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4096 EUR
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price without VAT: 3330 EUR
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EQ8-R is an improved version of the most powerful mount available in the Sky-Watcher offer, adapted to cooperate with a load of about 50 kilograms! In practice, this means that this head can successfully be used to mount and precisely guide the largest astrographs with diameters of up to 16 inches, along with full equipment. One of the most important differences between the EQ8-R and RH heads compared to the classic EQ8 mount is the cable management system developed by Sky Watcher. Professional astrophotography requires connecting many dedicated cables responsible for power supply, data transmission, synchronization and control. In such a thicket of various cables, it is very easy to damage or tangle them, therefore, meeting the expectations of users, the new versions of the EQ8 mount have their own USB hub and also three power outputs with cabling routed inside the head. Thanks to this, when using the EQ8-R and EQ8-RH mounts, it is no longer necessary to use multi-meter cables and external hubs.
The issue that causes sleepless nights for designers of professional astrophotography mounts is the precision of tracking. In the case of the EQ8-R mount, this has been achieved by using the best components available on the market. This head uses hybrid stepper motors that drive the worm gears of the declination and right ascension axes via intermediate belt drives. This solution allows full use of the excellent resolution of the 0.9° step motors while eliminating any vibrations.
The Sky-Watcher EQ8-R mount has the same parameters as the EQ8-RH model, but differs in the lack of an encoder on the right ascension axis.
• precise, hybrid stepper motors driving the declination and right ascension axes, driving the worm via a vibration-eliminating, intermediate belt transmission
• SynScan WiFi adapter for controlling the installation via a wireless network
• Permanent Periodic Error Control (PPEC) based on direct reading of the worm gear position • power supply: 11 - 16 V, 3 A
• head weight: 25.8 kg
• counterweight axle weight: 2.6 kg
• counterweight weight: 2 x 10 kg
• Counterweight axis diameter: 31.5 mm
• assembly load capacity: 50 kg
• optical tube mount: Losmandy
• Right ascension gear: worm gear, ratio 435:1
• Declination gear: worm gear, ratio 435:1
• intermediate transmission: belt in the declination and right ascension axis
• height adjustment: 10 - 65°
• horizontal adjustment: ±10°
• polar scope: optional, external
• setting the polar axis: programmatically or using the polar scope
• Periodic Error Control: Permanent (PPEC), 200 segments
• Home position: Power on reset
• limit on the right ascension axis: mechanical
• Output connectors: RJ10, RJ12 (ST-4), RJ45, 3 x 2.1 mm power plug, 4 x USB 3.0
• Input connectors: USB-B, RJ10, RJ12 (ST-4), RJ45, 2.1 mm power plug
• SLR shutter control: yes, snap socket
• motors: hybrid stepper motors, 0.9° / step, 64 microsteps
• Stepper motor resolution: 44,544,000 pulses/revolution, 0.03"
• guidance accuracy: <5' RMS
• tracking speeds: sidereal, sidereal + PEC, solar, lunar
• autoguiding speed: 0.125x, 0.25x, 0.5x, 0.75x, 1x
• maximum feed rate: 3.7° / s
• tracking modes: EQ Mode
• surface finish: anodized, black
• gross transport dimensions: 54.5 x 64 x 75 cm / 51 kg + 2 x 26 x 13 x 24 cm / 10 kg • Sky-Watcher EQ8-R head
• SynScan driver
• controller cable
• power cable with cigarette lighter plug
• cable for controlling the shutter of Canon SLR cameras
• counterweight axis
• counterweights 24 months The basic model is EQ8. Then Sky-Watcher released its improved versions EQ8-R and EQ8-RH (let's call them "R" series - they have a common instruction manual).
The "R" series differs from the EQ8 in what Sky-Watcher calls the Cable Management System [1] - in fact, a built-in USB hub and power concentrator, which allow most of the cables to be routed inside the head housing, thus avoiding damage and facilitating their replacement [2].
Going further, the EQ8 had two encoders, in the declination and right ascension axis, on which the Freedom Find function was based - a wealthy user of such a mount could turn the handle and after engaging the clutches, the mount did not lose position. I will quote here the instructions for the EQ8 version [3]: "The EQ8 mount is equipped with auxiliary encoders on both the RA axis and Dec. axis. Therefore, the mount can keep tracking its current position even when a user unlocks the clutches and rotates the mount in RA axis and Dec. axis manually.
With this feature, a user can manually operate the mount anytime without worrying about losing the mount's alignment status. When the user wants to operate the mount with the SynScan hand control again, no alignment is required and all that is needed to be done is to re-lock the clutches."
In the case of the R series the differences are as follows. The EQ8-R model has no encoder, while the EQ8-RH has a Reinshaw encoder in the RA axis, which is not responsible for the Freedom Find function, but for minimizing the mechanical periodic error [4]:
"The EQ8-RH mount is equipped with a Renishaw's high resolution incremental encoder on its RA axis. It helps to reduce/eliminate the influence of mechanical periodic error while the mount is tracking an object for astrophotography"
Another difference - belt-driven intermediate transmission. The EQ8 model had only one, on the right ascension axis (Belt driven transmission to limit RA backlash) [5], while the EQ8-R and EQ8-RH have such a solution on both axes (Belt-drive On Both Axes. Belt drives provide minimal backlash and significantly reduced periodic error, which means smoother, more accurate tracking) [1] [6].
To sum up:
• EQ8: old version, two encoders, freedom find, only one belt drive
• EQ8-R: improved version, cable management system, no encoders, two intermediate belt drives
• EQ8-RH: improved version, cable management system, Reinshaw encoder, two intermediate belt drives Reference:
[1] https://www.skywatcherusa.com/collections/eq8-r-series-mounts/products/eq8-r-mount-head-only-with-counterweights
[2] http://philhart.com/skywatcher-eq8-rh
[3] https://inter-static.skywatcher.com/upfiles/en_download_caty01461886719.pdf
[4] https://inter-static.skywatcher.com/downloads/eq8r_v2.pdf
[5] https://skywatcheraustralia.com.au/product/eq8-goto-mount/
[6] https://www.skywatcherusa.com/products/eq8-rh-mount-head-only-with-counterweights
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