Pegasus Falcon Rotator V2

The Falcon Rotator v2 is our new large aperture (M68) camera field rotator that impresses with its lightweight, low-profile design. Despite its slim profile, it possesses the remarkable capability to manage and accurately position even heavy image trains.

Operating the Falcon Rotator v2 is a seamless experience, thanks to its compatibility with classic ASCOM, native ASCOM Alpaca drivers and the Unity Platform software. This user-friendly design simplifies the process of automatically and precisely orienting your camera field, making your astrophotography endeavors significantly more convenient and efficient.

Estimated launch: January 2024

Quick Overview
Large Aperture: M68 opening on both sides
Slim Backfocus: 15.5mm

De-Rotation support: For Alt-AZ field derotation

USB-C Connectivity: Single cable for power and data.

Rotates heavy imaging gear. Up to 6Kg

Wi-Fi Enabled: Hotspot and Wireless 2.4GHz client support.

ASCOM Alpaca Support: Seamless integration with popular software.

Firmware Upgradability: Future-proof with software updates

Large aperture in a slim design

The Falcon Rotator 2 has an impressively low profile, slim 15.5mm backfocus thickness and features openings on both sides with an M68 (2.67 inches) x 1mm pitch thread.

The motor has been strategically positioned away from the optical axis to ensure it does not interfere with your equipment.

Field De-Rotation support for Alt-Az mounts

Rotator has the mechanical precision to achieve field de-rotation. Supplied Unity Platform calculates Rate of Rotation (RoR) based on the site latitude, target altitude and azimuth position.

By fine-tuning the micro-step drive control of the motor, derotation can achieve an resolution as precise as 5 arc-seconds.

ASCOM Alpaca Native Support
Falcon Rotator v2 offers Alpaca native support and a convenient web interface for easy smartphone control of your device.

ASCOM Alpaca outshines classic ASCOM drivers with its platform independence, modern web standards, streamlined installation, remote control capabilities, extensibility, and open-source options. This ensures superior compatibility and user-friendly performance, making it the preferred choice for advanced astronomy applications.

Falcon Rotator v2 comes equipped with an integrated web server that seamlessly communicates with Alpaca clients natively. This integration enhances the user experience by providing easy access to image-rotation control through ASCOM Alpaca but also monitoring from any device with a web browser such as a smart phone.

Cable Wrap Prevention
Rotator does not allow a clockwise turn above 220 degrees. It will turn anti-clickwise when it has to be moved above 220 degrees.

A nice cable wrap/snag prevention feature out of the box.

Technical Specification
Physical Size 180mm x 140mm x 56mm
Material Anodised Aluminium
Clear Aperture M68 / 1mm pitch thread
Steps per degree Supports micro-stepping (x2,4,8,16,32)
Payload 6Kg / 13.2lbs
Telescope Side M68 Opening
Camera Side M68
Back Focus 15.5mm
Weight 0.7Kg / 1.54 lbs)
Connectivity USB 2.0 with USB-C
Operating Power 5V, 0.9A

Some items that are showing as in stock are in stock at our holding warehouses, not at the shop. To double check the stock levels at the shop, please contact us on 01909774369 or sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

The delivery times for most items is 1 - 2 days but again, please double check stock levels on important orders before placing an order via the website.

The delivery costs for courier next day are for mainland UK only. If you live in the Scottish Highlands/Islands, Channel Islands or Northern Ireland, then a shipping surchage will apply. please contact us for prices. Smaller items can still go 1st class via Royal Mail.

Please note that if you are wanting to take advantage of our Saturday and Sunday timed services or next day pre 12 or pre 10:30 services, you MUST check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. Also, orders using the Saturday and Sunday services must be placed before 1pm the previous working day. Also, please remember to check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. If the stock is not at the shop, we won't be able to ship on any of the timed services. 

Please note International customers will need to contact us for a shipping price prior to ordering via the website. We don't ship all items internationally. It is at our discretion what we ship outside of the UK. This all depends on the size and weight of the items. Please get in touch with us for any postage costs. Please note we do NOT ship telescopes or heavy items outside of the UK. This is due to massive postage costs and problems regarding returns.

If you have any questions regarding stock levels or delivery, please get in touch.

Zygo Interferometer Testing For ED Refractor Telescopes!

We are extremely pleased to announce our Zygo Interferometer is now installed and ready for use! Our experienced staff can test refractor lenses up to 120mm aperture and provide a comprehensive 2 page report showing the optical quality and Strehl ratio, plus much more information. We are using the very latest Zygo MX software to provide a more detailed report compared to other standard reports.

The interferometer is essentially a measuring instrument. Within the interferometer is a calibrated laser that is pointed through the optical test surface, then onto a high quality reference sphere, then back through the test subject then to an internal camera which gives us the measurement on the screen. From this, we can adjust the position of the test optic and the reference sphere to obtain a perfectly calibrated system. The more central the laser to the test optic and then on return, the better and more accurate reading and measurement we can take. This takes a lot of adjustment to get the best results from the optical surface. Once the measurement has been taken, we are provided with a series of results that show the optical quality of the surface plus other information. Continue reading for an explanation of the individual values and you can also see a test report that was done on one of our RVO Horizon 60 OTAs. 

We are offering certain telescopes with a Zygo test at an extra cost. Mainly ED doublets and triplets. All available telescopes with a Zygo test report are listed here. Just select Zygo Test Report from the drop down box at the top of the listing and we will test the optics in house and provide a full 2 page report with your scope. This will show you the optical quality of your telescope optics. We can also offer this service on your refractor telescope. Please get in touch for more details about this. 

At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope.  We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument. 

Other measurements such as the PV and RMS are important too. With these measurements, the lower the number the better as it shows less curvature on the lens. The flatter an optical lens, the better it will perform. The PV rating (Peak To Valley) is a measurement from the highest point (Peak) to the lowest point (Valley). From this we get the RMS (Root, Mean, Square). This is a similar figure to the PV and measured exactly the same way. The RMS is basically an average height difference from the PV so again, the lower the better. As you can see form the example below, we measured an RMS of just 0.027 wave which is a very good value.

We also measure the Power with our systems which is essentially the error from the reference sphere to the test optic. The reference sphere we use on our system is a very high quality sphere so the closer to zero the Power, the less error between the 2 elements thus ensuring a higher quality optical surface. 

You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is. 

Once the Zygo test report has been completed, the optical alignment is thoroughly tested and tuned to ensure they are spot on before they leave us. 

All available telescopes are on the website at the link below and ones we've tested already that are available straight away are also listed.

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/zygo-tested-refractors.html

Here is an example of the test what we provide. This was a test on one of our Horizon 60 ED OTA's.

For any questions about this amazing new service, please either call 01909774369 or email sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

Are you interested in this product but would like to speak to someone with some more information? Simply fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

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