OpenAstroTracker Build

The OAK project is the second 3D project I’ve been working on, the first being the drone project. More on that later. This comes from an Open Source project managed by OpenAstroTech. The provided the design and files to print, I have to assemble the project. This is the first 3D printed project that has been completed… Sort of.

I started printing the parts and it became clear that this was going to take time. Each part, depending on the shape and size, took hours to print. Below in the gallery you can see the steps I took along the way to build the OAT. Between printing, reprinting, and assembly I’ve got over 100 hours into the project.

Its purpose is to adjust the camera angle during a long exposure to get high depth of field shots of the sky. Put simply, it’s a tool to get amazing shots of the night sky. As I learned shooting shows in Chicago, dark photography is hard. Over the years I’ve worked and tried to improve this aspect of my shooting, just haven’t quite got there yet. This tool is to help.

I owned a “built” tracker for sometime, but it doesn’t carry the weight of my full frame camera or will be able to hold the upgrades I’m working so hard for. The OAK not only does this, but I’m thinking of building a second one for a telescope I own.

I consider this version an alpha and it hasn’t been outside. It’s first problem is that it's awkward to move around. The second is the wiring between the controller and device is very flimsy. The third is the stepper motors I used as old, need to be reconfigured, and just don’t cut it. So I have new stepper motors coming.

Presently I’m working to improve those issues and hopefully get some star shots soon. So it goes…