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Who we are
For almost 70 years Edward R. Byers Company has manufactured the world’s finest gears and mountings for the Astronomy community.
Our stated mission is to continue to develop and build products that affordably serve the needs of the serious amateur astronomer.
Announcements
August 12, 2023
Here we are, three long years since we posted the video introducing ourselves as part of the new Byers Company. How time does indeed fly!
As seems to be the normal way of life, nothing goes according to plan!
Multiple distractions, including but not limited to my regular "day job", served to distract and slow us down.
However, I am pleased to report that as of earlier this year I am finally able to focus full-time on my work here at Byers Company.
We are refurbishing the gear cutting machine and hope to make "first chips" shortly. Might even have a video of it!
We do have a small stock of legacy Byers Gears, Worms and clutches which can be found in our new online Store.
The smaller gears are all there, but the larger gears have not been listed yet.
Check back or contact us if you are looking for something larger then can be found there.
The new Series I is progressing but I hesitate to give a timeline yet. Meanwhile, we are working on the Telescope Control System (TCS)
based on OnStep. It mostly works well and is in service in several places, but has some quirks that we have to clean up before it's
ready for prime-time.
More to follow!
Clear Skies, Ken
August 22, 2020
Many people have expressed a serious concern that the quality and traditions of the
Edward R. Byers Company ended when Ed passed away in December of 2019.
We all miss him. He was a generous man, always quick with a joke and a
helping hand.
We have known Ed for almost 40 years and when he got sick we were able arrange to take over his business with
the full intent of continuing the legacy.
The mission of the new Byers Company is to continue building the finest astrophotography telescope
mounts in the world.
Here we are, eight months later, and our work is starting to take shape.
Our team brings together over one hundred years of Machinist, Electronic and Programming
experience. We are introducing modern design, production and quality control methods
to complement the historic Byers reputation for uncompromising quality and innovation.
While transitioning Byers Company to its new facility, we have been completing
an existing order for a number of Series III mounts. At the same time we
are working on the design for a new "Series I" mount. This new mount is
designed specifically to bring everything that Byers is known for into the
hands of amateur astronomers at an affordable price.
In the first quarter of 2021 we will be testing the new Series I mount and
will begin taking orders in the second quarter with initial units to start
shipping in the 3rd quarter.
As part of our research and development, we have selected the OnStep
Telescope Control system to power the new Series I mount. We are strong believers in
the open-source software and hardware community.
In support of that, the "Byers OnStep" schematics will be publicly
available and any changes we make to the code will be freely released.
For those that wish to use the OnStep system for their existing mounts,
the Byers OnStep drive should be available for purchase as a complete and
tested system before the end of 2020.
