It seemed that either DIY telescope Go Tos did not exist or Google couldn’t find them.

After all, I have a programming background and know how to solder… How hard could it be?Ī quick Google search did not return any meaningful results for “DIY telescope controller.” For more than a week I searched for any DIY - to no avail. I was again disappointed, but few days later I decide to look for a DIY controller. GPS, Bluetooth, and other features are sold separately. No rich information content, no touch screen. This meant a bigger mount, requiring a further financial investment and, on top of that, Go Tos look dull, chunky, and feature-phone like. I always considered myself an intelligent person, able to learn quickly, but this had bested me! I went home with a bitter taste in my mouth and I realized that it would take time and patience to properly learn the sky.Ī few days later, I started looking for a Go To. I was surprised, but mostly disappointed, to find that even though I knew the location of Messier objects I was not able to locate them on the sky.

A month later, after reading a pile of star maps and books, I decided to test my knowledge and went out with fellow amateur astronomers from the local club. Two years ago I discovered stargazing! A month later I bought my first telescope (small 80mm SkyWatcher on EQ1), and after I assembled it and went outside, I realized that I needed to learn the sky. And, if something happens to your mount, such as drives failing, purchasing replacement parts in order to keep the Go To unit can add up. Even for older telescopes, the units are still pricey. Go To computers are specific for each mount - meaning they aren’t interchangeable. Those computerized (Go To) telescopes are proprietary and a bit expensive, especially for the newly initiated. and voila – The Great Orion Nebula is in the eyepiece! To overcome this roadblock, telescope manufacturers came up with the idea to computerize a telescope and make it a Go To telescope. It is the steep learning curve that one needs to overcome, the one that makes most people give up after few tries. The designs are all freely available and a community of helpful makers has sprung up around it.Įvery amateur astronomer knows the trouble of finding an object in the sky when first starting out in the hobby. rDUINScope Boiana is an open source Go To unit. Frustrated with the high cost of a proprietary Go To, the author developed a free, open source, DIY option, rDUINOScope Boiana.

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