I Made A $30 Tracker, Is It Any Good?

[@ayahibrahimahmedismaiel2174]

Simplicity things encourage people to simulate you , i'm proud to know you .

[@mariogreenway3468]

I built a barn door as my fist tracker, and have figured out some interesting hacks that can really improve the results: - A polar scope really helps! - rather than using the stopwatch, a fine tuned click track on headphones works really well. Just turn a specific angle per click, add longer lines on every fourth click to be able to correct yourself if you accidentally slow down. - try to continuously turn the wheel, I have been able to get decent results up to 300mm with a hand cranked system with the audio click track solution. - adding a stepper motor to do the rotation can be a fun project!

[@NebulaPhotos]

Wow 300mm hand cranked! Thanks for the tips Mario. I hadn't heard of anyone continuously turning the wheel manually - an audio click-track is a really smart way to do it!

[@mariogreenway3468]

@@NebulaPhotos continuously cranking takes some time to practice, but can definitely improve the results. Not only because of higher accuracy, but rather having less vibration due to avoiding the static friction when starting to crank. Thanks for the video, really brought back some good memories!

[@michakubisz535]

I wonder if you could mount a mechanical kitchen clock with some gear to get the accurate and smooth rotation. Gotta say, this movie and your comment inspired me a lot to make my own tracker and try it out. Thanks for both of you!

[@mariogreenway3468]

@@michakubisz535 the Omegon minitrack lx3 uses a mechanical system similar to a clock. I owned the lx2 for a while but wasn't happy with it. I don't think a barn door tracker would work with such a small actuator, because there is definitely some lifting involved. If you do succeed, I'd love to hear about it! I think a simple stepper motor with an integrated planetary gear with maybe a 100:1 ratio would work fine. Have fun!

[@michakubisz535]

​@@mariogreenway3468 ok, so the idea to use a mechanical clock wasn't very good but I finally managed to create an automated star tracker using an electric motor with gearbox and a small electronic speed regulator. I only tested it once due to the weather. I also faced some issues transmitting momentum from the motor to the screw, the tracker still needs some adjustments. But it works - it really follows the stars :-) This is my first photo, very poor, with a lot of light pollution (I tested everything in my garden), stacked using only 3x 2 min. exposure photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMtyvEWjbe9uETruAJCJRyX8nKivx8D1qwAgwgg

[@maggiethrash]

as a patreon exclusive I need to see the entire horse that appears to be on your shirt

[@zelfjizef454]

I found plans for such a thing when I was a child (in the eighties - early nineties) in a book about amateur astronomy. Never used it though.

[@andrewreedie4415]

So impressed with that reveal. Definitely my next project. wonder if I can add a motor to it from a tracking telescope.

[@MaskinJunior]

I imagine you can polar align the device with a compass and a level. But to use the compass and the level you need to know the latitude you are at to get the angle correct.

[@thejonc799]

Thank you for this! I have enjoyed your videos and have learned a lot! Just getting started into this hobby and finding ways to do it without spending a lot of money is very attractive right now. I would love to see a follow up to this since you mentioned getting some upgrades on it to use longer focal lengths and comparing it with the other trackers.

[@christianlainesse4281]

If your hinge is not magnetic, could you use a smartphone with a planetarium app to line it up with Polaris?

[@Texeyevideo]

Maybe a cheap rifle scope would help to align.

[@JonathanHaas]

Wondering if a cheap air soft red dot sight would work in place of the straw?

[@NebulaPhotos]

Yes, if you could line it up accurately on the same axis of the hinge, it would likely work better than the straw. Same thing with a green laser.

[@damircroatia]

Nice one 🙂 but i do have one question. You are using tele lenses f2 or so for deep sky... I want to know, i have nikon tele 70-300, but its 4.5/5.6. if i use tracker, longer exposures, can i capture blue mist around pleidas with this lenses? Thx, oh im new in astrophoto 🙂

[@pixelkay2004]

thanks!!

[@ritikanu2003]

Nico please answer this question can I mount a telescope of model 70060 on the barn door is yes then how plz answer this

[@NebulaPhotos]

No, sorry, the barn door is not stable or accurate enough for using a telescope on it. It's really only meant for wide-angle astrophotography with camera lenses.

[@leonmorgans4250]

Do you have to change the rotation speed to match your lens? Sorry if that's a stupid question!

[@NebulaPhotos]

Hi Leon, Nope, one rotation speed works for any lens focal length. The only difference is: the longer the focal length, the more critical even tracking at the right speed becomes. With a very wide lens, you can get away with just turning the wheel every few seconds, but with a telephoto lens, it would be better to add a motor so the tracker can rotate constantly. Either way the rotational rate should stay the same: the sidereal rate. Cheers, Nico

[@leonmorgans4250]

Thanks again!! Trying to get into this hobby but it's sooooo expensive. Your videos are a godsend. I'll take it as far as my limited finances go and make the best of what I can. Thanks again.

[@Paul_AstroEsthetics_]

I'm actually in the process of building a DIY motorized star tracker with a strap hinge. I'm looking forward to the results

[@robertharrelson8655]

I just wanted you to know that you’re the reason I got into astrophotography. I don’t have a lot of money. So every little thing helps. Thank you.

[@michaeltillman3146]

I see nine people who dislikes this video. Must be ex girlfriends or other astrophotography tutorial makers.

[@darkwood777]

I"ve made a few of these over the years. The most elaborate one had a polar alignment scope built in and a double-door arrangement that tracked for 3 hours. It held two DSLRs with different focal length lenses pointed at different targets. It had a periodic error, but the bad frames were thrown out during stacking. Lots of fun capturing galaxies and nebulae. The biggest one I've ever seen made was literally a barn door size that held a seated person and a telescope on a tripod.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Woah, amazing!

[@fazergazer]

Imagine making a platform where several people could experience a stationary sky!

[@macgyver5108]

WOW, talk about "shut the BARN DOOR!"

[@dugy40]

That would shake like crazy moving around.

[@macgyver5108]

@@dugy40 nah, I could make something like that pretty portable and rock solid easily, just has to weigh enough and have good feet/pads, or be hard mounted and be on a wide and heavy turntable.

[@ahmedelmorsy8429]

From the first video I watched for you, I knew you’re different than other AP youtubers, your primary objective is not to have as many subscribers and likes to your channel, it’s to help all kind of AP fans to learn this hoppy no mater how experiences are they and how much money they can spare for this hoppy.

[@rinceart]

I don’t comment on youtube videos often, but I felt I have to on this one. Your video is a breath of fresh air, something new, something original. You and Astro Biscuit are probably the most interesting astro youtubers in a sea of “hey look at my shiny new gear you will never gonna be able to afford” or worse “hey look at this shiney new gear a company paid me lots of money to say nice things about it.”

[@fern-v9s]

Yes, Nico and Astrobiscuit are the only astro youtubers I enjoy watching!

[@alakbaraliyev9460]

👍👏👏

[@fern-v9s]

This is exactly what I want to do! I'm so tired of astrophotographers saying that you need a crazy expensive rig. I'm hoping this video will prove them wrong! Can't wait to watch

[@nayanmaloth4838]

Hopefully to some extent

[@madhavsharma6643]

use the 300 dollar sky watcher star adventurer with your basic DSLR and you can capture WONDERS .. trust me ... that 300 dollar thing can be used for years and years ... but i suggest first start with stacking and prove ur parents that you actually deserve the 300$ star tracker to level up .. they will get it for you .....

[@nikosorf4250]

@@madhavsharma6643 i think that money could be better spent on a better camera or scope

[@hamlovingprophetpisslam183]

@@madhavsharma6643 its not abt trusting you. Its abt trusting the efforts made in the video. So why u have just 300 dollar mount? Why not 1000 dollar one? Ho ur parents thought u r not worth for the amount? Understand the motive of the video. They r ppl who cant afford even 100 dollars. This video gives hopes to less budget astros.

[@kitkat3501]

@@madhavsharma6643 why do people need their parents approval 🙄

[@Error-kl9op]

You can stick a little stiff cardboard (or metal) arrow to the side of the board above the angle wheel so that it almost touches the wheel. You can then check the angle with pretty good accuracy without bending over to look through the holes.

[@carlosrojasrodriguez930]

I recently built one with legos, and worked pretty neatly. I could take 30s exposures at 952mm focal length. Now I got a real tracker, because the lego one had to be over a table next to the telescope!

[@ashimayed8013]

tutorial on that please.

[@carlosrojasrodriguez930]

@@ashimayed8013 I actually don’t have a yt channel but I can tell you its basically making the lego motor spin at a certain speed that suits your own mount. For example I have a manual equatorial mount, so I had to turn the handle for rotation about 4 times an hour. You can slow down the motor by adding engranes in various layers to reach optimum speed. It took a lot of adjusting but it is possible.

[@TheAnoniemo]

@@carlosrojasrodriguez930 What you're describing is motorizing an existing manual tracking mount, not making a tracking mount from scratch. In your case all the tracking mechanics are already in place.

[@carlosrojasrodriguez930]

@@TheAnoniemo That is correct!

[@vladimirlenin4080]

I think I saw it on reddit a while ago

[@GarnettLeary]

The classical barn door. Lots of your younger viewers are scratching their heads right now. I love it. Old school.

[@Metaldetectiontubeworldwide]

Haha indeed ..and ww are stocked to startoff . Mayby we can assamble it 'before the suns comes up ..' we sound like vampires haha Grtzz

[@badroosterimages3719]

This is exactly how I started.

[@vpsjdon]

My only problem is getting the hardware, especially in India where some of these items might be called by different names or not available at all. Definitely budget friendly though so I might go out and try my luck one day

[@Astrolavista]

He's be imaging with an old Astroscan next Garnett :D

[@claudiogoncalves1985]

@@vpsjdon the same in Brazil but u just need to show some prints of the video or the pdf at the store. Don't know how it's there but here, screws, nuts, drills, etc are identified using the same size pattern (for all the rest we use the IS)

[@lenm2857]

I made one of these for Halley's Comet in 1986, got some good pictures of Hale-Bopp and hyakutake.

[@madhavsharma6643]

me : studying hard to get a 99percentile score so that my parents get me a 400$ skywatcher star adventurer Nico - uploads how to make 30$ tracker me : **baffled** XD (it was a joke .. i will continue working hard to get that skywatcher that my dream darling)

[@thesilentastrophotograper6594]

What? Really? Did you get the SWSA now? Coz getting a 99 percent has literally no relation with astrophotograpy

[@GalacticHunter]

So awesome Nico! I remember reading about barn door trackers before buying a mount when starting astrophotography but I never had the courage to build one myself, happy to see you challenged yourself to build one and it worked really good!

[@Astrolavista]

This is my kind of content, love it! Apart from the build and the results, I'm also really impressed with how well explained everything was!

[@southernexposure123]

For greater ease aligning polaris add a 3rd board to the bottom to the tracker shown to hinge on the South side and with an adjustment screw just like the first one. Then, set your tripod head level in both directions. Mount the added board to the leveled tripod head. The additional adjustment screw allows quick, easy, smooth altitude adjustment on Polaris. There'll be no jerkiness of the tripod head experienced while adjusting the polar tube for altitude.

[@miharix]

😎 add cheap stepper (28byj-48) and chepest arduno(digispark?) for total ~10€ and for power USB powerbank for motorising it. Damn, now I need to get ball head to try this 😋 Thanks!

[@ekojar3047]

I would suggest using your latitude angle and a way to lock that angle in to polar north so that you have one less direction to worry about.

[@lezbriddon]

add a $10 6v geared motor off ebay, use a $5 motor speed controller, run from a phone charger / usb powerbank

[@lindabilleskerkoster5521]

Could you provide more details about this?

[@lezbriddon]

@@lindabilleskerkoster5521 A small eBay motor could turn the bolt/screw slowly. For professional trackers you can buy them as an add on. For this your could just buy a small £2 geared motor off eBay and a speed controller to set the speed. Use a mobile phone power bank charger to run it and it should go for many hours. I found you a video with the same idea etc kzbin.info/www/bejne/rV7Nin-ghMxjmas or also this kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHnRn6xtatuUeck both seem to drag it out a little and their costs seem quite higher than that I think it would cost. Personally I think I'm going to go with this design a it's a bit 'odd' kzbin.info/www/bejne/kF6VYZ1qbrqBmK8

[@lindabilleskerkoster5521]

@@lezbriddon , thanks very much for responding!

[@lindabilleskerkoster5521]

Actually, these really helped ... led me to videos regarding the use of gear-driven curved rods and 3-board trackers

[@BennyKleykens]

As a thinkerer I love your attitude. I'm sure big budgets produce better results but it doesn't come with the same satisfaction and sense of pride.

[@gsus3918]

This was a great build. One piece of info I would add is that if you move your eye farther back from the drinking straw, you get a more "precise" viewing scope. Long range rifle shooters use a longer focal distance to provide a greater accuracy when firing. So start with your eye close, then as you dial it in, move your eye farther back.

[@DavidMorris-pq4jq]

A couple of modifications you may think about: Number one, I made the bolt curved, and put the CD on the inside of the tracker, so it would push the bolt up. It is curved to the radius, and positioned from the hinge, so the tracking is accurate over a longer period of time. I don't remember the exact distances, but similar to yours, probably. Another thing I did which would make your work greatly easier, was to notch the cd at intervals, so you don't have to look through any sights to get the rotation correct. You just feel for the notch, turn the cd until your finger hits some sort of stop, wait 5 sec, or 10 sec, however many notches you decided to use, then turn it again. That way, you don't have to keep looking at it. Then I used a Telrad for alignment. Not sure if you can still get them, but not very expensive, and reasonably accurate. But enjoyed watching your video! Those trackers do work, and are easy and cheap to make!

[@imre2784]

Brilliant idea! Great workmanship! Excellent presentation! Thank you! Greetings frum Hungary!

[@dawgrules1]

Great job ! I made one with an Arduino controlled stepper motor, works perfect (after a few revisions) with my little FS converted A7s. It's refreshing to see someone actually build something !!! It's not about budget, it's about building !

[@mahmoudeledrissi7234]

Can you please review the omegon mini track lx2 or lx3. Or tell us what you think about them?

[@NebulaPhotos]

Yep, on my list of things to do

[@jimschmidt7303]

Getting the tracker not to shake while rotating has been the biggest challenge for me. I have a very stable tri-pod - Getting a good polar alignment has been helpful. I usually shoot in a Bortle 4 so finding the end of the little dipper is a little tricky. I use a north star map compared to other constellations to make sure I am pointed at the north star and not the next star up in the handle of the little dipper. - Adding a vertical support for the top board to rest on as it rises helps reduce wobble - I have about 6 feet (2 meters) of string wrapped around a spool I made using a small piece of tube glued between 2 CD disks. I pull the string at a constant rate. - On the CD disks I have marks at every 5 seconds and labeled 15, 30, 45 & 60 seconds. - I listen to an recording from a timer that counts off every 5 seconds. - I have an electric candle from the dollar store that is dimmer than a night light. - I picked up a plastic telescope finder scope for $15 on ebay. There are a few people selling new old stock that have been collecting dust on shelves and want to clear them out of their store rooms. - I had better results with the 12" long 1/4" rod bent into an arc shape which requires the rod to be stationary and the timer wheel to push the top board up. A spacer between the timer wheel and the top board is needed. - I tried the double arm tracker but never could get the combination to work.

[@Fraser-P]

Would be interesting to see you check out the Omegon Mini Track LX2 or LX3, which are clockwork trackers. (Edit) Ha ha, should have watched to the end before commenting, looking forward to the test.

[@DB-be9wy]

I love this channel. Where were you 20 years ago when I was figuring out all of this stuff. I've been out of the hobby for years and can't believe the advancements since then. I'd love to get back in but light pollution and bad weather is why I dropped out and that has only gotten worse in the past 20 years. BTW you look like Tim Roth.

[@letszoomit365]

This was really cool to see, first time I really sit down and look into this 🤓, just heard about it before 😀👍

[@islandastrophotography6253]

Hello. Amazing DIY.. I love to DIY and I will definitely try that one and try to share a picture here somehow..Cheers, ashvn

[@justindame]

Absolutely amazing. Did not expect these results!

[@fibey1296]

very cool tracker for budget astrophoto! its really great thing :)

[@notyourtipicaltechguy6438]

Super cool! I might build one... But im lazy, so adding an arduino with a stepper motor is probably the way I'll go :)

[@hael8680]

Good to see a channel that has not become a store window front for big companies.

[@GenesCustoms.]

Very good. I see the learning benefit of doing this because you need to learn the rotation, angles etc. Good job.

[@WilhanBotelho]

What about barn door + step motor? The rotation speed can be precisely adjusted. I will try some day.

[@AstroForumSpace]

Nico, this is absolutely amazing! I'm still in the financial rabbit hole but really looking forward to try this out myself in the future. Congrats and clear skies.

[@willrothfuss8470]

Very well done, Nico. Subscribed and looking forward to the rest of your videos. (This is the first)

[@Black_Jesus3005]

Thank you so much! I am definitely going to try this. My only issue is the processing. I only have a regular recent iPad lol.

[@observing7312]

Cool video. I would definitely try to add a motor to that. Have you ever tried the omegon ? I have the lx4 and i could do 60s at 300mm without problem.

[@bradleyrex2968]

Very cool. I am thinking of doing something similar but driven by lego motors and gears.

[@casacorredo]

Amazing! So simple. Any ideas on how to solve the polar alignment in southern hemisphere?

[@NebulaPhotos]

Some people have reported using the SkEye app on Android. You could also get a rough polar alignment with a digital compass and digital level (same idea as the app, but without a smartphone)

[@GarageBandSuperheros]

This is super cool, I'm gonna try making one myself now

[@OkanBozat]

Great content Nico! It will be very helpful for beginners, the ones in budget and those who love diy!

[@NebulaPhotos]

Thanks Okan! Nice to talk to you, and the Stellar Xperiences team yesterday

[@OkanBozat]

@@NebulaPhotos Likewise Nico, it was a pleasure!

[@Metaldetectiontubeworldwide]

Yesss this is what i was hoping on you would do...but a bum w/o work , with two handy's lol And it keeps you a bit warmer at night ..hihi Well done Nico , am a huge fan of your videos ! Grtzz johny geerts

[@yomero0666]

Thanks I liked this, you waked up new ideas in my mind!! Gracias, Great video, The metal straw is unbeatable!!!

[@paulos9304]

This is great ain't it. A couple of bits of ply and a disk. Top class tutor with a tad DIY and hey presto. A superb photo, I guess this movement could be controlled with an Arduino Uno or mega 2650 and stepper motor. A bit trial and error and you could make this work well. Not that manual didn't work. Nico proved it works with a disk and turning it manually. Anyway. You just got to love these videos

[@carlosangelramirezalarcon8893]

The reveal just look unreal. Very nice job dude

[@ibendover4817]

Feels like that rotation can be automated with a fairly cheap controller board and a motor.

[@JamesEscobar]

Wow this channel is so amazing! Interesting, different, thank you Nico! Brilliant!!! Pass it on people!

[@paulos9304]

He is the best on here James. I'm no Patrick Moore but this is interesting stuff. Well Nico make it interesting in the way he puts it across and the tutorials are spot on. Best on KZbin

[@toddnoseworthy1447]

Greta idea and video. I think you should try to add a motor to it. Shouldn't increase the cost by much.

[@TiagoRamos79]

Nice video Nico, my tracker like this, is over twenty years old, I still have the photos in slide format with my beautiful beloved Pentax K1000, when I was less than 20 years old. Good Times.Yours was spectacular. Congratulations clear skies of Portugal.

[@OlliesSpace]

You've properly MacGyvered this Nico, very inventive approach. 👏

[@pinkfloydvk]

Thats amazing I'm going to make 1 thanks you for sharing this with use

[@michaelchecco8745]

Wish i knew about this a couple years ago... oh well. But Nico i love your channel so much. Your videos are always so creative and in depth, and i love the appeal as an amateur astrophotographer. Keep up the amazing work, cant wait to watch your channel grow!

[@raphaelmurat382]

In the southern hemisphere the guiding star is Sigma Octantis or Polaris Australis.

[@Black3ternity]

Can't wait for the comparison / test of the Omegon LX2 / MSM. I'm new to it and currently I own just my regular landscape-photography gear. Tinkering around with 200 exposures of one image is neat, but I want something better. I find the price of the LX2 a bit hefty "for what it is" so I'm not sure if I would waste my money there. My equipment is not that heavy - Mirrorless APS-C that weighs 1.6kg with a mounted tele. I just find the 400 bucks for a Skywatcher pretty hard to swallow as an entrygate for something I might not like. And because it's so specialized it's hard to resell IMHO. I'll wait for your video :)

[@tjzambonischwartz]

I don't have a DSLR in my budget, but I recently got an iPhone 13 Pro Max and have already discovered that shooting 30 second Night Mode exposures in ProRAW, I can get SHOCKINGLY good milky way images. Unfortunately a bit of star trailing is still visible. I've started building a barn door tracker to mount the phone on. My intention is to be able to take an extended series of thirty second exposures and then stack them in Deep Sky Stacker. Try and really push how far I can take phone astrophotography.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Nice! I did the same with this exact barn door tracker and my Smartphone for my 'Astrophotography from $100 to $10,000' video and I think it worked very well. Clear skies!

[@nanobanana]

Your channel is absolutely amazing!!! You can simply complex topics so well! One thing I was wondering that I dont think you’ve covered. You made extensive videos on untracked dslr astrophotography on a tripod, but I was wondering about untracked dslr astrophotography on a telescope. I have a canon 5D classic that does not have live view. Is there a way I could hook it up to a telescope and use the telescope to focus the image? It would have amazingly BIG pixels for minimizing trailing as it is a full frame sensor but only 13 megapixels! If there is a way to use it for imaging M42 that would be AMAZING!

[@NebulaPhotos]

Even with large pixel size, you'd be limited to very short exposures at a telescopes focal length (e.g. 1000mm), this will make it difficult to capture dim objects. But Orion's core (trapezium) should be doable. You can just use all the same principles from the untracked camera lens videos, nothing really changes other than needing to use very short exposures and recentering every 10 seconds (difficult!). With a camera that doesn't have live view, you will have to focus through trial and error. Take a photo, look at playback, move the focus ring, take another photo, look at playback, and repeat until you have it dialed in. Clear skies!

[@nanobanana]

@@NebulaPhotos wow awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! You are the best!!!🔭

[@jaymsohn]

After I watched this video, I can now understand the principle of Equator, thank you very much! If you add a device for controlling automatic rotation velocity, it will make your work easier^^ I am very interested in it, do you know any of such device having 3/8 interface? Does Omegon product you mentioned have those function, rotation control following earch?

[@NebulaPhotos]

I think I understand what you mean. The Omegon just goes at one rate, but it has a curved rod so there wouldn't be tangent error as there would be after 1/2 hour with this device. Not sure how much it matters since both devices have to be re-wound after about 1/2 hour.

[@horizonastronomiaargentina7593]

Wow muy buen video amigo y lo mejor que estaba en español saludos de Argentina y gracias por la hermosa información!

[@atlassilverbraid]

I made one of these as well a few years ago and added a motor too at a later stage.

[@erikswenson2659]

Save that issue of Sky & Telescope. It appears to prove the existence of time travel. In particular, you say you are using the original design from the 1975 magazine and a compact disc is one of the parts. Yet, the cd was not commercially available. Therefore, the designer must have learned about cds through some form of time travel. The designs I have seen call for a floppier plastic coffee can lid or a couple of paper plates, with the idea being any vibration from your hand turning the drive wheel would be reduced. Your viewers may want to experiment with that, especially if they don't have a rock solid tripod. I was disappointed to not see any good polar alignment suggestions. If you ever identifying one, would you please publish a video on that topic.

[@NebulaPhotos]

😂 you got me, I am a time traveler! Interesting about using a floppy disc, I'd be worried about the accuracy of turning that. I haven't found vibrations from my hand to be an issue at all. I do recommend sitting as still as possible on a stool though. I actually have gotten a few interesting ideas around smartphone apps, which led me to a fairly new star hopping method for polar alignment in the iOS app "PS Align Pro" that doesn't even require having the NCP or SCP visible. I will try it out, and if it works well include in an upcoming video. Another similar idea in the app "SkEye" for Android as well.

[@yomero0666]

Espérense, wait a minute !!! What about that analog 24 hour timers??? eh eh eh, Podemos montar la camara encima!!! Can I mount the camera on it??? a 14 dollar tracker: www.urbanindoor.ca/product/timemaster-timer/

[@NebulaPhotos]

See here: www.cloudynights.com/topic/412201-dlsr-tracker-ideas-wanted/?p=5301079 The concept is good, but you may find the timer does not have enough power to move the weight of a ball head, DSLR and lens. Some people still use the timer, but build up bigger gears to drive it.

[@SonAdamu]

I will create this barn door + arduino powered stepper motor for turning the nut. It will be GLORIOUS!

[@Southsideboystyle]

Very nice outcome to the finished picture.

[@RafaelCBeltrame]

Great, Nico! Since startrackers are very expensive in Brazil (since we have to import them), my student is implementing a microcontrolled/motorized barn-door. In a near future, after some tests, we will share the project too.

[@raajessahu6301]

Please share, i request you very much

[@vedranb87]

This is cool! There should be a way to pair this with a Raspberry Pi and a servo motor to automate it a bit

[@amp2amp800]

Nice Nico! Small improvement - a kid's pea shooter has a slightly wider hole which will make it easier, and a plastic protection (so you can't poke your eye out).

[@xwecer8058]

Would be great to have a ratcheting wheel with 15 degree increments so that you wouldn't have to look through the eyebolts but instead could simply listen for the "click" every 2.5 seconds.

[@fangioli]

Nice video and explanation!! But....how do align it in the southern hemisphere???

[@ayahibrahimahmedismaiel2174]

supporting Arabic translation , is very good idea added , thank you .

[@avt_astro206]

Thats a Brilliant Design !! I will Think of Making one My Self One Day !! Mechanical Star Tracker Is Great Idea !!🔭🌠

[@slapski8566]

Cheap green laser from amazon. Its what I use to get my wedge close before I put the sky guider pro on

[@jonaslynnebakken1266]

I made a barn door tracker, to polar align it I made an app thats shows when you are pointing to the north celestial pole. I added some wooden bits to attach my phone to the tracker and used an old iphone I had. Then I use the app to polar align and double check it in the staw. Works pretty good every time. This could work for people down south too

[@mousumisarkar721]

As a suggestion, I want to say that you should make a video on shooting of planets through smartphone on an untracked mount and stacking them . Smartphone astrophotography attracts a lot of beginner astrophotographers and I will be benefitted too. I hope that you will keep my request. Moreover, you can also do a Milky way photo shoot through smartphone as mentioned by some one else. Thanks.

[@robertYTB78g]

Great video, and it's not just money either, it is the real satisfaction that people can get from building, designing and creating something for themselves. Starting simple with any hobby also means you really appreciate moving through better and better gear as time goes on, and this is something I would never want to have missed out on.

[@rmf11699]

Thank you George Haig and Nico!

[@GameBrou]

Amazing Nico! I just want to let you know that I was looking for a cheap way to track for a long time. I’ve seen other barndoor trackers, but I have no skills with electronics and you can’t find skytrackers to buy here in Brazil. The only time I saw one around here it was so expensive that it was prohibitive. I was shooting hundreds of pictures and stacking but now you just gave me the push I needed to make my own tracker. I’m so grateful for the valuable information. Thank you so much!

[@GameBrou]

Do you think this track can work with an 100mm 1.8F lens? With way less tracking time I believe. I Also have a 24mm 2.8F around that will work perfectly.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Possibly, but you would need a better polar alignment than the straw I use here. Maybe drift alignment or some kind of computer/phone assisted method. I have to study all the ways more.

[@GameBrou]

@@NebulaPhotos thanks Nico. I have a green laser that’s allowed here and I know my way around at sky. But it wont be very precise for the 100mm without an octans finderscope.

[@hbmike47]

@@GameBrou you can do a drift alignment. Use the telephoto lens live view and zoom on the dslr display. You might need to temporarily turn up the ISO setting to see the stars. Don't forget to reset it before taking real pictures. You can turn on grid lines if that helps gauge the drift. If you look up the offset of Polaris for your particular location and date, you can get a pretty close approximation using the laser pointer to start. It'll take some time but it is 'do able'.

[@GameBrou]

@@hbmike47 thank you so much! I'll try that as soon as my tracker is ready. You guys are awesome. That's why I love astronomy. So much love for sharing the knowledge. Clear skyes to you wonderful persons out there!!

[@PilotPhteven]

You should be able to motorise this somewhat "easily" with an old egg timer for example.. but you might struggle to get the rotation/timing right. As you're turning 15 degrees every 2.5 seconds?.. so 6 degrees every second ... or 360 per minute. But usually egg timers do 360 degrees in 1 hour, so the timer would be 60 times too slow. But it's not impossible to use some cheap plastic gears to get a 60/1 ratio and make it work. Or maybe use an old clock motor or mechanical stopwatch that does have a 360 degree/min rotation of the second-counter. (But the drive might not be powerful enough to spin the bolt and overcome the weight of the board and the tension of the elastic) Or go for small stepper motors for a few bucks somewhere, attached to some gears and batteries/usb. But, yea.... by then.. a mechanical tracker like the mentioned Omegon mini tracks are becoming very good options, that don't really break the bank. But provide more ease of use with it working on its own.

[@dugy40]

Your way behind the game. A guy made a programmable one. Less than 50. It’s on it’s way to me. Parts off Amazon

[@psilveirap]

Great tutorial. Very well explained. Thanks.

[@paulguy5368]

Excellent video, description and build details. I could listen to you for hours. I do have a quick question though... as I live in the Southern Hemisphere, what changes (if any) do I need to make to the process of using the barn door tracker? I don't mean the polar alignment (I can sort that out myself), I just mean, is the procedure any different? Thanks again for providing such informative content.

[@NebulaPhotos]

I think you would just turn the screw the opposite way. And if your country uses metric units rather than imperial, just google for a barn door tracker build guide using metric hardware. Other than that, it should all work the same.

[@paulguy5368]

@@NebulaPhotos Many thanks. I figured that would be likely be the case.

[@klofisch]

oh no another DIY-Project :)

[@cypherdk85]

Samyang cine lens. I bought some of them too because I saved like 50$ on them 😂

[@NebuloCity]

Really creative video, Nico! Thank so much for sharing.

[@sorrycharlie3327]

Very cool, Nico! I agree astrophotography tends to be inaccessible because the cost of gear is so high. I'm sure there's a way to automate the tracker with a small electric motor, a cheap raspberry pi, and maybe some inexpensive (or 3D printed) gears. Raspberry Pi's were designed to allow school children to make robotics projects. I'm no raspberry pi expert.

[@stevenc.4221]

This was a very entertaining, informative and enjoyable video to watch! Can’t wait to try it out myself! Do you have any plans to do one for a telescope?

[@NebulaPhotos]

I don't have anything in mind. It would be very difficult to make a tracking mount accurate enough for astrophotography at a telescope's focal length. I'm sure a skilled engineer could do it, but I'm just so-so at building stuff.