Building a Simple Nexus eFinder
On November 3, I completed the simple version of the Nexus eFinder project. For a while, I had been using an older eFinder (shown on the right side of the picture). While functional, it was large, required an expensive ZWO ASI camera, and relied on a small hand pad for interface.
The New Nexus eFinder
The new design builds on the older technology but introduces several improvements:
- Compact Hardware: Uses a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 instead of a full-sized Pi.
- Affordable Camera: Integrates the standard Raspberry Pi HQ camera.
- Seamless Integration: Works directly with the Nexus DSC Pro, eliminating the need for a separate hand pad.
The result is shown on the left side of the picture. All communication with the eFinder is handled from within the Nexus DSC Pro device, making the setup cleaner and more user-friendly.
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| Left: new Nexus eFinder | Right: older eFinder |
Next Steps
The next upgrade will be the full version of the Nexus eFinder, which will:
- Connect to ServoCAT.
- Send GoTo and GoTo++ commands to the drive for even better integration.
The full version of the Nexus eFinder needs a separate daughterboard with extra USB connections for ServoCAT, extra battery and the Nexus DSC Pro.
Unfortunately, since completing the build, the weather has been terrible, so real-world testing hasn’t been possible yet. However, we managed to focus the lens, and everything appears to be working perfectly.
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