Since young my father introduced me to astronomy and grew wondering how we could understand big concepts like space and time. I was always in awe, stargazing disbelieving that we're in this beautiful universe and made out of the same matter as explosive stars and black holes. In my final project I want to honour this feeling of awe.
I have seen multiple people making cool stuff in the field of astronomy using the maker tools. For Example the AstroTracker project. It's an Open-source DIY star tracker which can be build from simple, and 3D printed parts.But the take is that it uses GPS module to perfect the tracking and advanced calculation and It may be so complex for me to re-make something this cool. But! I still have multiple cool ideas up my sleeve so let me list them
1st: Orrery-inspired clock
So the idea is a simple smart replica of the orrery. for those of you who haven't heard before. It's an ancient device used to simulate preciesly the motion and location of astronomical objects in the sky.
- The Interface encoder knob, LCD, which will control the date
- The encoder to the date from menu
- Once a date selected the motors carrying the earth & sun will move using a some kind of lazy suzan mechanism.
- The Earth or the Sun will rotate around each other mimicing thier movement on the same day
- 3D Printing: Printing the gears
- CNC Milling: milling the pcbs
- Laser Cutter: the Frame & the flaps
- Make a Cardboard Prototype
- Try the flap movement.
- Read and parse the data from the API & Control one motor.
- Integrate an E-paper in the code.
- Design the project on fusion 360
- Fabricate the Gears
- Fabricate the enclosure
- Design PCB for the main pcb including the stepper drivers
- Fabricate & Solder the pcb
- Make an interface with Javascript on the web? ----------------------
- Week 1: Make a Cardboard Prototype
- Week 1: Design and laser cut the flap mechanism
- Week 1-2: Read and parse the data from the API & Control one motor.
- Week 2: Design the project on fusion 360
- Week 2: Fabricate the Gears
- Week 2: Design PCB for the main pcb including the stepper driver
- Week 2: Design the project on fusion 360
- Week 4:Integration & Testing & Troubleshouting
- Week 4: Slides & Documentation
Features
Sketch
2nd: Auto-Guided Telescope 🔭
Well, I just can give up on the poetic idea of chasing the stars! what can I say. Like the name suggests I want to make something that can be controlled via a software called stellarium. It's a Stellarium is a free open source planetarium app that provides a realistic 3D view of the night sky. I can point at a star or a constellations, planets, nebulae and other celestial objects with mild ease. Or I can mount a camera and make the motors move with a precise and slow angles to capture a beautiful star trails Inspired by the multiple projects like
3D Design
I simulated the gear movement in Computer aided design week
BOM
I will use the same components as the orrery clock but with a different design. I will use a stepper motor.
Bonus Feature for star pointer Project: Adding a camera to take pictures of the stars and planets.
Lunar Phase Tracker
What does it do?
It's a moon phase tracker that tracks the phase. It's largely insoired by Simone Grietz's video and her collaboration with dina Amin. It used the mechanisms of flap display. It uses an API which sends the state of the moon. The device will have an interface from which you can enter your desired date and once you click enter the state changes. The device will have a display that shows the name of the phase
Who's done what beforehand?
Most of the people I found in Fab Academy used the concept of the orrery to make lamps like here
What parts and systems have you tried and what will be made?
I tried designing the gear movement in Computer aided design week
In Embedded Programming week I tried to get Mars's data from NASA horizon API: Here
In Input devices I tried capacitve touch sensor which in my system will serve as the "homing".
What materials and components will be used?
| Component & Materials | Quantity | Function | Link | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacitors | 3 | pcb | ||
| Resistor | 2 | pcb | ||
| ESP32-Wroom | 1 | Microcontoller | ||
| Switches | 2 | pcb | ||
| Stepper Motor | 1 | Output | ||
| Stepper Motor Driver | 1 | Output | ||
| ON/OFF Switch | 1 | Input | ||
| PinHeaders | ~ | pcb | ||
| Voltage Regulator 3.3v | 1 | pcb | ||
| Power Supply 9v | 1 | Powering | ||
| Copper tape | 1 | Will act as a limit switch. | ||
| E-paper Display | 1 | Powering |
What tools and processes will you use?
How much the project will cost?
Based on my calculation: