Camera Mount for OpenAstroTracker using Tripod Mount (SCAD) by qwertylkjhgfdsamnbvc

Last crawled date: 4 years ago

This is a SCAD version of the Canon 7D Camera mount for OpenAstroTracker by jeffcapeshop to the best of my abilities. Like the original design, this is mainly intended for individuals who have their center of gravity too close to the camera body to use the normal amount. Instead, it utilizes the tripod mount on the camera to interface with the OpenAstroTracker (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4167783)
This is my first time using SCAD so I commented as much as I could to reduce the confusion when reading the file. Like jeffcapeshop's version, this hasn't been tested as I am still in the process of making my own tracker. Additionally, most of the dimensions for this model were taken from jeffcapeshop Fusion 360 file. To compensate for this, there is a relatively easy was to customize most of the dimensions at the top of all of the files. Also, I would like to apologize for any bugs in the code as I suspect that there are many.
Additionally, I would like to make this one file rather than two. Since I am new to SCAD, I don't know of a way to do this. Any help would be appreciated! :)
HOW TO USE:

There are three SCAD files. One is for the base plate where the camera mounts, another other is for the side pieces where it attaches to the tracker and the last one is to generate the top support (This is optional).


Open a the SCAD file labeled SideMount.SCAD. You will see two sections for variables. One specific variable section to that file and a shared variable section.


Additionally, there is variable at the top called "Direction". Setting this to "1" or any other value will produce a Right or Left mounting bracket. Both left and right brackets are needed.


Change all the values that have the comment "//**CHANGE** SPECIFIC TO CAMERA". These are values specific to each camera and would have to be added. This should be done for both the specific and shared variable section in the SideMount.SCAD file.


After changing all the values that you want, copy the entire shared variable section from the file that you edited to the mountPlate.SCAD and support.SCAD (If you chose to use the top support) file overwriting the shared variable section there.

The top support is mainly for structural concerns to make the whole rig more stable. This may not be necessary as this hasn't been tested. Top support can be easily turned off or on.
There are additional parameters in the file:

Variables tagged: "//Shouldn't need to change" are regarding the actual dimensions of the part and only need to be changed if it doesn't fit or work. Please let me know if there are any adjustments so that I can upload new files.


Variables tagged: "//If u wanna change" are mainly personal preference and nothing major should happen if you change these values. These are mainly used to create a more customized fit.

There is also an option to use slots on the base plate. This would replace the mounting holes on the plate. This is done to add flexibility to move the mount forward or backward depending on the center of gravity. This can be toggled by setting the "UseSlots" variable to true or false.
Once again, this hasn't been tested to work. I will test and update as soon as I finish building my astrotracker (May take a while). :) Thank you to jeffcapeshop (u/catbo) and Fabian Uehleke (u/intercipere) for all of their hard work! If anyone has any improvements feel free to comment! I hope that this will become a viable alternative for individuals who have their center of mass too close to the camera body or just want one mount for multiple lenses.
Sorry for any formatting issues. Idk how to fix them or why they happened.