Stargate: A photogrammetry rig

I wasn't sure if I should post this in everyday essentials. However, for some of us working in fields where we need to be able to share and pass around objects, be it for education, research, design, etc, having the ability to digitise the object so it can be shared virtually may be quite important.

There are several designs for photogrammetry rigs out there. However there are very few that can work with larger cameras, that avoid rotating the object in the vertical stage, and can get clear shots under the object being scanned. These requirements are necessary for scanning of objects such as museum pieces, fossils, and so forth.

This design is designed specifically to fill these requirements. It can handle a camera up to 1.5 kg in weight. The object doesn't rotate vertically, and you can get a full view of all sides of the object.

This design was intended primarily for museums and research groups. However, as we're all contained to our homes for a while, I'm releasing it into the wild. It may be useful for anyone that needs to share designs, items that need repair, etc, without requiring in-person meetings.

Some examples of digitised objects can be found here:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4200079
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4199996

This project is very much a work in progress. I have a few ideas for the future, such as a replaceable main gear so that the main rotator arm pieces don't have to be replaced in case of gear damage. I also need to slightly improve clearance between the stepper and the rotator arm.

This build requires:
A decent sized 1.8º Nema 17 stepper.
A small 28 BYJ48 stepper, modified to be bipolar.
A Stepduino from Freetronics
A bunch of M3 square nuts and screws.
6 x 608 bearings.
6 x m8 bolts and nuts.
A 12v power supply.
A cable to trigger your camera remotely. Mine uses a 2.5 mm audio jack.
Something to use as a backdrop.
Some lead weights to use for the counterbalance. I think I'm running about 1 kg on my setup, but I'm using a fairly hefty camera.
A microswitch - e.g. https://www.jaycar.com.au/spdt-250vac-10a-micro-switch-with-lever/p/SM1040
Some brass inserts

The arduino program is available here.
https://github.com/Mjankor/Stargate
There are two variables at the top of the program that determine the number of stages, and the turntable rotation for each shot. That's all you should need to tweak.

I haven't written instructions yet. I'll be doing that when I have some time. Keep in mind this is a fairly involved build.

Update: 01/03/25 Added a bunch of updated files. I'm afraid I can't remember everything that was changed though. Main change was the separating each rotator into 3 pieces with the gear separate, so that the gear can be printed out of a harder plastic or replaced easily if damaged. I think I also added the option for a narrow nema17 turntable motor.