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ProduCt Manual
ASA Direct Drive Mount 60
ASA Direct Drive Mount 60PRO
E
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
1
© Astrosysteme Austria GmbH
CAUTION:
Please read the product manual carefully before operating the mount!
PLEASE NOTE:
Before operation, the mount needs to be balanced with counterweights in conjunction with a
telescope! The Mount should never be used without counterweight shaft, counterweights and
telescope.
Before using the internal laser (optional) of your mount, make sure there are no people in front
of the mount or standing in line with the laser (see ASA’s laser safety spec sheet, available on
www.astrosysteme.at).
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Astrosysteme Austria.
The software products described in this document are furnished under a license agreement or
nondisclosure agreement. They may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of
the agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any medium except as specifically
allowed in the license or nondisclosure agreement. The purchaser may make one copy of the
software for backup purposes.
No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including (but not limited to) photocopying, recording, or information storage and
retrieval systems, for any purpose other than the purchaser’s personal use, without the express
written permission of Astrosysteme Austria.
ASA Astrosysteme GmbH, Galgenau 19, A-4212 Neumarkt i. M., Austria
www.astrosysteme.at
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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Seite
CONTENTS
1Delivery
4
2 Delivery Items 5
3 Optional Accessories
6
4 Mounting the Base Plate 8
5 Attaching the Mount 9
6 Rough Polar Aligment 10
7 Clutch Fastening Screws / Rotation Limits 13
8 Mounting the Telescope 14
9 Balancing the Telescope 16
10 DDM60 PRO wiring 17
11Maintenance
21
12 Technical Data 22
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
3
1Delivery
Your DDM60/DDM60pro mount will usually ship in a single package (depending
on the amounts of counterweights) in fetal position. The clutch fastening screw on
the DEC-axis will be tightened for transport.
carton for any visible damage. Also check the tilt control tag located on the box. If the
tilt control tag is RED and the package is damaged, please report the problem to the
shipping company and make a written statement!
Please be advised to loosen the clutch fastening screw before operating the mount! Otherwise the axis will not be able to move freely
during operation!
A damaged carton box can, but does not have to indicate that the mount is damaged. Please report back to ASA if you can see a red dot in the tilt control or if you
can see damage to the outside of the carton box. For damage report, it is advised
to include photo documentation! This is important should the mount be damaged
and insurance claims have to be pursued.en.
Important: When your shipment arrives, make sure to check the outside of the
Tilt Control Indicator
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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2
Delivery Items
Dovetail (versa)plate
Clutch fastening screws
ASA tube ring adapter for
external ring systems
Altitude retaining knobs
(2 each side)
Counterweight shaft stainless
steel (length 290 mm)
2 x Polar height
adjustment knobs
(for fine tuning)
Counterweights (two 2,6 kg)
in stainless steel
2 x Azimuth
adjustment knobs
(for fine tuning)
Safety screws and plate
DDM60 base plate
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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Cables:
A) AC power cord with banana plugs
(KASV60-85)
B) USB-Cable
(USB-A-A3)
A
3
B
Optional Accessories
Aside from the delivery content, ASA offers a selection of optional accessories
available for your mount. In the DDM60pro, cable tracts are lead through the
hollow axis of your mount. Optional spiral cables are available to connect power
and/or data channels (i.e. a serial connection) to your OTA. Spiral cables indicate cables leading away from the DEC-axis at the top part of the mount to your
devices, while regular straight cables indicate cables leading to the RA-axis, the
bottom part of your mount.
ASA also supplies various adapters to connect your mount to ASA Astrograph
telescopes or any other OTA with a minimum amount of effort. For Meade and
Celestron Telescopes (and similar bar systems) ASA offers an optional 2inch and
3inch dovetail saddle, which needs to be ordered before you mount is build, as it
is connected directly with the mounts head during production. ASA’s Astrograph
will connect directly to the supplied dovetail plate. For all other tubes drill holes
can be applied to the ASA tube ring adapter.
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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Telescope Adapters & Weights:
A) D ovetail Saddle for 3” Losmandy and GP-bars
(is needed for all telescopes without a ring system)
(Order no. DDM60LMGB)
B) S horter Dovetail Plate 240 mm (a 300 mm dovetail plate is included
within the delivery contents of your mount)
(Order no. 60DC8-240)
C) Losmandy Tripod Adapter connects Losmandy tripods with the mount
DDM60 and DDM60pro (Order no. 60GP2L)
D) F lightcase for the DDM60 and DDM60pro (Order no. 60Z60)
E) DDM60 Counterweight Stainless Steel (2.6kg / 5.7 lbs)
ø 130mm x 35 mm / 5.1" (Order no. GG130/2,6)
F) DDM60 Counterweight Stainless Steel (5.2 kg / 11.4 lbs)
ø 120 mm x 70 mm / 5.1" (Order no. GG130/5,2)
G) C ounterweight shaft long 435 mm x 40 mm (17”)
(Order no. 60DC9-400)
A
B
C
E
F
G
D
C
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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4
Mounting the Base Plate
Connecting your base plate (part of the delivery content) with a pier or tripod
is achieved through six drill holes (see drawing). It is also possible to custom
drill holes to your mounts base plate or to order a custom made drill pattern
at ASA (optional).
In case you would like to use your mount in conjunction with a G11 tripod,
ASA offers prefabricated adapters to mount your DDM60 and DDM60pro
(Order no. 60GP2L). For Berlebach Tripods holes will be drilled directly by
Berlebach (Drawing for drill holes were provided to Berlebach). Adapters for
all other tripods or piers can be ordered from ASA by providing adequate
photos or drawings.
Unscrew all four Azimuth Adjustment knobs (red) and separate your mount
from the base plate.
Tip: The clutch screws should now be fastened to avoid swinging of the axes
(see chapter 7)!
Pay attention that your mount is aligned towards north (one of the polar adjustment screws will also have to point north)! The base plate should be horizontally aligned as good as possible. A base plate which is not perfectly aligned
will not necessarily have an effect on the accuracy of your mount, but could
draw more amperes since both axes will have to do tracking corrections.
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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5
Attaching the Mount
After mounting the base plate on your pier or tripod, lift your mount onto the base
plate. In the process, make sure that the central ball bearing at the bottom of the
mount fully engages in the middle of the base plate. The side of the mount with
the counterweight shaft needs to be pointing north!
Next, screw the four azimuth adjustment knobs (red) onto the mounts lower
plate, make sure that the distance between both plates remains equal on all sides
and the mount settles properly when you finished tightening the screws.
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6
Rough Polar Aligment
a.) Polar Aligning your mount with the build in Laser
This adjustment must be done BEFORE connecting the counterweight shaft and
weights to your mount!
You can achieve a very quick rough adjustment by using the build-in laser, which
is a standard feature in all DDM60 series mounts. The laser is built-in parallel to
the polar axis and a great aid in performing a quick polar alignment in the field!
Laser Warning!
ALWAYS USE THE LASER WITH EXTREME CAUTION! Never point the laser directly into the eye! Caution with reflective surfaces! Keep the device away from
children! Direct contact between the eye and the laser can cause permanent
damage to the eye! Make sure, that there are no people standing in front of
the laser when it is operational. (Please read the laser safety notice available on the ASA website http://www.astrosysteme.at/images/ASA_LaserSicherheitshinweis_D_090904.pdf).
Cassiopeia
Start by pressing the laser knob at the back side of the RA-axis. (For mounts
that are delivered after May 2010, the laser needs to be software activated in
Autolsew first). While keeping the laser knob pressed down, move the tripod and
mount either left or right until the laser beam has the least possible offsets to
Polaris (north celestial pole).
Polaris
North Celestial Pole
0,73˚
Then continue adjustment of your latitude settings by loosening three of the four
altitude retaining knobs (two on each side of the cradle). By using a wrench tool
you can loosen the screws and use the knob afterwards to continue moving the
screw. Now continue the same procedure and loosen the last of the four altitude
retaining knobs. Caution: The RA-axis will then become lose and could tip over!
Therefore make sure to hold the RA-axis (bottom) tightly at all times when loosening the last two knobs!
Ursa Major
North Celestial Pole
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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Tip:
If you connect your counterweight shaft to the mount you can use it as a lever
for adjusting your polar height (consult the chapter ”Mounting your Telescope”
for more information).
Continue by pressing the laser knob at the backside of the RA-axis again (For
mounts that are delivered after Mai 2010, the laser needs to be software activated in Autolsew first) and using your counterweight shaft as a lever, lift your
mount upwards and downwards until the laser beam has the least possible offset
from Polaris.
Repeat this process until the best possible alignment has been achieved. If the
laser beam is pointing directly towards the north star, the mount will have an
offset from the north celestial pole of about 0,73 degrees. This will suffice for
successfully performing a more exact fine adjustment later on.
Tip:
In order to achieve a more accurate polar alignment, the laser beam should be
pointing 0,73 degrees away from Polaris into the direction shown in the image
above (the position will change in clockwise rotation depending on the time of
year). You can also consult your planetarium software to see the exact position
of the extended earth axis in the sky in relation to Polaris.
Once you have correctly adjusted the altitude, make sure to re-tighten the four
altitude retaining knobs (see image on the previous page). You can fix the screws
slightly by turning the knob and then use a wrench tool to secure the crews more
tightly to make sure the RA-axis will not slip while the mount is in operation.
You’re mount is now roughly polar aligned. You can further fine tune polar alignment using the four red azimuth adjustment knobs located on the base plate of
your mount. By turning either of the four knobs, you can change the orientation
of the base plate and fine tune your polar adjustment of up to 2,4 degrees in
every directions (you can learn more on how to fine tune your polar adjustment
of your mount in the Autolsew software manual).
Note:
The optimal operational temperature of the built-in laser is + 15 to 40º C (+59 to
104 F). The laser is equipped with an electric heater that is activated automatically when the mount is in operation (the heater is only moderately warm so no
heat will escape to the outside. During very low temperatures, it can take up to
5 to 10 minutes for the laser to reach optimal operational temperature. In the
new release of Autoslew (version 5.0.1.0 and above) the laser is deactivated by
default and needs to be activated through the software (this feature will only be
available in mounts delivered after May 2010).
Note:
As a reference: the full lunar diameter covers 0,5 degrees of the sky, while your
thumb on your stretched out arm will cover approx. 2,5 degrees of the night sky.
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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b.) Aligning your Telescope without view to the North Pole
This adjustment must be done BEFORE connecting the counterweight shaft and
weights to your mount!
To adjust the polar height to your corresponding location, first align your mount
towards north. In cases where there is no unobstructed view to Polaris, a compass
can be used to find north.
Then continue adjustment of your latitude settings by loosening three of the four
altitude retaining knobs (two on each side of the cradle). By using a wrench tool
you can loosen the screws and use the knob afterwards to continue moving the
screw. Now continue the same procedure and loosen the last of the four altitude
retaining knobs. Caution: The RA-axis will then become lose and could tip over!
Therefore make sure to hold the RA-axis (bottom) tightly at all times when loosening the last two knobs!
Tip: If you connect the counterweight shaft to the mount in advance, the shaft
can be used as a lever for adjusting your polar height (consult the chapter ”Mounting your Telescope” for more information).
60º
40º
30º
20º
10º
70º 80º
50º
Altitude retaining knobs
(two on each
side)
On both sides of the mounts there is a scale (see image A). With the help of
the scale you can adjust the mount to your specific latitude settings. The scale
is separated by lines; the bottom first line corresponds to 10 degrees with every
line corresponding to an incremental increase of 10 percent.
Note: The polar height in degrees corresponds to the first two numbers in
the latitude coordinate of your telescopes GPS location (i.e. Greenwhich has
the coordinates Longitude 0° 0’ 0”, Latitude 51° 28’ 38”. - hence the right
latitude for polar alignment in degrees is 51° for Greenwhich). You can find out
your lat/lon coordinate by entering your address on the terra server website:
http://www.terraserver.com/
As soon as the mount has been roughly polar aligned using a compass and the
altitude adjustment has been set, the four altitude retaining knobs can be retightened (see image on the bottom right). The screws can be fixed tightly by turning
the knob and then tightened more with the help of a wrench tool (so the RA-axis
will not slip while the mount is in operation). Your mount is now roughly polar
aligned. You can further fine tune polar alignment using the four red azimuth
adjustment knobs located on the base plate of your mount. By turning either of
the four knobs, you can change the orientation of the base plate and fine tune
your polar adjustment of up to 2,4 degrees in every directions (you can find out
more about fine tuning your mount in the software manual of Autolsew).
Azimuth
adjustment
knobs
(for fine tuning)
Polar height
adjustment knobs
(for fine tuning)
Azimuth
adjustment
knobs
(for fine tuning)
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7
Clutch Fastening Screws / Rotation Limits
IMPORTANT:
The clutch fastening screws on the DEC- and RA-axis are tightened for shipping
and need to be loosened before starting the mount’s motors for the first time!
The slip clutch and the corresponding clutch fastening wrench screws are also
used to tighten both axes to avoid swaying of the axes while mounting the
telescope. That way, the mount can be fixed against slippage. This is especially
important for heavy optics.
The clutch fastening screws can be loosened and tightened with an Allan wrench
key tool. For the RA-axis use a number 5 wrench key, for the DEC-axis use a number 4 wrench key. For mounts delivered with a losmandy dovetail adapter use a
number 5 wrench key. Both screws are pushing against a plastic bolt, which also
acts as a rotation limit. The rotation limit is necessary for protecting the internal
cables from twisting.
CAUTION:
Do not turn any of the axes all the way to the limits with too much momentum;
this could damage the plastic bolt. The limit on the rotation circumference on both
axes is 350 degrees.
The clutch fastening screw on the DEC-axis
The clutch fastening screw on the RA-axis
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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8
Mounting the Telescope
IMPORTANT:
When using your mount in the field, a rough polar alignment needs to be performed prior to mounting your counterweight shaft, weights and telescope.
As a first step, carefully connect the counterweight shaft to the DEC-axis of your
mount by screwing it into the thread. Before you screw the shaft into the thread,
it is advised to spray the thread with silicon spray. After connecting the counterweight shaft, continue by fastening your counter weights onto the shaft. Make
sure to use a wrench key to fasten the weights thoroughly to the shaft. Complete
the process, by attaching and fastening the safety screw and plate to the lower
end of the counter weight shaft.
A
B
There are two different lengths available for the counterweight shaft, depending
on how heavy the telescope is and the amount of weights that are needed (an
optional and longer shaft is available with a length of 435 mm/17 inches).
There are three different methods available for connecting your telescope to the
ASA DDM60 mount, depending on the type of optical tube assembly you are using: an ASA Astrograph with an ASA ring system; a telescope with a 2 or 3 inch
Losmandy/GP compatible bar system or a telescope using any other conventional
ring system.
C
ASA Astrographs:
Your telescopes tube ring set can be fitted directly onto your mounts dovetail
plate (image B and D).
North
Screw the quick release screws a short way onto the rings and slide them onto
the telescope dove tail plate, such that the outer edge of the rings are aligned
with the outer edge of the dovetail plate. Now fasten the screws tightly with
your hand.
USB-Hub
Then place the telescope into the opened rings and bring the tube into balance.
Important: After mounting the telescope, don’t forget to disengage the clutch
fastening screws (Chapter 4) in case you engaged them prior to mounting the
telescope. Make sure the telescope is already balanced properly, since disengaging the safety bolts can cause an unbalanced telescope to drift off, possibly
causing damage to the tube.
Tip: By loosening the four quick release screws a bit, you can quickly detach
the telescope and the rings from the mount. Once the screws are loosened, slide
the OTA upwards (towards north) and lift it off. Caution! The side of the dovetail
plate with the short steering slits must be pointing upwards so that the telescope
cannot drop.
D
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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Telescopes with 2 or 3 inch Losmandy or GP compatible bar systems (Schmidt Cassegrain Telescopes or similar tubes without a
ring system):
In case your telescope is equipped with a Losmandy/GP compatible 2 or 3 inch
bar system, you will most likely have ordered your mount with ASA’s Dovetail
Saddle for 3” Losmandy and GP-bars (image C).
On the Losmandy/GP Adapter loosen the two red clamping screws and slide
your telescope into the dovetail saddle into the rail sockets. Now balance your
telescope and make sure to tighten the clamping screws once your telescope has
been placed into its final position. Important: After mounting the telescope,
don’t forget to disengage the clutch fastening screws (Chapter 4), in case you engaged them prior to mounting the telescope. Make sure the telescope is already
balanced properly, since disengaging the safety bolts can cause an unbalanced
telescope to drift off, possibly causing damage to the tube.
Telescopes with Conventional Ring Systems:
If your telescope tube is fitted with conventional tube rings (all non ASA ring
systems) then two ASA’s tube ring adapters (image A) will be necessary to connect your tube rings to the mounts dovetail plate (image B). The bottom of the
adapter can be used to apply custom drill holes (best with countersunk head)
through which your tube rings can be connected to the tube ring adapter.
Screw the quick release screws a short way onto the rings and slide them onto
the telescope dove tail plate, such that the outer edge of the rings are aligned
with the outer edge of the dovetail plate. Now fasten the screws tightly with
your hand!
Then, place the telescope into the opened rings and bring the tube into balance.
Important: After mounting the telescope don’t forget to disengage the clutch
fastening screws (Chapter 4), in case you engaged them prior to mounting the
telescope. Make sure the telescope is already balanced properly, since disengaging the safety bolts can cause an unbalanced telescope to drift off, possibly
causing damage to the tube.
Tip: By loosening the 4 quick release screws a bit you can quickly detach the
telescope and the rings from the mount. Once the screws are loosened, slide
the OTA upward (towards north) and lift it off. Caution! The side of the dovetail
plate with the short steering slits must be pointing upwards so that the telescope
cannot drop.
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9
Balancing the Telesope
You can balance your system by moving your telescope back and forth in between
the rings or Losmandy adapter and by moving your counterweights along the
counterweight shaft. A good configuration will show no unbalance in a horizontal
position along the DEC- or the RA-axis (see image below).
To fine tune your systems balance, use your mounts controller software, Autoslew,
which has a build in module to help you screen the optimal balance configuration
(necessary to ensure high tracking accuracy when using Autoslew).
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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10 DDM60PRO wiring
RA Connectors:
RA back side
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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DC IN:
Here you connect the power supply for your mount. Use this cable for that:
Connect the metal plug to the DC IN-connector. Connect the brown wire (red
banana plug) to the + connector of your power supply. Connect the black wire
(black banana plug) to the GND connector of your power supply.
There are two additional wires: grey – with red banana plug and yellow/green
– with black banana plug for accessories on special ASA telescopes. So you only
need to connect them if you are using an ASA RC or Cassegrain system on your
DDM60.
Power supply cable (ASA art.nr.: KASV60-85)
Use a 12V DC (at least 10A) power supply for DDM60, DDM60pro.
GALV (optional):
There are 4 wires passed through the mount that can be used for powering cameras, filter wheels, etc.. Do not use them for powering devices
that have a current consumption of more than 6A. In this case the wire cross section would not be sufficient.
Connect the metal plug to the GALV
connector. At the other end of the
cable there are 4 banana plugs. Connect these to your power supplies.
Cable for galvanically isolated lines
(ASA art.nr.: KA4G)
You can pick up the connected voltage(s) via this spiral
cable at the back side of the
DE axis. Connect it to the
left 4-pin jack at the back
side of the declination axis.
Spiral cable for galvanically isolated lines
(ASA art.nr.: SPKA4-60)
There are stickers on both
cables that indicate how
the wires are connected
internally.
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DATA (optional):
There are 8 wires (+ shield) passed through the mount that can be used for transmitting data (e.g. RS232).
In combination with the spiral cable
you can use the DATA wires to transmit data through the axes of the
mount.
Connect the spiral cable to the right
8-pin connector at the back side of
the declination axis.
Spiral cable for DATA connection
(ASA art.nr.: SPKA8D-60)
Cable for DATA connection (ASA art.nr.: KA8D)
POWER/LASER:
COM:
HUB:
Use this button for activating the
built in laser for polar alignment (the
laser has to be enabled in the Autoslew software first). The LED lamp in
the middle of the button indicates if
mount is powered.
Use this USB cable to connect your mount with your computer.
With this jack you can connect the integrated USB-HUB at the declination
axis of your mount with your computer. The connection works the same
as for the COM connection. Also the
cable is identical.
Plug one of the USB connectors into
the COM jack. Plug the USB connector at the other end of the cable to
an USB port of your computer. Via
this connection your mount communicates with the control software
Autoslew.
USB cable for COM or HUB
(ASA art.nr.: USB-A-A3)
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DE connectors:
DE back side
GALV:
DATA:
As described before this jack is internally connected with the GALV jack at the RA
axis. Connect the GALV spiral cable (SPKA4-60) here.
As described before this jack is internally connected with the DATA jack at the RA
axis. Connect the DATA spiral cable (SPKA8D-60) here.
FAN:
The FAN jack is internally connected with the mount’s electronics. You can connect the fan(s) of an ASA Telescope via this spiral cable:
Connect one plug to the FAN connector, the other one to the connector on
you ASA telescope. The fan speed can
then be controlled via the mount’s
control software Autoslew.
Spiral cable for fan (ASA art.nr.: SPKA2)
ASA DDM60/PRO Product Manual. 01/2014
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USB-HUB:
You can connect your camera, filter
wheel etc. here. As described before,
your computer has to be linked with
your mount at the HUB jack at the
RA Axis.
By using the galvanically isolated
wires, the data wires and the integrated USB Hub you can prevent cable
clutter.
DE front side
11Maintenance
The following parts of your mount should be treated with silicon spray on a regular basis:
1 large spherical bearing between the two base plates
4 small spherical bearings underneath the red azimuth adjustment knobs
Threads of the 4 red azimuth adjustment knobs
Threads of the 4 red altitude retaining knobs
Threads of the 4 quick release screws
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12 Technical Data
Software
Autoslew by Philipp Keller
Diameter of the axis RA/DEC
60 mm hollow axle
Bearing
Preloaded taper roller bearings 95/60 mm
Weight without counterweight-shaft
Approx. 19 kg
Loading capacity (only instrument)
Approx. 25 kg
Drive
High torque motors in RA and DEC (Direct Drive without gear)
Operating voltage
12V/<10 A (0,4 - 0,8 A/Tracking)
Pointing (depends on the stiffness of the telescope)
< 15“ RMS with pointingfile
Tracking precision
< 0.4“ RMS in 5 minutes
Encoder resolution
0.03“ on the axis
Altitude range
0 - 90 degrees
Moving speed
15°/sec.
Counterweight-shaft
40 mm high-grade steel axle
Counterweights (2 pieces)
High-grade steel; 2,6 kg, Ø 120 mm (5,2 kg, Ø 120 mm optional)
Object catalog
Messier, NGC, IC, PGC, etc.
Further features
Automatic Meridianflip
Homing Parkingposition, re-positioning after power outage
Manual specifiable safety limits
Tested interfaces to Maxim DL, Autofocus, The Sky, ASCOM, ACP, CCD-Autopilot, etc.
Different other drivers
Build in laser
Further features of the DDM60 PRO
USB Ports, power and data link sockets (client specific) on the mount plate
For operating the mount, a PC with USB port is required!
For any further questions contact support@astrosysteme.at
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