Home Made Radio Telescope

Why don't you reach out to one of the scientists for some advice. Seems rather involved and non-trivial. We want pics!
Why don't you reach out to one of the scientists for some advice. Seems rather involved and non-trivial. We want pics!
OK pics coming soon, bought a heap of bits today for the rotator. Still struggling with the math. But should have a bit more stuff made by the weekend
 
OK, so first up I am no engineer. My welding leaves a lot to be desired but it usually sticks.
Secondly, I see little point in the high quality CNC cut, lathed engineering wshop created projects.
If you have all the engineering gear you don;t need a howto for something.

So this is meant to be a low budget, lying round the house kind of build.

The main disk is out of a ford I got from the transmission specialist in town. It sits behind the torque converter and is the bit your starter motor engages with to start your car. The bearing in the centre is a wheel barrow bearing. (just happened to fit)



For lateral stability I have mounted stateboard bearing on small brackets in case the plate flexes. These took a while to line up properly.

The horizontal bar underneath will connect to a mount with a bubble level and some level adjusters. This will provide the elevation for rotating along the ecliptic. I have a length of all thread (a very long bolt) which I will drive with a stepper motor for when I want to move it.



I came unstuck hear, to save a few dollars I chose to make the bearing housings. I cut some pipe which was too big, I then slotted squeezed and welded it. Then drilled and tapped grub screw into it to hold the bearing.
Only I failed to line it up properly and the rotation is too stiff.
I am going to scrap this and use bought housings and reverse the location of the gear.
If you are paying attention you will see my proposed drive point is lower then the vertical rota-tor. Duh
Homer simpson moment. My drive motor and gear will be in the way of the base.

Did not realized till took the happy snaps.



I found a high torque geared stepper motor on ebay I might use, It had something like a 0.35 degree step angel and 200:1 gearing. That gives over 18,000 steps per rotation.
The gears I have there are 9 and 160 teeth so that gives me 17.7:1
So that is 320,000 ish steps of the stepper motor for one rotation of the main wheel.
There are only 84600 seconds in a day.
That gives me a smidgen under four steps per second.
Or my original target one step 0.25 arc seconds (4 steps per second)

That's all pretty rough but I should be able to calibrate it in the Arduino software....I hope.

Anyway, that was my weekend.
No laughing at my crap welds and my bush engineering :)


Oh last of all, wanna see my Cave :)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: LETA
Hmmm, just thinking, I may have misunderstood the stepper spect, 320,000 seems too high, most steppers are 2.? ot 7/0 degrees, perhaps the 0.35 degrees is the final rotation after the 200:1 gearing?

this would give 1028 ish steps on the drive gerar, 17.7:1 which gives 18200 ish @ 17.7:1
which is about 5 degrees per step?

Better send an email to sus it out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aurora
Oooh look at all your dirt toys, Dundee. You dirty boy :LOL:
Any progress with that flywheel?
Shops have been closed for xmas till today. Went to bearing supplies today and could not get housings to suit. Looks like I will have to make version 2 with a little care. May have been because I was listening to Motorhead and had consumed a few jack daniels when I welded up version 1. :) Crooked welding from a crooked eye lol

As for a dirty boy :) If only you new ;)
This was my last road bike, it went like shit off a shangeye.
Triumph Dayton 955i Centenary.
Had this exact model.
Never quite hit the 3000kph mark that they say it will do. I got pretty close once or twice though.
Too many kg on the belly I think.
Sadly it went with all the other shit as a result of my...ummm separation from the ex.
Pity, you would have loved a ride on it if ever you came to OZ.

2002-Triumph-CentennialEditionDaytona955ib.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aurora and LETA
I am about to sell a car in the next month or so and I want to buy one of these.
My sons are telling me not too, they tell me....
  1. I am too old
  2. I am too crazy
  3. I will kill myself
  4. If you get one, dont let me ride it (my sons)
  5. You will lose your license on day one.
  6. lots of others

But the thing is, this thing will pull a power wheelie in top gear at 250kph
Correction, he pulls it up at 287 kph

How much (scary) fun is that.
I am not the Ghostrider by a long shot.
But what a bike.

Still deciding what to buy.
Click below and tell me you wouldn't want a ride on one.
Check out the 250kph power wheelie at the 2 min mark
I want one.

The fabled Hyabusa
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: Aurora
Hmm, well,
you dont know anyone who would fit that description do you? :cool2:
I mean, it would have to be someone I have known for a long time. And someone who I trust.
I mean you sit across that seat pretty close, anything could happen.
Can you think of anyone ? :wink:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aurora
Hmm, well,
you dont know anyone who would fit that description do you? :cool2:
I mean, it would have to be someone I have known for a long time. And someone who I trust.
I mean you sit across that seat pretty close, anything could happen.
Can you think of anyone ? :wink:
Totally! @Aurora : is this^ something you would be interested in? :cool:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aurora
Y
@hux ? She is rather lovely ♡
Es I am sure she is... Ummm no I don't think she likes the Aussie Accent.
I however love accents. Very sexy...
Gee we must be running out of sexy leather clad girls who would be crazy enough to get on a bike with me...
Who's left. I just can't think?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aurora
Y

Es I am sure she is... Ummm no I don't think she likes the Aussie Accent.
I however love accents. Very sexy...
Gee we must be running out of sexy leather clad girls who would be crazy enough to get on a bike with me...
Who's left. I just can't think?
Let's sleep on it. Give the tagged candidates a chance to chime in ;-)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aurora
LOL... I knew you were going to say that you evil woman...
No not fish lol
And horsa dousnt like motorbikes.
At least we have the right gender now.
Anyone else... Who's left?
I do like motorbikes. I just don't ride. The following is 1 of my favourite songs & motorbikes feature:-

https://youtu.be/Q8UKf65NOzM
How are you fixed for being the person in the title of that song? Lol.