Barn Door Kits

Why buy my kits? Some of the parts in my kits are easy to make, some are not. Some parts are cheap to buy, while for others you need to buy 10x what you need to build the tracker.

Also, if you are short of time or not too confident with assembly I will build and test a tracker for you.

While I enjoy building and selling trackers so I can build up a paypal nest egg for a new scope, the main aim of this website is to help people build their own trackers rather than make money from selling them. That said, my prices may seem high, but they are a reflection of my time and effort.

Kit 1 - The basics - Just the important bits, ideal for overseas (airmail) delivery.

Curved rod, specialist nuts, regulator circuit, finderscope bracket and bolts. You supply wooden plates, hinges, motor, cog set, ball head mount, 12v supply etc.

inc UK P&P this kit costs GBP 29.25

Note Airmail will an extra GBP 4.00 for EU, GBP 7.00 for rest of Europe. For the rest World GBP 12.00 extra. Excludes tracking and insurance (GBP 5.00 extra)

 

Kit 2 - Value Kit - Minimise the preparation and just enjoy the assembly.

Curved rod, specialist nuts, regulator circuit, finderscope bracket and bolts. Plus wooden plates, hinges, cogs, triangular block,

You will still need to buy a motor, ball head mount and a 12v supply For an extra GBP 10.00 I will partially assemble the kit to save you the time and worry about alignment. You'll get the wooden plates, hinges and finderscope bracket attached, and the hole drilled for the cirved rod.

inc UK P&P this kit costs GBP 59.50

Kit 3 - Everything All the bits but you still get to do the assembly.

Curved rod, specialist nuts, regulator circuit, finderscope bracket (no finderscope), bolts. Plus wooden plates, hinges, cogs (usually with a drive nut already fitted), triangular block, motor, a CCTV style ball head mount

You will still need to buy a finderscope and 12v supply as I cannot post a lead acid battery to you. Not the best value for money as some items (motor for example) are as cheap to order directly from Ebay. If you want to order the full kit you may as well pay an extra GBP 25 for the assembled tracker.

Inc UK P&P GBP 89.75

Kit 4 - Built and Tested Ready (almost) to go

A fully built and tested tracker. You will need a 12 v supply and tripod. Also the curved rod is unbolted for posting and should be re-attached. The tracker will need

but I will have it set up at about the right speed. You can save some money by not buying the finderscope and ball head mount from me. This will save you GBP 22.00 to buy those parts direct from Ebay, or you may already have them.

Inc UK P&P GBP 126.75 with finderscope, GBP 114.75 if you supply your own finderscope

 

 

Item
Notes
Price (GB Pounds)
Link
Finderscope mounting
Aluminum channel cut and drilled to fit a pair of 75mm hinges. Follow my simple instructions to produce a self-alignment with the hinge axis.
GBP 4.75
Curved rod
Hand formed using a specially built jig to produce a good working curve. 4mm brass with a 0.7mm pitch produces a smaller than standard barn door - more compact than the original Seronik design.
GBP 9.50

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NB the curved rod supplied is enough for a 2-3 hrs session without repositioning.

Specialist bolts, nuts, screws
a series of 4mm nuts for the drive rod including a drive nut for your cogs. If you order the hinges I'll supply the screws. .

GBP 3.00

Voltage Regulator
My own modified circuit. Ideally set up for a 6 volt 3 rpm motor. The circuit now has a polarity protection diode. The circuit can fine tune the motor rotation speed to half a second. Not needed for stepper motors.
GBP 7.00

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P&P (within UK for kits 1 and 2)
GBP 5.00 for Kits 1&2, GBP 10.00for Kits 3&4

GBP 5.00

 

Wooden plates, unvarnished, pair
Cut from 10mm plywood

GBP 8.50

 

Hinges 2 x 75mm stainless ball bearing
I've bought these off Ebay and they were not very good. I now buy them in Hull - just 10 miles away so I have to charge a little more (GBP 1.50) than I pay. If you buy your own then take them out of the box and wiggle them. If there is any sloppy movement ask for another pair.
GBP 7.50
Cogs, pair
I recycle these from old laser printers - a printer yields 2, sometimes 3 pairs of cogs. But. they are high quality and durable.
GBP 8.50
Triangular mount block (wood, improved)
This block allows the ball head mount and camera to sit directly above the tracker when the hinge axis is aligned with the North Pole. A very useful feature.
GBP 5.75
P&P (surcharge for kits 3 and 4)
GBP 5.00 for Kits 1&2, GBP 10.00for Kits 3&4
GBP 5.00
Tripod T Nut If you order kit 3 or 4 I'll supply a standard Tripod screw T nut to attach the tracker to a tripod GBP 1.00 image
Motor, 6 volt, 3 RPM
I order mine from Ebay, from Hong Kong. You may as well order your own directly as it saves you money. But it may take several weeks to arrive.
GBP 12.25
Ball head mount
I have a new design of CCTV Style post mount that seems better then previous types. But you may prefer a fancy (and costly) ball head mount - these are readily available from Ebay.
GBP 12.00

Only suitable for lightweight cameras - max 2 KG

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Finderscope
You don't need an expensive polar scope. A very simple and cheap finderscope that can sit in the bracket channel is fine. .
GBP 12.00
Assembly and testing service

Everything set up, drilled etc. Full assembled kit 4 tracker

 

Partial assembly of the bits you order - min rod, plates, hinges and alignment bracket

GBP 25.00

 

GBP 10.00

Paypal Charges
Friends and family transfer - no extra charges
Standard Paypal payment please add 3.5% to the total
My margins are tight and don't really cover my time, even at minimum wage!

Batteries really are not included. A small but perfectly adequate battery (12 V) will set you back around £15.00 from ebay.

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