osteomark
sage
Reged: 05/09/07
Posts: 478
Loc: Oswego, NY
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Any reviews on this thing? It says it can hold an 8" SCT or a 150mm Mak-Cas. I have a Maksutov 7". I wonder if that would work? $360 for the GPS GOTO to me sounds like an excellent deal. My Magellan II is a real pain in the you know what. I'm wondering if I can mount the Cube on my Meade Feild heavy duty tripod. I'm not ready to lay down 800 for the Mini tripod yet until a few reviews come out.
Thanks,
Mark
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Meade LX50 8"SCT
Magellan II autofinder
WO 1.25" binoviewer with 3-in-1 Sieberts OCA
Marcus Luden Intes Micro 703 Maksutov 7"
Meade LXD55 GEM mount
Syracuse, NY
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gordianknot
sage
Reged: 09/04/05
Posts: 442
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See This thread for links regarding the original SmartStar-E cube. There was a more recent thread about the mini-tower here.
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sang33ta
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/08/08
Posts: 539
Loc: UK
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Not really, while officialy it is rated able to "hold" a 6" Mak it will be wobbly. As rule of thumb you always half the rated weight limit for a steady mount.
They are working on a new stronger cube with metal gears though I recommend a german eqitorial if you think you will do imaging.
I'd concider a Celestron CG-5 Goto or other EQ-5 goto like Skywatcher for a 6" Mak 8" SCT
a 7" mak may need something stronger. You're starting to move into EQ6 territory when stuff gets above 7kg.
--------------------
Hioptic 152mm f12.5 Maksutov
Celestron Advanced CG5-GT Mount (Mr Noisy!)
Meade 4000 Super Plossl Set
Casio QV-2900UX
Got fed up of waiting for Meade ETX-150 so put this together for £500/$1000 
Edited by sang33ta (07/11/08 02:15 PM)
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osteomark
sage
Reged: 05/09/07
Posts: 478
Loc: Oswego, NY
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How much is a CG-5 GOTO these days? Is the Meade LXD-75 the same weight capacity as the CG-5? E-bay is selling a Meade new.
Thanks,
Mark
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Meade LX50 8"SCT
Magellan II autofinder
WO 1.25" binoviewer with 3-in-1 Sieberts OCA
Marcus Luden Intes Micro 703 Maksutov 7"
Meade LXD55 GEM mount
Syracuse, NY
Edited by osteomark (07/11/08 02:37 PM)
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sang33ta
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/08/08
Posts: 539
Loc: UK
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I think the Celestron is a bit better, it's an updated model, I think Celestron stick a 11" SCT on theirs so I'm assuming it carries more weight.
However Meade sell an 8" SCT on theirs so if you read reviews for the "Meade SC-8 AT" your experience may be similar.
--------------------
Hioptic 152mm f12.5 Maksutov
Celestron Advanced CG5-GT Mount (Mr Noisy!)
Meade 4000 Super Plossl Set
Casio QV-2900UX
Got fed up of waiting for Meade ETX-150 so put this together for £500/$1000
Edited by sang33ta (07/11/08 03:51 PM)
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Telescopeman54
Vendor - Trapezium Telescopes & Services, LLC.
Reged: 08/17/07
Posts: 1115
Loc: New Hampshire
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The CUBE will NOT work for your application. The Mini will do so.
I am actually a dealer for iOptron. I am less than impressed by the Cube. I am VERY impressed by the Mini and I am waiting for mine to arrive.
CS
Steve
Notice of Edit: Vendors are not permitted to discuss products they don't sell. Had to kill a sentence or two to bring this post in line Steve - sorry. CH
--------------------
Steve Forbes
6.25" f/15 Mogey/NASA refractor on GOTO GEM
6" f/15 Jaegers refractor on GOTO GEM
5.1" f/8 Burgess on CG-5 w/GOTONOVA
4" f/15 Jaegers on ORION ATLAS GOTO
2x 6" f/6 Edmund Palomar reflectors on GEMs w/ RA and DEC drives
2x 4-1/4" Edmund Palomar Jr. reflectors on GEMS w/ RA drives, (all circa 1965 - 69)
3" Edmund reflector on "EQ" mount from @1963
4" Criterion reflector with "EQ" mount from @1956.
150mm f/12 MAK w/iOptron Mini Tower
Lots of other stuff, too!
Edited by Charlie Hein (08/06/08 11:31 PM)
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Gigatron
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/10/05
Posts: 644
Loc: Staten Island, N.Y.
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Hey Steve, since you seem to be very much in the know, how well would the cube handle a meade etx90 (3.5")?
I need something better than the stock mount for even visual observing. The stock mount has so much slop, it's almost useless.
Thanks,
Fred
--------------------
Meade ETX-90 UHTC, AutoStar 497,
Right angle viewfinder
Deluxe field tripod
Zhumell 10" dob
Telrad finder
GSO 8x50 RACI finder
Too many special modifications to list
2" 32mm GSO,
9mm GSO,
26mm,15mm,12.4mm,6mm Meade SP,
5mm,7mm,9mm Burgess/TMB planetary
Meade 2X Barlow
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sang33ta
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/08/08
Posts: 539
Loc: UK
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Quote:
The stock mount has so much slop, it's almost useless.
Did you do the drive training procedure? It's supposed to remove any slop. Also make sure both clutch nobs are tight (but not so tight you break them)
I would guess the cube would handle the weight of your scope fine (7.8lbs, 3.5kg) but I'm not sure how much better it would be over the meade fork as they both have plastic gears I'd expect them to be very similar. You also have the issue of removing it from the fork and mounting a dovetail. An ETX90 spotting scope would be easier
--------------------
Hioptic 152mm f12.5 Maksutov
Celestron Advanced CG5-GT Mount (Mr Noisy!)
Meade 4000 Super Plossl Set
Casio QV-2900UX
Got fed up of waiting for Meade ETX-150 so put this together for £500/$1000
Edited by sang33ta (07/14/08 12:33 PM)
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Gigatron
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/10/05
Posts: 644
Loc: Staten Island, N.Y.
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Quote:
Quote:
The stock mount has so much slop, it's almost useless.
Did you do the drive training procedure? It's supposed to remove any slop. Also make sure both clutch nobs are tight (but not so tight you break them)
Yup, done all of those - several times. I could send it away for one of those super upgrade/repair dealies, but it would cost the same as getting a decent mount, anyway.
-Fred
--------------------
Meade ETX-90 UHTC, AutoStar 497,
Right angle viewfinder
Deluxe field tripod
Zhumell 10" dob
Telrad finder
GSO 8x50 RACI finder
Too many special modifications to list
2" 32mm GSO,
9mm GSO,
26mm,15mm,12.4mm,6mm Meade SP,
5mm,7mm,9mm Burgess/TMB planetary
Meade 2X Barlow
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Telescopeman54
Vendor - Trapezium Telescopes & Services, LLC.
Reged: 08/17/07
Posts: 1115
Loc: New Hampshire
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In my opinion, the Cube, as nice as it is for SMALL scopes, would be challenged by your OTA. Instead, I would recommned that you consider the Mini Tower, instead. I've owned and used the GPS version of the Cube and it just won't handle anything over 5 pounds with any reliability, regardless of what iOptron states. The Mini is what the Cube SHOULD have been and I'm waiting quite impatiently for mine to arrive.
CS
Steve
--------------------
Steve Forbes
6.25" f/15 Mogey/NASA refractor on GOTO GEM
6" f/15 Jaegers refractor on GOTO GEM
5.1" f/8 Burgess on CG-5 w/GOTONOVA
4" f/15 Jaegers on ORION ATLAS GOTO
2x 6" f/6 Edmund Palomar reflectors on GEMs w/ RA and DEC drives
2x 4-1/4" Edmund Palomar Jr. reflectors on GEMS w/ RA drives, (all circa 1965 - 69)
3" Edmund reflector on "EQ" mount from @1963
4" Criterion reflector with "EQ" mount from @1956.
150mm f/12 MAK w/iOptron Mini Tower
Lots of other stuff, too!
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Gigatron
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/10/05
Posts: 644
Loc: Staten Island, N.Y.
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Quote:
In my opinion, the Cube, as nice as it is for SMALL scopes, would be challenged by your OTA. Instead, I would recommned that you consider the Mini Tower, instead. I've owned and used the GPS version of the Cube and it just won't handle anything over 5 pounds with any reliability, regardless of what iOptron states. The Mini is what the Cube SHOULD have been and I'm waiting quite impatiently for mine to arrive.
CS
Steve
Thanks, Steve.
I'll await your appraisal of the mini tower. Any idea of when they're supposed to hit market and at what price point?
-Fred
--------------------
Meade ETX-90 UHTC, AutoStar 497,
Right angle viewfinder
Deluxe field tripod
Zhumell 10" dob
Telrad finder
GSO 8x50 RACI finder
Too many special modifications to list
2" 32mm GSO,
9mm GSO,
26mm,15mm,12.4mm,6mm Meade SP,
5mm,7mm,9mm Burgess/TMB planetary
Meade 2X Barlow
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DNTash
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/02/07
Posts: 621
Loc: New Delhi, India
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I was hoping for a better value in the Mini, and am a little disappointed that it came in at $800 (OK, sorry, $799). At $649 to $699, I would have jumped at the opportunity to be one of the first to try it.
I, too, will be interested in reports from Steve and others willing to try it out at $800, and compare its functions to other mounts at a similar price.
Dale
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WO 66 Doublet
Meade ETX-90PE
WO "Crayford-ed" Orion 120ST
SkyMaster 15x70's, Meade Safari Pro 8x42's, Nikon Monarch 10x42's
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king1522
super member
Reged: 04/25/08
Posts: 135
Loc: Texas
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I'm curious about how strudy the tripod is going to be.
--------------------
Don
Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The more you roll off, the faster it goes.
Celestron NexStar 8 OTA
Orion EON 80mm
Ioptron Mini Mount
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donnie3
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 12/15/04
Posts: 849
Loc: bartlesville oklahoma
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i seen the mini cube in an advertisement in the resent issue of att magazine. it looks interesting. it states that the capacity is rated at 25lbs. i was just wondering how it would work with astrophotography.
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Telescopeman54
Vendor - Trapezium Telescopes & Services, LLC.
Reged: 08/17/07
Posts: 1115
Loc: New Hampshire
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Donnie3 from Oklhoma:
The Mini is an Alt/Az mount with the GOTONOVA system. If you use an equatorial wedege with it then photography should be pretty easy. If not, the field rotation will become an issue on any longer exposures.
I am waiting for my Mini Tower to arrive so that I can provide a first impression report. I did get to play with one at NEAF and I was VERY IMPRESSED! Of course, the proof of the pudding...
CS
Steve
Notice of Edit: Vendors are not permitted to discuss products they don't sell. Had to kill a sentence or two to bring this post in line Steve - sorry. CH
--------------------
Steve Forbes
6.25" f/15 Mogey/NASA refractor on GOTO GEM
6" f/15 Jaegers refractor on GOTO GEM
5.1" f/8 Burgess on CG-5 w/GOTONOVA
4" f/15 Jaegers on ORION ATLAS GOTO
2x 6" f/6 Edmund Palomar reflectors on GEMs w/ RA and DEC drives
2x 4-1/4" Edmund Palomar Jr. reflectors on GEMS w/ RA drives, (all circa 1965 - 69)
3" Edmund reflector on "EQ" mount from @1963
4" Criterion reflector with "EQ" mount from @1956.
150mm f/12 MAK w/iOptron Mini Tower
Lots of other stuff, too!
Edited by Charlie Hein (08/06/08 11:33 PM)
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J_D_Metzger
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/13/04
Posts: 1301
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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Quote:
In my opinion, the Cube, as nice as it is for SMALL scopes, would be challenged by your OTA. Instead, I would recommned that you consider the Mini Tower, instead. I've owned and used the GPS version of the Cube and it just won't handle anything over 5 pounds with any reliability, regardless of what iOptron states. The Mini is what the Cube SHOULD have been and I'm waiting quite impatiently for mine to arrive.
CS
Steve
Steve,
At OPT last week iOptron said they will be shipping a new version of the Cube, called the Cube Pro, which will have a heavier tripod, metal gearing, and other improvements. I think they said the price would be $599. Perhaps the Cube Pro will be what the Cube should have been...
--------------------
Clear skies,
J.D.
32°15'16.96"N 110°47'39.24"W
Celestron C9.25 & C6, TeleVue TV-76,
Vixen Sphinx SXD, iOptron MiniTower
TeleVue Naglers, TeleVue Panoptics
Canon 10x30 IS Binoculars
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donnie3
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 12/15/04
Posts: 849
Loc: bartlesville oklahoma
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j d metzger: im not sure if we are talking about the same cube. go to www.greatredspot.com this mini cube has a 25lb capacity payload metal worm and gears, metal tripod. price, $799. i tried to google the cube pro with no results. don
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J_D_Metzger
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/13/04
Posts: 1301
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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The $799 cube is called the "Mini Tower" and has been officially announced and is on the iOptron web site:
Mini Tower
The "Cube Pro" is not yet officially announced, but was discussed by the iOptron reps at the SCAE event at OPT last week. It is outwardly identical to the original Cube, but will have a heavier tripod, metal gears, and the 8401 controller. The iOptron rep said it would probably retail for $599.
--------------------
Clear skies,
J.D.
32°15'16.96"N 110°47'39.24"W
Celestron C9.25 & C6, TeleVue TV-76,
Vixen Sphinx SXD, iOptron MiniTower
TeleVue Naglers, TeleVue Panoptics
Canon 10x30 IS Binoculars
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DNTash
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/02/07
Posts: 621
Loc: New Delhi, India
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J.D. --
Any sense of how much weight the Cube Pro will take?
Dale
--------------------
WO 66 Doublet
Meade ETX-90PE
WO "Crayford-ed" Orion 120ST
SkyMaster 15x70's, Meade Safari Pro 8x42's, Nikon Monarch 10x42's
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Telescopeman54
Vendor - Trapezium Telescopes & Services, LLC.
Reged: 08/17/07
Posts: 1115
Loc: New Hampshire
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I have no information about the "Cube Pro". It is most likely an improved version of the Cube with most of the "issues" resolved. It will probably have the same weight specs as the original Cube, but, most likely it will actually handle those weights.
Steve
--------------------
Steve Forbes
6.25" f/15 Mogey/NASA refractor on GOTO GEM
6" f/15 Jaegers refractor on GOTO GEM
5.1" f/8 Burgess on CG-5 w/GOTONOVA
4" f/15 Jaegers on ORION ATLAS GOTO
2x 6" f/6 Edmund Palomar reflectors on GEMs w/ RA and DEC drives
2x 4-1/4" Edmund Palomar Jr. reflectors on GEMS w/ RA drives, (all circa 1965 - 69)
3" Edmund reflector on "EQ" mount from @1963
4" Criterion reflector with "EQ" mount from @1956.
150mm f/12 MAK w/iOptron Mini Tower
Lots of other stuff, too!
|
J_D_Metzger
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/13/04
Posts: 1301
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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|
If I remember correctly, the iOptron rep said 15 lbs. Don't quote me on that, however...
--------------------
Clear skies,
J.D.
32°15'16.96"N 110°47'39.24"W
Celestron C9.25 & C6, TeleVue TV-76,
Vixen Sphinx SXD, iOptron MiniTower
TeleVue Naglers, TeleVue Panoptics
Canon 10x30 IS Binoculars
|
J_D_Metzger
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/13/04
Posts: 1301
Loc: Tucson, AZ
|
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Quote:
The Mini is an Alt/Az mount with the GOTONOVA system. If you use an equatorial wedege with it then photography should be pretty easy. If not, the field rotation will become an issue on any longer exposures.
The iOptron rep at OPT said there will be a field-derotator for the MiniTower, not a wedge...
--------------------
Clear skies,
J.D.
32°15'16.96"N 110°47'39.24"W
Celestron C9.25 & C6, TeleVue TV-76,
Vixen Sphinx SXD, iOptron MiniTower
TeleVue Naglers, TeleVue Panoptics
Canon 10x30 IS Binoculars
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Telescopeman54
Vendor - Trapezium Telescopes & Services, LLC.
Reged: 08/17/07
Posts: 1115
Loc: New Hampshire
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That's the first I've heard of it and I'm in and out of the main office almost weekly!
Just how the Dickens are they going to "de-rotate" the field of the optics from the mount? This I've GOT to see!
Steve
--------------------
Steve Forbes
6.25" f/15 Mogey/NASA refractor on GOTO GEM
6" f/15 Jaegers refractor on GOTO GEM
5.1" f/8 Burgess on CG-5 w/GOTONOVA
4" f/15 Jaegers on ORION ATLAS GOTO
2x 6" f/6 Edmund Palomar reflectors on GEMs w/ RA and DEC drives
2x 4-1/4" Edmund Palomar Jr. reflectors on GEMS w/ RA drives, (all circa 1965 - 69)
3" Edmund reflector on "EQ" mount from @1963
4" Criterion reflector with "EQ" mount from @1956.
150mm f/12 MAK w/iOptron Mini Tower
Lots of other stuff, too!
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J_D_Metzger
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/13/04
Posts: 1301
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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Probably something like this: Meade Field Derotator
The derotator goes between the scope and the camera, it doesn't attach to the mount...
--------------------
Clear skies,
J.D.
32°15'16.96"N 110°47'39.24"W
Celestron C9.25 & C6, TeleVue TV-76,
Vixen Sphinx SXD, iOptron MiniTower
TeleVue Naglers, TeleVue Panoptics
Canon 10x30 IS Binoculars
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EspacioProfundo
member
Reged: 02/16/07
Posts: 16
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Ioptron CubePro almost ready...
Link to Ioptron CubePro
--------------------
Ricardo Contreras
Espacio Profundo
Buenos Aires
Argentina
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jimandlaura26
super member
Reged: 11/19/03
Posts: 124
Loc: Northern VA
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So what additional features is the cube pro version supposed to bring?
--------------------
Jim M.
Northern VA (NOVAC member)
Stellarvue 80ED
Stellarvue 80S & SV-1 alt/az mount
Stellarvue 102A & Discmounts DM-6 alt/az mount
Celestron C8-XLT & ASGT GEM
Coronado PST
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Telescopeman54
Vendor - Trapezium Telescopes & Services, LLC.
Reged: 08/17/07
Posts: 1115
Loc: New Hampshire
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I saw the Cube Pro today. It is the same size as the Cube but, it looks just like the Mini. It has metal worm gears and wheels. The tripod is the same as the original Cube. I believe they mentioned a price of around $599.00. I'll stick with my Mini.
sbf
--------------------
Steve Forbes
6.25" f/15 Mogey/NASA refractor on GOTO GEM
6" f/15 Jaegers refractor on GOTO GEM
5.1" f/8 Burgess on CG-5 w/GOTONOVA
4" f/15 Jaegers on ORION ATLAS GOTO
2x 6" f/6 Edmund Palomar reflectors on GEMs w/ RA and DEC drives
2x 4-1/4" Edmund Palomar Jr. reflectors on GEMS w/ RA drives, (all circa 1965 - 69)
3" Edmund reflector on "EQ" mount from @1963
4" Criterion reflector with "EQ" mount from @1956.
150mm f/12 MAK w/iOptron Mini Tower
Lots of other stuff, too!
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sam32
super member
Reged: 07/26/06
Posts: 100
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I just saw an older email I had received from iOptron on my questions concerning an equatorial wedge for the Mini-Tower:
"From: Chris Liu [mailto:cliu@ioptron.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 4:12 PM
Subject: RE: Mini-Tower
Dear Sam,
There is no wedge for the MiniTower, but a de-rotator is in the pipeline. Some users might choose to make their own wedge for it.
best
Chris"
If this is true than I am a bit disappointed as a wedge would still keep things fairly simple. I wonder if they are concerned about the Mini-Tower tipping over if a wedge was used (although then why even recommend that you build one for it ?) Plus the Cube can be used in Eq. mode, right ? And the Handcontroller already appears to be set-up for Eq. tracking. So again, I guess I am just somewhat surprised if they are not pursuing a wedge. Though to be fair, an alt-az mount like this was primarily designed for visual use. If iOptron is not going the eq. wedge route, then I look forward to seeing who will be the first (it won't be me !) to build and test one and then share his results with the rest of the community.
Sam
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Telescopeman54
Vendor - Trapezium Telescopes & Services, LLC.
Reged: 08/17/07
Posts: 1115
Loc: New Hampshire
|
|
Sam:
There IS a wedge being designed. Hopefully, it will become available in time for Christmas. There MAY be a heavier tripod to go with it, but, that has not yet been determined. There are other options and upgrades that are being discussed for future offerings.
Yes, the Mini can work in EQ, too.
From what I have learned, the Cube Pro will retail at $480.00. I have not yet taken one apart to examine it thoroughly, but, it has metal worm gears and worm wheels. The bearings are supposedly improved and it has GPS module. It also has the 8401 GOTONOVA controller which is the same one used on the Mini Tower, the SmartStar-PR and the GOTONOVA upgrade kits.
If anyone is going to the PATS show they can see the new items there. I'm going and will be happy to help anyone who needs further information.
By the way, I tried using my SAC7b camera in the Mini last night. I could get the previews just fine, but, I cannot get the software to do anything with the FITS files! The instructions weren't much help I'm afraid. Once I DO get some images, I will send them along.
CS
Steve
--------------------
Steve Forbes
6.25" f/15 Mogey/NASA refractor on GOTO GEM
6" f/15 Jaegers refractor on GOTO GEM
5.1" f/8 Burgess on CG-5 w/GOTONOVA
4" f/15 Jaegers on ORION ATLAS GOTO
2x 6" f/6 Edmund Palomar reflectors on GEMs w/ RA and DEC drives
2x 4-1/4" Edmund Palomar Jr. reflectors on GEMS w/ RA drives, (all circa 1965 - 69)
3" Edmund reflector on "EQ" mount from @1963
4" Criterion reflector with "EQ" mount from @1956.
150mm f/12 MAK w/iOptron Mini Tower
Lots of other stuff, too!
|
Dylan Gladstone
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 08/05/07
Posts: 955
Loc: Connecticut, USA
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