that total price to the video. As far as I recall in total I spent about $400. At the time you had to buy the stepper motors and drivers separately elsewhere but now Erik does the full Kit. If I were you I'd message him on Facebook Messenger (search Romer Optics) and get a direct quote for your scope. (Mention you saw my video ;-) ) romer-optics-llc.myshopify.com/products/ez-goto-complete-kit

@rockmusicvideoreviewer896 2 ай бұрын

@@StargazerMan Thank you!

@akshatvyas2283 6 ай бұрын

Its so usefull system... Just a query, does this sytem also track objects in sky? making dobs more usefull for astrophotography?

@StargazerMan 6 ай бұрын

Yes! This is exactly what it's intended for - object tracking. I have been waiting (and waiting) for a clear sky opportunity to use the Dob for some planetary imaging of Jupiter. The tracking should be good enough to keep the planet in frame.

@akshatvyas2283 6 ай бұрын

@@StargazerMan that's great I will be waiting for your next video than....

@natdiamond 9 ай бұрын

I've got a 14" dob and I installed the EZ GOTO system as well. Just waiting for some clear skies. What camera do you use with the 16"?

@StargazerMan 9 ай бұрын

Cool! Are the Nema17 motors sufficient for your 14''? I haven't use any cameras with the 16''...yet! I do plan on doing some planetary imaging now that it's tracking. I've a ZWO ASI462MC colour cam that I'll use.

@natdiamond 9 ай бұрын

@@StargazerMan Eric at Romer optics knew I had the 14" dob so he recommended right away to use the nema 23 for the alt and az and the nema 17 for my focuser. (ERIC IS AWESOME AND ANSWERED EVERY QUESTION I HAD!!!). It is completely silent when it moves around! FYI for anyone reading this I have a ZHUMELL 12" Dob, which is the same as an Apertura dob.

@StargazerMan 9 ай бұрын

How do you power it? What is your battery life like?

@natdiamond 9 ай бұрын

@@StargazerMan I bought a 40 volt weed wacker battery & charger. But I have not tried it yet only the Home outlet and extension cord. Also I need to buy a step down converter so it will step it down to roughly 20 Volts. Eric uses an 18 volt and says he gets a couple of hours on a smaller dob, so a 40 volt should maybe get 3-4 hours? We'll see.

@StargazerMan 9 ай бұрын

@natdiamond That's not bad. I get about the same from a 20Ah 12V have to step up to 20v

@aaronbrinkerhoff3787 10 ай бұрын

What do you use for the phone mount?

@StargazerMan 10 ай бұрын

It's an old phone holder for the car. The windscreen siction cup and arm part broke so I kept the cradle part in case it might come in handy... which it did. L

@user-oh8wi1mz8w 5 ай бұрын

This is a very cool addition!! What is the diameter of the Alt gear?

@StargazerMan 5 ай бұрын

That's a good question. I'll need to measure it as I don't see it in any of the documentation online.

@user-oh8wi1mz8w 5 ай бұрын

@@StargazerMan If I remember correctly somewhere in the official manual states the diameter is about 300mm (it was written in inches) However, I wondered if it's true because without any gearbox the reduction rate (and steps per degree) would be too low for onstep standard. That's why I want to ask someone owning this product.

@BaffledBelief 3 ай бұрын

Could i just a 3d printer board ive got heaps of those

@StargazerMan 3 ай бұрын

I don't understand. ,,🤔

@JoeBlow-ub1us 7 ай бұрын

I see you're using the $150 kit, would the $360 complete kit come with everything I need or would I still have to buy some things? They're not super clear about it on the website. I would assume "complete kit" means you get everything you need but I'm not very well versed in goto systems. If you're able to answer it would be much appreciated.

@StargazerMan 7 ай бұрын

Sure! I'll try my best to answer. I found it quite confusing also when I started looking at what what parts I needed. I bought an early version from Eric and ended up making the power board and doing a lot of trial and error making to get it right. BTW Eric is fantastic for help on Messenger. If I were to do it today I would jump at the complete kit. Simply because he's done 90% of it for you (the wiring / the boards etc). There will still be hands on stuff to do but IMHO it helps in the long run to learn to future manage the system. From looking at the list in the complete kit, other than a power source it looks good! Hope this answers your question! BTW - If you're not already, It'd really help the channel if you hit 🔔Subscribe🔔 Thanks!

@JoeBlow-ub1us 7 ай бұрын

@@StargazerMan Thank you. That helps alot!

@CJFromGroveStreet 8 ай бұрын

Can I use this for long exposure astrophotography ?

@StargazerMan 8 ай бұрын

Dobsonians are not well suited for long exposure astrophotography I'm afraid! It is possible and I've seen some surprisingly good images but it's not something I'd recommend.

@pilotstiles 5 ай бұрын

Will this work on a Orion XT10

@StargazerMan 5 ай бұрын

Hey. No, it's not compatible with that model.

@fungicultura.no.youtube 8 ай бұрын

Works in skywatcher 200mm?

@StargazerMan 8 ай бұрын

Unfortuantly not. from the website: romer-optics-llc.myshopify.com/products/ez-goto-kit Compatible brands/models GSO Dob 8"~16" ( bearing model only ) Aperura AD8" ~ AD16" Orion SkyLine Dob Series Zhumell Z series * Any spring tension model is NOT compatible. * Skywatcher/Meade Light Bridge are NOT complatible.

@138antares 9 ай бұрын

Is there any vibration in high magnification of planetary astrophotography? Or is the whole thing smooth?

@StargazerMan 9 ай бұрын

Starting next week Jupiter will be at a respectable altitude to allow me to test! I'm planning on doing a follow up video on imaging using the 16" and the ZWO 462MC camera.

@johnmartin7297 8 ай бұрын

@@StargazerManwhere are you based in Ireland ?

@StargazerMan 8 ай бұрын

Yip!@@johnmartin7297

@johnmartin7297 8 ай бұрын

Lol , I meant , where .. you sound corkish , int in this setup , love to pick your brains a bit on it , if you were up for that

@StargazerMan 8 ай бұрын

Lol. Proud Limerick man! Ask away!

@LuisSM 5 ай бұрын

Buenas, estaria muy interesado en montar un GoTo de este estilo para mi telescopio. Hay algun paso a paso a seguir y lista de la compra para poder realizarlo?? Donde comprar todos los componentes me refiero. Es un trabajazo, enhorabuena por ello!!

@StargazerMan 5 ай бұрын

Gracias. Usted puede echar un vistazo aquí para la lista de piezas necesarias: romer-optics-llc.myshopify.com/collections/coma-fee-dobsonian Pero probablemente sea mejor enviar un mensaje a Erik directamente en Facebook Messanger y explicarle lo que quieres comprar y qué piezas necesitarás. No estoy seguro de si él está enviando fuera de los EE.UU., pero usted podría conseguir las piezas enviadas a alguien allí y envió entonces a usted. Eso es lo que hice.

@LuisSM 5 ай бұрын

@@StargazerMan gracias le echare un vistazo

@LuisSM 5 ай бұрын

@@StargazerMan He hablado con él y no envía a fuera de EEUU, una lástima ya que tiene buena pinta y no conozco a nadie allá :(

@ianjeffery3762 3 ай бұрын

Are you still using this? If so, how do you find its tracking accuracy?

@StargazerMan 3 ай бұрын

I sure am. I'll be giving it one final long session as the nights are getting very short now. Tracking is holding its own. I've not yet tried any planetary imaging with it.. I've been a bit preoccupied testing new scopes!

@ianjeffery3762 3 ай бұрын

@@StargazerMan do you recommend getting it? I have built a onstep setup but it's very tricky to use

@StargazerMan 3 ай бұрын

I was actually going to try the onstep way before I landed on the EZ goto. Honesty, it pushed my limits on electronics as there was a steep learning curve for me. I had to trial a bunch of different motors to get the right balance between power draw and torque. It's definitely a hands on project. As for operation, that part I find easy.

@frxdnt 5 ай бұрын

Works on gso 6"?

@StargazerMan 5 ай бұрын

Hey. If your GSO scope has a spring tensioner then no, only the bearing type are suitable for this. Hope this helps and if you've not subscribed please do as it helps grow the channel. Clear skies!