Table of Contents
Advertisement
Quick Links
M-uno
SINGLE ARM EQUATORIAL MOUNT
(Made in Italy)
USER MANUAL
Version 2.0.1 July 2020
All the pictures and contents included here are propriety of
AVALON INSTRUMENTS
.
They cannot be reproduced, published, copied or transmitted in any way, including the internet, without the
written permission of
AVALON INSTRUMENTS
.
Advertisement
Table of Contents
Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel
Related Manuals for Avalon Instruments M-Uno
Summary of Contents for Avalon Instruments M-Uno
- Page 1 M-uno SINGLE ARM EQUATORIAL MOUNT (Made in Italy) USER MANUAL Version 2.0.1 July 2020 All the pictures and contents included here are propriety of AVALON INSTRUMENTS They cannot be reproduced, published, copied or transmitted in any way, including the internet, without the...
-
Page 2: Safety Recommendations And Warnings
SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS AND WARNINGS • Read carefully the manual before installing and using the mount. • Use the power cable supplied with the mount or a 12V- 3A stabilized power supply as suggested in the manual. • Connect the power cable correctly and securely to the power socket. •... -
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Technical Specifications..................6 Forewords......................7 1. Packing Content...................8 2 Mount Description..................9 3. M-Uno Initial Setup...................12 3.1 Latitude Range Setting....................12 3.2 Installing the M-Uno on the Tripod.................15 3.3 Telescope installation....................17 4. Telescope Balancing...................19 4.1 Dec Balancing......................19 4.2 RA Balancing......................20 5. M-uno mount stationing................22 5.1 Latitude Fine Adjustment..................22... -
Page 4: Technical Specifications
Technical Specifications Type of mount Single Arm Equatorial Fast-Reverse Head weight 14,9 kg (32.8 lb) Maximum load 20 kg (44 lb) for photographic use, 25 kg for visual. Motion System Four-step reducer via pulley toothed-belt system on ball bearings, with zero play on both axis. (Belt Drive System) Construction Machined from solid blocks of anodized aluminum with high Materials... -
Page 5: Forewords
Forewords This manual describes the Avalon M-Uno mount, the procedures for its mounting and tuning on the tripod and for the installation of a telescope. Additional Information on the M-Uno mount and on the StarGO control system, containing also the procedures for the use with third-party software and in particular with the ASCOM driver, are reported in the StarGO manual which is part of the mount supply. -
Page 6: Packing Content
Packing Content Open the box to take all the content out. Extract all the components from the small cardboard box and from the mount bag side pocket putting them on a clean, flat surface. Component List Car lighter power cable Mount head with tripod plate and dovetail Counterweight with support shaft platform, including the StarGO control... -
Page 7: Mount Description
20 kg (44 lb). The following drawing show the M-Uno mount dimensional characteristics. Dimensions are in The M-uno design was developed on the basis of the linear fast reverse, making use of the same technical concepts: •... - Page 8 2.000 rpm and thermal stress from 0 to 90°C (30 to 195 F) in a few minutes, we can think that the life cycle of the M-uno toothed belts will be extremely long ! It is important to underline that in the gear-worm systems the motion transmission has only one tangent point of contact, any errors on each of the two components will, sooner or later, result into a tracking errors.
- Page 9 If the 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-uno makes the initial calibration of guiding CCD quick and easy.
-
Page 10: M-Uno Initial Setup
The latitude range setting must be performed before installing the mount on the tripod. As said, the M-uno can be used in a wide range of latitudes from about 15° to 70°. This range is divided into three different ranges of latitude. - Page 11 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. Remove the two screws from the brass latitude adjustment plug. ©...
-
Page 12: Installing The M-Uno On The Tripod
A mechanical or digital compass can be used to perform this task. The M-Uno comes with a plate for attaching the mount on the tripod. It is shipped with the correct holes for most of the tripods available on the market. The following figure shows how to mount it on a T-Pod: ©... - Page 13 North to achieve a polar alignment. Attach the plate with the 3 screws provided for that purpose. The following are the steps necessary to install the M-Uno mount on a T-Pod tripod: Unscrew the azimuth adjustment knobs a few turns by rotating the azimuth adjustment knobs in opposite directions.
-
Page 14: Telescope Installation
This section is focused solely on telescope installation. The M-uno comes equipped with a Losmandy type 75 mm female dovetail saddle which is used to attach the optical tube assembly on the mount. - Page 15 Remove the mount transport handle (if installed) and place the mount arm in the position shown on the left picture, unlock the declination knob and rotate the axis until the female dovetail saddle is horizontal. Firmly lock both the axis knobs.
-
Page 16: Telescope Balancing
With the M-uno mount it is better to start balancing the DEC axis rather than the RA axis. The M-uno is unique in that it allows the RA axis to be almost automatically balanced with any telescope. -
Page 17: Ra Balancing
4.2 RA Balancing Balancing the M-uno mount in the Right Ascension axis is different from the other German Equatorial Mounts, but it is quite easy to do. The balance is performed in two phases, one raw and the other more precise. - Page 18 This is a major improvement because once the M-uno is balanced, the counterweights do not need to be moved at all. The design provides a level of stability that is most appreciated during long ©...
-
Page 19: M-Uno Mount Stationing
M-uno mount stationing Before using the M-uno mount it is necessary to position its polar axis parallel to the earth’s axis of rotation. In this chapter the operations to trim the latitude and the azimuth and to perform the mount alignment to the celestial pole using the standard polar scope (or the optional alternative) will be described. -
Page 20: Azimuth Regulation
Alt-Az Polar Alignment The following table shows the knobs rotation arc-minutes amount for a fine Polar Alignment adjustment with one full knob turn. Mount Linear M-uno M-zero Mount Axis Arc minutes per knob turn 91,2 79,2... -
Page 21: M-Uno Polar Alignment
M-Uno Polar Alignment The procedure for Polar Alignment with the M-Uno mount depends on the Polar-scope model. The M-uno mount comes with the Skywatcher Polar-scope inserted on the RA axis. The optional Polar-scope external mounting kit is also available the for... - Page 22 polarscope model: the classical reticle (with Octans, Big Dipper and Cassiopeia) and the new one (with the only Octans constellation). 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.
-
Page 23: Polar Alignment With A Losmandy Polar Scope
In case of use of the default reticle (that of the left) the operations to be performed are the following: Loosen the DEC latch and rotate the axis until the hole in the axis is in the front of the polar scope, allowing it to see the sky and the Polaris in the field of view. -
Page 24: External Programs For Polaris Finding
consideration that the position in the slots varies depending on the year. The four slots for two of the axes are related to the observation years reported in the border of the reticle. 4. When the three star are correctly positioned in the slots tight the Altitude and Azimuth knobs against the respective contrast blocks and, 5. - Page 25 the star route around the North Pole. A simpler alternative is not to rotate the axis and put the Polaris in the same position it appears in the application screen. This is done with much more precision with the new type of reticle. Below is reported one example where the Polaris is located at about hour 11:15.
- Page 26 polar alignment will be achieved. In this example the polaris is located at 11:15 position considering a 12 hours watch dial. The Losmandy polar scope allows a more precise alignment because it is based upon the positions of three stars (Polaris, UMi e OV Cep) and their correspondent locations in the scope reticle as seen in this illustration.
-
Page 27: More Modern And Precise Approaches To Polar Alignment
LineAR body. This adapter is provided as an optional one among the several accessories for the mount. The Avalon Instruments has also developed a special software that, among several others functions, has a tool to perform a precise polar alignment using the “plate solving”... - Page 28 APPENDIX A MOTORIZED POLAR ALIGNMENT KIT With the M-uno it is possible to assemble the optional Motorized Polar Alignment Kit. The kit is composed by two motors: the Altitude motor and the Azimuth motor, they are controlled by the AUX1 and AUX2 port of the StarGo. In order to manage them, they should be connected with the two provided RJ11 cables as shown in the picture below.
- Page 29 depending on the button pressed up or down in case of Latitude motor or left/right in case of Azimuth motor. By holding pressure on the Fn key and then pressing the FOCUS+ key, it is possible 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.
- Page 30 Starting from the StarGo_620_SP4 software version, it is also available an intuitive tool that allow more controls on the Alt/Az motors. To enable this software version it must be checked the AUX as Motorized Polar Alignment option in the AUX tab, as shown in the picture below. 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.
Need help?
Do you have a question about the M-Uno and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers