Avalon Linear background and unboxing.

[ollypenrice]

Hi All,

AVALON LINEAR FAST REVERSE GEM

I've owned or used nine mounts for deep sky imaging. At some point all but one have given trouble from backlash. The eight that did used worm and wheel drive and the one that didn't was (and is) a roller drive, the Mesu 200. Call me an idiot but this predisposes me towards worm-free designs...

As you probably know, the Avalon mounts use toothed belt and pulley drive as used to turn car camshafts or the back wheels of Harley Davidsons. Just as one might suspect that the Mesu roller must surely slip (it doesn't) one might expect the Avalon drive to be too elastic. Owners say it isn't, which is why I find myself opeing one up right now. I'd have bought another Mesu but I don't need its payload, so I ordered the belt drive Avalon for less expensive wormless technology.

Yes, it looks stylish, red and Italian. This is absolutely not why I bought it. The Mesu is quirky, black and Dutch. I really don't care about these things but it's a handsome mount. Apart from its wormlessness I chose the Avalon for the following reasons:

- The payload is fine for the TEC140.

- The metalwork is excellent, more 'tool room' than 'production line' in quality, fit, finish and design. Materials are first class.

- The manufacturer is identifiable and if you have a problem you can speak to the boss, Luciano. In fact he rang me rather than the other way round because he wanted to come and visit.

- Motors and electronics come from the EQ6 which is more than fine by me. They are proven and easy to locate should spares be needed. I doubt that there are many hidden mysteries in this mount and no 90 Euro cables to replace. (Thanks you, Takahashi...)

- Ian King had them available with a useful discount.

- Sara, Yves, Paul J and a number of other imaging buddies have been happy with theirs at longer focal lengths/finer sampling rates than I will be using.

- I suppose I do have a small commercial interest in using equipent which is currently 'being talked about' in the community. I don't sell kit but people may visit in order to try things for themselves.

Well, it arrived in a box during a monumental hail storm. The top layer revealed the handset and cables etc...

http://ollypenrice.smugmug.com/Other/Takahashi-EM200TEC140/i-366pJDm/0/X3/LAYER%201-X3.jpg

While the next layer was more interesting...

http://ollypenrice.smugmug.com/Other/Takahashi-EM200TEC140/i-9xt6Zbb/0/X3/LAYER%202-X3.jpg

The mount is light and easy to handle. I like the stainless C/W shaft and weight and the stainless fastenings. I also like the fact that it comes with a top plate which can just be bolted onto any flat pier top and then the mount sits on that and is bolted down FROM ABOVE. Eureka!!! No more Owl's Nest palaver, no more spindley threaded riser bolts and no special pier top to make or buy. It is just there in the box. Wow, it took a while but well done Avalon. Here is the top plate.

http://ollypenrice.smugmug.com/Other/Takahashi-EM200TEC140/i-SdgQq5K/0/X3/TOP%20PLATE-X3.jpg

I could kiss it!

The only manual was for the Synscan but you can treat polar alignment just as you would on an NEQ6.

OK, that's the theory and the unboxing. I'll report on the nitty gritty of performance as soon as possible. My thanks as usual to Ian King from whom I ordered the mount. He includes an EQ Direct cable for EQ Mod enthusiasts, whom I'm intending to join shortly.

Olly

[strutsinaction]

Hi Olly

Very nice! I received my Linear Fast + Geoptik Hercules tripod from Ian King last week. Both superbly engineered. Now looking forward to trying out with my 8SE OTA once I get a 4Kg counterweight from Ian (the 6Kg is a little on the heavy side for balancing this OTA).

Looking forward to hearing your views on performance once you've got it setup. I can only compare mine to my Nexstar 8SE so I think I'm going to be impressed.

John

[DrRobin]

I went from a EQ6 to a M-Uno, but since the EQ6 was only set up and taken down each night and the M-Uno is in an obs it isn't really fair to compare the two for accuracy.  What I would say is once the M-Uno is aligned if I slew to another object that requires a meridian flip it is just as close as if it had gone through meridian, which to my mind indicates that the belts are behaving themselves.

It tracks really nicely requiring only small adjustments from PHD and of course it looks fantastic, so overall very pleased.

Robin

[ollypenrice]

Thanks Robin and John. It is still pouring down outside, though set to improve big time tomorrow. I did a build up and loaded the TEC140. With the giant TEC flattener and full frame CCD. This is quite a beast but it looks fine. I was dead lucky with balance. I couldn't quite balance with the one counterweight and although I have spares for two different shaft diameters the Avalon, of course, needed a third diameter! However, I found a small C/W intended for the front of a wedge SCT and added this to the very end of the Avalon C/W shaft, holding it in place with a bolt to replace the original safety stop. Perfect.

I must say that I'd have been alarmed by the elasticity in the belts but everyone says they work so hey-ho.

That nice pier top also bolts straight onto an EQ6 tripod, which is great. You just take of the north pin from the original and use two big countersunk screws to bolt it to the standard tripod. What a nice flexible arrangement. It really does need to become standard. Bolting mount heads on from below needs go the way of the dodo.

Olly

[Barry-Wilson]

Good for you Olly.  I'm sure you won't regret it and I look forward to seeing the results!

Best wishes,

Barry

[ollypenrice]

Another Avalon thing just made me smile. I hadn't thought of it before but it shows the quality of the thinking. There is a normal spirit level, nice and big, running east-west on the mount base. Most mounts have a circular bubble level. How silly is that? Your north-south tilt will be dealt with entirely by adjusting your mount's altitude. Whether you do this by using the tripod legs or the altitude adjuster cannot possibly matter in the least. Mounts do not need to be level to be polar aligned (we alrady know this) but there is a case to be made for their being so in order to reduce interplay between N/S and E/W when drift aligning. However, even here we can see that Avalon are right. Only East-West needs to be level. North South just needs to point at celestial north, full stop. Who cares how this is acheived?

One of those D'oh moments!

<olly

[perfrej]

Ah, looking forward towards more reports and actually seeing the thing in the flesh next week! I wonder how it compares to my now belt driven NEQ6 with SKF bearings and super-tight slack free posture. Time will tell!

I kind of like the sparsely populated top layer of the package

/per

[ollypenrice]

Ah, looking forward towards more reports and actually seeing the thing in the flesh next week! I wonder how it compares to my now belt driven NEQ6 with SKF bearings and super-tight slack free posture. Time will tell!

 

I kind of like the sparsely populated top layer of the package

 

/per

Your NEQ6 isn't belt driven, Per. (Is it?????) Only your worms and wheels are belt driven!

As you say, will it work? I blinking well hope so!! To be seen...

Olly

[swag72]

As you say, will it work? I blinking well hoe so!! To be seen...

Olly I have no doubt that it will work a dream for you. I have been very impressed with the Avalon. 329mm focal length is neither here nor there, but 2350mm is a different matter altogether and it copes admirably I have no reason to think that it will do anything other than perform well with the TEC on it!

[perfrej]

I'll just put my TEC-140 on the GM2000HPS and run unguided. There!

AS for the NEQ6, yes, it still has the worm. Haven't tried tinkering with that yet (and won't). It sounded smooth as a baby's - shall we say - cheek, though.

/p

[fwm891]

Hi Olly - My Linear works a treat with a range of fl's from circa 300mm to circa 1650mm. I use mine via EQDirect EQMod etc to a laptop PC. Guiding is via Maxim and the errors reported back with the 1624 RC8 are minor < 0.6 pixels even on poor nights.

Be interesting to see what your getting with your skies - Francis