Avalon M-zero obs Instruction Manual Download Page 3

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Summary

4 Telescope Balancing Operations............................................................................................................26

4.1 Declination Axis Balancing.............................................................................................................26
4.2 Right Ascension Axis Balancing:....................................................................................................27

5. M-zero obs Alignment...........................................................................................................................30

5.2 Azimuth adjustment.........................................................................................................................31
5.3 - Alt-Az Polar Alignment................................................................................................................32
5.4 M-zero Polar Alignment..................................................................................................................32

5.4.1 Polar Kit Installation.................................................................................................................32

5.4.2 Polar alignment with the provided Polarscope.............................................................................33

...........................................................................................................................................................34

5.4.3 External Programs for Finding Polar Position..............................................................................35
5.4.4 More modern and precise approaches to Polar Alignment...........................................................36

Summary of Contents for M-zero obs

Page 1: ... Version 1 0 7 April 2021 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: ...ing 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 man...

Page 3: ... 3 6 Optical Tube Mounting 21 3 7 Choosing the Telescope 22 4 Telescope Balancing Operations 26 4 1 Declination Axis Balancing 26 4 2 Right Ascension Axis Balancing 27 5 M zero obs Alignment 30 5 2 Azimuth adjustment 31 5 3 Alt Az Polar Alignment 32 5 4 M zero Polar Alignment 32 5 4 1 Polar Kit Installation 32 5 4 2 Polar alignment with the provided Polarscope 33 34 5 4 3 External Programs for Fin...

Page 4: ...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 ...

Page 5: ...he instructions for using the M zero obs 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: ...nd accessory 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 In order two ship the product as safe as possible with the most compact package the mount the pier and all the accessories come all packaged in one only...

Page 7: ...y when the time is short and the sky is not so dark and clear The M zero obs is mainly designed for astro imaging with medium short length tubes such as SC Maksutov RC up to 6 8 aperture and 10 kg 22 lb weight according to the tube length It is possible to use the M zero obs even with refractors 400 500 mm with a piggyback or parallel guidescope that can act also as an active counterweight The lar...

Page 8: ... present is averaged among the cogs moreover soft greatly reducing the tracking error No wearing effects since no relevant frictions occur In fact all the pulleys and the axes rotate on roller bearings 13 for the RA axis and 13 for the DEC axis that allow to reduce the total friction almost to zero Another significant advantage of very low frictions is that the risks of motor slipping during GOTO ...

Page 9: ... Alignment kit Position 1 between 15 and 48 Position 2 between 26 and 63 Position 3 between 41 and 70 These values correspond to the three latitude setting holes on the underside of the mount 3 1 Altitude Range Setting As previously stated the M zero Obs 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 3 sub intervals ...

Page 10: ...djustment plug Place the brass latitude adjustment plug over the set of holes 1 2 or 3 corresponding to the needed latitude range as described on the previous page Re attach the brass plug in the preferred latitude range position using the screws removed earlier The mount is shipped from the factory with the brass post in position 2 All Rights reserved 10 ...

Page 11: ...r Mounting To allow a safe shipping the pier comes completely disassembled protected with a special packaging foam In order to assemble the pier take out all the pier parts from the box and place them on safe and flat surface In order to avoid scratching it is suggested to place everything on a rigid foam surface The pier is composed by 2 flange three legs and three feet as shown in the picture be...

Page 13: ...distance 100 suggested for latitude higher than 60 NOTE The configuration B it is suggested for latitude higher than 60 with the two rear legs closer the basement stability get more reliable Note that the two flange composing the pier are equal but they have two different side The flange that must be place on the bottom side of the pier should have the A side toward down while the flange on the up...

Page 14: ...is possible to go forward with the pier assembling as shown in the following steps By using the provided 6x16 screws attach one by one the leg on the pier base flange taking care to attach the leg on the correct flange side as shown in the picture on the right All Rights reserved 14 Flange A side Flange B side Flange B side ...

Page 15: ...all the three legs are assembled on the pier base flange it is possible to place the pier in the correct side In this condition it is possible to mount the pier top flange on the upper side of the three legs and by screwing the provided screws close the pier The pier completely assembled will look as one shown in the picture below All Rights reserved 15 ...

Page 17: ...rsion and for the M zero obs with the Optional Motorized Polar Alignment kit The mount fixed flange must be assembled by using the three 8x35 knobs shown in the picture on the right In order to correctly place the mount on the pier the three 8x35 knobs must be screwed in the corresponding holes circled in yellow in the following pictures from the bottom side of the pier top flange as shown in the ...

Page 19: ...StarGo board can also be assembled directly on the pier StarGo box installing on a Double Telescope setup In case a double telescope setup is required the male dovetail adapter plate must be disassembled from the bottom side of the DEC arm and should be placed directly on the pier To perform this operation it is first required to mount the L bracket provided with the mount on the bottom pier flang...

Page 21: ...e mount In order to allow the Quick Clamp to be comfortably attach to the M zero obs lower side of the DEC arm it is required the replacement of the knob with a 6x20 screw provided StarGo Quick Clamp with the knob to be attached on the M zero obs pier StarGo Quick Clamp with the knob to be attached on the M zero obs pier All Rights reserved 21 ...

Page 22: ...omes already assembled on the bottom side of the DEC arm In order to attach the StarGo box on the male dovetail adapter the female dovetail clamp must be assembled on the StarGo box rear surface In case the StarGo box must be equipped on the bottom side of the DEC arm it is only required to attach the male dovetail clamp on the female dovetail plate adapter All Rights reserved 22 ...

Page 23: ...emale 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 and to the mount DEC RA motor connectors The third cable with the pin jack connector must be connected to the illuminator The motor cable connection mus...

Page 24: ...etail plate until it is parallel to the mount arm Firmly lock both axis clutch knobs Loosen the dovetail saddle plate lock using the knob 2 in the picture at right Insert the dovetail bar of the optical tube in the saddle and while safely holding the optical tube with one hand firmly tighten the knob 2 with the other hand The assistance of another person could be helpful in performing this operati...

Page 25: ...ltaneous observation with different filters or auto guiding A simple optional accessory is required to mount a parallel telescope In order to install this accessory it is necessary to remove the plastic plug that has the Avalon logo fig a This removal enables the mounting flange fig b to be inserted This flange holds the Dual DEC accessory for mounting the Secondary Vixen dovetail saddle fig c or ...

Page 26: ...type Telescope type Picture Note One telescope setup This setup allows the use of any telescope type within the allowable weight limits Medium length refractors are possible because the arm position permits the telescope rotation without obstacles In this configuration the StarGo box can be comfortably assembled on the bottom side of the DEC arm All Rights reserved 26 ...

Page 27: ...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 27 ...

Page 28: ...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 29: ...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 clarity The positio...

Page 30: ...setup assembled by the user T The dovetail adapter plate when used on the M zero obs bottom side of the DEC arm can works both as a counterweight adapter or as a StarGo box adapter Assemble the counterweight shaft on the counterweight fixing plate on the bottom of the DEC arm by screwing the small screw in one of the three trheated holes available There are five available position to fix the count...

Page 31: ...ightly 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 obs 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 zero s toothed be...

Page 32: ...vation 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 should be loosening the rear knob and vice versa To increase t...

Page 33: ...z motors it is required the connection between the motors plug and the StarGo aux 1 and aux 2 connectors For sample puropse the image on the right show the cable connection with the StarGo Control Box placed on the pier The Alt Az motors can be controlled with the FOCUS buttons on the StarGo keypad The keypad also allow the to switch directly from the keypad the control from the Aux 1 to the Aux 2...

Page 34: ...Z ALT AZ ALT AZ Arc minutes per knob turn 91 2 79 2 78 74 79 2 61 8 110 4 5 4 M zero Polar Alignment 5 4 1 Polar Kit Installation The precise polar alignment of the M zero LHQ mount is performed with the polar scope installed externally on the mount The standard kit for the precise polar alignment consists of the following components 1 Celestron Polarfinder and Polarfinder adapter with the fixing ...

Page 35: ... The picture below shows the polarscope reticle For an accurate polar alignment with Avalon Instruments mounts it doesn t matter for the constellation position The reference point it will be the small circle that represent the Polaris position or a defined degree in the graduated circle All Rights reserved 35 ...

Page 36: ...better mobile device applications These programs provide the position of Polaris both visually and in the hourly format as described in section 5 3 3 Once the Polaris position has been determined in terms of hour angle the polar scope should be rotated to bring the small circle in that position With this type of reticle this operation is approximate but is accurate enough and is satisfactory for m...

Page 37: ...cal 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 aligned to the celestial North Pole In case of use of the new reticle on the right figure the only difference is that being missing the small circle correspondent to t...

Page 38: ...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 39: ...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 4 4 More modern and precise approaches to Polar Alignment...

Page 40: ...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 40 ...

Page 41: ...ssible to switch the control from the AUX1 to AUX2 Alt Az motors control with the StarGo GUI With the StarGo exe Software via StarGo GUI it is possible to manage the Alt Az motors connected via AUX1 and AUX2 port The StarGo AUX1 port must be connected to the AZ motor connector via Rj cable while the StarGo AUX2 port must be connected with the LAT motor connector via Rj cable In order to be as much...

Page 42: ...This tool allow to move the selected motor with the ArcMin unit allowing also to perform GoTo by simply typing the choosen value in ArcMin and pressing on the GOTO button All Rights reserved 42 ...

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