The AYO mount
T
he AYO mount is a alt/az mount without any mechanical or electronically drive
that transmit
undesirable vibrations. The movements of both axis will by by hand like a bigger Dobsonian telescope.
This make's the mount very vibrations dumping and very easy to use. Perfect for real „grab and go“
observing.
If ordered, the mount is equipped with an integral encoder unit which allow to connect a digital circles
computer. This will help you to find more stuff at the sky.
When you make the set-up of the mount, you don't must adjust the axis to some position, just check if
the mount is more or less horizontally – that's all. If encoder unit is installed, no sensitive parts of this
will be outside and hesitate while observing, transport or storage. There's no additional setup time for
the mount and if you will not use the digital circle unit, you have no limitation because this.
The parts of the mount
The mount is build up with azimut axis and a altitude axis. At this axis you can fit at both sides a
telescope. The AYOdigi II can lift up with a handle easy, the smaller AYO II will have no extra handle.
Because the different setup's of the mount, there's a choice of clamp's or flanges to fit your favorite
scope mounting system.
The socket of the mount is formed to fit to most common standard tripod as for Vixen GP (or EQ4 / 5 /
AZEQ/HEQ5 or similar brand names) and Vixen SX. You can replace the socket and than you will find a
flange for photographic tripod's as well. So you can use normally your existing tripod. You must only
make sure that your tripod is stable enough.
Because the mount is not driven by some mechanical system, you just move the scope at the end
where your will go. To adapt the mechanical system to your scope, there are each a hand wheel to
adjust the friction of each axis. So you can find the perfect friction for finding, guiding and selecting your
eyepieces in once.
Setup of the mount
Take a tripod stable enough that will not limiting the mount with a head, fit to the mount. Make sure that
the leg's of the tripod will be stable and can not slide away. At best you take a place is more or less
horizontally and with a hard ground, patches of grass or similar are not so comfortable because dewfall.
Set the mount of the tripod and make sure that the connection to the mount is rigid and the central
screw will fit correctly.
You can fix a telescope tube at each side of the altitude axis. If needed, you can support the mount with
a counterweight bar at one side to find a less tripod-stressing barycenter, but you can use your mount
without a counterweight for your scope if the tripod is stable enough.
When fixing your telescope tube, find a balanced position in this axis. Don't forget, that a star diagonal,
eyepiece and lens cover will change the balance maybe. Make sure, that the telescope is fixed well and
can not slide out of the clamp.
Adjust the friction of the both axis as well, that you can change the eyepieces without chancing the
selected friction. This give you more comfortable observing.
