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Is there a Rotator similar to the Zerotator

swag72

By swag72
in Discussions - Cameras

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swag72

swag72

Posted
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Here's the Zerotator - What a fab looking piece of kit and as a manual version so very simple. I want to have a rotator that fits between my camera and the focuser. There is the Pyxis LE which has a 2" barrel on the focuser end and so that is a no no for me as I'm all a screw fit kind of gal :) I do have a rotator on the scope, and it rotates the whole focuser. But there's an issue...... If i rotate it so that the camera is in a good square position, the rack and pinion 'gubbins' are facing in an upwards kind of position and in that way the focuser slops as there's no gravity to help keep the groves of the R&P in the track ... So to speak. 

I can jack up the tension on the focuser, but then the auto focuser isn't happy and doesn't work properly.

So onto the Zerotator again... something like this would fit in between the camera and focuser tube and would only rotate the camera, so the focuser R&P will be working perfectly. Has anyone seen anything like this? My searching has turned up nothing..... :( 

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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I'm surprized the orientation affects the mesh of the R and P. I've never had this happen.

Let's assume you only ever want to rotate by 90 degrees to choose between landscape and portrait. (Is that a valid assumption?)

If so, could you not rotate the tube in the rings till you were in one of the four desired orientations (either landscape or landscape180, or portrait or portrait 180.)  Assuming your screw fit camera won't be perfectly orthogonal with the focuser (big coincidence if it were) then you could choose, say, the landscape orientation which had the focuser the right way up and part of the way towards the nearest portrait position. This way, rotating the focuser between landscape or portrait would only involve, on average, a 45 degree shift from focuser-horizontal.

Bit of a mouthful to explain. Let me try a scribble. The drawing shows only the chip and the focuser spindle. To get to the position in the top drawing you rotate the whole OTA. To change to the bottom position you use the scope's rotator.

rotator.thumb.jpg.cc549f8b63dc05e3753e8156e04944a6.jpg

Olly

 

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swag72

swag72

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Doh! Why didn't I think of that? Rotate the scope in the rings!! 

I too was surprised that the rotation of the focuser affected the meshing of the R&P, but it certainly did. Once the tensioner was tightened it was fine, but of course, that doesn't work with an auto focuser. I'll have a look at how it would go if I rotated in the rings.

I would love one of those Zerotators though..... It looks great!!

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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4 minutes ago, swag72 said:

Doh! Why didn't I think of that? Rotate the scope in the rings!! 

 

You're not supposed to say that, you're supposed to say, 'Olly, what a genius you are!' Now I'm REALLY in a sulk.

:icon_mrgreen:lly

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swag72

swag72

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2 hours ago, DaveS said:

Something like this?

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p7356_TS-Optics-T2-360--rotator---only-5-5mm-back-focus.html

A good find - But I'd want something much more substantial than 5mm!!! Now if I could find that at about 5cm thickness and so zero chance of flex and movement I'd get it in a heartbeat!

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DaveS

DaveS

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OK, I guess your cameras are a bit heavier than the little ASI 1600 and 5-pos wheel I'm using. I have it between the 48mm variable spacer on the 0.79x TS reducer and FW. The 5mm gives me just the extra spacing I need.

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swag72

swag72

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15 hours ago, Horwig said:

I too love the stuff from VSI, but what a price! Could you not get an adaptor made up to fit a Tak CAA from your FSQ to whatever scope you need?

Huw

It is specifically some kind of rotator that I need, so I'm not sure if anyone makes them.

 

16 hours ago, DaveS said:

OK, I guess your cameras are a bit heavier than the little ASI 1600 and 5-pos wheel I'm using. I have it between the 48mm variable spacer on the 0.79x TS reducer and FW. The 5mm gives me just the extra spacing I need.

I wouldn't trust the TS 5mm rotator to do the job for me...... I wouldn't need any spacers though as I don't have a reducer / flattener in the mix.

19 minutes ago, billdan said:

Sara couldn't buy the zerotator even if she wanted one, sadly VSI factory burned down in a forest fire back in 2013.

http://www.observatory.org/index.htm

Cheers

Bill

 

I saw that Bill - What a shame..... I guess the guy never went back to it. 

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Gina

Gina

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This is something I'm interested in too.  I'm rotating the whole of my widefield imaging rig which I have well in hand but would like to rotate the camera on telescopes such as the Esprit 90ED Pro.  The Teleskop Service one looks interesting but I do wonder at the accuracy.  I also want to remote control so I don't think this one is suitable.  No doubt I'll work out a DIY jobby :D

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Horwig

Horwig

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1 hour ago, swag72 said:

It is specifically some kind of rotator that I need, so I'm not sure if anyone makes them.

Is the CAA not a manual Rotator? And can be motorised via the Takometer (If you can find one), or the mechanism r3i found above.

Huw

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swag72

swag72

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This is for my TMB not the Taks....... There's a rotator on the TMB, but there's issues when the R&P is upside down and it doesn't seem to be meshing accurately under those circumstances.

 

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swag72

swag72

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3 minutes ago, Horwig said:

That's what I guessed, is it not possible to get an adaptor made to fit a CAA to the TMB?

I have no idea.... But the CAA on the Taks rotate the complete focuser as I recall?

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Horwig

Horwig

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53 minutes ago, swag72 said:

I have no idea.... But the CAA on the Taks rotate the complete focuser as I recall?

Not if it's anything like the CAA on mine, it screws into the back of the drawtube, the captain's wheel used to rotate the focuser I believe

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Juha

Juha

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26 minutes ago, swag72 said:

When I looked at the Gemini focuser, said that it was suitable for a number of scope types..... Didnt mention refractors..... So perhaps that's not the thing I need!

Yep, it is for large Ritchey–Chrétiens, Dall-Kirkhams and Schmidt–Cassegrains.

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