Happy New Year, Everone!
On this very last day of 2022, I published a new article on my website that covers the recent update I made on my Askar FRA400 Imaging Platform - where I have moved to the new ZWO AM5 Harmonic mount!
This mount uses an entirely new technology to drive the telescope! Where most equatorial telescopes are driven by a classical worm gear arrangement, the AM5 uses Harmonic or Strain Wave Gear Technology for their mount.
This is a new mount on the market, but not the only one using Strain Wave Tech - you can expect to see more in the near future.
Strain Wave Technology is currently used extensively in Robotics and the Aerospace industry and is just coming to telescope mounts now!
This article covers why I moved from my previous mount, explores the Strain Wave Drive technology that the AM5 uses, and covers my experience moving to this new technology.
The full post can be seen here:
https://cosgrovescosmos.com/astrogear/fpa400-ver2
A companion video discussing this topic can be seen on my YouTube Channel here:
https://youtu.be/Cerd-BcaMW4
(consider Subscribing - you get to watch my flail as I try to learn the video side of things...  )
Please accept my wishes for a healthy, happy, and fruitful 2023!
Pat
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I switched a couple of weeks ago. You won't regret it!
Clear skies in 2023!
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I have been surprised at how good it has been so far!
Happy New Year!
pat
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I 'm a beginner and decided to start astrophotography with the AM5 mount. It's really good. I've gotten about .3 to .7 arc-seconds (is the proper term "arc-seconds" or is it "RMS"?) with my asi290mini autoguider using ASIAIR Plus. And that's in very mediocre seeing conditions. I love how portable it is, when the weather gets better I'll want to get out of San Francisco into some Bortle 2 skies within 2 hours from where I live.
I think you'll be happy with this mount. Be sure to use 18 gauge DC power cables. I had a 22 gauge cable that was causing problems when I was powering my ASIAIR Plus from the AM5's DC output. At first I thought it might be a problem with the Air Plus, then I thought it might be a problem with the AM5 supplying sufficient power, but it turned out that the cable was the culprit...
Here are 3 of my first images with the AM5:
https://www.astrobin.com/users/jsg/ |
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A harmonic drive mount has a lot of advantaged but a common characteristic of harmonic drive systems is periodic error. Have you measured it? I've wondered if these mounts come with prerecorded PEC data or is that something that you do right out of the box?
John
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John Hayes:
A harmonic drive mount has a lot of advantaged but a common characteristic of harmonic drive systems is periodic error. Have you measured it? I've wondered if these mounts come with prerecorded PEC data or is that something that you do right out of the box?
John
Hi John,
Each AM5 mount comes with a performance sheet showing the maximum and minimum periodic error for that particular mount, every mount is different and will show different numbers. Mine shows a maximum of 17.5" and a minimum of 9.7", obviously autoguiding is needed. With autoguiding performed by the ASIAIR Plus, my guiding numbers are down to around .3 to .7 arc-seconds in below average seeing with a waxing first-quarter moon. Not bad for a mount that weighs less than 12 pounds!
I've attached the PE test report that comes with each AM5 mount. I think the factory rejects anything greater than +20, -20 arc seconds.
By the way John, I am a big fan of your fantastic images, you're much an inspiration to me!
Jerry
www.jerrygerber.com
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Jerry Gerber:
I 'm a beginner and decided to start astrophotography with the AM5 mount. It's really good. I've gotten about .3 to .7 arc-seconds with my asi290mini autoguider using ASIAIR Plus. And that's in very mediocre seeing conditions. I love how portable it is, when the weather gets better I'll want to get out of San Francisco into some Bortle 2 skies within 2 hours from where I live.
I think you'll be happy with this mount. Be sure to use 18 gauge DC power cables. I had a 22 gauge cable that was causing problems when I was powering my ASIAIR Plus from the AM5's DC output. At first I thought it might be a problem with the Air Plus, then I thought it might be a problem with the AM5 supplying sufficient power, but it turned out that the cable was the culprit...
Here are 3 of my first images with the AM5:
https://www.astrobin.com/users/jsg/
Hi Jerry,
Looks like you are off to a great start, and the images are evidence of this!
When I run from my driveway I have a 30amp 12v supply and heavy-duty cables and a power pole distribution mechanism. Seems to work great!
Clear skies,
Pat
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Jerry Gerber:
I 'm a beginner and decided to start astrophotography with the AM5 mount. It's really good. I've gotten about .3 to .7 arc-seconds with my asi290mini autoguider using ASIAIR Plus. And that's in very mediocre seeing conditions. I love how portable it is, when the weather gets better I'll want to get out of San Francisco into some Bortle 2 skies within 2 hours from where I live.
I think you'll be happy with this mount. Be sure to use 18 gauge DC power cables. I had a 22 gauge cable that was causing problems when I was powering my ASIAIR Plus from the AM5's DC output. At first I thought it might be a problem with the Air Plus, then I thought it might be a problem with the AM5 supplying sufficient power, but it turned out that the cable was the culprit...
Here are 3 of my first images with the AM5:
https://www.astrobin.com/users/jsg/
Hi Jerry,
Looks like you are off to a great start, and the images are evidence of this!
When I run from my driveway I have a 30amp 12v supply and heavy-duty cables and a power pole distribution mechanism. Seems to work great!
Clear skies,
Pat
John Hayes:
A harmonic drive mount has a lot of advantaged but a common characteristic of harmonic drive systems is periodic error. Have you measured it? I've wondered if these mounts come with prerecorded PEC data or is that something that you do right out of the box?
John
Hi John,
I only have one night on it, but the Periodic Error chart that comes with the mount shows a distribution of error at any given angle rather that a specific error level as you would get with a typical worm drive. based on this - plus the recommendation to use guide exposure of cycles that are as short as 1 -second, suggests that guiding is scaling these errors to something much smaller - but without a specific PE pattern that could be used for PEC. But once I get more time in on this, I will have a better feeling for it!
Thanks,
Pat
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Jerry Gerber:
I 'm a beginner and decided to start astrophotography with the AM5 mount. It's really good. I've gotten about .3 to .7 arc-seconds with my asi290mini autoguider using ASIAIR Plus. And that's in very mediocre seeing conditions. I love how portable it is, when the weather gets better I'll want to get out of San Francisco into some Bortle 2 skies within 2 hours from where I live.
I think you'll be happy with this mount. Be sure to use 18 gauge DC power cables. I had a 22 gauge cable that was causing problems when I was powering my ASIAIR Plus from the AM5's DC output. At first I thought it might be a problem with the Air Plus, then I thought it might be a problem with the AM5 supplying sufficient power, but it turned out that the cable was the culprit...
Here are 3 of my first images with the AM5:
https://www.astrobin.com/users/jsg/
Hi Jerry,
Looks like you are off to a great start, and the images are evidence of this!
When I run from my driveway I have a 30amp 12v supply and heavy-duty cables and a power pole distribution mechanism. Seems to work great!
Clear skies,
Pat
John Hayes:
A harmonic drive mount has a lot of advantaged but a common characteristic of harmonic drive systems is periodic error. Have you measured it? I've wondered if these mounts come with prerecorded PEC data or is that something that you do right out of the box?
John
Hi John,
I only have one night on it, but the Periodic Error chart that comes with the mount shows a distribution of error at any given angle rather that a specific error level as you would get with a typical worm drive. based on this - plus the recommendation to use guide exposure of cycles that are as short as 1 -second, suggests that guiding is scaling these errors to something much smaller - but without a specific PE pattern that could be used for PEC. But once I get more time in on this, I will have a better feeling for it!
Thanks,
Pat
Yes, that's true Pat. The math is beyond me but strain wave mounts do not show a specific PE pattern.
The guiding numbers I am getting are based on 1 second exposures using the ASI290mini as my guide camera and the Sky Watcher 50mm Evostar guide scope.
I tried to get into astrophotography in 2005, I bought a Takahashi mount and telescope. But it was the weight of the mount that caused me to give up the pursuit, I just could not justify the back pain I was getting from setting up and taking apart the equipment. For me, the strain wave mounts made it all doable (now I can have a back-strain free experience due to the strain-wave mount! ;>). And they're only going to get better and more companies are going to be making them. Ioptron is making several models and I hear that one by Celestron is in the works. The Pegasus NYX-101 looks really interesting as well. I read a detailed comparison between the AM5 and the Rainbow Astro RST-135, the author's conclusion about the AM5 is very interesting. The link to the article is here:
https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/news/systematically-improving-guiding-quality-and-zwo-am5-mount-review.html\ |
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Jerry Gerber:
I 'm a beginner and decided to start astrophotography with the AM5 mount. It's really good. I've gotten about .3 to .7 arc-seconds with my asi290mini autoguider using ASIAIR Plus. And that's in very mediocre seeing conditions. I love how portable it is, when the weather gets better I'll want to get out of San Francisco into some Bortle 2 skies within 2 hours from where I live.
I think you'll be happy with this mount. Be sure to use 18 gauge DC power cables. I had a 22 gauge cable that was causing problems when I was powering my ASIAIR Plus from the AM5's DC output. At first I thought it might be a problem with the Air Plus, then I thought it might be a problem with the AM5 supplying sufficient power, but it turned out that the cable was the culprit...
Here are 3 of my first images with the AM5:
https://www.astrobin.com/users/jsg/
Hi Jerry,
Looks like you are off to a great start, and the images are evidence of this!
When I run from my driveway I have a 30amp 12v supply and heavy-duty cables and a power pole distribution mechanism. Seems to work great!
Clear skies,
Pat
Thanks Pat!
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Hi AM5 fans ...
I recently bought an AM5 and had 'first light' a few days ago.
It is soooo good - easy to manage and very importable. I can lift the AM5 and TC40 tripod with one finger - including the ZWO pier extension.
Results so far have been great - guided error was < 0.25" on the first attempt - first pic here.
For anyone willing to make the investment, IMHO it is definitely worth the money.
My only criticism is the stability of the TC40 tripod - the legs flex too much, so I designed a tripod spreader and weight supports, which make it rock-solid for a heavy refractor like the 130PHQ.
Im looking forward to 'second light' if the weather ever clears down here 
Cheers,
Gary
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Jerry Gerber:
Hi John,
Each AM5 mount comes with a performance sheet showing the maximum and minimum periodic error for that particular mount, every mount is different and will show different numbers. Mine shows a maximum of 17.5" and a minimum of 9.7", obviously autoguiding is needed. With autoguiding performed by the ASIAIR Plus, my guiding numbers are down to around .3 to .7 arc-seconds in below average seeing with a waxing first-quarter moon. Not bad for a mount that weighs less than 12 pounds!
I've attached the PE test report that comes with each AM5 mount. I think the factory rejects anything greater than +20, -20 arc seconds.
By the way John, I am a big fan of your fantastic images, you're much an inspiration to me!
Jerry
www.jerrygerber.com
Hi Jerry,
Hey thanks for that information! It sure sounds like an intriguing mount and I look forward to seeing what you can do with it!
Best regards,
John
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John Hayes:
Jerry Gerber:
Hi John,
Each AM5 mount comes with a performance sheet showing the maximum and minimum periodic error for that particular mount, every mount is different and will show different numbers. Mine shows a maximum of 17.5" and a minimum of 9.7", obviously autoguiding is needed. With autoguiding performed by the ASIAIR Plus, my guiding numbers are down to around .3 to .7 arc-seconds in below average seeing with a waxing first-quarter moon. Not bad for a mount that weighs less than 12 pounds!
I've attached the PE test report that comes with each AM5 mount. I think the factory rejects anything greater than +20, -20 arc seconds.
By the way John, I am a big fan of your fantastic images, you're much an inspiration to me!
Jerry
www.jerrygerber.com
Hi Jerry,
Hey thanks for that information! It sure sounds like an intriguing mount and I look forward to seeing what you can do with it!
Best regards,
John
Hi John,
The 3 astro images at the top of this page https://www.jerrygerber.com/photography/gallery.htm are my very first attempts at astrophotography. I'm using the Esprit 100 refractor, the ZWO ASI2600MC camera, the AM5 mount and ASIAIR Plus for polar alignment, focusing, autoguiding and image management. I am also learning Pixinsight for processing. I'm just a beginner but having much fun learning this new pursuit!
Jerry
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