It is almost certain that this project can't be duplicated, but hopefully
it can give you ideas on how it can be emulated. The parts used in this
project are either found on eBay or things I've had laying around for years.
There should be lots of possibilities on things that can be substituded
without having to pay full retail for the parts. Older equipment will be
easier to modify than new stuff. The equipment I used was current in the mid
eighties.
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The Plan
The goal of this project is to build an antenna and camera mount that can track
a balloon payload. I am taking the easy way out and using GPS data sent from
the balloon package to determine how to point the antenna. I also hope it can
be used for astronomical imaging.
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The Tilt/Pan Head
I did not know how lucky I was winning this particular tilt/pan head on eBay
until I took it apart to clean it. I also added internal wiring for two
cameras, with lens control for one.
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The Electronics
The motors in the tilt/pan head are 24 volt, and luckily the reel motors in some
old tape drives I have are the same. I plan to use the servo amplifiers from one
of those drives for the tilt pan head. I've already pulled one out and worked out
the schematic. Next I'll apply power and see if I can make it work the way I want.
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Balloon Tracking Software
No page yet!
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Astronomy Software
No page yet!
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