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 Sketchup Model of a Heliostat Design

Update: I have found, along with other problems, that the gimbal design is too hard to align. You probably don't want to use it.

This page will go over a heliostat design that I have been working on. I haven't actually finished building it yet, so the Sketchup model may or may not represent a working heliostat. However, it does give an idea of how a one might be put together.

This model is based around a prototype heliostat that I am currently working on. Some of the stuff in this model is better explained with pictures of the real life version, which I haven't had a chance to document yet. The main reason for this model is to make up for the fact that this is too complex of a build to be documented with just pictures. With the model, you can orbit around and even take it apart to see how it is put together.

Before I can say it is a finished model, I first have to adapt the heliostat program that I wrote for the leadscrew geometry and then I have to test it and make sure that it works.

Only a few different types of parts are used in this heliostat model. The only thing that isn't easy to identify is the yellow circles. These represent skateboard bearings which are 7/8" in diameter with a 5/16" hole in the middle.

The model is at the Sketchup 3D Warehouse. Click the picture below to download it. If you don't have Sketchup, don't worry because you can download and install it for free.

 

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