Gemini Bt. - 2091 Etyek, Alsohegy u 7 - Hungary Tel +36 70 332 7090 - astronomy@astronomy.hu
Gemini MoFoD Fork Mounts
Fork mounts have the following advantages over German Equatorial mounts
- No counterweight needed - smaller inertia can be rotated faster.
- No meridian flips needed - no lost time.
- No guider recalibration or field rotation needed.
- No collision with the pier is possible - more safety in remote mode.
Disadvantage - NONE
Forks were not as flexible to changing OTA as German Equatorial mounts. Our Modular Fork Design allows changing the OTA by simply sliding the fork arms out or in. Any compact telescope from 340 to 540mm wide can ride this fork.
- No counterweight needed - smaller inertia can be rotated faster.
- No meridian flips needed - no lost time.
- No guider recalibration or field rotation needed.
- No collision with the pier is possible - more safety in remote mode.
Disadvantage - NONE
Forks were not as flexible to changing OTA as German Equatorial mounts. Our Modular Fork Design allows changing the OTA by simply sliding the fork arms out or in. Any compact telescope from 340 to 540mm wide can ride this fork.
Why a Fork? Why not!
What is Modular Fork Design (MoFoD)?
Our MOFOD Fork Mounts are easily separated into 4 main parts, the RA base, the horizontal arm (tube) and the two fork arms.
The orthogonality of the main axes is adjustable, ensuring maximum pointing precision.
Two persons can do the setup in 1 hour with a set of allen keys.
Our MOFOD Fork Mounts are easily separated into 4 main parts, the RA base, the horizontal arm (tube) and the two fork arms.
The orthogonality of the main axes is adjustable, ensuring maximum pointing precision.
Two persons can do the setup in 1 hour with a set of allen keys.
Tech talk
The mount rests on a robust RA head that sits in an aluminium casting, holding two large tapered roller bearings. The shaft upper (larger) diameter is 140mm . To drive the mount we choose friction drives for their very low PE and rock solid operation. The slight backlash present in large wormgears or the trend to vibrate if unbalanced is absent and the slewing speeds are very high with low power consumption. Safety cluches are mounted in both axes to prevent damage to the drive system or the OTA. In case of a collision the drive system will stop the motors within 5 seconds.
To ensure precision in pointing and reliability in remote mode high resolution encoders are mounted on each axis (18 arcsecond resolution). The encoders have an absolute reference point that enables the driver to find the home position after a blackout or crash of the control PC. The stepper motors have 0,1" resolution.
The optional 1kg sliding weight inside the horizontal fork arm allows fine balancing the OTA for best operation. Coarse balancing is achieved by sliding both fork arms with the OTA in the correct direction.
The mount rests on a robust RA head that sits in an aluminium casting, holding two large tapered roller bearings. The shaft upper (larger) diameter is 140mm . To drive the mount we choose friction drives for their very low PE and rock solid operation. The slight backlash present in large wormgears or the trend to vibrate if unbalanced is absent and the slewing speeds are very high with low power consumption. Safety cluches are mounted in both axes to prevent damage to the drive system or the OTA. In case of a collision the drive system will stop the motors within 5 seconds.
To ensure precision in pointing and reliability in remote mode high resolution encoders are mounted on each axis (18 arcsecond resolution). The encoders have an absolute reference point that enables the driver to find the home position after a blackout or crash of the control PC. The stepper motors have 0,1" resolution.
The optional 1kg sliding weight inside the horizontal fork arm allows fine balancing the OTA for best operation. Coarse balancing is achieved by sliding both fork arms with the OTA in the correct direction.
Specifications
Prices and delivery
Write us for a price quote!
Delivery within 3 months. Warranty: 5yrs
Write us for a price quote!
Delivery within 3 months. Warranty: 5yrs
| Materials |
Zink plated steel, powder coated (base), cast aluminium, 6082 aluminium (RA housing and shaft), stainless steel, (fork arms), tapered roller bearings, stepper motors, high resolution optical encoders. |
| PE | cca 5'' ptv in 30 minutes |
| Weight | RA base cca 55 kg, Horizontal arm cca 13 kg, Fork arms with drive cca 27kg. |
| Payload | 70 kg |
| Pier interface | D360mm circular |
| Accepted OTAs | from 25 cm up to 45 (optics diam.) cm or multiple smaller instruments. The typical OTA for a fork is any Cassegrain derivant (RC, DK, SC, MC) or a fast Newtonian. The fork has 600mm free swing for the eyepiece end of the OTA. |
| OTA interface | 3'' Losmandy female (400mm male rails supplied upon request) or flat plate for tube rings. |
|
PE test @ 1''/pixel resolution, 30min unguided image with polar alignment offset
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MoFoD MkII - Join the Fork Revolution!
MoFoD with C14
Custom dimensioned MoFoD holds a 500mmF9 RC, used for spectroscopy (measures radial velocity) in the Gothard Astrophisical Observatory.