Solar Tracker designed in Alibre Atom3D

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

This is my latest 3D printed creation.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Nice one Neil

Whats a solar tracker?

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

It was for a pair of retired teachers who are into meteorology. One of their activities was to get kids to record the alt(itude) and Az(imuth) of the sun through the school day. You project the sun as a dot on the white screen and read off the horizontal and vertical angles.

It's a sort of very basic theodolite or sun compass.

Neil

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

And at the moment of highest altitude, due south (in N hemisphere) is your Longitude

Easy peasy, If you have an accurate clock

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

The next project Neil! A 3D printed H1.

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

When I first started astronomy I used a mechanical time switch on a hinged board for very crude tracking.
Not the most accurate but smoother than hand driving a Haig mount.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

A relatively new approach for tracking with a dobsonian is a flat plate which runs a section of a circle or eclipse on a pair of rollers to equal a 'cone' with its axis on the polar axis. They are remarkably compact and will track for about an hour to an hour an a half.

I'm tempted to make one for my 10" dob, even if it's only good enough for planetary work I should get an major step up in resolution going from a 6" scope.

Neil

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