New Ioptron MinTower mount

[netwolf]

Hi All,

This was revealed at the NEAF but is now on the Ioptron site.

http://www.ioptron.com/products_con....IAL%20KIT&id=2
I wonder what the price might be for this.

Regards
Fahim

[h0ughy (David)]

Alan Gould bought one of these ages ago well before NEAF. I think he did a review of it. As for price, i think Sirius Optical carry them for 365

[TrevorW]

Watch out anything with plastic gears is got to be dodgy, how much harder would it have been to make them out of aluminum at least. Overpriced as far as I'm concerned and not for the serious amateur from what I've seen of the reviews. Believe they also produce a bigger brother

[coldspace]

This one is the bigger brother of the cube. I have had plastic gears in my ETX and it has had lots of use over the years and now the kids use it with no probs.( touch wood) This would be a good entry goto mount for general observing and hopefully its got agood price so it may allow alot of people to get more intrested in the hobby. Other than that I don't know anymore about these other than what I have read on them. Time will tell.

Matt.

[netwolf]

This is not the same one Alan and others have bought in the past. As Matt rightly deduced this is the bigger brother. With 25lb carying capacity and ability to balance with another 8lb load ont he counter shaft side. One of the American vendors on CN forums indicated that the capcity could be increased by 50% with some accessories. Also the website mentions metal worm/gears. Look under the Features/Specs tab.
Here is a pic with two side scopes on. http://www.ioptron.com/Files/Image/dualsetup.jpg
I think the only con that was picked up at the Neaf was that the shaft could not be moved side to side to balance, more load on the 8lb side.


Regards
Fahim

[netwolf]

Sorry guys for those using Internet Explorer link does not seem to goto the mnitowerpage.

MiniTowerTM is the perfect combination of capacity and portability.

25 lbs. of Payload Born out of the popular iOptron CubeTM, MiniTowerTM is the ultimate observing solution for people who are searching for a capable and portable GoTo telescope mount to counter light pollution in their backyards and for travel convenience. With a standard payload of 25 lbs, a rock solid 1.5”alloy/stainless steel tripod, metal worm and gear and two dovetail adaptors, MiniTowerTM is capable of handling a majority of the OTAs that have ever been made. Its payload can be even further enhanced by more than 50% with heavy-duty accessories.

Extremely Portable With all the standard components (excluding the tripod) packaged in an alloy metal case, MiniTowerTM can easily be carried around in a car trunk or as an airline luggage. The whole system takes only 10 minutes to assemble. This unlimited portability, combined with the internal GPS, gives amateur astronomers extreme flexibility in selecting an observing location.

Accurate GoTo and Tracking Equipped with the most advanced SmartStarÒ GoTo technology, MiniTowerTM is one of the most powerful and accurate GoTo mounts. The standard 8401 hand controller offers the superb navigation experience with an 8 line LCD back-lit display, a 130,000 object database and a USB port for easy connection with ASCOM compliant PC planetarium programs. With a typical GoTo accuracy of 1 arc minute and the SmartStarÒ precision auto-tracking, MiniTowerTM will consistently bring the celestial object of your choice to the center of the eye-piece and keep tracking for hours.

Additional Unique Features Powered with other features such as automatic over-current protection, automatic clutch protection for both axes, easy 3-point level adjustment, dual scope setup with two dovetails and much more, MiniTowerTM is one of the most user-friendly GoTo mounts available today.

Specs/Features

* 25 lb Payload
* 8 lbs of additional payload on the balancing side
* All metal (aluminum alloy and stainless steel ) heavy duty tripod
* 1.5”/1.25” stainless steel legs
* Internal GPS
* 8401 controller with USB port and 130,000 objects in database
* Accurate SmartStarÒ GoTo and auto-tracking
* Conical bearings, 4 steel ball bearings
* Metal worm/gears
* Automatic over-current protection
* Automatic clutch protection for both axes
* Typical GoTo accuracy: 1 Arc Min.
* Resolution: 1 Arc Sec.
* Dual scope setup with two dovetails
* High accuracy level indicator
* 3-point easy level adjustment
* Manual push-to for both Axes
* Standard counterweight
* Standard travel case
* Standard AC adapter
* Standard USB cable
* Standard DC adaptor cable with car lighter plug

pictures
http://www.ioptron.com/upload_img/pr...54118MT_sm.jpg
http://www.ioptron.com/Files/Image/case.jpg
http://www.ioptron.com/Files/Image/dualsetup.jpg