Parametric Smartphone-to-Eyepiece Adapter

Parametric Smartphone-to-Eyepiece Adapter

• Update 31 March 2018: Improved fillets on body near the clamp edges
• Update 26 March 2018: Camera lens can now be off-centre, fixed "misordered faces" problem in STL export, new lightening hole
• Update 26 March 2018: Better stray light protection, better parametrization

• Update 24 March 2018: Better parametrization, more comments in the code.
  (For example for digiscoping/phonescoping. Can be parametrized to fit astro-telescopes, microscopes, binoculars ...)

• Customizable

• Adjustable when printed
  Default version

• fits Kowa TE-11WZ eyepiece

• accepts smartphones of 60 - 70 mm width

• accepts smartphones with camera lens center 15 - 25 mm from the upper edge
  Additional parts required:

• 2 pcs M3 x 20 mm screw with hex nut

• 3 pcs rubber bands
  Use:
  1) Insert M3 screw with nut into one of the lateral clamp rails.
  2) Adjust corresponding lateral clamp so that camera is centered laterally over eyepiece.
  3) Tighten screw.
  4) Insert M3 screw with nut into the top clamp rail.
  5) Adjust top clamp so that camera is centered longitudinally over eyepiece.
  6) Tighten screw.
  7) Strap a rubber band around each set of three posts below each clamp.

  The phone can be inserted and taken out by displacing the free-moving lateral clamp against the force of the rubber band.

  (The other two rubber bands merely serve to prevent loss of the clamp in case the screw accidentally loosens. The extra M3 hole is redundant ... if you fix both lateral clamps, getting the phone in and out will be inconvenient :-)

  If you have feedback on the design, please let me know in the comments!

Print instructions

Category: Camera Summary

Parametric Smartphone-to-Eyepiece Adapter

• Update 31 March 2018: Improved fillets on body near the clamp edges
• Update 26 March 2018: Camera lens can now be off-centre, fixed "misordered faces" problem in STL export, new lightening hole
• Update 26 March 2018: Better stray light protection, better parametrization

• Update 24 March 2018: Better parametrization, more comments in the code.
  (For example for digiscoping/phonescoping. Can be parametrized to fit astro-telescopes, microscopes, binoculars ...)

• Customizable

• Adjustable when printed
  Default version

• fits Kowa TE-11WZ eyepiece

• accepts smartphones of 60 - 70 mm width

• accepts smartphones with camera lens center 15 - 25 mm from the upper edge
  Additional parts required:

• 2 pcs M3 x 20 mm screw with hex nut

• 3 pcs rubber bands
  Use:
  1) Insert M3 screw with nut into one of the lateral clamp rails.
  2) Adjust corresponding lateral clamp so that camera is centered laterally over eyepiece.
  3) Tighten screw.
  4) Insert M3 screw with nut into the top clamp rail.
  5) Adjust top clamp so that camera is centered longitudinally over eyepiece.
  6) Tighten screw.
  7) Strap a rubber band around each set of three posts below each clamp.

  The phone can be inserted and taken out by displacing the free-moving lateral clamp against the force of the rubber band.

  (The other two rubber bands merely serve to prevent loss of the clamp in case the screw accidentally loosens. The extra M3 hole is redundant ... if you fix both lateral clamps, getting the phone in and out will be inconvenient :-)

  If you have feedback on the design, please let me know in the comments!

  Test Results

31 March 2018 Version

The adapter is functional, but not perfect because ...

1) ... the phone is held near the centre while the camera lens is near the top. That means that even slight play of the phone in the clamps can cause misalignment of the lens.

2) ... there's no clamp preventing the phone from sliding out towards the bottom.

3) ... the camps don't slide easily in the rails due to the tolerances being too large, leading to canting and subsequent blockage.

4) ... arresting the clamps by tightening a screw at the root of the rails is not entirely satisfactory, probably due to the limited leverage.