Stargazers will often use a telescope to get closer to their desired subject, and returning to the same area can be a challenge - however recent innovations in telescope design have included motorised control with external devices through an "ST-4" port on the telescope.
This port can also be controlled with an Arduino and a small amount of external circuitry for PC-based control, and this has been demonstrated by Kévin Ferrare whose simple Arduino-based solution acts as a bridge between PC control software and the telescope. The degrees of movement can be controlled by an Arduino sketch or directly via the serial monitor and thus PC software. A demonstration is shown in the following video:
For details on how to make your own version, please visit Kevin's Google Code page. And for more, we're on facebook, Google+, and twitter - so follow us for news and product updates as well.
If you're looking to learn about Arduino development platform and how it interacts with external devices, you can't go past "Arduino Workshop - A Hands-On Introduction with 65 Projects” by John Boxall.
Arduino Workshop takes the reader from having zero knowledge about the Arduino platform, electronics and programming and leaves them with the know-how and instructions on everything from blinking an LED, to robotics, wireless data, cellular communications, motor control, sensors, Internet connected systems and more. For more information including a sample chapter and table of contents, visit the book page.
