Author Archives: james

Robert Brown Focuser Controller build, step by step #10

Posted on June 10, 2020 by james

Mostly done and in a box now. Just need to finish making up the lid with the buttons and LEDs on.

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Robert Brown Focuser Controller build, step by step #9

Posted on June 10, 2020 by james

I’ve just realised that I forgot to put in the current-limiting resistor for the buzzer (that’s what I assume it’s there for, anyhow). Probably because it doesn’t appear on the stripboard layouts which aren’t always kept up to date with … Continue reading →

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Robert Brown Focuser Controller build, step by step #8

Posted on June 10, 2020 by james

This morning I grabbed a scribing tool from the workshop and ran it down all the “blank” sections of the stripboard on the first board a few times to try to clear out any tiny drops of solder that might … Continue reading →

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Darkstar restoration, part 4

Posted on June 8, 2020 by james

Having found a 65mm hole saw, I screwed a block of scrap timber to the inside of the OTA using the existing mounting holes having marked the centre as best I could. and cut a larger diameter hole for the … Continue reading →

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Mount power distribution box

Posted on June 8, 2020 by james

A while back I picked up a 12V power distribution box second-hand with a view to putting it on top of one of my mounts to provide 12V power to all the attached bits and pieces whilst only requiring a … Continue reading →

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Robert Brown Focuser Controller build, step by step #7

Posted on June 8, 2020 by james

I think it must be a short somewhere between some of the tracks. This evening I’ve built a new board from the ground up, plugged in the same Nano and stepper driver and it’s running “blink” fine. A small part … Continue reading →

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Robert Brown Focuser Controller build, step by step #6

Posted on June 8, 2020 by james

Having finished the circuit board I plugged in the Nano and motor controller and connected it to a USB port (without any other power source connected). The power LED lit on the Nano, but nothing else happened and I wasn’t … Continue reading →

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Robert Brown Focuser Controller build, step by step #5

Posted on June 8, 2020 by james

I now have almost all the components in place. The large diode at the top left wasn’t in the original plan I worked from. That’s the reverse voltage protection diode. Obviously no-one, least of all me, is ever going to … Continue reading →

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Robert Brown Focuser Controller build, step by step #4

Posted on June 8, 2020 by james

In the end I couldn’t find a single application that would do what I wanted, so I just decided to start cutting tracks and see where I ended up 🙂 And then spent a happy hour or two soldering in … Continue reading →

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Robert Brown Focuser Controller build, step by step #3

Posted on June 8, 2020 by james

All the parts that I didn’t already arrived, so I need to get on with laying out the stripboard. I found what looks to be quite a handy tool for doing that last night (it’s probably simple enough to do … Continue reading →

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