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Model: 20107Brand: Skywatcher
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Generally In Stock, Please Confirm Before Ordering
A full upgrade kit with everything required for easily upgrading the standard (non-PRO) EQ mountings for computerised GOTO capabilities. Kits comprise V.3 SynScanTM Flash Upgradeable GOTO handset, 2 x Stepper Motors for DEC and R.A. Drives, Replacement Control Panel / Motor Board, Hand Control Cable, Cable Clamp and Hand Control Holder (12V D.C. Power Supply required - not supplied).
Tour the night sky at the touch of a button
Hardware Features:SynScan TM V.3 Firmware Updateable Hand ControlNew features include ongoing firmware updateability via the internet, Pointing Accuracy Enhancement (PAE), and capability to store star alignment data.High precision stepper motors Motor Controller: Microstep driving with auto-power saving feature Resolution: 0.288 arc second Slew Rate: 0.5x, 1x, 8x, 16x, 32x, 64x, 400x, 500x, 600x, 800x Tracking Rate: Sidereal, Lunar, Solar Tracking Mode: R.A. tracking ST-4 type Autoguider Interface: Support 0.25x, 0.5x, 0.75x 1x guiding rate Power requirement: 11 to 15 V DC 2 Amp (Tip positive) (Power supply not included)
Software Features:Alignment Method: One-Star Alignment, Two-Star Alignment, Three-Star Alignment Pointing Accuracy: Up to 1 arc min Object Catalogues: Messier, IC, NGC, Caldwell 13740 Object Database: Including Planets, Named Stars, Double Stars, Variable Stars & User-Defined Objects Backlash compensation Periodic Error Correction Premium PC Interface: ASCOM compatible, Nexstar-5i compatible protocol and command set User-tunable LCD contrast, LED backlight and buzzer volume
I bought this to upgrade my EQ5 mount for a Skywatcher 200P. No problems with delivery - it arrived a few days after I ordered it. As other reviewers have said the installation instructions are poor. I cant fault RVO for that but Skywatcher need to get their act together. Fortunately I had to de-install my dual axis drive first so it was obvious what to do.When it first arrived there was a problem with the PCB and it had to be replaced. I have to say that RVO were absolutely superb in helping to diagnose the fault and then sorting out a no-quibble replacement. This is the real reason for my 5 star rating: this kind of service is worth its weight in gold in my opinion.Regarding the drive itself its very impressive seeing the telescope move itself around the sky to its new targets. It definitely beats having to manually find targets.
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Delivered the day after I ordered, which is great. The upgrade kit is great but the installation instructions are not good. The instructions don't even mention how to attach the motors and the cogs.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.
Decided to add the Synscan to my Eq5 and after watching some youtube videos I had no issues installing it. Had clear skies for a few hours last night and even a 1 star quick alighment was still very good. Took some pics of Andromeda and it tracked very well even without a guidescope.Thanks to the peeps Rother Valley!
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
I bought this Synscan kit back at the end of last summer. The main reason for my purchase was that I was having trouble finding faint deep sky objects that weren't near any bright stars, and the upside down wrong way round images just made things even worse!So I upgraded my basic EQ5 mount that I used with my 8" 200P and found it very easy to attach all the motors, gears and electrical hardware (not that there is much) The only problem I had was that after initializing the scope it wouldn't align properly by either the 1-2 or 3 star alignment procedure. This turned out to be my power supply! The scope needs a good constant 12V system and after sorting this out the scope now works a treat! I've used it in a range of temperatures ( -4'c the other night) and had no problems at all. If you're wanting to take deep space pictures like I did this set up is a must! I use a Canon 1100D to take images, and I also have a range of heavy Explore Scientific eyepieces, the scope handles them with no problems at all. So far (and with very little skill) I've been able to capture images of M51, M13 including NGC 6207 and IC 4617, beautiful pictures of the Orion nebular and even the very faint magnitude 12 Perseus A!As long as you take time to align the scope correctly (make sure it's level, balanced and aligned with polaris) it'll drop you right on any M, NGC, IC object you want in minimum time and keep them in the field of view!I've never used the scopes lunar, solar or planetary tracking options so far but I would imagine it can handle these with ease also. In all a great bit of kit and an absolute must if like me you just can't get your head round reversed images and want to take deep sky pictures!
67 of 67 people found this review helpful.
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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Skywatcher EQ8-R Pro SynScan GOTO Mount & Pier Tripod£4,199.00
The Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro is an exciting evolutionary progression of the popular EQ8 Pro. The EQ8-R Pro is an extra heavy-duty, observatory class German equatorial mount, with a payload capacity of up to 50kg.
Skywatcher EQ8-R Pro SynScan GOTO Mount Head Only£3,399.00
Skywatcher EQM-35 Pro SynScan GOTO Modular Equatorial Mounting System£699.00 £659.00
The Sky-Watcher EQM-35 PRO Synscan Modular Equatorial Mount offers the versatility of two mounts in one! A normal Go-To equatorial mount and a lightweight photo imaging mount, which is convenient for travelling.
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