DC DRIVES - VARIOUS USES (Jun 97)
Several customers have requested DC motor drive options which we have now supplied. These are for:
(1) Declination drive for an old Celestron C8. We fitted a pot on the hand control to adjust the rate when the UP or DOWN button pressed.
(2) DC Focus motor of the JMI type, retrofit to a Meade 2080 SCT. A knob adjusted the rate and a centre biased switch for IN or OUT.
(3) Another Dec drive for a home made mount.

COMPONENTS FOR MEL BARTELS' TYPE DRIVE SYSTEM (Jan 97)
We have recently supplied some gearboxes to drive a Dobsonian telescope based on Mel Bartels design. A higher than normal torque is required as the final drive reduction is not that great. The gearbox from our STEP3 is suitable and can be supplied separate for around 61.00 UK Pound Sterling for fitting to your motor. Please enquire.

SIDEREAL CLOCK WITH OVEN - ULTRA HIGH TIME PRECISION (Dec 96)
We have supplied a high specification Sidereal Clock model SC110 with the crystal oven option fitted. We characterised the crystal and found a turning point in its TC at 38 degrees C. The oven temperature was set to this and so theoretically the overall temperature coefficient should be zero. To achieve the accuracy required we used our own ovenned version regularly checked with the time pips for one month. This then was tweaked by 0.12ppm in its rate and then run for another month. We achieved less than 0.1s error in one month on our transfer standard. Setting the new one was then easy, and running it for some time confirmed its rate accuracy. The remaining running rate error is drift due to ageing of the crystal.

200Ncm TORQUE DUAL AXIS STEPPER MOTORS SYSTEM (Sept 96)
For a heavy telescope (14" Newtonian) this order was for a SYSTEM 5 but very high torque requirement. This was met with our STEP3 motors. We have achieved this with a dynamic range 13.3 steps per second (Sidereal) to 400 steps per second (fast movements).

VERY HIGH POWER DUAL SYNCHRONOUS MOTOR SYSTEM (Aug 96)
A synchronous motor drive system with the following power ratings: RA Slo-Syn 120V 40 Watts, DEC 24V 20 Watts. Each axis has a +/- 20% variability in common with other synchronous motor designs. On test the design was capable of suppplying 80 watts of power to the RA motor. This is quartz crystal locked for Sidereal rate with VFO option fitted and relays to supply the two phases of the declination motor. The handset is based on the SYSTEM 5 product.

10 INCH f-5 NEWTONIAN (Astro Systems) (July 96)
A standard system crystal controlled for 240 teeth RA wheel. Supplied SYSTEM 4 with DEC axis, HC20 handset with SBIG, VFO and switched guiding adjustments.

DRIVE FOR MEADE 2080 SCT (July 96)
Supplied a crystal controlled inverter (SYSTEM 3) to run 120V 60Hz American synchronous motor from 12V DC. Exact sidereal frequency is 60.14759Hz. Handset has 5% VFO and 20% buttons for FAST and SLOW.

VIXEN GP MOUNT STANDARD DRIVE PRODUCT (June 96)
Standard SYSTEM 5 with Vixen stepper motors achieves 50x Sidereal rate at full 100Ncm torque FAST movements. Note the Vixen product requires a step rate of 9.623616 Hz (full steps) for sidereal rate.

ORION OPTICS (UK) 10 INCH NEWTONIAN (April 96)
Supplied SYSTEM 5 and STEP 5 motors to drive the 288 teeth worms at 20.04920 Hz for sidereal rate. Achieved 25x high speed. Power drain minimised to work off Integral battery box of 4 'D' cells.

HIGH SPEED DRIVE BOX FOR LARGE CUSTOM TELESCOPE (April 96)
Special high speed requirement using our STEP3 motors up to 2200 steps per second in slew. A constant current Chopper Drive Board was bought in to satisfy this requirement.

BEACON HILL TELESCOPES 20 INCH on FORK MOUNT (March 95)
Standard SYSTEM 4 product with heavy duty stepper motors. DEC axis is a tangent drive with 1500:1 ratio. Fitted by Beacon Hill and supplied to COAA in tha Algarve. It is from all accounts operating very successfully being used by many visitors to this site.

AUTOMATED DOME FOR NATIONAL PHYSICS LABORATORY (February 95)
In conjunction with Beacon Hill telescopes we provided electronics and motors to open a shutter on a 2 metre dome and rotate a platform on which some scientific equipment now rests. The assembly is operated from the room below. The position of the platform is indicated on a panel. A second unit supplied in 2000.