Evolving perfection. The GM2000 HPS II mount, now in the new M2 version, is built for the demanding observer using photographic instruments up to a weight of 50kg – 110 lbs (counterweights not included). Movements are driven by two servo brushless motors , with timing belt reduction having zerobacklash. Both axes feature a classic worm – wormwheel pairing. The wormwheels are made of bronze (B14), with a diameter of 172mm and 215 teeth, while the worms are made of alloy steel with a diameter of 24mm. The axes themselves are made of 50mm diameter alloy steel, for the maximum rigidity.
The electronics is housed in an independent control box, easily removable. The connections of the mount and keypad feature secutiry lock screws. The mount can be controlled using the included keypad, without connecting an external PC. The keypad is built in order to maintain the maximum readability in all lighting conditions. Both the display and the ergonomic keys, allowing for the use of gloves, feature a red backlight. An heater keeps the display warm for usage below freezing temperatures. The mount can be controlled using the most common software packages by connecting it to a PC with the RS-232 serial port or the Ethernet connection, via the 10micron ASCOM driver or the Meade compatible command protocol. Furthermore, a dedicated software (also included with the mount) can be used to create a “virtual keypad” replicating exactly the functions of the physical keypad. The RS-232 port can also be used to control an external dome. This flexibility makes the GM2000HPS an ideal mount for observatories and remotized observing sites. The object database contains many star catalogs and deep-sky objects up to the 16th magnitude. Solar system objects can be tracked so that their motion is compensated with respect to the stars. You may load orbital elements of comets, asteroids and artificial satellites into the mount, so that these objects can be tracked directly using the keypad (without any external PC).
Pointing is made accurate through the usage of a model containing up to 100 stars, which allows for the correction of the classical polar alignment and conic errors, and also of the most important flexure terms of the optical tube. In this way it is possible to obtain pointing accuracies of the order of 20 arcseconds RMS. The same model can be used in order to obtain the maximum tracking accuracy, compensating also for the atmospheric refraction (depending on the local atmospheric pressure and temperature). A series of auxiliary functions is provided to help the user for quick aligning the mount to the celestial pole. You may also save and recover the alignment data of different observing sessions. This function is very useful if you have many instruments in different setups, each one requiring different flexure corrections. Tracking through the meridian, a typical problem with german mounts, is solved allowing for tracking for up to 30° past the meridian (configurable), in both directions. In this way any object can be tracked for at least four hours. The tracking accuracy makes autoguiding unnecessary for many uses. The absolute encoders on both axes allows to obtain a typical tracking error below 1 arcsecond.
It is possible to autoguide anyway, using the ST4-compatible port or through the serial/Ethernet connection, with a guide rate configurable from 0.1x to 1x. The guide rate can be automatically corrected for the declination of the target, so that there is no need of recalibrating the autoguide when observing at different declinations. Among the other functions, you will find the electronically-assisted balance and the ability of parking the mount in different user-defined positions. Designed for field use, the ultraportable version is easily divided into two parts. All electrical connections are made automatically when assembling the mount. The biggest piece has a weigth of only 15 kg – 33 lbs
