It has been a long time coming, but the Steeldrive II motor focuser units are now available from your astronomy dealer (see here). The final prototype was shown in Germany in September 2018 and we were very happy and privileged to be able to show it at the European AstroFest and Practical Astronomy Show events earlier this year.
Below is an introductory video showing the unit in operation and some of its features:
A few key features of the Steeldrive motor focuser are:
- High precision motor unit (focusing resolution is 2.5μm) with belt drive to eliminate backlash
- Can lift up to 8kg of payload attached to the focuser
- Can fit the popular (original and Diamond) Baader SteelTrack focusers and can be adapted to fit other focusers
- Comes with a hand controller with back illuminated keys for motor control
- Three different focusing modes with controller
- Has a contactless (Hall-effect) homing sensor for precise focus homing
- Temperature compensation with or without use of a PC
- Comes with SteelGo control software and can also be controlled using 3rd party software via ASCOM
Below are three other videos that you may find useful about the Steeldrive II.
We’ll do a fuller report soon but we wanted to give you a quick look at this useful accessory.
