[Bradford] Fwd: Where can I get a PiKon - 3D Printed Telescope News

Wed Oct 15 13:05:19 UTC 2014

Would be astranomical to have this at BradLUG!

Otherwise, the PiKon will be at Leeds Astronomical Society Astromeet on 8th
November 2014.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mark Wrigley <mark.wrigley at me.com>
Date: 15 October 2014 11:51
Subject: Where can I get a PiKon - 3D Printed Telescope News
To: Mark Wrigley <mark.wrigley at me.com>

You are receiving this e-mail because you requested information on the
PiKon astro-cam which is a 3D printed telescope constructed for the
University of Sheffield's "Festival of the Mind". If we are in error and/or
you do not wish to receive more e-mails please reply with "remove".

Hi,

Thanks for your interest in the PiKon 3D printed telescope. We want to keep
people informed about what happens to the Disruptive Technology Astronomy
project after the University of Sheffield's "Festival of the Mind" and how
we want to build on the project.

Alternative-Photonics, the Sheffield based company behind PiKon, wants to
promote access to the technologies used in the PiKon to individuals,
makers, educationalists, enthusiasts and anyone who wants to get involved.

*Press coverage*

We have had an amazing response since the University of Sheffield's
"Festival of the Mind" and have had multiple press coverage. Our wed site
statistics went from a few a day to 2,000!! Here are some of the best:

http://www.raspberrypi.org/pikon-projects-from-sheffield-university/

http://metro.co.uk/2014/09/22/telescope-made-using-a-3d-printer-captures-incredible-picture-of-the-moon-4877507/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-29244429

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2765372/Revealed-Images-moon-captured-DIY-telescope-PRINT-home-100.html

http://www.universetoday.com/114749/a-3-d-printed-telescope-took-this-picture-of-the-moon-and-the-plans-are-coming/

http://gizmodo.com/this-shot-of-the-moon-is-the-first-photo-taken-by-a-3d-1637586270

*A disclaimer!!* Some of the claims for the capabilities of the PiKon in
some reports have got somewhat exaggerated!! The current build has a
magnification of x160 and an angle of view of 0.25 degree. That's enough to
fill the camera frame with half of the moon and is starting to make the
telescope useful for observing planets. Sorry if some of our friends in the
press got carried away.

*We didn't want to build a better telescope*

"Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that's
not why we do it."
Richard P Feynman

And we didn't build the PiKon to build a better telescope. We wanted to
show how "disruptive technologies" can have an impact and we wanted to
encourage people to "have a go" with these new, disruptive technologies.

The two disruptive technologies here are:

3D Printing which is disruptive because its low equipment cost puts
computer aided manufacture within the reach of individuals and small groups.

and

The Raspberry Pi; a "cheap as chips" computer aimed at encouraging people
to get into "coding", or computer programming (as us older types call it).
At about £35 it cheap enough to break and it comes loaded with coding
tools, games and an internet browser. It has a fast graphics capability for
games and video.

At the end of the "Festival of the Mind" project, delivered a working
telescope that cost about £100 in materials to build. It's based on a 4.5"
(113mm) diameter Newtonian mirror which forms an image directly on the
Raspberry Pi Camera sensor. Most parts are 3D printed with some Meccano and
a venting duct for the main body of the telescope tube.

At this stage we have captured images using Raspberry Pi commands and
processed them (exposure and reversal) in Photoshop on a non-Raspberry Pi
computer.

Our presentations at "Festival of the Mind" have been recorded and the
University of Sheffield will release the videos soon. Well let you know
when and where by e-mail.

*So what now?*

Well first we are going to build a bigger version of the PiKon using a 6"
(150mm) mirror which we'll use for demonstrations. We will also be giving
more talks and demonstrations:

West Yorkshire Astronomical Society - 21st Oct 2014
http://www.wyas.org.uk/index.php?option=com_jevents&view=range&layout=listevents&Itemid=473

Leeds Astronomical Society Astromeet - 8th November 2014
(Displayed on the Institute of Physics stand)
http://www.leedsastronomy.org.uk/Astromeet.html

TEDx Sheffield - 14th Nov 2014 - "Disruptive Technology - a job for life".
http://tedxsheffield.com/2014/mark-wrigley

*Don't do this at home!*

In our Festival of the Mind press release, we said that we would make the
3D printer files available so anyone with a 3D printer could have a go.
Well, we have had such a good response that we are also going to make kits
and even fully assembled PiKon telescopes available.

We realise that some people do not have access to a 3D printer and that
other enthusiasts are primarily interested in Raspberry Pi software. So we
will offer a range of items from 3D files, to printed parts, full kits and
assembled telescopes through a crowd funding campaign with Indiegogo.

We plan to start our crowd funding campaign in November and offer kits,
files, telescopes and even training as rewards. This will allow us to build
up a long term supply capability and hopefully fund more projects.

*There will be early rewards available for those who can't wait that long!!*

*Get involved*

We are always looking for help with the PiKon project and we'd love to hear
about your ideas on how we can use the telescope to encourage an interest
in science and technology. We are particularly interested in hearing form
Python and astronomy software experts on what we could add. We would also
like to hear from educationalist.

On another level you can simply help us by just spreading the word about
PiKon. That will improve our chances for a successful crowd funding
campaign. Check the links below for social media and web sites that you
might like to share.

If you'd like use to present to you or your group, please give us a call /
e-mail.

*On social media and Wordpress*

Here are our web site and social media links, please share!

https://www.facebook.com/PiKonic?fref=ts

https://twitter.com/PiKonCamera

http://www.PiKonic.com <http://www.pikonic.com/>

We'll be back in touch shortly with more information. Please don't hesitate
to contact us by e-mail.

All the best - Mark

Mark Wrigley

www.Alternative-Photonics.com <http://alternative-photonics.com/>
https://twitter.com/Markwrig
LinkedIn <http://uk.linkedin.com/in/markwrigley>
mark.wrigley at me.com
07860 625304

--
shi
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