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

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PDF Build Guide: tinyurl.com/30tracker
Clock wheel printout: tinyurl.com/clockwheel
$17 Ball Head I used: ebay.us/yWTCgU
6" hinge (if you can't find cheaper locally): basscatstore.com/6stainlesspi...
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Supporting this channel:
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◦ I'm on Patreon: / nebulaphotos
◦ One-time donations: paypal.me/nebulaphotos
◦ Shopping at High Point Scientific through this link: tinyurl.com/highpoint-nebula
◦ Canon camera mods: www.astrogear.net/?ref=nebula...
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Existing accounts- Use Promo Code: NEBULAPHOTOS
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Gear used in this video:
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Canon Rebel T7 Two Lens Kit - amzn.to/3kdzPoc
Mini Max Stool - www.huntsphotoandvideo.com/de...
Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 - amzn.to/39fydGp
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Table of Contents:
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00:00 Intro
02:35 How does it work?
06:49 How do I make one?
12:02 How do I use it?
16:59 Pros & Cons
18:56 Image Reveal
20:00 Outro
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Music:
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Intruder by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License.
No Control by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License.
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Social:
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Twitter: @nebulaphotos
Instagram: @nebulaphotosdotcom
Astrobin: www.astrobin.com/users/2ghouls/
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Affiliate programs disclosure:
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I use the High Point Scientific, OPT, Astrobin, and Amazon affiliate programs. Product links in my video descriptions are affiliate links, which means at no extra cost to you, I will make a small commission if you click them and purchase something.

Опубликовано:

3 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 610

@robertharrelson8655 3 года назад

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.

@GarnettLeary 3 года назад

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

@Metaldetectiontubeworldwide 3 года назад

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 3 года назад

This is exactly how I started.

@vpsjdon 3 года назад

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 3 года назад

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

@claudiogoncalves1985 3 года назад

@@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)

@mariogreenway3468 3 года назад

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 3 года назад

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 3 года назад

@@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 3 года назад

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 3 года назад

@@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 2 года назад

@@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

@keriin295 3 года назад

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 3 года назад

Hopefully to some extent

@madhavsharma6643 3 года назад

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 3 года назад

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

@hamlovingprophetpisslam183 2 года назад

@@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 2 года назад

@@madhavsharma6643 why do people need their parents approval 🙄

@rinceart 3 года назад

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.”

@keriin295 3 года назад

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

@alakbaraliyev9460 3 года назад

👍👏👏

@darkwood777 3 года назад

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 3 года назад

Woah, amazing!

@fazergazer 3 года назад

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

@macgyver5108 2 года назад

WOW, talk about "shut the BARN DOOR!"

@dugy40 2 года назад

That would shake like crazy moving around.

@macgyver5108 2 года назад

@@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 3 года назад

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.

@lenm2857 3 года назад

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

@Error-kl9op 2 года назад

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 3 года назад

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 3 года назад

tutorial on that please.

@carlosrojasrodriguez930 3 года назад

@@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 3 года назад

@@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 3 года назад

@@TheAnoniemo That is correct!

@vladimirlenin4080 3 года назад

I think I saw it on reddit a while ago

@hael8680 3 года назад

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

@gsus3918 Год назад

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.

@ayahibrahimahmedismaiel2174 3 года назад

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

@maggiethrash 3 года назад

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

@BennyKleykens 11 месяцев назад

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.

@ekojar3047 3 года назад

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.

@southernexposure123 2 года назад

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.

@justindame 3 года назад

Absolutely amazing. Did not expect these results!

@fakharhaider6269 3 года назад

SO excited for the video. I requested this topic a few weeks back and you said a video is coming! yayyyyyy

@LeonardoRodriguez-op9rv 3 года назад

Awesome video and results! I'll be waiting for part 2 with the modifications

@ilovejuliforever 3 года назад

Ive been waiting for this video! Pretty excited to build this and test not only my craftmanship as well as my photo taking/editing ability

@WebbedFootage 3 года назад

This is awesome. Great video and explanation- it's so impressive being able to get great results on a shoestring budget.

@Gill3D 3 года назад

Thank you for an excellent video. I'm really looking forwards to seeing how you refine this device.

@markattardo 3 года назад

Cool project, great results!

@AstroLaVista 3 года назад

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!

@mk5_gti_280 3 года назад

Hi nico i just build one using your pdf guide and the video , really love the simplicity of this , im going to try to get use this with my phone when the sky clears up

@princeofpersia61 Год назад

You are just the best content creator i've ever seen man. Making such good and clear and detailed explanations on everything . Keep going man.

@mizzmezz 2 года назад

I just want to say thank you for sharing your knowledge with us all so generously. As a rookie i really appreciate your posts on RU-vid. Thanks for including us all.

@amp2amp800 Год назад

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).

@dawgrules1 Месяц назад

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 !

@briansloan1713 3 года назад

That’s so cool! Honestly amazed it worked so well

@yomero0666 3 года назад

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

@benjohnson2975 3 года назад

Thankyou Niko - was looking at the Omegon Lx3 tonight and saw your vid pop up. Definitely building this instead first. Think I'll try the laser pointer option for polar alignment and see how it goes. Awesome work!!

@michaelchecco8745 3 года назад

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!

@TiagoRamos79 3 года назад

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.

@YohannChaplin 3 года назад

That's really neat! I will definitely give it a try this summer ☺️

@GalacticHunter 3 года назад

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!

@AstroForumSpace 3 года назад

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.

@psilveirap 3 года назад

Great tutorial. Very well explained. Thanks.

@NebuloCity 3 года назад

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

@paulnaquet 3 года назад

Very impressive Nico well done!

@robertYTB78g Год назад

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.

@Southsideboystyle 3 года назад

Very nice outcome to the finished picture.

@claudiogoncalves1985 3 года назад

Great video as always Nico. As soon i can get my hands in a ball head i'm gonna try. Waiting for video of a DSO using this tracker.

@Valksword65 3 года назад

Wowww that was amazing, excellent result, congratulations

@user-qn3lj5sg7z 3 месяца назад

I found your site while reviewing star trackers. I appreciate your attention to detail with both your videos and step by step description. I got all the parts at Home Depot yesterday and am building it today. Will try it out and let you know.

@manojhs7651 3 года назад

Great video as always. Astonishingly good results, encouraged to try this instead of buying tracking gear.

@thejonc799 2 года назад

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.

@carlosangelramirezalarcon8893 2 года назад

The reveal just look unreal. Very nice job dude

@DavidMorris-pq4jq 3 года назад

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 Год назад

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

@jimschmidt7303 2 года назад

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.

@GenesCustoms. Год назад

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

@OkanBozat 3 года назад

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

@NebulaPhotos 3 года назад

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

@OkanBozat 3 года назад

@@NebulaPhotos Likewise Nico, it was a pleasure!

@PetraKann 3 года назад

I made one of these barn door trackers many decades ago from design plans found in a telescope/astronomy book. What I do remember is the dimensions of the tracker and bolt thread pitch was set so that 1 revolution around the bolt thread per minute was needed in order track celestial objects in the night sky. The device also needed to be aligned with a particular direction in the sky. Took some interesting photographs

@LogansAstro 3 года назад

Great result from such and old school diy device.

@JamesEscobar 3 года назад

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

@paulos9304 3 года назад

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 RU-vid

@lakshyasaraswat3870 3 года назад

I've made the same , sooo excited !!

@desert4wd 3 года назад

I made two of those about 30 years apart. Good for you!

@SonAdamu 3 года назад

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

@adamnawrocki1703 Год назад

WOW, amazing. Great work.

@natem7440 3 года назад

Getting the most of budget is a fun and satisfying challenge. Plus educational and inspirational for others.

@fatmangaming2720 6 месяцев назад

Dude thanks for posting this video and the pdf.

@atlassilverbraid 9 месяцев назад

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

@paul_herts 3 года назад

I can only say wow, seriously awesome result! I have the Omegon LX2 and have got some good results but I can’t get 2 minutes out of it - though with the light pollution around here it would be pointless trying. Look forward to the vid on the LX mini tracks and the move shoot move 👍

@megraves12345 3 года назад

Love this format of video it's inspiring

@fibey1296 3 года назад

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

@Black_Jesus3005 Год назад

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.

@letszoomit365 2 года назад

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

@jonaslynnebakken1266 Год назад

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

@fazergazer 3 года назад

Now my mind’s made up I’m going to make this I love the simplicity. There are compound hinge barn door trackers with less cumulative error but the simplicity of this one is charming. Great build for a budding young astronomer

@TMG_Dude 3 года назад

That's an interesting concept. I'm excited!

@johnmcnairn6822 3 года назад

Excellent project!

@user-yo8vr1nt2m Год назад

Let me share the fact that watching your videos is a great pleasure! You always dave so deep in details. Your voice and a speaking rate are fine for understanding by foreign listeners. And the subtitles. They do not look as automatic, do you write them by yourself? Thanks for your job, that is done really top class. What I should do is go to patreon and donate. My best wishes!

@NebulaPhotos Год назад

Thanks! Regarding subtitles: I let youtube make an automatic transcription, and then review it, and try to correct any major mistakes that I see.

@pinkfloydvk Год назад

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

@pedade02 Год назад

Thanks a lot, great job again! For those of you who want a budget motorised barn-door-type star tracker, I suggest the batteries operated NYX Tracker, $130... It has an inbuilt laser to point Polar star and ballhead for your tripob included. I own it and it is very easy, fun and great to use.

@benjaminmesa1089 3 года назад

Your channel is the best!

@meljai93 3 года назад

This totally gave me an idea to do this with a stepper motor and an arduino nano.... 🤔. This is awesome!!!

@Wheeljack678 3 года назад

I found this both entertaining and incredibly educational. I'm sure Astrobiscuit (if you watch his channel) would be very proud of you. Well done.

@stevebrooks6144 3 года назад

Love the background poster

@GarageBandSuperheros 2 года назад

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

@Javiercav 3 года назад

Y really like this. I found it some months ago when I started to look into astrophotography. And I think that this can be easily made motorized with some steeper motor and arduino.

@Adrizzle 3 года назад

Sweet shirt and great vid!

@horizonastronomiaargentina7593 3 года назад

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

@AstroSoundscape 3 года назад

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

@rmf11699 2 года назад

Thank you George Haig and Nico!

@andrewreedie4415 3 года назад

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

@avt_astro206 3 года назад

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

@ganymedkallisto5561 3 года назад

Great work. I made a motorized one with a stepper-motor.

@danishmehta7678 3 года назад

Was planning to start tracked AstroPhotography this spring, but was really debating $400 star tracker. I think this is what I am going to go ahead with and see how much can I squeeze from such an equipment. Can't wait for another 3 hours.

@jamesrodgers3664 2 года назад

I recall the article for the ‘scotch mount’. I did build one way back in the late 70s to strap my Zenit E to. The main investment was a ball mount for the camera, everything else was stuff laying around. But I had no real tripod or way to get any sort of polar alignment, and the lens was the stock Helios the Zenit came with. It worked but was so awkward to use that I only tried it on a couple of slides.

@willrothfuss8470 2 года назад

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

@RafaelCBeltrame 3 года назад

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 6 месяцев назад

Please share, i request you very much

@DOM_4GOOD 3 года назад

thanks i wanted to try to build one myself !

@ericemanuelson5128 3 года назад

Very cool! And with a budget camera too. I was thinking vibration would be an issue But apparently not so.

@Micha-dx2xw 3 года назад

I built a tracker (electric) year ago and it works very well. No problem with very long time exposure.

@Metaldetectiontubeworldwide 3 года назад

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

@DB-be9wy Год назад

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.