{"id":9230,"date":"2013-06-01T01:00:38","date_gmt":"2013-06-01T11:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/?p=9230"},"modified":"2013-06-20T10:01:01","modified_gmt":"2013-06-20T20:01:01","slug":"the-ioptron-zeq25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/darkerview.com\/wordpress\/?p=9230","title":{"rendered":"The iOptron ZEQ25"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had been looking to acquire another astrophoto toy. The desire is for a small, portable astrophoto setup. Yes, I am aware that the words “portable” and “astrophoto” do not really belong in the same sentence, all things are relative.<\/p>\n

Thus I have decided on the new iOptron ZEQ25<\/a>. It is a new design, with some radical differences from the more traditional German equatorial mounts.<\/p>\n

The mount is pretty small, a mere 10 pounds of steel and aluminum. Compact enough to be packed into a suitcase for air travel. Performance sufficient to do wide field astrophotography with focal lengths up to 1000mm and a DLSR camera. Perfect for use with either my TV-76 or AT6RC<\/a>. Unlike my old Losmady G-11 it features a modern GOTO system and can be run from the computer.<\/p>\n

\"AT6RC<\/a>
AT6RC atop an iOptron ZEQ25 mount, note the additional counterweight necessary<\/figcaption><\/figure>The chatter over at Cloudy Nights<\/a> was promising<\/a>. A few early production mounts were in the hands of some stateside amateurs, and they have been posting their impressions<\/a> and images. I was particularly impressed by the measurements of periodic error with results around two arc seconds. This was a small mount that could very easily be a good astrophoto option.<\/p>\n

I ordered the mount from the good folks at OPT<\/a>. It was not yet listed in the website catalog, but a phone call confirmed they were expecting delivery of three mounts shortly. I put down my deposit. A week later I had confirmation that the mount had been received and was ready for shipment to Hawai\u02bbi as promised.<\/p>\n

Anticipation quickly set in… No problem, I just have to wait a few more days… Working on the summit I get a message that a box with my name has arrived in shipping and receiving. Yes!! The mount has arrived early. On the drive back down the mountain I note the clear skies and plan an evening of playing with my new astro toy. Arriving in shipping I look at a box too small to hold the entire mount, it is only the tripod, box 1 of 2 of the shipment. No sign of box 2… Noooooo!! I must wait another day.<\/p>\n

To my great relief the second box did arrive with the UPS truck the next day…<\/p>\n

So did the clouds. <\/p>\n

Under a leaden grey sky I set up the mount for the first time. It appears that the new astro gear curse is in full effect. At least I can assemble everything.<\/p>\n

\"ZEQ25<\/a>
The bottlescrew and locking levers on the ZEQ25 latitude\/altitude adjustment<\/figcaption><\/figure>I was pleased with what I found. Everything looks well made, this is no Astrophysics, but it looks pretty good for the price. A few tests show that everything appears to be working. Quality control at iOptron can be varied. A few months back I helped a friend set up a new iOptron mount, in the process we found that two buttons on the hand controller did not work. A little investigation revealed solder flux on the switch contacts. At least it was easy to fix.<\/p>\n

The mount can be used for any latitude from 0° to 60°. For latitudes under about 35° it is necessary to change out the adjustment knob, a sort of a bottlescrew<\/a> arrangement. It only takes a few moments to swap out the knob. I will have to find a home for the longer bottlescrew to insure it does not get lost. Once latitude is adjusted a pair of locking screws, one on either side, securely lock the adjustment.<\/p>\n

\"iOptron<\/a>
The iOptron ZEQ25 set up for astrophotography with a TeleVue-76 and Canon 60D<\/figcaption><\/figure>Balancing is done by releasing each worm gear using a locking screw and release knob. This allows free motion of the mount, a very convenient feature. I did remove the RA motor cover to see how this is done. The locking screw is atop a spring that applies pressure to the worm, engaging it with the worm gear. The release knob has a cam that lifts the worm free of the worm gear. A simple and effective arrangement. <\/p>\n

I was unable to balance the AT6RC with the supplied 10 pound (4.7kg) counterweight. At least twice the weight is needed to achieve balance with this OTA. No problem, I have some brass around somewhere to make another counterweight. In the meantime I kludged one of my Losmandy weights in place by means of a small piece of aluminum inserted under the locking screw before tightening. The kludge allowed an evening of tests.<\/p>\n

Powering up the mount I commanded a couple manual slews. Everything moves smoothly, there is a variety of odd noise emitted by the servo motors. This mount noise will be interesting to listen to through the night. At least you know when it it tracking. Balance appears critical… I experienced a couple RA overcurrent errors early on, rebalancing seems to have solved that issue.<\/p>\n

An hour in the shop the next day produced a heavier counterweight from some 6″ brass rod. With this the mount balances the AT6RC nicely. Another evening in the shop will be required to make a Vixen style dovetail plate for the TV-76. Now I just need some clear skies! The forecast is not encouraging. One of my oh-so-helpful friends comments that the clouds last a number of days after a purchase that is in proportion to the cost of the astro-gear in question. The ZEQ-25 isn’t that expensive!<\/p>\n

\"Comet<\/a>
Comet C\/2011 L4 PanSTARRS, 10x4min with TV-76 and Canon 60D @ISO2000<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n