Astelco NTM-500
Astelco NTM-500
Very fast mount. Impressive. Can get seriously hurt if one is not careful to stay clear of the slewing motion.
http://www.astro.sg
email: gary[at]astro.sg
twitter: @astrosg
"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
email: gary[at]astro.sg
twitter: @astrosg
"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
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zong
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Re: Astelco NTM-500
Oooh nice. But I wonder how much power it drains just to get that done. Probably not recommended for those with a mobile setup..
Stargazing ... is an excuse to stay up past bedtime that never fails!
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orly_andico
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Re: Astelco NTM-500
pretty similar to the ASA mounts. Direct-drive servo. Needs power to hold position. I think it's several hundred watts.
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cloud_cover
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Re: Astelco NTM-500
Heh.... I MIGHT be able to do a 10 min exposure with my current battery *grin*
DON'T PANIC
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orly_andico
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Re: Astelco NTM-500
There's a guy on the CN forum... ranger tim.
former Vixen SXD user. you can follow his mount travels / travails.
somebody gave up on an ASA DDM60 and sold it at huge loss ($5K i think). so this guy tim buys it.
a few months later.. tim has an AP900. and somebody else has the DDM60.
tells you something about the "ease of use" of these PID controlled servo mounts. i mean the concept is sound, and the idea of zero periodic error is seducing.
but you need to build a mount model for every scope you put on it! (due to the differing weight and moment arm). Change your camera, add an OAG or flattener.. and you have to rebuild the pointing model! (in all fairness ASA lets you store multiple mount profiles).
but there's still something to be said for the power-sipping worm wheel and worm gear...
former Vixen SXD user. you can follow his mount travels / travails.
somebody gave up on an ASA DDM60 and sold it at huge loss ($5K i think). so this guy tim buys it.
a few months later.. tim has an AP900. and somebody else has the DDM60.
tells you something about the "ease of use" of these PID controlled servo mounts. i mean the concept is sound, and the idea of zero periodic error is seducing.
but you need to build a mount model for every scope you put on it! (due to the differing weight and moment arm). Change your camera, add an OAG or flattener.. and you have to rebuild the pointing model! (in all fairness ASA lets you store multiple mount profiles).
but there's still something to be said for the power-sipping worm wheel and worm gear...
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yltansg
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Re: Astelco NTM-500
Hi Gary,
My first impression of the NTM-500 - it reminds me of a mount I saw in South Africa proof and experimental range for tracking high speed projectile
Really wander if it need to slew so fast for use by astronomer
Alfred
My first impression of the NTM-500 - it reminds me of a mount I saw in South Africa proof and experimental range for tracking high speed projectile
Really wander if it need to slew so fast for use by astronomer
Alfred
Re: Astelco NTM-500
Haha. I think sometimes we do things simply because we can.
http://www.astro.sg
email: gary[at]astro.sg
twitter: @astrosg
"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
email: gary[at]astro.sg
twitter: @astrosg
"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
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orly_andico
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Re: Astelco NTM-500
These fast-slewing servo mounts were originally designed for GRB research.
when a gamma ray burst is detected by an X-ray detector, you want to catch the optical transient and decay curve. the optical transient is concurrent with the X-ray burst and decays very quickly (over seconds to minutes time scale).
these optical transients were first observed by Jan van Paradijs and his team in 1997. Obviously recording the optical transient requires a scope that can slew very quickly on receipt of the RA/DEC coordinates of the GRB.
see for example - http://arxiv.org/pdf/1110.5970v1.pdf
when a gamma ray burst is detected by an X-ray detector, you want to catch the optical transient and decay curve. the optical transient is concurrent with the X-ray burst and decays very quickly (over seconds to minutes time scale).
these optical transients were first observed by Jan van Paradijs and his team in 1997. Obviously recording the optical transient requires a scope that can slew very quickly on receipt of the RA/DEC coordinates of the GRB.
see for example - http://arxiv.org/pdf/1110.5970v1.pdf
Re: Astelco NTM-500
Nice! Thanks for the explanation!
http://www.astro.sg
email: gary[at]astro.sg
twitter: @astrosg
"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
email: gary[at]astro.sg
twitter: @astrosg
"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
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orly_andico
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- Location: Braddell Heights
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Re: Astelco NTM-500
the wages of my mis-spent education 
I tell ya, after reading enough of these scientific publications, you start to "recognise" the authors - for supernovas and GRBs you will always see van Paradijs, Galama, Fillipenko..
I tell ya, after reading enough of these scientific publications, you start to "recognise" the authors - for supernovas and GRBs you will always see van Paradijs, Galama, Fillipenko..