Rowan AZ100 Mount Owners Thread

[Space Hopper]

Nearly 5 years late to the party, but i'm here now 😀

Purchased this used, but its a beauty, and fully kitted out

Still feeling my way around with the motor control software, but i'll get there. A bit of a learning curve when you are used to easy push-to with a Nexus DSC.

Getting a nice balance with my refractor & binoviewers is proving a challenge, but again, i'll get there.

Hope you like it 🙂

 

I'm also experimenting with power requirements and battery placements.

[Stephenstargazer]

Looks great 😊. Still a bif of learning curve but you can also control the motor mount with a DSC, so at least the alignment, catalogues etc are familiar.

Edited September 17 by Stephenstargazer

[Deadlake]

On 17/09/2024 at 00:44, Space Hopper said:

Getting a nice balance with my refractor & binoviewers is proving a challenge, but again, i'll get there.

I did not get a great balance until I got the Y axis adapter. In action below with quite a heavy stack on the back and perfectly balanced.
Even with an FT3545 an extension tube is required to get focus with a TV 67 mm EP, so quite a moment of torque acting there.

Edited September 18 by Deadlake

[JTEC]

Hi @Space Hopper. In case it’s of interest, I too have my TEC 140 on the motorised AZ100, on the Berlebach Planet tripod.  I bought the counterweight and bar and use it more because I forked out for it than out of practical need. Carrying the TEC, prism, binoviewer, etc, the mount itself is unchallenged and smooth and stable without the counterweight.  I think that a key factor in the setup’s overall stability is the very robust Planet tripod.  With a smaller base, lighter tripod, I think that overall balance - inclination to tip - would be an issue.  Before the Planet, I had the setup on a pier and everything was, as you’d expect, solid as a rock.  I do find striking a nice balance of scope with different accessories on the mount quite delicate.  Before I had the motors fitted, despite lots of experience, I found it quite tricky and, even with the adjustment optimised as best I could, precise positioning and following was not helped by the torque and ‘twang’ in the slow  motion cables.  The motors stabilise things somewhat.
Overall, it’s a terrific mount and pretty well perfect, imv, for the 140. As an aside and unless I’ve missed something, I’d really like to see progress with the much talked about hand-controller, which I think would make an exceptional mount even more user-friendly and versatile.

Edited September 18 by JTEC

[Deadlake]

20 minutes ago, JTEC said:

As an aside and unless I’ve missed something, I’d really like to see progress with the much talked about hand-controller, which I think would make an exceptional mount even more user-friendly and versatile.

@swsantos has the hand controller. He is away on a trip plus the hand controller  requires a software update to work to the AZ100 to function.

[heliumstar]

Got my motors yesterday and will fit them sometime this week but what I'm actually waiting for is Rowan tripod!

[josefk]

Just to chip in my twopenneth worth on the Y-axis plate. I held off on this part feeling it was a bit of a luxury item (i was quite happily balanced most of the time without it) and anyway i could get some weight below the horizontal centre line of the scope using the battery i have for dew bands etc mounted on the offside of the mount (and below the pivot) and this felt like it was enough to counteract any rearwards rollover imbalance.

Anyway somehow i have ended up fitting one after all and I set things up at home to achieve X and Y balance. Last night at first use it was kind of revelatory - i had the scope in such perfect balance i could leave it pointing where i liked with the altitude clutch fully off, i just added a bit of tension back on to the clutch to use the altitude slomo.

I have to redo the y-axis balancing exercise at some point in the next few days because i'm making other changes to my set-up (finder) and it seems getting the maximum benefit out of the Y-axis plate needs attention to very small adjustments (it is very sensitive to small changes) but if i can achieve the same sweet spot again i'll be very happy.

An unlooked for extra benefit is that i am using the eyepiece counter balance shaft on the rear (projecting towards me) and it made for a nice extra handle - it should help me curtail my bad habit of steering the scope using the diagonal.

Bravo Rowan! 

 

[Space Hopper]

Thankyou chaps for all your comments / suggestions.

I currently have the two saddle plates and a pan / tilt handle with the small 750g Rowan counterweight on 'Saddle B' , so am experimenting with that and moving the weight up and down.

I have an observing buddy with his own Y axis adjuster  on his AZ100 and he whole heartedly recommends it.

He's only using a much lighter 125mm doublet though.

 

Regarding the upcoming hand controller, i had a good chat with Derek at Saturdays IAS.

They had one on their display mount, and its currently at its final stage of development.

Derek told me it would be ready for release 'in a few weeks' so i'll probably order that, and the Y plate at the same time.

[josefk]

6 hours ago, josefk said:

Just to chip in my twopenneth worth on the Y-axis plate. I held off on this part feeling it was a bit of a luxury item (i was quite happily balanced most of the time without it) and anyway i could get some weight below the horizontal centre line of the scope using the battery i have for dew bands etc mounted on the offside of the mount (and below the pivot) and this felt like it was enough to counteract any rearwards rollover imbalance.

Anyway somehow i have ended up fitting one after all and I set things up at home to achieve X and Y balance. Last night at first use it was kind of revelatory - i had the scope in such perfect balance i could leave it pointing where i liked with the altitude clutch fully off, i just added a bit of tension back on to the clutch to use the altitude slomo.

I have to redo the y-axis balancing exercise at some point in the next few days because i'm making other changes to my set-up (finder) and it seems getting the maximum benefit out of the Y-axis plate needs attention to very small adjustments (it is very sensitive to small changes) but if i can achieve the same sweet spot again i'll be very happy.

An unlooked for extra benefit is that i am using the eyepiece counter balance shaft on the rear (projecting towards me) and it made for a nice extra handle - it should help me curtail my bad habit of steering the scope using the diagonal.

Bravo Rowan! 

 

i feel like Baldrick from Blackadder. Doh!

When i first set this Y-axis plate up for balance in the Y-axis i kept demounting my scope to move the saddle a few mm then tested balance again, the trial and error method took maybe 30 or 40 minutes.  I've just reset the Y-balance to account for a slightly repositioned finder and done it more perfectly than before and in less than 5-min, maybe less than 2-mins and I now i understand why it is an easy field adjustment if you would swap scopes in a session.

My epiphany came because i was feeling lazy and  i didn't demount the scope from the mount while preparing to adjust it - i just eased the Y-plate-to-saddle machine screws off a bit and with the scope pointing vertically simply pushed the saddle "across" (i.e. down) a bit till it sat perfectly still pointing vertically. Instant perfect balance XY.

I now understand why the extra screws on the stop bolts are screws you can tighten by hand - you can basically use them to push the saddle into balance - virtually on the fly.

To be fair all the necessary information for this 'hack" is in Rowan's instructions - i just didn't read them very carefully 🙂 

Now the thing is worth every penny and more. Impressed.

 

 

[Deadlake]

17 hours ago, josefk said:

i feel like Baldrick from Blackadder. Doh!

When i first set this Y-axis plate up for balance in the Y-axis i kept demounting my scope to move the saddle a few mm then tested balance again, the trial and error method took maybe 30 or 40 minutes.  I've just reset the Y-balance to account for a slightly repositioned finder and done it more perfectly than before and in less than 5-min, maybe less than 2-mins and I now i understand why it is an easy field adjustment if you would swap scopes in a session.

My epiphany came because i was feeling lazy and  i didn't demount the scope from the mount while preparing to adjust it - i just eased the Y-plate-to-saddle machine screws off a bit and with the scope pointing vertically simply pushed the saddle "across" (i.e. down) a bit till it sat perfectly still pointing vertically. Instant perfect balance XY.

I now understand why the extra screws on the stop bolts are screws you can tighten by hand - you can basically use them to push the saddle into balance - virtually on the fly.

To be fair all the necessary information for this 'hack" is in Rowan's instructions - i just didn't read them very carefully 🙂 

Now the thing is worth every penny and more. Impressed.

 

 

Have you got the knobs for the Y adapter?

The knobs are expensive from Rowan but can also be sourced from Amazon.

I balance the scope horizontally and then rotate the scope vertically.
Then pull the saddle in the Y adapter left or right untill balance is achieved.

Pushing the scope around with a finger due for clutches being off makes sweeping around the skies very enjoyable.

Edited September 19 by Deadlake