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Clement Bellerophon focuser
I thought it worthwhile posting some images of my new Bellerophon focuser. When doing research a few months back, I found very few photos of it in situ.
I bought this for my Tak FSQ106. I had a Robofocus unit that worked well when I had a light camera. However, when I traded up to an STL11000, which is a heavy beast, the Robofocus soon gave up - the extra weight of the camera put a strain on the motor and added some flexure to the drawtube.
Its certainly unattractive but it is built like a brick s...house and is very precise. The gearing is such that my Robofocus can run through 25,000 steps to move the focuser about 3cm. So it allows for very precise focussing.
As you can see, the Robofocus drives the focuser via a studded belt. You can position the motor to the side or directly upright. I prefer the latter as it helps with balancing the scope.
So far, after some teething issues with FocusMax, it runs very well. If you don't want to spring for a FLI Atlas, this is a good option if you have a heavy payload.
Pete
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