Pegasus FocusCube v2

Focus fast, reliable and accurate your telescope by using the “FocusCube 2″. The evolution of technology in astronomy requires a system which will assist the focusing of the telescope with great accuracy. Fast optics and modern camera devices require automatic focusing in every small period of time as temperature can affect focal length and modify the optimal focus position. Pegasus FocusCube has been developed to meet all of these requirements.

Designed in high quality with modern electronics, FocusCube can provide digital precise focus control from a PC. Device includes a stepper motor for absolute position focusing. Electronics and stepper motor are enclosed in a compact sized box. Do not be fooled by its size! This device can easily lift more than 6kg (212 ounces) of imaging equipment when the telescope points to the zenith!

This stepper motor is a high resolution geared stepper motor (Step Angle 7.5, Deg 120, Gear Ration 1:120). Its gearbox has very low backlash and high torque suitable to focus in micron scale! You only need this device to focus! Attach the FocusCube to your refractor / reflector / SCT telescope, plug the power, USB cable, download ASCOM drivers or standalone software and you are ready to go!

IMPORTANT NOTE
FocusCube is a standalone device and includes controller functionality.
No physical hand controller is included or required.
DO NOT pair it with the Dual Motor Focus Controller or any other controller in the market.
DO NOT connect this RJ45 port to the Ultimate Powerbox RJ45 Stepper Output
The RJ45 port at the back is only for the hand controller or the included temperature sensor.

High torque & resolution stepper motor
Embedded unipolar stepper motor has a powerful and very low backlash gearbox. Motor Step Angle is 7.5 deg but the 1:120 reduction gearbox turns the reduction rate to 0.06255 deg / step. As firmware implements half step drive, the motor can execute twice the steps per cycle. This means 11510 steps per cycle! Bottom line: You can focus in microns, easily and with great accuracy.

Motor can lift up to 6Kg of equipment (212 ounces) of imaging equipment when the telescope points to the zenith!

Two diferent bracket versions
You can choose between:

Universal bracket: which fits to most focusers in the market
Baader Diamond Steeltrack
Baader Steeltrack
Explore Scientific Focuser
MoonLite Focusers
Skywatcher Esprit Series Focuser
Starlight Feathertouch Series
Takahashi Focusers
Vixen ED81S
William Optics GT71
William Optics RedCat

SCT Bracket: SCT Bracket fits to Celestron C Series, Celestron Edge and Celestron RASA telescopes.
Please note
We provide three SCT versions. The difference is in the metal pulley bore diameter & the screw length in the package. Please make sure you have selected the correct type!

Temperature Probe
An external digital temperature sensor input is located near the motor connector. A digital probe of one meter (3 feet) length is supplied. The probe can be placed near the focuser so the exact temperature of the focuser / environment can be seen through the supplied software or ASCOM driver (probe is always included)

Expansion Port / Manual Focus (optional accessory)
FocusCube includes an expansion RJ45 port at the back of the enclosure. This port provides input for the temperature sensor. An optional hand controller for manual focus control can be acquired for those who might want to add this functionality.

ASCOM supported
The controller is fully compatible with latest ASCOM 6.4

INDI (Open Astronomy Instrumentation) supported
Pegasus Focuscube is fully compatible with INDI. Driver is included in stable libindi.
Official Indi Driver : http://indilib.org/devices/focusers/pegasus-dmfc.html

Standalone program supported
The controller can be operated by the standalone software.
(Only available for Windows)

All required cables are included
A 1.8m USB Type B cable
Six solid motor couplers are included
Six solid, different bore size, motor couplers are provided so you can select the coupler that fits to your focuser’s shaft. Choose between 3mm to 8mm couplers. All of them are included in the “Universal” package.

Firmware upgrade support
Controller firmware supports re-programming via the USB 2.0 connection using upgrade software, for future upgrades which may become available. We constantly receive feedback from our customers and keep updating the firmware and software with new features.

2 Years warranty
For the FocusCube device and the temperature sensor.

Compact size
56 x 63 x 39 mm / Weight 350g

In the box
FocusCube (L Universal Bracket or SCT Bracket) ✔
Temperature Sensor (0.6m) ✔
USB type B Cable (1.8m) ✔
Six different motor couplers (bore diameter from 3mm to 8mm) – Universal Version ✔
Two Aluminium Pulleys (60 & 40 teeth) and transmission belt – SCT Version ✔
Different sizes of screws and spacers ✔

Technical Specifications
Supply Voltage 12V – 13.8V DC
Motor Compatibility Stepper Motor is inside the enclosure
Motor Output None
(Stepper Motor inside in the enclosure)
USB Connectivity USB 2.0 Type B plug
Thermal Sensor Resolution 9-bit Celsius temperature measurements
Power Input Connector 2.1mm Centre Positive Socket
Motor Specs High resolution geared stepper motor
(Step Angle (Deg) 7.5 / 120

(Gearbox reduction rate = 0.06255 Deg).
5755 steps per circle of rotation.
about 1 micron per step
* Firmware implements half step drive so one motor cycle is 5755 x 2 = 11510 steps
Very low backlash (about 30 steps in half step drive)
Dimensions 56 mm x 63 mm x 39 mm
Weight 300g
Operating Temperature -40 °C to +80 °C

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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