Baader SteelDrive II Motor Focuser With Hand Controller

Baader Steeldrive II motor focuser for Diamond Steeltrack® Focusers and other Focusers

The aim of the development of the Baader Steeldrive II was not simply yet another motor focuser, but a complete platform which can adapt to the individual needs of amateur astronomers. That's why the "brain" of the Steeldrive II is not located in the tiny housing of the motor itself, but in a separate controller which also provides a keypad for manual control.

With a Steeldrive II motor focuser, you can automatically control your focuser with a computer as well as use the keys of the hand control for precise, vibration-free focusing.

The Steeldrive II consists of a motor unit, which is connected with a timing belt to the focuser's slow-motion-control to work without backlash, and of a control unit with the electronics, which also doubles as hand control. You can connect up to two temperature sensors at the same time, one on the motor unit and one on the control unit. One sensor is included with the Steeldrive II to compensate the drift automatically, if there are large temperature differences.

A control unit can control one motor unit at a time, but you can use a computer to control several controllers parallel.

The motor is designed to move to a saved position with highest precision if it is used together with the homing sensor – even if it has to move several kilograms over the complete travel of the focuser!

The Steeldrive II Motor Focuser includes

one motor unit with belt drive and a 3m long connection cable. It can be connected to all Baader Steeltrack® and Diamond Steeltrack® focusers
a 3D-printed magent holder for homing sensor, which can be attached to the focuser. For Baader Diamond Steeltrack® focusers, a Metal Magnet Ring #2957264 is available separatley
one Steeldrive II Controller with intuitive handling and keys for manual control, incl. 3m USB-cable
one Temperature Sensor with 1m cable, also supports control of dew-shield-heating
12V/1,5A power supply, universal power supply for EU, GB and USA
SteelGO Software and ASCOM-driver to control several motor focusers with a pc (as Download)
Velcro tapes (cable ties) for strain-relieving cable management
Features:

High precision focusing of heavy loads
The high-torque stepper motor is directly engaged with the focuser via a timing belt. This eliminates the backlash (and potential cause of defects) induced by gearboxes which would have to be used with lower power motors. The Steeldrive II can quickly move loads up to 8 kg with high precision. The focusing resolution is 2.5μm.

Intuitive Operation
The intuitive hand control makes it possible to find and save the focus point very fast. Several modes are available to move the focuser:
Normal mode: The focuser moves as long as a key is pressed.
Jogging mode: Each keystroke moves the focuser for a distance which is configurable in the SteelGo-software (e.g. 0.1 mm).
Single step mod: Each keystroke moves the focuser for the smallest possible way (ca. 2.5 micrometer).
The configuration of limits, saving and resetting of positions and (de)activating of the temperature control can also be done with the hand control. Brightness of backlight illumination and status LEDs are also configurable.

Contactless Homing Sensor
The Steeldrive II motor unit features a contactless (wearfree) homing sensor (hall-effect sensor). It is activated by a magnet attached to the moving part of the focuser. It enables precise homing and repeatable approach of saved absolute positions as well as reference of the mechanical endstop. A simple mount for this magnet to be attached to the focuser is included in the scope of delivery. For Baader Diamond Steeltrack® focusers, an adapterring made of metal is available separately.
However the Steeldrive II can also be used without the homing sensor as the absolute position is kept in a persistant circular eeprom buffer. Even if a power failure occures, the absolute position is loaded upon restart of the Steeldrive II, as long as the focuser wasn't moved by hand.

Temperature Compensation
Two digital temperature sensors may be used simultaneously. One of each may be connected to the motor- and the controller unit. For the automatic temperature compensation, the specific sensor to be used can be selected, or the average temperature of both sensors may be used (eg. measuring the temperature above and below the telescope tube, or inside and outside), depending on your needs. The temperature compensation factor is for example calculated with the SteelGO software and can then be saved locally on the Steeldrive II controller unit. The compensation period and ∆T threshold can also be adjusted. The temperature compensation may then also be used in standalone mode of operation (without a connected computer).

12V/1A PWM power output (PID-controllable)
The Steeldrive II features a 12V/1A power output. It can be used with an optionally available adapter cable from Steeldrive II Controller AUX Port to Cinch with common dew-cap heaters #2957262 with up to 10W. The power can either be set in the SteelGo software, or you set a desired temperature for one of the temperature sensors. This prevents undesired heating of the telescope, because you keep the dew cap just above the dew point. It can also be used to control the exact temperature (+/-0.1 °C) of e.g. optical filters.

Made in Germany
All mechanical parts are CNC-milled from Aluminium in our workshop. The electronical boards are also designed and made in Germany. We only use high-end electronical components. The electronic circuit boards are additionally protective coated.

Low Power Consumption
The motor current is automatically reduced while in holding state. The Steeldrive II then consumes approximately 0.7 W.

Specifications:

Weight (KG): 0.755
Payload Capcity (KG): up to 8 kg
Resolution: 2,5 Micrometer per step
Power Output: 12V/1A PWM
Power Consumption: ca. 0,7 Watt
Software: SteelGo II Software (Download)
Material: Aluminium
Included Accessories: Steeldrive Mark II Control unit, incl. 3m USB-cable, 12V/1,5A power supply, Steeldrive Mark II Motor unit, incl. 1m connection cable, Velcro tapes (cable ties) for strain-relieving cable management, Allen key (2 mm) one temperature sensor with 1m cable,

Some items that are showing as in stock are in stock at our holding warehouses, not at the shop. To double check the stock levels at the shop, please contact us on 01909774369 or sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

The delivery times for most items is 1 - 2 days but again, please double check stock levels on important orders before placing an order via the website.

The delivery costs for courier next day are for mainland UK only. If you live in the Scottish Highlands/Islands, Channel Islands or Northern Ireland, then a shipping surchage will apply. please contact us for prices. Smaller items can still go 1st class via Royal Mail.

Please note that if you are wanting to take advantage of our Saturday and Sunday timed services or next day pre 12 or pre 10:30 services, you MUST check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. Also, orders using the Saturday and Sunday services must be placed before 1pm the previous working day. Also, please remember to check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. If the stock is not at the shop, we won't be able to ship on any of the timed services. 

Please note International customers will need to contact us for a shipping price prior to ordering via the website. We don't ship all items internationally. It is at our discretion what we ship outside of the UK. This all depends on the size and weight of the items. Please get in touch with us for any postage costs. Please note we do NOT ship telescopes or heavy items outside of the UK. This is due to massive postage costs and problems regarding returns.

If you have any questions regarding stock levels or delivery, please get in touch.

Zygo Interferometer Testing For ED Refractor Telescopes!

We are extremely pleased to announce our Zygo Interferometer is now installed and ready for use! Our experienced staff can test refractor lenses up to 120mm aperture and provide a comprehensive 2 page report showing the optical quality and Strehl ratio, plus much more information. We are using the very latest Zygo MX software to provide a more detailed report compared to other standard reports.

The interferometer is essentially a measuring instrument. Within the interferometer is a calibrated laser that is pointed through the optical test surface, then onto a high quality reference sphere, then back through the test subject then to an internal camera which gives us the measurement on the screen. From this, we can adjust the position of the test optic and the reference sphere to obtain a perfectly calibrated system. The more central the laser to the test optic and then on return, the better and more accurate reading and measurement we can take. This takes a lot of adjustment to get the best results from the optical surface. Once the measurement has been taken, we are provided with a series of results that show the optical quality of the surface plus other information. Continue reading for an explanation of the individual values and you can also see a test report that was done on one of our RVO Horizon 60 OTAs. 

We are offering certain telescopes with a Zygo test at an extra cost. Mainly ED doublets and triplets. All available telescopes with a Zygo test report are listed here. Just select Zygo Test Report from the drop down box at the top of the listing and we will test the optics in house and provide a full 2 page report with your scope. This will show you the optical quality of your telescope optics. We can also offer this service on your refractor telescope. Please get in touch for more details about this. 

At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope.  We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument. 

Other measurements such as the PV and RMS are important too. With these measurements, the lower the number the better as it shows less curvature on the lens. The flatter an optical lens, the better it will perform. The PV rating (Peak To Valley) is a measurement from the highest point (Peak) to the lowest point (Valley). From this we get the RMS (Root, Mean, Square). This is a similar figure to the PV and measured exactly the same way. The RMS is basically an average height difference from the PV so again, the lower the better. As you can see form the example below, we measured an RMS of just 0.027 wave which is a very good value.

We also measure the Power with our systems which is essentially the error from the reference sphere to the test optic. The reference sphere we use on our system is a very high quality sphere so the closer to zero the Power, the less error between the 2 elements thus ensuring a higher quality optical surface. 

You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is. 

Once the Zygo test report has been completed, the optical alignment is thoroughly tested and tuned to ensure they are spot on before they leave us. 

All available telescopes are on the website at the link below and ones we've tested already that are available straight away are also listed.

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/zygo-tested-refractors.html

Here is an example of the test what we provide. This was a test on one of our Horizon 60 ED OTA's.

For any questions about this amazing new service, please either call 01909774369 or email sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

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