All weather barn door tracker

[Guest peepshow]

 

I decided that setting up a ' Barn door tracker' every time getting its hinges in line with the

celestial pole was going to be a pain so this tracker will be permanently installed

out doors on its mount. 

Because of this, it is being  made from brass, aluminium and stainless steel.

Not yet finished as you can see. ( Hinges are stainless steel)

 

It will be a  double type 3.  It's permanent mount is being made of aluminium and galvanized steel.

All  will be covered over when not in use but staying out of doors.

 

I wonder if any one else has a built an outdoor tracker and if it has weathered 

the storms well.

[dawson]

I've never heard of one of these and I can't imagine what it's used for or how to use it (the former probably explains my ignorance with regards the latter).

 

James

[dawson]

Right, I see what you means now. I still can't see how all those hinges will make a tracking system, but I'll watch and learn. Sorry I can't help with the outdoors question. Good luck with the project. James

[Guest peepshow]

Hello James, there are two sets of hinges to each set of arms. 

One arm is the drive via a 20TPI threaded rod and the other the camera platform.

As you will see from this excellent site on trackers, a type 3

has the hinges spaced exactly 2 inches apart..........

http://education.jlab.org/tracker/index.html

 

.

Type 3 is quite compact and  has very small errors over a longish time period 

 providing the dimensions are held.

A wooden construction, I thought, might shift dimensions in all kinds of

UK weather we have nowadays

[dawson]

I'm just not a DIYer. I'd probably look for a commercially available one! Lazy I know.

 

I take my hat off (i never wear a hat so you'll have to imagine I do) to you though, and to everyone who takes on such projects, I think it's great to see. It's reminiscent of what astronomers and astro-imagers were doing 20, 30, 50 years ago when access to ready-made equipment was less easy and it was proportionally far more expensive.

 

Good work.

 

James

[xanthic]

Looks impressive. Will you get any expansion problems using different materials?

[Guest peepshow]

Looks impressive. Will you get any expansion problems using different materials?

I hope not as it's only about 12 inches in size and any difference in expansion should not be a problem, but we shall see. The actual barn door is all made from aluminium channel only.

 

Here's a picture of the mount made with 3 inch dia Aluminium tube standing on a paving stone with 6 galvanised steel struts to 3 other paving stones.......courtesy of Wickes. :-)

 

If I ever move a spanner will enable me to take the whole system with me.