I built an Equatorial Mount for astronomy, with two HarmonicDrive gearboxes

[@craftedbyjz]

Update: I finally finished cleaning up my design files and released all of them (part design, solidworks drawings, BoMs, PCB boards and so on) here: github.com/alanzjl/AlkaidMount About the cost: I got mine HarmonicDrive CSF-17 pair for ~400 usd used from eBay. Aluminum sheets were cheap - about $60 in total. Screws ~40. I used the university machine shop so it’s free. Electronics about 100 in total (but I got enough components to make me about 10 boards:). Motor & planetary gearboxes ~100. So the total cost was about $700, very nice deal compared to a commercial RainBow HD mount that’s $3k+. I had a beginner EQ mount (HEQ-5 pro) which I got for $1.6k (during Covid) and I 100% prefer my own mount.

[@gpaunescu]

Thanks for info; please let me know the motor model, if you can.

[@dinmavric5504]

That is amazing. I've long thought how a custom made mount would be much cheaper than buying one, you confirm that idea.

[@PaoloBanci]

Can I order one? :-D

[@greatpix]

Did you keep track of how many man hours you put into building it?

[@syberand]

Hows the tracking, and very impressive

[@johnlahmann]

the amount of "know-how" in this video is incredible

[@Aubstract]

Mounts have gotten so ridiculously expensive, it makes sense that people with equipment like yours would start making their own.

[@Robin-Visser]

Correct. But after using one of those expensive mounts for about 3 years, your resell value is probably higher than a diy one. The increased pricings lately will also give a higher return when you sell it. Also think about the brake safety and other features that might help you to prevent costly damage to your scope

[@brandonhicks7549]

@robin That’s a funny argument. It’s like the inverse of the “just think of all the taxes you’ll save” by taking a job with less pay. Of course it won’t be worth as much-it didn’t cost as much and doesn’t come with a pedegree. Such is the nature of diy.

[@Robin-Visser]

@@brandonhicks7549 i bet investing in a known brand will cost you less compared to building something yourself. Prices of branded items will probably outperform inflation. Chances are that you will sell your branded astro gear after some years of use and receive more than you paid for. Like real estate. Sometimes going cheap costs more than a good but more expensive purchase.

[@Geziel79]

I completely agree, in the country where I live there are no manufacturers so you have to import, the government charges a 60% fee on top of the value of the imported product and also on the cost of shipping, making it almost impossible to buy an EQ5 for example. I recently became interested in producing a handmade one and I'm researching the subject, I've seen that it's possible to produce one buying local material and importing some parts like stepper motors, pulleys, bearings as well as electronic components making it much more advantageous to manufacture it myself.

[@RaisinEnjoyer]

@@Robin-Visserastrophotographer try not to have buyers remorse challenge: impossible

[@beatsntoons]

I'm utterly blown away by your project, and your generosity in releasing the files/design. Thanks for your kind service to the community. I hope your new mount performs well for you for years to come :)

[@lukomatico]

This is incredible work mate, I'm so impressed!!

[@hivetyrant7]

This is one of those videos you watch and think "This channel is going to blow up, I guarantee it". Very impressive work!

[@0Logan05]

..I was far too distracted with the God Awful sound track.. Sad really as it rendered it moot..

[@brenthann2623]

i cannot tell you how envious of your abilities i am.

[@Wolfie6020]

Excellent work and congratulations on building such a fabulous mount. Thanks for sharing and I watched it with a smile on my face and in awe of your talent.

[@whereswa11y]

As did I.

[@scottwilliams895]

I *deeply* appreciate this build, made almost entirely out of plate stock. A thing of beauty.

[@scottwilliams895]

The 3d printed covers are a nice touch. From the thumbnail, I didn't notice they weren't also aluminum! If I might ask, what filament is that? (I saw the brief note that it was provided/sponsored)

[@asheersarosh6655]

Dude from your skill level to the edit and soundtrack is epic, keep it up.

[@kzar42]

Fantastic job! A year ago I was about to design a harmonic drive mount myself but life got in the way and the project has been on the back burner. This video just renewed my interest. Thank you!

[@derekderek2570]

I mean.... you really think you could do this?

[@lawabidingcitizen5153]

@@derekderek2570 If anything it will be worth it for the learning experience, no need to demotivate anyone...

[@rizeglass]

I followed the video perfectly and it only took an hour to make. thanks for posting

[@ExoPhotography1]

WOW! I love the craftmanship going in to this build! This is what drives the amateur astronomy segment forward! Keep videos like these coming! /Daniel

[@srikanthmeg]

Amazing work! YOU are the BOSS

[@TimK-1971]

This is so gratifying to watch and listen to. Thanks for sharing this video with us.

[@PifflePrattle]

I built an equatorial mount at school as a metalwork project. It wasn't as good as this. But I was only 14 with ambitions advanced beyond abilities. And the project began a few months before Jim, Frank and Bill enjoyed the best Christmas ever cooped up in a small tent sized can beaming grainy low resolution pictures back to us excited kids. My mount was based on the German type and had no drive. I just liked the idea of being able to view without constantly moving two axes. It bore the same relation to a professionally manufactured mount as the live TV of Neil and Buzz doing their thing does to 4K video.

[@GeneralChangFromDanang]

As a Tool Maker and weekend astronomer, this looks like it's right up my alley. Thanks for the video.

[@Ghostnotes1221]

As a senior robotics engineer and designer, however a very new amateur astronomer, I wondered how long it would take for harmonic drives to really enter the mainstream. I bought a Losmandy G11 and immediately afterward saw the Ipotron. I almost returned the G11 knowing the capabilities this tech has. This will be the new norm in the near future. Sharing your knowledge freely, for the benefit of others is a very noble thing. Well done.

[@itsgmani]

Great music selection.

[@johnw6908]

Wow! Thank you for sharing! Every bit of the video was awesome, the editing, music, your machinist/engineering skills and photography! Thank you!

[@3VAudioVideo]

WOW! Amazing! Sweet project. I would have never thought to make one. Great job!

[@danield4573]

I couldn't even imaging undertaking this, extremely impressive.

[@RocTheReaper]

As an engineer, programmer and network security professional... I was like WTFFFF? What is up with this set of skills?!? And then I saw MIT and it all made sense LOL. Awesome work man!

[@WKfpv]

Guy has skills on several fields. Amazing. Loved it.

[@FrootyRecords]

Very Impressive, you have great engineering skills and a nice workshop and equipment!

[@jeremyjames2643]

Just got into astronomy, been looking at many diy mounts and this by far is the best ive seen. Unfortunately even with all the information provided im far too dumb to design it let alone building and assembly. Its beautiful though absolutely amazing work!

[@kutaibaa]

Absolutely incredible work .. wow I'm speachless

[@glauberprado8752]

very nice design, amazing mechanical lab, never saw a underwater cnc before

[@SpaceAp3]

Super inspiring man. Great engineering.

[@ACKitsBilltheCAT]

First - absolutely amazing work! Second - love the Jean-Michel Jarre music!

[@arvindkumarts]

Great video buddy, I was thinking for a long time whether to buy one for $$$ or can i make a reliable, precise one, finally I came through this video, and its so kind of you that, you have made plans, methods available to public and thus encouraging such enthusiasts to build one for themselves! Appreciate it!

[@Astrobloke]

That is fantasic work JZ. My father has a lathe and milling machine but whether we could make this or not I am unsure, I would absolutely love to though it looks amazing. Thank you for sharing your work and clear skies to you

[@chrisroberts1440]

Excellent work, not listened to Magnetic Fields for years so enjoyed that too.

[@daveashcroftuk]

Good work fella. What an outstanding piece of engineering! 🙂

[@denispol79]

Wow! Awesome job mate! I also had HEQ-5 pro once and it sure had plenty of issues. An astronomic thanks for releasing it all to the public. Sub )

[@donstronomy7606]

You have just blown my mind. Thank you for sharing. 🙏👏👏👏

[@astroboden]

Mesmerising video. Excellent work. So nice to see. Thanks for sharing!

[@jeremytheimer7443]

Love the craftsmanship, everything seems to fit very well together. I'm very impressed with the final image.

[@gregoryzloch9106]

What a beautiful bit of kit. Kudos.

[@jaybswindle]

Far from "too boxy" I find the design and execution beautiful. Well done.

[@blackbear92201]

I think this is magnificent, beautiful and inspiring. Subscribed. thanks for posting! :D

[@roostaCSGO]

Simply incredible. I have always wanted to go this route and DIY a mount to be alongside my CEM40, but unfortunately I have limited access to proper machining tools. If you do choose to release plans, it would be incredibly helpful as there are not many resources on doing something like this. The closest project I can think of is the OpenAstroTech designs, and those have a relatively small load capacity compared to your design due to them being mostly 3D printed. I look forward to seeing your other projects!

[@AstroEscape]

If I could, I would. My brothers are into machining, I may challenge them to make a mount someday. It's not me though, I enjoy helping bringing people into the hobby before they craft things like this. Well done!

[@gabeeg]

Pretty amazing, well done! ...and extra kudos for GPL!

[@lukasdimmler2622]

Absolutely awesome result!

[@flyingdockp]

You really have golden hands!!!

[@C40V15]

This is a super cool build and a smooth video. Bravo!

[@TexasTimelapse]

Nice work! That's one sexy mount!

[@ozgurunaldi]

👏👏👏 Great work!

[@alex.zen.4587]

I liked the montage. Suitable for a small astrograph. But to make all the parts, a vice, a hacksaw for metal, a file and an electric drill are enough. The polar axis tilt assembly axis can be replaced with a simple bolt.

[@前田日明-w8u]

My shit! I can't believe what you did ! You are very much creative guy. Continue to study!

[@MatthewHolevinski]

It's about time we start seeing some open source hardware :) You sir are a saint.

[@joostvisser6508]

This is brilliant

[@witr]

This is super cool, I had an idea to try and do something similar a while ago but never actually tried to execute it. You definitely did a much better job of it than I could have anyway lol. It's great to see something like this work out. awesome work

[@IvanProsper]

I feel I would love to buy this in Kit form and build it myself. great job.

[@markwelsh9068]

Absolutely incredible work! I envy the talent of people such as yourself.

[@gregsonberlin3782]

Exactly the mount I need…. …just need the machines and the material and the skills and the time and the plan…. Meeeh. Great work anyway! :)

[@Mark-ce9xh]

This was fun to watch

[@heinrichhemker8123]

Congratulations! Absolutely outstanding - look and feel of a pro unit!

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

Read the description and his comment for a wealth of information. It's flabbergasting how many spoon-fed babies there are requesting every single detail without doing any research on their own. "Screws are $40? Well what kind of screws, where do I get them, is there free shipping on screws? Can you just make me one?" Or "Refractors don't have lines, did you add them in photoshop?" And I know it seems baffling but did you know that DIY stands for Do It YOURSELF? It's not DIFM.

[@valentinotera3244]

some serious skills outhere

[@joebiscoeiv747]

Great work! I love the DIY!

[@MaxRockatansky]

Outstanding work!

[@maxdemian6312]

OnStep is amazing!

[@again5t.your53lf6]

Damn thats Amazing !!!!!!! Probs to you, wish i could buy one

[@jimzielinski946]

First of all, fantastic job! I hate to sound negative, but when I see a DIY video, I have the impression that the project is something I could possibly achieve if I buy suggested parts and can use the tools I probably already have. Then... I see your opening shot of a complete machine shop! I'd say that along with the machining and your building the electronics from scratch, your video seems more like a pro shop making a working prototype than a DIY project. I'm afraid that even if you supplied detailed plans, all I could do is ask for a price quote if you were selling it. Still I'm pleased to see someone build their own. Maybe a local company can pick up your project and commercialize it. Best of luck.

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

This was probably homework. That's MIT's machine shop.

[@NautilusGuitars]

I agree. Excellent work, but not really DIY when you have an entire machine shop at your disposal. That said, I think if you had a modest amount of tools, like a small woodshop, you could likely do this at home with some extra work and determination. You could make the housings out of wood even, but aluminum is easy to work. To do accurate layouts in the material would be time consuming and probably a bit sloppy, but useable. He shared everything for free, so the PCBs could be outsourced for relatively cheap, either to a PCB company, or somebody with a small cnc that could mill the boards. Alternatively, if you knew anybody with a Cricut, you could have them cut the masks and etch the boards at home also. I'm a bit obsessive though and have developed a borderline unhealthy desire to do even the most unlikely projects at home, strictly due to habit of being too broke for anything but pure DIY. But I do think it's possible. I've done things approaching this in my little garage guitar shop.

[@MrShadowpanther3]

I thought the same thing. Wow.. how is this going to work... Opening shot is industrial sized band saw. Cut to CAD driven CnC machine... Should be DIH Do It Himself. Just saying. Very impressive skills though. No taking that away.

[@glauberprado8752]

@@NautilusGuitars i think a hardwood can do the work too

[@stefan_astro]

Incredibly well done man😮!!

[@Neil_Winston]

Really nice build and great video!

[@reefsteve]

When I saw the Voron I was like "Of course it is!!!" out loud. 🤣

[@joearcuri3377]

awesome work

[@oskarkarlsson6964]

I do not questioning that he did it him self, but that that garage looks a lot like a well equipped workshop.

[@jeandubois8810]

I love it !. You should make the electronic enclosure waterproof and include desiccant.

[@glauberprado8752]

most eletronics involved are pretty cheap so if it breaks just replace it

[@davidmurren4644]

Excellent work! You have earned my subscription!

[@area51xi]

In the Sol system a life form evolved with a motor cortical and appendage system capable of the finest dexterity and a prefrontal lobe with exquisite planning capabilities and most importantly with phenomena they labeled as imagination and curiosity with the insatiable desire to build, explore and contemplate the universe from which they arose.

[@jfgout]

Impressive project and great result!

[@TiagoRamos79]

Simply Brutal. Congratulations.

[@gaetanguillerme86]

Comme tout le monde, ont ne peut être que admiratif devant le travail accompli. De la conception jusqu'à la finalité sous les étoiles. Et pour un coût défiant toute concurrence... Et merci pour la musique, surtout Jean Michel Jarre 👍 Clear sky🌌

[@tychobrahe4578]

Good job, very impressive !

[@cbuddy66]

Very impressive 👍🏼. Well done!

[@0Logan05]

The work was Rad and the Build was cathartic to watch… Although, The noise/sounds starting at 1:25 through 4:45 were painful..At best😶…. had to turn the sound completely off during that entire part. It really Was truly a Bad pick, astonishingly even....Aside from that Distraction(to be kind) the Rest was Excellent🤙🏻.. Thanks for files..The ol, DIY Cnc will have to do… Super Rad!..

[@AndrewBlinson]

Stunning. If I understood it right - it is not only lighter, but IMO more importantly resilient to backlashes and more precise, cause one circle arround move it one "teeth". I saw same decent HD for 250 usd - u obviously need two. So 500 usd for mount is gone before u even started.)) Looks like 1000 - 1500 is really minimum price for these DIY mount even in future.

[@Ivan7enych]

Gearbox in stepper motor has large backlash and low teeth quality - this will kill all benefits of harmonic gear (almost zero backlash and smooth periodic) and converts this mount to HEQ5 or worse, with jumps in guiding error graphs in PHD2... ZWO AM5 has MXL belt-pulley gear between stepper motor and harmonic reducer. Second design flaw I see - very weak ALT polar adjustment.

[@the_astro_garden]

Astro DIY on another level!

[@RoyPark]

Excellent effort! Now I challenge you to incorporate an absolute encoder.

[@misturarica7519]

Wow, awesome job!

[@zibmi9]

Superb skills.. amazing job

[@astroindianx]

OMG MAN GREAT WORK!!

[@Larstronomy]

That is incredible!!!

[@Luftbubblan]

Awesome. Things like this makes me wish i was Rich. Looks like so much fun designing and building. Wouldnt be achieveable for me to get all the equipment in my lifetime but i am very tempted to get me a lathe at least and try build something with that :D

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

go to school

[@NautilusGuitars]

I totally understand that sentiment, being incredibly poor myself. But I will say it's not impossible if you have the determination. I've built up a modest but decent workshop over the years by trading work, fixing junk machines, or finding good deals. I don't have most of the stuff he used, but I think I could build this with what I have. It would just be a lot more work for me. It's doable though.

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

@@NautilusGuitars This. I can relate to.

[@Luftbubblan]

@@NautilusGuitars Awesome, very inspiering. One gotta start somewhere :D

[@patchyadventures]

Awesome video!

[@fabriziotrottopino1428]

ciao, comunque piu che farti i miei complimenti non posso fare . Bravo, davvero bravo.

[@anandarochisha]

Good work.

[@varadinagypal]

bot at all this fancy, I built my EQ3 mount's driver, but with ST4, multiple speeds, backlash etc, around an ESP32, keeping the factory motors on my ancient mount.

[@fusion-music]

Perfect, using Equinox on your video. Guessing you play guitar. Incredible build and site, photography.

[@saulontheroad9605]

Totally amazing, I wondering how good is the guiding ? Thanks for sharing

[@derkarhu5079]

A water jet cutter in every garage! DIY ... for a *huge shop *

[@michaelcrapo883]

On image you showed of andromeda Galaxy using William optics refractor scope, why does it have defraction spikes?

[@pauldorman]

Just curious, but why are there apparent diffraction spikes on the Andromeda galaxy photo? They seem irregularly placed and shouldn't exist on images taken with refractors, no? Nice build for sure, though I would have used the platen when sanding those edges.

[@JohnScherer]

Great work on this man. And I have to say, that’s a big Johnson. Never seen one that big.

[@glauberprado8752]

Johnson is the cnc?

[@JohnScherer]

@@glauberprado8752 The Johnson bandsaw at 2:55 - What a beast!

[@TylerMillhouse]

One day, I hope to be a quarter as good at building things! Currently a 3d printer person with aspirations of building a CNC (printnc). Inspiring work!!!