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

Wed Oct 15 16:01:16 UTC 2014

Agreed, but would he, or others, be too busy? Perhaps those who are
going to the Leeds event could check out whether he'd be prepared to
come to us one month - as it looks like an ongoing project it could be
any month to suit them.

John
--
On Wed, 2014-10-15 at 14:04 +0100, shi wrote:
> 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
> 
> 
> 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
> https://twitter.com/Markwrig
> LinkedIn
> mark.wrigley at me.com
> 07860 625304
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --
> shi
> 
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