The latest project is to make an auto-acquire satellite antenna using a Raspberry Pi for the controller and motor driver. Commercial auto point satellite antennas cost over $20K so I thought it will be good to see if I can make one for a few hundred dollars. The first step is to drive a stepper motor in both directions, azimuth and elevation. This part is fairly straightforward with the python code.
I intent to use CNC stepper motors for the actual build so these are just test motors for proof of concept. The python code is below for you to try it out for yourself.
Other steps for the auto-acquire Antenna are;
1. Sample the RF
2. Connect to the modem for a lock signal
3. Read a GPS signal
4. Calculate the azimuth and elevation
5. Search patterns
There will be plenty of other things that will need to be solved as I go along with this project and other projects along the way.
