EQUATORIAL HEAD All machined stainless steel and aluminum, black anodized. Shafts, 1.968" diameter stainless steel tubing, .250" wall thickness. Worm gears, 6.750" diameter, 270 tooth, 7075 aluminum - special coated. Worms, heat treated and ground stainless steel. Single piece worm housing construction, double ended, ball bearing supported with adjustable preload. Tracking: +/- 5 arc sec. or better. Low temperature operation: -55° F 5.062" diameter needle thrust bearings. 3.500" diameter sealed ball bearings. 3.100" diameter sealed ball bearings for worm gear. Fully locking, unique tangent arm design altitude adjustment, 12-70°, large knob for easy alignment. Laser engraved latitude scale in 2 degree increments. Single knob azimuth control, bi-directional +/- 10 degrees, X/Y axis leveling bubbles. Variable slip clutch, 6.0" diameter both axes, one knob design. Full 360 degree rotation in both R.A. and DEC. Fully enclosed R.A. and DEC. worm and worm gear. Photographic instrument weight capacity 100 lbs. Equatorial Head weight 75 lbs. Breaks down into R.A. 37.5 lbs. & DEC. 37.5 lbs. Removable counterweight shaft with safety stop, 1.25" diameter. Includes two 21 lb weights. Split dovetail saddle plate design, 1.00" X 6.00" X 8.00" Dovetail plate drops in and locks allowing for interchanging of any tube assembly - reduces the need for DEC. weights. Accepts all "D" series dovetail plates. 7 lb and 11 lb extra counterweights available Off axis polar scope, works in Northern and Southern hemisphere. (Polar scope optional.) GEMINI II SERVO SYSTEM
The Losmandy Gemini 2 system is a DC servo motor-based go-to computerized positioning system. The upgraded Maxon DC servo motors supplied with the Gemini 2 have higher torque through their entire range of tracking and slewing speeds than the motors on standard Losmandy mounts that don’t have a go-to capability. The drive system has a dual 12~18V DC input/output and draws 3.0A maximum.
The servo motors used in the Gemini 2 have two main advantages over the stepper motors normally used in scopes. First, servo motors run with a continuous smooth rotation, rather than the discrete short steps taken by stepper motors. This results in less image “jitter” in extremely high magnification planetary observing and stars that are tighter and more point-like in critical astrophotography applications. Second, servo motors have very high torque, even at high slewing speeds. As a result, the Gemini 2 system can deliver a maximum slew rate of approximately 6 degrees per second with the HGM Titan mount.
The Gemini 2 computer is a stand-alone system, with no PC required for operation in the field. A full-color graphic touch screen on the hand control of the Gemini 2 system clearly displays all functions. There is a classic four-button diamond pattern for guiding, centering, moving, and slewing on both the touch screen on the front of the computer and on a tactile four-button membrane on the rear. There is also support for the original Gemini four-button controller.
The Gemini 2 has 0.5 arc second positioning accuracy during go-to operation. It is GPS-compatible with an optional #LGPSG2 receiver. It has Ethernet 10/100 with full IP function to permit operation from anywhere using a browser, ASCOM, or an application over the web or serial port. There is also custom mount support using a programmable gear rate function.
The more than 40,000 object memory of the Gemini 2 is non-volatile and the system contains a real-time clock. You can select from English, French, and German language displays. There are two USB ports; one for virtual COM to PC, and one for an ASCOM or planetarium program. There is PEC correction built in and an auto-guider port. The firmware can be upgraded via the internet. There are ports for future high-resolution encoders and a multi-function A/D I/O serial port.
The following databases, comprising about 41,000 stars and objects, are built into the Gemini 2 system, more than enough to keep even the most avid observer busy for some time! You get the Messier catalog (110 objects), the revised NGC catalog (7840 objects), the revised IC catalog (5386 objects), the Sh2 Sharpless 2 catalog (313 objects), a catalog of 167 bright stars, and a 17,635 star catalog of SAO stars.
TRIPOD – included in our price All machined aluminum, black anodized. Semi-pier tripod design Adjustable height, 40"- 62" Removable legs with clamps. Tripod weight 66 lbs. 7.00" diameter pier - 3.50" diameter legs. |
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