The astrolabe! Digital technology recreating ancient analog computers!
summary
Recreates a working astrolabe using modern digital fabrication rather than handcrafting, producing engraved plates and a metal alidade that measure sun altitude and read time to within minutes after standard corrections. Workflow edits KiCad save files and combines KiCad file editing with Ruby and a Python star-coordinate library plus lots of spherical trigonometry. PCB constraints lead to laser cutting via SendCutSend and Ponoko, and pointers are 3D printed then cast with Craft Cloud lost‑wax. Thousands of hand‑tuned drawing commands and years of tinkering produce a functioning instrument.
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