Microwave Imager / Mini Radiotelescope Part 2

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 พ.ย. 2024
  • This is a follow up to my Tailgater satellite dish microwave imager (Part 1 here: • Seeing Satellites with... ). In this video I've increased the resolution, attempted to repair a second antenna, and tried out some suggestions from Github users. While only some of these things have been partly successful, it still seemed like an interesting follow up.
    The original project involved converting a portable satellite antenna into a microwave imager or Ku band "camera". This motorized dish scans and records signal strength to create a heat map of microwave radio energy. It's great for seeing satellites in geostationary orbit and creating images from reflected microwave energy.
    More information on this project is available on my website: saveitforparts...
    The code (including the latest high-resolution updates) is available for free on Github: github.com/sav...
    Recently ‪@TheNerdCompany‬ has been doing a similar project. Check out his first video here: • Tailgater Microwave Im...
    Saveitforparts t-shirts and other merch at saveitforparts...
    Join this channel to get access to perks:
    / @saveitforparts
    Or support me via Patreon at / saveitforparts

ความคิดเห็น • 210

  • @salmonsoup15
    @salmonsoup15 ปีที่แล้ว +136

    This is the channel I have been looking for for years! Thank you for existing, please don’t stop anytime soon.

    • @Top-Code
      @Top-Code ปีที่แล้ว +6

      True, there are only a few channels that make content like this. We can’t be losing one this good anytime soon!

    • @PhonePhreak3z
      @PhonePhreak3z ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Same for real.

    • @Administrator_O-5
      @Administrator_O-5 ปีที่แล้ว

      I know right! He's awesome! I want to learn this stuff so badly, but I have no clue how to code or how to work with satcoms.

  • @maddsua
    @maddsua ปีที่แล้ว +33

    Wow, found this channel a few days ago, and it's just pure gold! This is the type of content I missed a lot in present days internet. No bs, no scam ads, no attempts to look like someone else, just DIY vibes - just as I like it

  • @user-fh2fm7vr4m
    @user-fh2fm7vr4m ปีที่แล้ว +54

    It is completely reasonable to keep your project small and in your own styling. I would make sure to put a license file in your Github project, to declare intent to share and copy your code if they have their own tailgater.
    Separate from that, thank you for all your videos! They are a wonderful breath of fresh air!
    EDIT: I see you already have a license! Thank you!

    • @GustavoFSx
      @GustavoFSx ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Why would anyone messing with this care about his code having a license?

    • @thoughtstream9591
      @thoughtstream9591 ปีที่แล้ว

      Maybe we are scarred by years of coding in environments where that is always the first question on new stuff... Or maybe we actually care if it's legal/moral/ethical.

    • @user-fh2fm7vr4m
      @user-fh2fm7vr4m ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@thoughtstream9591 I went thru this 20 times last week

  • @shakes7333
    @shakes7333 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Even though I have no clue what your saying I still find you videos very fascinating!
    Thanks

  • @leandroalbero
    @leandroalbero ปีที่แล้ว +16

    So cool to see so many people trying to help and collaborate, open source ftw

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +9

      It is cool! I just wish I had more time and attention to give it :-)

  • @patchvonbraun
    @patchvonbraun ปีที่แล้ว +28

    The response pattern of a dish antenna is superficially Gaussian in shape, but in reality has "side lobes", and depending on the ratio of these sidelobes to the main beam response, and the sensitivity of your receiver, you will "see" these as ring patterns in the response.

  • @madfrenchie
    @madfrenchie ปีที่แล้ว +33

    You should set up a Virtual Machine that is connected to the Dish and allow people time frames where they are allowed to log in and have access to the code and the dish. Use a webcam pointed as the dish so they can see in real life what their code is doing!

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +25

      That would really wear out the motors fast! Fun idea though!

    • @gorak9000
      @gorak9000 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Or people could just get their own locally on FB or CL and skip him having to put in all that effort for what is essentially a throwaway project in the first place

    • @HobkinBoi
      @HobkinBoi ปีที่แล้ว +15

      As cool as that sounds, I'm sure there would be one person to ruin it for everyone else somehow.

    • @zlozlo3935
      @zlozlo3935 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@saveitforparts just throw that DC motors our and use stepper motors and arduino to move the dish. They will live forever with this low movement.

  • @genericdynamics6618
    @genericdynamics6618 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Fairly new subscriber here, keep these videos coming because they are super fun to watch

  • @ChrisCrewdson
    @ChrisCrewdson ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Ah, a brief view of the rare three-hand soldering technique, guaranteed to put solder smoke straight into your eyes!

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Yeah, I need one of those bendy octopus things with all the alligator clips on it, but I'd probably be too impatient to set it up!

    • @elapt1c
      @elapt1c ปีที่แล้ว +2

      BROS FROM THE PAST! (comment from when the video wasn't even posted yet)

    • @petevenuti7355
      @petevenuti7355 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      ​@@saveitforparts one of the metal rods out of a busted dot matrix printer that still has set screws on the gears, screw alligator clips in the holes using screw posts, (after sticking it through a tight grommet so it stays where you put it) maybe use some playdough to hold the magnifying glass if you can't find a bendy arm..
      I made my own back in the early eighties,
      I tried to patent it, but they stole my idea , when I threatened to sue , they just said I was under 18 so there was never a legal contract and couldn't higher a lawyer on my own.
      I get pissed off every time I see one of those things!!!!
      My parents were no help, discouraged all my inventions..
      But if you made your own , that would be cool.

    • @SATX_09
      @SATX_09 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ​@@saveitforparts this is so me.... And also where would I even sit it in the first place my workbench/dining room table is occupied with different projects.... we're not going to even talk about the office space/bedroom.

  • @daveys
    @daveys ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I’ve found this 2-part series really interesting. Thanks for posting!

  • @christophschumacher5926
    @christophschumacher5926 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    i love it if people have a passion and are excited about something!!! love from germany!

  • @breadramen
    @breadramen ปีที่แล้ว +4

    "I don't really know how GitHub works" - I feel that

  • @mattparker9726
    @mattparker9726 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    3:53 Man has S.M. Sterling on his shelf. CLASSIC! I *knew* I liked this channel for a reason!

  • @GoreGamer
    @GoreGamer ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I had some issues with my Code and used ChatGPT to look into it and it corrected it for me. was nice.

  • @DadofScience
    @DadofScience ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Your honesty in your videos is refreshing and much appreciated, mate. You say it like it is and don't get flustered by what you can and can't do yet, which is the way to be, in my opinion.
    Looks like that PCB has a conformal coating on it to protect it from a less than desirable environment, making rework tricky. Not sure why those motors would flake out with continuous use; they look robust. Great project.

  • @jimmymorris3484
    @jimmymorris3484 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Why aren’t you working for NASA or Space X? You’re brilliant and hard working and I feel like you could really be handed some good money and some really cool toys to mess with. You would do well.

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Texas and Florida sound too hot. As a former Alaskan I consider Minnesota dangerously far South😅

    • @ericlotze7724
      @ericlotze7724 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@saveitforparts As someone who bounced all over the place as a kid, i would DEFINITELY prefer places like Maine / Ohio etc vs
      F L O R I D A
      (Outside of Mangrove Swamps, Swamp-Stream/Rivery kind of areas, and South Florida (Cape Canaveral, Cafe Cubano y Empanadas…)

    • @petevenuti7355
      @petevenuti7355 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@saveitforparts I would say, "when you get to be my age",
      but global warming is bringing the heat up to me...

  • @Rebar77_real
    @Rebar77_real ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Neat it can even do that!

  • @misterpink8099
    @misterpink8099 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'm always in for DYI if it works. I didn't think you could turn a satellite dish into an imager. Thoroughly impressed

  • @scabskunk
    @scabskunk ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Ive had this same project on the backburner for years. i should get my ass together and get some things done.

  • @bob_mosavo
    @bob_mosavo ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thanks 😁

  • @dronefootage2778
    @dronefootage2778 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    it was super cool for me to see a picture of the satellites basically like flashlights shining down onto earth, seeing the invisible, i love it.

  • @danielleo2370
    @danielleo2370 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    OK.....this guy is awesome....I wish i could do half the stuff he does.

  • @FroggyTWrite
    @FroggyTWrite ปีที่แล้ว +2

    love it when you post follow up videos! glad you win the adhd fight from time to time ;+)

  • @simo9445tsns
    @simo9445tsns ปีที่แล้ว +1

    love your videos man, thank you for your time and enthusiasm

  • @Patchedmac
    @Patchedmac ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank you for a update on this project! Its one of my favorites on this channel and im hoping to do it myself as well!

  • @supermegaultraguy900
    @supermegaultraguy900 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    As a professional astronomer working in the mm/sub-mm bands: holy shit! This rocks!!

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Nice! I'd love to learn more about legit astronomy and radio astronomy. Since I live in a city and all my gear is made from trash, it adds some challenges :-)

  • @PropaneMuncher5000
    @PropaneMuncher5000 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This is really cool! Please continue doing these projects!

  • @carebea35re
    @carebea35re ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Your channel has been bringing me great peace and it's so wonderful to see all your projects and what you've been able to accomplish with things that people just might throw away. Grateful that you keep uploading and that you share what you're up to for us to see. Never stop man and thanks again

  • @CheapSushi
    @CheapSushi ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'm so tempted to buy these myself to play around with but no clue what I'd really do. I don't have a home, so I can't really put them out anywhere.

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They're made to be portable, I'll probably try taking mine on a camping trip at some point and see how things look outside the city.

  • @electronash
    @electronash ปีที่แล้ว +10

    8:12 You'll probably get a fair few other people say this, but that PCB looks to have conformal coating on it.
    Basically a thin layer of clear epoxy over the whole board, to help protect it against moisture etc.
    You'll often also see the brown-ish areas on the underside of the board, which are likely flux residue from wave soldering or dip soldering.
    The wave soldering is normally only used for the through-hole components. I guess the conformal coating is usually added after all of the soldering has been done.
    I'm not sure I would recommend using brake cleaner on any electronics, as it's quite harsh, but if it's a kind of last-resort thing, doesn't stay on the board too long, and gets rinsed off after, it might be OK?
    I would just stick with specific PCB cleaner stuff in a spray can, or bog-standard Isopropyl alcohol, with a light scrub with an ESD-safe brush (or an old toothbrush if you're not too worried about ESD zapping something).
    Cleaning boards can definitely help sometimes if there's corrosion or water spots on the board, or maybe tiny bits of solder or metal filings between pins. The conformal coating on those boards means cleaning them might not get to many of the components.
    It looks like the dish is just going into over-current protection, as the motors are still a bit seized internally, or there could still be something electrically wrong on the driver boards.
    The conformal coating should make the boards quite robust, though. Unless there's an obvious overheated / shorted / exploded component, burnt traces etc.

    • @electronash
      @electronash ปีที่แล้ว +1

      8:16 - That chip between the two plugs for the motors is likely a dual H-bridge driver, probably from Allegro or TI or somebody.
      The components above and below the two motor plugs look to be labelled "FB4" etc., so likely Ferrite beads, for helping to reduce the electrical noise from the motors getting back into the rest of the board (or power supply).
      This probably isn't super helpful for diagnosing it, though, sorry. lol
      Do the position sensors turn fully without end-stops, btw?
      They may be actual encoders rather than simple pots?
      Maybe there are end-stop switches in there somewhere, unless it really does get the absolute position from the sensors somehow.

    • @electronash
      @electronash ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I wonder if you could use the RF module on the main board just as a down-converter ("LNB") into the RTL-SDR?
      Then ditch the motor drivers and other firmware-controlled stuff, hook up some H-bridge drivers to the motors and an Arduino or Rasp Pi, then hook up the position sensors.
      That would let you get super-fine resolution, and the code shouldn't be overly complex.
      It should also let you get super-fast updates for the RF signal level.
      Although, the high-res scans from the working dish do look very nice already.

    • @gorak9000
      @gorak9000 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Brake cleaner is mostly acetone. What about flux remover for PCBs?? Mostly acetone (sometimes acetone / IPA mix) - it's all the same stuff. And "carb and choke cleaner"?? You guessed it - mostly acetone. Same stuff, different can / label.

    • @electronash
      @electronash ปีที่แล้ว

      @@gorak9000 I always thought most brake cleaner had some harsher more evil chemicals added to it, too? lol
      You might be right, I haven't looked at that stuff in a while.
      Acetone itself is a bit harsh tbh, though. I would still stick with IPA for PCBs.
      The PCB cleaner stuff I used years ago (like from Servisol) did work well. I think usually with D-Limonene in?
      But yeah, since then (for about ten years), I just use 99% IPA, and a light scrub of the board with an ESD-safe brush.
      It's just with the conformal coating on the board, it might not do much either way, ofc, unless there's more serious corrosion that has eaten through the coating.

    • @gorak9000
      @gorak9000 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@electronash I used to use IPA to remove rosin flux from boards after soldering - it doesn't work that well, Then I used 50/50 mix of acetone / IPA - works much better, but more recently I've switched to 100% acetone and it works the best. There's no real scrubbing needed - just get a nice wet acetone cotton swab on there and swab around a bit - the acetone dissolves the rosin with basically no effort, and then you wipe it up with another cotton swab. I also really hate the smell of the 50/50 IPA / acetone mix - it's far worse than IPA or acetone on their own somehow (at least to me). Even most plastic connectors or components seem fine with acetone these days - probably because acetone is a large component of commercial flux removers as well, so they pretty much have to be.

  • @dsfdfssqdfsqfdfqsd4235
    @dsfdfssqdfsqfdfqsd4235 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks for this video !

  • @tdavis197
    @tdavis197 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Awesome video and awesome channel! I just went on an hour and a half dive down it and I love it. These kind of learn as you go tinkering videos are great, keep up the good work!

  • @acathosh
    @acathosh ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Genuinely great camera angle and way to present yourself and the content at 4:10
    No editing required 😂
    Also, great video!

  • @bentboybbz
    @bentboybbz ปีที่แล้ว +1

    On the circuit board from my limited knowledge anything in a metal enclosure on the board is being shielded and is usually radio frequency parts...then you have power management and supply parts like resistors capacitors diodes and chokes...then you will see small metal cans with two connections those are crystals and usually have a value like 5mhz, they are used for timing...then you have chips in plastic or ceramic rarely, transistors that can be used for power or logic, memory etc...from my experience if it's anything but a logic part of the circuit damaged it can be fixed relatively easily...simply replace parts with the same parts...and that new thermal camera you showed will help you find any hot parts that could be shorted...just remember they can fail open and not produce any heat...best of luck thanks for the videos !

  • @elapt1c
    @elapt1c ปีที่แล้ว +5

    in the first video btw, as a python dev, i noticed that you were outputting the letters for the commands a line at a time. you could just use a "for loop like this:"
    def runCommand(command):
    for i in command:
    #btw runcommand is just the thing to output the letter of the command
    runcommand(i)
    so if u run
    runCommand("put command here")
    it will do what you were doing on line at a time.

  • @HobkinBoi
    @HobkinBoi ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Maybe you can look into driving the dish through other means, like through stepper motors. You can use an arduino to drive them through stepper controllers and still use the dish's mainboard for RF measurements. If you're feeling experimental maybe you can get around using the mainboard altogether and use something else to get your RF readings.

  • @Spartan2035
    @Spartan2035 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I wonder if the brains of the dish can be replaced with an arduino or a pi. Also, maybe the motors could be replaced with steppers? they were built for that sort of work.

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yep, the other major brand I've seen (Winegard) uses steppers, I have a couple videos on those. Might end up using one with a Raspberry Pi brain.

    • @MattExzy
      @MattExzy ปีที่แล้ว

      I'll be crucified... but an Arduino, and maybe a delve into ChatGPT for code ideas, might also be viable. I've had great luck with ChatGPT for really niche stuff I couldn't find examples of elsewhere. I could see this working with two nRF24 linked Arduinos - you could send text commands wirelessly from one Arduino from a serial monitor on the PC to another at the dish using 2.4GHz. But again, as with the Github experience, everyone will want to pee in the soup pot and think their ideas are best.

  • @Meskalin_
    @Meskalin_ ปีที่แล้ว +1

    please never stop bro ❤️

    • @Meskalin_
      @Meskalin_ ปีที่แล้ว +1

      much love from germany

  • @Axl_Pose
    @Axl_Pose ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Glad I'm not the only one that doesn't fully understand Github 😂

  • @bob_mosavo
    @bob_mosavo ปีที่แล้ว +4

    @saveitforparts Why don't you replace (1) the motors with stepper motors and drivers; and (2) the "brain" with: (a) a MCU to control the stepper motors and (b) a SDR receiver?
    It seems like doing that would have taken no more than two weeks, but I'm guessing that it would have taken less time. This should provide you with much, much more control. With that setup, you could even download data as you track a weather satellite 👍
    Anyway, that's just my $0.02 😉

  • @andrew10101lol
    @andrew10101lol ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I don't understand github either.

  • @chefboiarbys
    @chefboiarbys ปีที่แล้ว +2

    @saveitforparts you can create github branches from your terminal. This allows you to change code while preserving versions that you know are stable.
    Some commands to familiarize yourself with are:
    git fetch -a (gathers most recent versions of all branches from github repo)
    git branch name_of_new_branch (creates new branch)
    git checkout name_of_branch (changes to specific branch)
    and then after some edits...
    git add name_of_file_changed (adds changed files to current commit)
    git commit -m "notes about version changes" (commits changes with notes)
    git push (pushes changes to github repo under current working branch)
    With these commands you can do the basics.
    Hope this helps
    -Zach

    • @ichbins7203
      @ichbins7203 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      git ls-remote (lists all branches)

  • @Squidly_Venture
    @Squidly_Venture ปีที่แล้ว +1

    i love voltage dinguses

  • @sargetester99
    @sargetester99 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Put a microphone 🎤 in the center of the dish. Then you have a bionic ear that is remotely controlled.

  • @6YJI9
    @6YJI9 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    5:50 lmao! Bruh you made my day with that joke. Definitely stealing it!!

  • @skillplants
    @skillplants ปีที่แล้ว +2

    5:47 Even the camera is losing focus 😂😂

  • @kornhead37
    @kornhead37 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is related to your array video, MEERKAT array in South Africa makes their correlator software available which might help with your problem

  • @StanIvanov
    @StanIvanov ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You can use cross correlation from line to line to find the offset line to line

  • @billyhatcher643
    @billyhatcher643 ปีที่แล้ว

    its nice that the people on github are willing to help u out with your code most of the internet are full of typical trolls

  • @dennistravers7926
    @dennistravers7926 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hi. This is a fun video and I have a MEGASAT dish and have wanted to get control of the movement. It has stepper motors and there is a serial port on the external controler unit but it links to the dish mother board via the coax cables. I haven't noticed any USB connectors on the dish's motherboard but now that Ive seen your video I'll take another look.

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      I'm not an expert on all the interfaces, but some dishes I've looked at have solder pads for serial or USB. There are some that send commands over the coax cable (like en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DiSEqC).

  • @carlosdavila4164
    @carlosdavila4164 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    excelente saludos desde Colombia

  • @hafidadem7914
    @hafidadem7914 ปีที่แล้ว

    good job , i like it , keep going

  • @sidharthcs2110
    @sidharthcs2110 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Easiest way to get familiar with git is to do a sample project on your own with multiple branches.

  • @chrismofer
    @chrismofer ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I'm impressed and inspired by the way you seek to use the existing control hardware in devices like this, if nothing else using the existing usb interface means anyone anywhere could pick up one of these units and start using it right away as a panoramic RF camera. Myself, i'm not very fluent with python or anything that compiles on a proper computer. The best scripting language I know is making .bat files from youtube tutorials as a kid. but on the Arduino C I'm wicked smaht, the way i would approach something like this is to attach two of the NEMAs I have and driving them directly with said arduino. That way it moves as precisely and as fast as I want for as long as I want. But then it's not as easily replicable.

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I liked that the Tailgater dish has everything you need except the double-ended USB cable, it does make it easy for anyone to do this! On the downside there are 4 or 5 versions of this Tailgater so you have to find the right one!
      I don't know any Arduino stuff yet, it's on my list to play with those.

  • @RichardT2112
    @RichardT2112 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great job I wonder if a simple 3D printer brain (ardui o) and a few stepper motors can replace the motor system you’re using and get even better quality scans? Great project once again!

  • @EnormiE
    @EnormiE ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love your cat, nice project too

  • @RetinaBurner
    @RetinaBurner ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Might be time for metal gears for the dish, that should help with the wear issues. Know anyone who can duplicate the plastic ones in metal? Or, even better, have them design new ones in metal that takes into account the backlash the current gears are seeing and minimize it. Good luck. :)

  • @petevenuti7355
    @petevenuti7355 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    You found one for $40? , I could come up with $40 for a microwave imager.. (still looking for high rez flir for that price)

  • @meganwyatt1607
    @meganwyatt1607 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You should set up a remote machine for them to log into and connect the dish to it so can can debug their code with rhe hardware!

  • @PsRohrbaugh
    @PsRohrbaugh ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I know you're worried about motor endurance, but do you think you could use these dishes to track a low earth orbit satellite? Or track weather satellites?

    • @gorak9000
      @gorak9000 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yes, except that the dish is too small for that purpose, so it's a waste of time. These things are purpose built cost-optimized designs to do one thing - receive tv from direct to home satellites, which are at a particular frequency, and stupidly strong. Other services don't use the same frequency band, and don't use signals that are nearly as strong.

  • @Administrator_O-5
    @Administrator_O-5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You don't need to apologize my friend! This is your project, if others want to mess with the code that's fine, but thats nit your goal or plan. I'd love to work with you, but i have absolutely no freaking clue what I'm doing & I'll literally be in the way 😢.

  • @chrisaitken8800
    @chrisaitken8800 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Love watching your videos. They're very inspiring. Thanks for all your efforts. Much appreciated! The scaling issue may be because the screen values are autoset, and you literallly have to set each line in the map to '0' on each start point. Maybe? The value of zero can be often overlooked. Just saying?

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I'll have to poke at that some more, thanks! This is still somewhat of a work in progress ;-)

  • @jeevus3d980
    @jeevus3d980 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Such a sweet project! What about swapping the stock motor for a 0.9° stepper motor and driver? Could probably print a replacement gear as well and eliminate the encoder entirely. May need a separate controller for locating, but might simplify a lot of the issues that seem to be popping up and increase longevity.

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      I've got another brand that already uses steppers, those are on my list to mess with as well.

  • @wb5mct
    @wb5mct ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Very cool project! I love that you just jump right in and make stuff work; that's the best way to learn I found out long ago.
    I wonder if the motor is stopping because the brain isn't seeing movement of the feedback pot?
    Does having the motor actually working the dish cause the nudge to last longer or shorter?
    Just a thought..

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      I'm not really sure what's going on with the feedback from the pot, I think the motor polarity was wrong at first, because one dish uses an inner gear and one uses outer. However, even after flipping it around it wouldn't run. It's on the spare parts pile right now, maybe I'll come back to it when summer isn't so busy!

  • @ShyGal_Lilly
    @ShyGal_Lilly ปีที่แล้ว +2

    what if, hear me out....
    you make an underground monorail out of scrap wood and the monorail train at sandland?
    i know thats not the subject of the vid, but it could be super cool

  • @jb2590
    @jb2590 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    @saveitforparts If the nudge is consistent in one direction, maybe you could program it to be like a typewriter and do a "Carriage Return" with the precise command at the end of each line pass, such that it only scan in one direction and returns to a precise azimuth on the new line? That might prevent every other row from being misaligned?

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      That's essentially what I did. The Nudge unfortunately isn't consistent in either direction, it's "about 0.2 degrees" unless the gear slips or the voltage is off slightly or other reasons.

  • @BMW_MAN
    @BMW_MAN ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Well-functioning devices always require sacrifices, in your case it is blood. This is not a joke.

  • @bipolartorecovery1485
    @bipolartorecovery1485 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hey, i just stumbled on your channel for the listening to weather radio using an old satellite dish from a few years ago. It made me think about the video game Raft that you rebuild a radar out of random junk. I was wondering if you could try to recreate what was made in the game to see if it would work, why it would or wouldn't work, and if it doesn't work, what else it would need to work. Could be entertaining as well as maybe helpful for those in emergency situations/low funds/low resources.

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That could be interesting, I haven't played that game but I've watched @LetsGameItOut try to break it 😂. An actual high-power radar would be a little sketchy, I knew someone who got cancer after working on them for years.

  • @chrisaitken8800
    @chrisaitken8800 ปีที่แล้ว

    Perhaps a paramagnetic gyroscope, with a graphite core would provide a smoother 'motor' ? Of course, it's never been done, but totally doable, if you've the time, and resources for such things?

  • @UnitSe7en
    @UnitSe7en ปีที่แล้ว +1

    13:43 if the scan directions change left-right then right-left the offset is because of backlash in the gearing drive system. The way to test and remove this is to always scan in the same direction row after row.

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      I did use the one-way scanning for this video. It helped a little, but I still get some weird offsets from inaccurate motor movements in the high-res version.

    • @UnitSe7en
      @UnitSe7en ปีที่แล้ว

      @@saveitforparts Ah right. Sorry to point that out when I missed the details. I was surprised to see, is that a plain DC motor? Rather than a cheap stepper. Also surprised they can't take more use before crapping out. Is the micromovement code perhaps stalling and burning up the motor you think?

  • @LoomisRex
    @LoomisRex ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You could replace the motors with stepper motors with encoders.

  • @ganondalf8090
    @ganondalf8090 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    man, im learning to code in c++ and the pain of having people who are much more experienced in the language than you comment on your code
    and having no idea what they mean is all too real 😂

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      The other one is the people asking why I don't just have ChatGPT write it for me 🙃

  • @401ksolar
    @401ksolar ปีที่แล้ว

    It would be interesting to use some y circulators with some difference frequencies, into your sdr and look at what smartphone e-smog looks like.

  • @The-Mad-Taoist
    @The-Mad-Taoist ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Cool

  • @elapt1c
    @elapt1c ปีที่แล้ว +2

    5th! i love ur channel btw. you have such similar interests to me!

  • @TheSovietWombat
    @TheSovietWombat ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I have a suggestion for a next project/video, Make your own Radar

  • @CatCommando
    @CatCommando ปีที่แล้ว +1

    got one with USB at goodwill as is for 3 dollars (done by weight at as-is). most people don't know what they are.

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      Nice! That's a better deal than most of mine!

  • @mike97525
    @mike97525 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    thanks😎😎

  • @AlbertFilice
    @AlbertFilice 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Can you use multiple of these dishes to create a point-to-point network? Or do some sort of long range terrestrial transmitting? Set them up in pairs to re-broadcast each other to bounce signals around.

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I haven't tried them with Wifi, but they would probably work for that.

  • @ericlotze7724
    @ericlotze7724 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Would ripping out *ALL* the guts out and making a PCB from scratch in KiCAD?
    *Granted* I do not know how to use KiCAD, yet alone know enough RF stiff to make one of these (probably…could maybe use an inspection microscope and just write down what is used where)
    Granted at that point may be worth it to make a custom PTZ Mount…
    Could One 3D Print or CNC Mill parts like the Dish / Radome / Receiver, or would those be best salvaged from a device like this?
    Either way i am now dreaming sweet dreams of an Open Source Very Small Array in my backyard lol

  • @drcyb3r
    @drcyb3r ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You could try to replace those motors with real stepper motors. They are easy to control and are way better for such use cases.

  • @jukees3658
    @jukees3658 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    would be cool if you made an upgraded version with stepper motors and metal gears

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I have some from another brand that use steppers, so I'll try to play with that in the future!

  • @jessenoway
    @jessenoway ปีที่แล้ว

    ChatGPT for understanding code has been an absolute godsent

  • @minwiralshamiri887
    @minwiralshamiri887 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Im trying to build a metal detector using a similar setup but it isn't working the way I imagined. If you can help let me know, keep up the good work!

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      I haven't done much with metal detectors, that could be interesting though!

  • @nrdesign1991
    @nrdesign1991 ปีที่แล้ว

    that looks like a candidate for adding stepper motors and a custom board for controlling them. With your 3D printers that's much more attainable and repeatable - maybe one of them can donate its motors and driver board.

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      Yep, I have some other dishes from another brand that use steppers. I keep trying to hack those but can't get them to talk over USB, so I'll probably have to swap the brain out. That's a future project.

  • @xavierdemers-bouchard2747
    @xavierdemers-bouchard2747 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Could you give us any current reading from the azimuth motor? It may actually be binding up somewhere. Would help us pin point it

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      I'll try to put that on the to-do list, I've shoved this stuff back in the garage for now so I have room for some other projects :-)

  • @kevinleee3408
    @kevinleee3408 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    After they fix your code try it out do a little short episode on the results

  • @huf67
    @huf67 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    All you need to do is hook it up to a Speak and Spell and E.T. will be able to phone home ... Just take it out to the woods !!

  • @kevinleee3408
    @kevinleee3408 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The birds woke me up early today I'm not happy do you have a solution for noisy birds

  • @archloy
    @archloy ปีที่แล้ว +1

    04:30 : I know, to test is to doubt, but also, what's not tested, is not working ;). It's why I did not look for improvements in your code

  • @themikeymikechannel2947
    @themikeymikechannel2947 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Will a "direct tv dish" work with a air band and wireless video scanner -> work for my project?? THANKS

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      I'm not sure, it depends what you're trying to do. For something like this you need a way to move the dish in a regular way (so motors for left/right and up/down), and then a way to get the signal strength into a computer. Other folks have done it with regular satellite dishes, like this: th-cam.com/video/aeah3fFYlnA/w-d-xo.html

  • @Ziraya0
    @Ziraya0 ปีที่แล้ว

    Is it outside the scope of your interest to significantly change the hardware on one of these devices? I'm getting the feel that it would be

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I've been trying to use the Tailgater dishes as-is since they already have motors and radio hardware. I have some other dishes from a different brand that might actually be better in certain ways, they just need more modification and effort.

  • @nkonkonko
    @nkonkonko ปีที่แล้ว +1

    yeh, sometimes things aren't about the efficiency :D keep having fun playing with your tailgaters, more fun as a noob anyway. i too don't work well in a corporate style collaborative environment. (ask my boss) turbo adhd all of the way heh....nooo i'm not bored and i didn't lose focus, i just got up to get more cookies...

  • @rexhorning7228
    @rexhorning7228 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Put some heat on that motor hub and you should be able to get it off.

  • @Administrator_O-5
    @Administrator_O-5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Synthetic Aperture Radar??? Shouldn't be much different than the Radio Telescope I would imagine 🤷‍♂️

  • @nikfs5620
    @nikfs5620 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love this project and your ability to figure out stuff but I feel you are really limited with the hardware of those dishes. How about going full on open source crowd engineering by starting a project that uses a raspi and off the shelf /3d printed parts? In the end we would have files for a project anyone can work on and more importantly anyone in the world could replicate and create a modular array that is as big as they like?

  • @DatMilu2K
    @DatMilu2K ปีที่แล้ว +1

    What "kind" of satelite dish is required to rebuild this project? Does any work? Can I build one with a 3D Printer? I'm very interested in doing this kind of stuff but Im only a software guy yet... :)

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      So far the only ones that work with my code are Tailgater models from ~2011-2014, with a USB jack inside. There are a bunch of other portable satellite antennas, but I haven't figured out how to control every type. You could custom make something with a microcontroller and stepper motors plus a software defined radio, but it would take some more effort.

  • @wskinnyodden
    @wskinnyodden ปีที่แล้ว

    Ok, I have a question for you! Can you get me the mecanical part of that dish or a similar one? Do not need any electronics or motors (do need the thingy on motor that connects it to the other things) as I not only have the needed electronics and motors I fully intend to custom design a control system around a raspberry pi like computer plus an arduino and stepper motor controllers and stepper motors which should give me very granular rotation and elevation control on top of a lot of other things. For example, the Rasperry Pi like computer will have an SDR receiver directly on it and the whole thing should be powered via Power over Ethernet, so I can have a SDR Server on the roof needing a single cable for network and power :) Oh, and I also have and will use a GPS module for automatic alignment, combined with a digital compass to get north orientation/direction.

    • @wskinnyodden
      @wskinnyodden ปีที่แล้ว

      Also plan to automate reception decoding etc as far as practical even if I need to develop software specifically to enable this.

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      Where are you located? You might be able to find one closer to you if you have Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, that's where I get most of mine. There's another brand (Winegard) that makes them with stepper motors already installed, if you can find one of those it's already halfway to what you need!

  • @forTodaysAdventure
    @forTodaysAdventure ปีที่แล้ว

    im sure someone has suggested using a control loop using an imu, compass, or angle encoder, what are your thoughts about that?

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      I've got some other dish hardware that I plan to use for an upgraded version. So far I've just been repurposing the existing Tailgater products.

  • @bipolartorecovery1485
    @bipolartorecovery1485 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You should reach out to john hammond. It would be really awesome to see if you guys would make up a purple team strategy for hardware hacking since there's not enough awareness about it plus it can be hella cool

    • @saveitforparts
      @saveitforparts  ปีที่แล้ว

      Not sure if I've seen his videos, I'll check them out!