[withinboredom]

To whomever authored the title: it should read “open source; built with 3D printed parts”

I’m always on the lookout for neat things to 3D print. The current title is deceiving in that you cannot fully 3D print the whole thing. It looks cool though!

[trishmapow2]

Hmm while I see your point, I was going for conciseness and I think it's reasonable to assume that extra parts are required - we can't quite print stepper motors at home yet! The rest of the basic requirements is nuts/bolts (standard kit stuff), and a $5 microcontroller[1]. (Things like the aluminium base can also be 3D printed, but it's not recommended for stability. There are lots of optional components that greatly improve usage.)

[1]: https://wiki.openastrotech.com/OpenAstroTracker/ShoppingList

[washadjeffmad]

I think GP's point isn't off the mark here, but also that the title doesn't need to be altered. There's no need for any additional electronics to construct a Dobsonian and mount capable of manually tracking DSOs, for instance.

I say this as someone who uses "computerized" and EQ mounts, but I also assumed from the title that this was a completely 3D printable project (sans mirrors, I can print my own washers and bolts), which is way more exciting a prospect than having to buy or put together a fairly complex kit, just not all of it if you have a 3D printer.

I just 3D printed a custom IR CCD mount for my CST, but I'm very interested in adapting this to some of my designs, so thank you for sharing!

[trishmapow2]

Oh sure, but in my defence a simple Dob eq platform hardly requires any software, so 'open source' would be a strange thing to point out ;) A lot of the hard work is the custom PC software & getting it ASCOM compatible for autoguiding, etc.

[dylan604]

You can open source a file for use in 3D priting. Lots of work goes into creating those files, so releasing it as open source is a concious decision the maker made.