Avalon M-zero LHQ Instruction Manual Download Page 4

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Technical Specifications

Type

Equatorial Single-Arm mount with Fast-Reverse technology

Weight

10,1 kg (22,2 lbs.)

Load Capacity

For photographic use 8 kg (17.6 lbs.) – For visual use 10 kg
(22,05 lbs.)

Transmission

Four-step reducer via pulley

-toothed

belt system on ball

bearings, with no play in the axis

Construction
material

Anodized aluminum, machined

from single blocks with high

precision CNC machines

Motion system

Pulleys made with special glass fiber polymer and high
precision

toothed

belts

Polar finder

Celestron standard, others optional

Goto system

StarGO GOTO System

Counterweight bar

W= 16 mm (0.63 inch) / L = 85 mm (3.34 inches)

Counterweight

0.5 kg (1.1 lbs.)

Mounting Saddle

Vixen style

Warranty

2 years from the purchase date, extended to 5 years for the
transmission system

Summary of Contents for M-zero LHQ

Page 1: ...UAL Version 1 0 1 July 2020 All the pictures and contents here included are property of AVALON INSTRUMENTS The contents cannot be reproduced published copied or transmitted in any way including the internet without the written permission of AVALON INSTRUMENTS ...

Page 2: ...imaging session or before performing cleaning or maintenance When removing from a power outlet pull on the plug not the cable This mount is intended for use exclusively by adults Do not allow it to be used by children under 12 or by people with impaired mental faculties Operate the mount only as indicated in the manual Modifying or altering the characteristics of the mount in any way will void the...

Page 3: ...hoosing the Telescope 11 2 Telescope Balancing Operations 16 2 1 Declination Axis Balancing 16 2 2 Right Ascension Axis Balancing 17 3 M zero Alignment in Equatorial Mode 19 3 1 Latitude Regulation 19 3 2 Azimuth adjustment 20 3 3 Precise Polar Alignment 20 3 3 1 Polar Kit Installation 20 3 3 2 Polar alignment with a Skywatcher Polarscope 21 3 4 External Programs for Polar Position Finding 23 5 St...

Page 4: ... Construction material Anodized aluminum machined from single blocks with high precision CNC machines Motion system Pulleys made with special glass fiber polymer and high precision toothed belts Polar finder Celestron standard others optional Goto system StarGO GOTO System Counterweight bar W 16 mm 0 63 inch L 85 mm 3 34 inches Counterweight 0 5 kg 1 1 lbs Mounting Saddle Vixen style Warranty 2 ye...

Page 5: ...he instructions for using the M zero LHQ with third party software are contained in the following Instruction Manual Avalon Instruments Avalon StarGO Third Party Software Use Both the above manuals are included in the flash drive supplied with the mount The images published in the manual refer to the early versions of the mount and therefore small differences could exist between these illustration...

Page 6: ...omponent List Aluminum tripod with StarGO control box Motor s connecting cable Mount Head Mount Head and accessory transport bag Tripod transport bag Counterweight rod StarGO Keypad 0 5 kg Counterweight Polar scope with support Power cable Warranty Testing Certificates Declaration of Conformity Allen wrench USB flash drive with manuals and software Ra Dec motor cables All Rights reserved 6 ...

Page 7: ...to 10 kg 22 lb The following drawing show the M zero mount dimensional characteristics Dimensions are in mm The M zero LHQ design was developed on the basis of the M zero standard version making use of the same technical concepts Fast Reverse technology Computer aided design CAD High quality manufacturing with digital control 5 axes CNC machines CNC CAM Absolute quality materials Anodized aluminiu...

Page 8: ... really steady motion without play no backlash and sudden peaks factors of paramount relevance for long guided exposures and during high magnification visual observations These features are of particular relevance especially for the declination axis motor that can now quickly reverse the motion without breaks to recover the plays from here the mount name FAST REVERSE The toothed belts used in the ...

Page 9: ...he coupling is tight the motors can stuck with consequent loss of the position if the coupling is too loose the plays increase On the other hands the absence of significant play in the M zero makes the initial calibration of guiding CCD quick and easy Since there are no gears there is no need of periodical lubrication of the internal components and therefore the maintenance is extremely reduced an...

Page 10: ...d The same operations must be performed when the mount is moved to a site with latitude outside the range originally set 3 1 Altitude Range Setting As previously stated the M zero LHQ can be used in a range of latitudes starting from 0 to 70 The total amplitude of the operating range is about 70 subdivided into 4 sub intervals as follows First interval 0 17 Second interval 17 40 Third interval 30 ...

Page 11: ...ded for establishing the correct latitude operating range are as follows Remove the screws 1 and 2 under the base Remove the screws numbered 1 2 3 and 4 from the side plate Remove the plate to expose the brass plug All Rights reserved 11 ...

Page 12: ...ng to the needed latitude range The mount is shipped from the factory with the brass post in position 0 17 Re attach the side plate using the four screws 1 2 3 and 4 previously removed Next replace the two screws previously removed from under the mount NOTE The Alt az configuration is not available in the M zero LHQ mount All Rights reserved 12 ...

Page 13: ... the distal end of the tube close to eye height for a person of average stature If the telescope is a refractor or a Schmidt Cassegrain the eyepiece is on the proximal end of the OTA and viewing will be more comfortable if the tripod is at its full height Use the bubble level to adjust the length of each leg to put tripod head in an approximate horizontal position Firmly tighten the knobs on each ...

Page 14: ...he following are the steps necessary to install the M zero LHQ mount on a T Pod tripod Unscrew the azimuth adjustment knobs a few turns by rotating the azimuth adjustment knobs in opposite directions Put the mount on the base plate so that the brass adjustment plug projecting up from the plate will fit in the proper space between the two azimuth adjustment screws All Rights reserved 14 ...

Page 15: ...ect the electrical cables from the StarGO to the motors and to the polar scope illuminator if one is being used The StarGO is provided with two RJ11 female connectors for DEC and RA motors and a pin jack socket for the polar scope illuminator The provided cable set is provided with two RJ11 4 pin cables and one cable with pin jack connectors The two RJ11 cables should be connected to the StarGO an...

Page 16: ...e two cables have different lengths and colors and the two motor receptacles are at different distances it is not possible to make mistakes The longest cable goes to the RA motor and the shorter one goes to the DEC motor 4 The pins of the third cable should be inserted in their corresponding receptacles of the StarGO and the Polar scope illuminator All Rights reserved 16 ...

Page 17: ...th one hand firmly tighten the knob 2 with the other hand The assistance of another person could be helpful in performing this operation especially if the tube is particularly heavy and or oversized Note Before taking your hands off the tube make certain that the OTA is firmly seated in the mounting saddle with no wobbling 3 6 Choosing the Telescope The M zero LHQ is an extremely versatile mount a...

Page 18: ... accessory for mounting the Secondary Vixen dovetail saddle fig c or the X Guider fig d The X Guider is moveable in two directions which allows perfect alignment of two telescopes When used with a second telescope for auto guiding it also allows the slight misalignment required to search for a suitable guide star The figures below show the optional kit components described above Secondary Vixen Sa...

Page 19: ...h refractors are possible because the arm position permits the telescope rotation without obstacles The counterweight being used is 0 5 kg Optical tubes up to 8 RCs and SCs and Newtonians up to 6 In this setup the L shape brackets have been mounted in reversed position to allow the repositioning of the arm to a more extended position As seen in the illustration it is possible to balance an 8 SC wi...

Page 20: ...rmitting precise alignment of the two optics DSLR Camera A DSLR camera can be installed on the M zero mount allowing it to perform wide and extra wide field imaging It can be mounted as a stand alone or in parallel with a telescope In this case the telescope can be used as a guide scope for longer exposures With this setup a counterweight is not necessary All Rights reserved 20 ...

Page 21: ...ations and to provide immediate response during auto guided photographic sessions 4 1 Declination Axis Balancing With the M zero LHQ mount it is better to balance the DEC axis first because the RA axis will already be almost balanced 1 Put the telescope in a horizontal position 2 Loosen the DEC axis clutch knob and allow the tube to move GRADUALLY to verify in which direction it tends to move 3 Sl...

Page 22: ...t is necessary to hold onto the arm by hand during removal of the second bracket The illustration at right shows the holes drilled in the RA arm to position the DEC arm at different distances from the RA rotational axis These changes in the DEC arm position allow a rough approximation of the balancing of the whole system The picture right shows the two arms without the bracket for purposes of clar...

Page 23: ...t depending on the setup It is also possible to assemble two counterweight shafts For the single counterweight shaft configuration the most common position is the number 3 By using simultaneously the position 1 and the position 5 with an extra optional counterweight shaft and with an extra optional counterweight a double counterweight shaft configuration is also available This configuration it is ...

Page 24: ...ystems must be slightly unbalanced in the direction of celestial movement to obtain precise tracking Such mounts may require occasional re balancing by moving the counterweight In contrast the M zero LHQ mount is well balanced in every position to guarantee the absence of backlash hysteresis and pendulum effects around the meridian This difference proves to be a significant advantage Due to the M ...

Page 25: ... axis at an angle equivalent to the latitude of the observation site For example Rome is about 42 North Milan and Venice 45 North and Palermo 38 North Refer to the latitude scale on the side of the mount The latitude adjustment must be performed using both hands to turn the two latitude adjustment knobs in conjunction with each other While one hand is tightening the front knob the other hand shoul...

Page 26: ... the Avalon Linear M Uno M Zero and M Zero LHQ mounts Each full turn of the Altitude and Azimuth knobs moves the mount in the exact amount shown in arc minutes for the particular mounts listed Mount Linear M uno M zero Mount Axis ALT AZ ALT AZ ALT AZ Arc minutes per knob turn 91 2 79 2 78 74 79 2 61 8 110 4 5 3 M zero Polar Alignment 5 3 1 Polar Kit Installation The precise polar alignment of the ...

Page 27: ...the mount already assembled with it s own adapter To fix the Polarscope on the mount lateral bracket dowel place the Polarscope adapter male dovetail on the female dowel dovetail and tight the fixing knob All Rights reserved 27 ...

Page 28: ...sition the smaller circle at the correct Polaris angle as it is seen from the observation site at the observation date and time Years ago this position was obtained using several types of circular dials and performing few calculations Currently the most common method to get the exact position of Polaris is using one of several available computer programs or better mobile device applications These ...

Page 29: ...nt that the polar scope is correctly oriented use small movements of the Azimuth and Altitude adjustment knobs to place Polaris exactly in the center of the classical reticle s corresponding small circle in or in the defined hour position for the newer type reticle 4 When finished firmly re tighten the Altitude and Azimuth knobs as well as those fixing the mount to the tripod The mount is now alig...

Page 30: ...e to interchange the kinds of reticles to be used for the polar alignment including the Skywatcher classic reticle as well as the newer version and the Losmandy type The position of Polaris is represented by a small yellow circle on a larger circular reticulum To effectively use this app with the older Skywatcher reticle or with the newer type it is necessary to take note of the hour angle where P...

Page 31: ...te s geographical coordinates from the Android device s internal GPS if available If the device has no internal GPS the geographical coordinates of the site must be manually entered The additional features of the Android app are similar to those provided by the iOS app but the reticules more closely resemble those available for the M zero 5 3 4 More modern and precise approaches to Polar Alignment...

Page 32: ...rs functions has a tool to perform a precise polar alignment using the plate solving algorithm which is shipped together with all other software for the StarGO included in the supplied USB pendrive Detaile description of this tool in done in the StarGO User Guide All Rights reserved 32 ...

Page 33: ...cribes the mounting of the camera on the M zero and its electrical connection to the StarGo More detailed information on the use of a DSLR with the StarGO is provided in the StarGo manual Mechanical installation Install the Dual Dec with the dovetail female bar 1 on the opposite site of the main telescope Attach a male dovetail Vixen type bar 3 under the DSLR 2 camera using a standard 20 photograp...

Page 34: ...o the input 2 labeled DSLR on the StarGO panel Switch on both the camera and the StarGO The DSLR is now ready to be controlled by the StarGO To upload pictures to the PC it will be necessary to use a USB cable connecting the camera to the computer All Rights reserved 34 ...

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