Crux 200HD Harmonic Drive Mount - up to 40kg Imaging Capacity - Now in Black!

New Black Model with dual Alt-Az and EQ function! Pictures coming soon!

Crux mounts feature Harmonic Drive / Strain Wave Gear Tecnology. This tecnology gives Crux mounts the following advantages over traditional drive systems for astronomy applications;

 - The mounts have zero backlash and therefore pointing and guiding can be very accurate

 - They have very high torque. This makes it ideal your use with all loads. For instance the length of a refractor normally requires a much more powerful mount than a typical weight capacity suggests. The load limits for Crux mounts are for all types of telescopes and also for imaging

 - The motor is very compact and therefore allows a small form factor, resulting in less bulk and weight.

 - Harmonic Drive motors are very responsive and therefore react instantly to guiding commands. When combined with the zero backlash this allows for extremley accurate tracking. There is none of the high frequency oscillation normally associated with traditional drive systems.

 - The high torque of the motor permits use without a counterweight, further reducing the overall weight. If a counterweight is added, the load capacity can be increased significantly. Note that this counterweight is not used to balance the telescope in the normal way. It is simply helping the drive system and making the load safer.

Please see the short video below for an explanation of how the Harmonic Drive system works.

​The Crux 200HD represents outstanding value in medium capacity mounts. It weighs only 13kg but has a maximum load capacity of 3x this. It is a fully GoTo enabled system which includes a 12000+ object database. Without any counterweight the mount has a load capacity of 18kg. By adding 15kg of counterweight, the maximum capacity is increased to 40kg. This capacity is rated for imaging and use with difficult loads such as long refractors in the 7-8" class. The Crux 200HD is not merely a larger capacity version of the smaller Crux mounts. It features additional bearing on both axis to maximise smoothness and minimise vibration. This additional engineering is a concept taken from the observatory class T4000 model.
 
The '200HD', as with all Crux mounts, is provided with a mounting point for a QHY Polemaster. No adapter is needed. This makes polar alignment using the built in Altitude and Azimuth controls very simple.
 
Supplied with all Crux Mounts is the Titan TCS Controller. This provides GoTo functionality and all other mount control and connectivity. The TCS is provided with a proprietry ASCOM driver with  INDI due to follow shortly. Mount control is based on the LX200 protocol so existing interfaces for may also be used. It also features wireless connectivity in the form of Bluetooth, with WiFi being added shortly. Thus is allows easy integration with Tablet applications such as Sky Safari and all compatible PC applications.
 
One significant function of the Crux mount and TCS Controller is PEC training. This is where, using a guide system (like PHD2), the drive system is trained. This, once completed permanently (unless reset by the user) lowers the PE of the mount to typically +/- 3 arc seconds for the 200HD. This enhanced error can then be combined with guiding leading to extremely low PE. Potentially as low as 0.1 arc sec. As part of our service, we PEC train each mount before delivery so you receive a mount that is capable of operating at its best, straight out of the box. A copy of the PE test data is also provided.