Best Telescope Motor Drives in 2022

Last update: January 10, 2023

Are computerized telescopes good for beginners?

Can you generate power in space?

Yes, you can generate power in space. Solar panels are commonly used to generate power in space. Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity.

Do telescopes have motors?

No, most telescopes do not have motors. Many telescopes are designed to be moved by hand, and some may have a motorized base, but the telescope itself does not usually have a motor. This allows the user to point the telescope in any direction they desire.

How are space telescopes powered?

Space telescopes are powered by a variety of means, depending on their size, location and intended purpose. The largest and most powerful space telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, are powered by solar panels that convert sunlight into electrical power. Smaller space telescopes, such as the Spitzer Space Telescope, are powered by batteries that are periodically recharged by the sun. Still other space telescopes, such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory, are powered by radioactive materials that generate heat that is converted into electrical power.


LAFVIN 5 Sets 28BYJ-48 ULN2003 5V Stepper Motor + ULN2003 Driver Board for Arduino Review:


Drivers and motors in one convenient box, ready to use. made it simple to begin. Excellent tiny kit that doesn't require soldering. also includes jumpers to connect to a Raspberry PI or Arduino. (or perhaps to whichever board)It was a happy surprise that the driver used the ULN2003, a popular chip with LED activity indicators that are uncommon on boards. The fact that the motors had long enough leads AND connectors already attached shocked me as well. I'm grateful.I intend to purchase a few more starter kits for our robotics group because they provide an inexpensive introduction to motor control.



Longruner 5X Geared Stepper Motor 28byj 48 Uln2003 5v Stepper Motor Uln2003 Driver Board with ArduinoIDE Review:


I've had some good luck with this particular motor kit. It's almost everything you need to get going quickly.First, I would say that I'm impressed with the packaging. After getting so many parts barely in a cheap plastic bag, this was like a breath of fresh air. Some thought and care went into this. Everything came in a hard plastic case, with the individual driver boards in sealed ESD-safe bags. Mine did come with a resistor color code reference card, which I didn't need but is nonetheless handy for the beginner.Second is the motors themselves. Considering I paid a little over $12 for the whole box of 5 plus driver boards, I can't say I'm disappointed in their performance. I was able to build 2 circuit plotters and still have 1 motor left for another future project. It's plenty for someone that doesn't need as much now. If that is the case, you can consider it an investment since the cost per motor at this price is much lower than buying them one or two at a time.Performance of the motors themselves has been quite good. Going strong at over 50 hours of non-continuous operation, and they haven't given out yet. They are quick and responsive to commands through the driver boards. If they don't seem to be responsive enough, consider swapping out the drivers first with something higher-end. Of course, that does mean spending more money, but the motors themselves don't seem to be a problem for me.Programming for these is dead easy. There are tons of examples out there from simple to complex on the Internet. Github is a great resource for Arduino and PIC uC source code.One thing you should keep in mind when building anything with these, or anything that draws a current load at 1mA/s or higher like these motors. The driver ICs can get fairly hot in short order, so consider putting a fan on them or keep them in an area with some airflow across their surface. Not doing this step can lower the lifespan of them quickly, and before you know it you'll be in the market for replacements.If it's more torque than the specified 34.3mN.m that you need, I would recommend looking for something like a larger NEMA 17 stepper motor or higher with a good h-bridge to drive it via microcontroller.You really can't go wrong with this kit, though. For smaller projects that don't require a lot of industrial-level torque but do require effective precision, you can't do much better for the price.



Longruner 5X Geared Stepper Motor 28byj 48 Uln2003 5v Stepper Motor Uln2003 Driver Board Compatible with ArduinoIDE (with Wire) Review:


You need Adobe Flash Player to view this video.Download Flash Player.Great, simple-to-use product (plug and play)Great, simple-to-use product (plug and play). No problems with precision. adequate speed for my needs.The package it came in also made an impression on me. Any organization assistance is greatly appreciated as a beginner in robotics.I have no complaints regarding the cost.



PIXNOR 10pcs L293D DIP 16-pin IC Stepper Motor Drivers Controllers (Black) Review:


excellent work and fantastic value. With these, you may produce projects and goods that are affordable. I advise utilizing a motor control driver if you're using heavy-duty stepper motors or input voltages higher than 5 volts. These chips may malfunction due to overheating. Before spending hours searching for a damaged wire, replace the chip if your motor was functioning normally before it started acting strangely. Because they are so cheap, burning a few of these won't make you feel awful.



STEPPERONLINE Short Body Nema 17 Bipolar Stepper Motor 1A 18.4oz.in/13Ncm DIY CNC Extruder Review:


You need Adobe Flash Player to view this video.Download Flash Player.This works great with my improved Prusa MK3 extruder (Skelestruder by JLTX on Thingiverse). There isn't much else to say about it, but I most certainly endorse it.



STEPPERONLINE Micro Stepper Motor Nema 11 Bipolar Stepping 0.67A 17oz.in/12Ncm 1.8deg 4 Leads Review:


Great little motor but the documentation is a bit of a head-scratcher (as is typical with most stepper motors) (as is typical with most stepper motors). The documentation shows a not-to-scale drawing of the unit which might confuse you at first. The dimensions on the drawing ARE correct (50mm body with 20mm shaft), but if you look at the dimensioned drawing it looks like the body and the shaft are the same size. The attached photo shows the real size - which is basically what the listing photo shows. My wire colors were green/blue/black/red as shown but the hole they come out of at the bottom is larger than what is shown in the photo. Not a big deal but it is different than what their photo shows.Item arrives in a nice padded box with a printed data sheet identical to what is shown in this listing.Operationally these are great little motors. Very quiet and even though rated voltage is 6.2v I'm using at 12v with no problems. They're really quiet.



Gazeer 6 Sets Stepper Motor 28Byj-48 5V Dc 4-Phase 5-Wire + Uln2003 Driver Board Review:


As long as you don't require the male to female jumpers, this dealer had the lowest pricing on the 28-BYJ48. Other merchants offer the jumpers but charge an additional $1.50 to $3.00. Each ULN2003 board was packaged separately in a heat-sealed static bag together with the steppers and driver boards. Although the packaging is not ideal, there were no practical issues with it. Another reason this is less expensive than other suppliers is that they ship in reusable plastic boxes rather than bags. But the fact is that they all function flawlessly. Therefore, this is a perfect option if you don't need the jumpers or the box.



Celestron R/A Single Axis Motor Drive for the AstroMaster Telescope Review:


Installation is quite simple and only requires the supplied hex key. Its mounting instructions are quite clear. You must unbolt the appropriate (RA) telescope knob in order to avoid damaging the flexible aluminum motor mount coupler.It works well with my Celestron PS 127EQ and tracks Jupiter (with an 8mm eyepiece, i.e. with good magnification). The first step is to align the telescope mount with Polaris, the North Star.On the motor unit, a little knob is used to control speed. When I tested it, I discovered that Jupiter is tracked for more than an hour with almost any adjustments.It should be noted that after the motor is attached, right ascension may only be adjusted manually by loosening the r.a. lock nut and rotating the scope.EDIT: After using it more, I discovered that it functions quite well. As I mentioned, you must first do polar alignment on your telescope mount with the North Star, which is fixed at 34 degrees above the horizon at my latitude. Because you only need to change the speed ONCE, there is a tiny plastic knob to turn to change the speed. You are essentially controlling the angular speed at which it follows an object in the sky, and (for a specific location), that rate is constant for all stars and planets. With a bright object like Jupiter, it is best to modify the speed at a greater magnification (let's say an 8mm eyepiece). Observing, for example, one of Jupiter's moons maintaining the same distance from the edge of your viewing disk will take some trial and error in order to do this. When you use the telescope again the next day, you won't need to change the speed at all.EDIT 2: After three months, I still need to replace the original battery. According to my calculations, a single 9V battery should last for at least 30 hours of continuous operation. To see how well it works, check out the images I uploaded on the right.EDIT 3: I discovered that the speed will inevitably drop a little when the battery life diminishes. Keep a spare battery on hand at all times because that indicates it's time to change it. Naturally, it occurred in my instance just as I was attempting to photograph some long exposures of the Andromeda galaxy.EDIT 4: Mine has been operating well for a full year at this point. I used roughly three 9V battery sets over that time, and every one to two weeks I had a long observation night. There are occasionally star or planet locations where the tiny plastic box gets in the way a little.



ARCELI Dual VNH2SP30 Stepper Motor Driver Module Monster Moto Shield Replace L298N … Review:


Installation is quite simple and only requires the supplied hex key. Its mounting instructions are quite clear. You must unbolt the appropriate (RA) telescope knob in order to avoid damaging the flexible aluminum motor mount coupler.It works well with my Celestron PS 127EQ and tracks Jupiter (with an 8mm eyepiece, i.e. with good magnification). The first step is to align the telescope mount with Polaris, the North Star.On the motor unit, a little knob is used to control speed. When I tested it, I discovered that Jupiter is tracked for more than an hour with almost any adjustments.It should be noted that after the motor is attached, right ascension may only be adjusted manually by loosening the r.a. lock nut and rotating the scope.EDIT: After using it more, I discovered that it functions quite well. As I mentioned, you must first do polar alignment on your telescope mount with the North Star, which is fixed at 34 degrees above the horizon at my latitude. Because you only need to change the speed ONCE, there is a tiny plastic knob to turn to change the speed. You are essentially controlling the angular speed at which it follows an object in the sky, and (for a specific location), that rate is constant for all stars and planets. With a bright object like Jupiter, it is best to modify the speed at a greater magnification (let's say an 8mm eyepiece). Observing, for example, one of Jupiter's moons maintaining the same distance from the edge of your viewing disk will take some trial and error in order to do this. When you use the telescope again the next day, you won't need to change the speed at all.EDIT 2: After three months, I still need to replace the original battery. According to my calculations, a single 9V battery should last for at least 30 hours of continuous operation. To see how well it works, check out the images I uploaded on the right.EDIT 3: I discovered that the speed will inevitably drop a little when the battery life diminishes. Keep a spare battery on hand at all times because that indicates it's time to change it. Naturally, it occurred in my instance just as I was attempting to photograph some long exposures of the Andromeda galaxy.EDIT 4: Mine has been operating well for a full year at this point. I used roughly three 9V battery sets over that time, and every one to two weeks I had a long observation night. There are occasionally star or planet locations where the tiny plastic box gets in the way a little.


How big of a telescope do you need to see galaxies?

In order to see galaxies, you need a telescope with a large aperture. The bigger the telescope, the more light it can gather and the more detail you can see. For most amateurs, a telescope with an 8-inch aperture is enough to see galaxies.

How is the James Webb telescope powered?

The James Webb telescope is powered by solar panels. The solar panels are made of a material that absorbs sunlight and converts it into electricity. The electricity is then used to power the telescope.

How long will fuel last on James Webb Space Telescope?

The James Webb Space Telescope is designed to operate for at least five years after reaching its destination, 1 million miles from Earth. The telescope will carry about 1140 pounds (520 kilograms) of fuel for its journey. This is enough to keep the telescope operational for over 25 years and allow for plenty of science observing time.

How many Motors does the Webb telescope have?

The Webb telescope has 18 motors.

Is a motorized telescope worth it?

A motorized telescope is definitely worth the investment if you are serious about astronomy. The computerized mount will make it easier to find and track objects in the night sky, and the GoTo function will allow you to automatically slew the telescope to any object in its database.

Is it worth getting a computerized telescope?

A telescope is an instrument used to observe distant objects by collecting and magnifying their light. A computerized telescope is a type of telescope that is controlled by a computer. There are several advantages to using a computerized telescope. First, it is easier to find and track objects in the sky. Second, computerized telescopes can be connected to the Internet, which allows you to access online databases of astronomical objects. Finally, computerized telescopes can be used to take photographs or videos of the sky. The main disadvantage of a computerized telescope is the cost. Computerized telescopes