So a few years ago I created TeensyDSC, a Teensy3.1/RX-VN 171 based digital setting circles solution. I've been using that for a while now with great results, but I've always felt that it was too expensive (about $100 in parts). The ESP8266 has been around for a little while now and seems to have stabilized (originally it was quite buggy) so I decided to see if I could get this cheap microprocessor + WiFi adapter to work and shave off over $60 in the process.
The result of that is ESP-DSC. I've just finished bench testing it with a pair of 2.5k CPR encoders (10k after quadrature decoding) and it's run like a champ using SkySafari using the "Basic Encoder System" protocol at a 10Hz refresh rate. The next step is mounting it on my scope and trying it out with my 10k CPR (40k quadrature) encoders. Honestly, I'm not sure if the ESP-12E (or 12F) will have enough horsepower to keep up, but even still, I'd be pretty happy with it since it should only costs about $25-40 in parts.
More information can be found on my website here.
The next steps I have planned are:
- Test on my scope and 10K encoders
- Investigate adding a webserver for configuration
- Clean up the PCB design and make it smaller
- Design an enclosure that can be 3D printed
Edited by synfinatic, 18 March 2017 - 11:48 PM.