Large Aperture, High Speed Telescope Mounts...

RC Optical Systems 24" Afocal RC with 10" Acquisition Scope, Coudé Path, and Slip Ring. See video here.

RCOS has developed a family of Large Aperture, High Speed Telescope Mounts (up to 1m aperture).  These are Elevation over Azimuth fork mounts designed primarily for high-speed tracking and illumination applications.  The integrated Telescope system is typically using a cassegrain optical configuration and can also accommodate an afocal system with a Coudé path option.  Instrumentation can be either back mounted using the back plate of the telescope, or mounted beneath the base using the folded optical mirror Coudé path in a fully enclosed system.

Many of the support electronics are designed into the base of the fork allowing for free rotation above the slip ring.  This greatly simplifies wiring and assembly and reduces costs to manufacture. These mounts are designed to be field serviceable with readily available commercial off the shelf components.

Notable features of the Large Aperture Telescope Mount include:

  • Steel Weldment construction from FEA based designs.
  • Slip ring in azimuth for continuous rotation.
  • Sealed high precision turntable bearing in azimuth with direct drive brushless Torque Motor.
  • RCOS designed Controller matched to the performance requirements.
  • Pointing accuracy better than 15 micro radians, as measured at the encoder, at max velocity and acceleration.

Features

Specifications

Comments

Look down

- 30°

Configurable

Azimuth rotation

Slip Ring

Call for Upload / Download Capability

Elevation rotation

-30° to +95°

-30° to +210° Turn and Dump Capable

Max. Acceleration Demonstrated with 850lb payload

75°/sec²

Options for Higher Acceleration Available

Max. Velocity Demonstrated with 850lb payload

60° per second

Demonstrated, Options for Higher Velocity Available

Weight

3850 pounds

With .6m Afocal Beam Expander

Power

208VAC 3-Phase 50A

Option for different power available