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More Information  · Images of Some Features Price $399.00 List Price $411.00 Warranty 1 year

The microMAX comes with a control/display box, right ascension and declination encoders, and the correct mounting hardware to connect the encoders to your specific telescope. Also included is an instruction manual and how-to-do-it VHS video tape. A list of the telescopes that can be used with the microMAX is at the bottom of this copy. When ordering your microMax, please specify the manufacturer of your telescope or mount, the model, and the year it was made. Other information may be requested before your order can be filled.

The encoder and hardware systems (encoders and gears or pulleys/belts) are generally optimized to approximately 8000 tics-per-revolution on each axis. This is a higher resolution than competitive aiming computers, and generally places an object 10%-50% closer to the middle of the field of view than competitive systems. Right ascension and declination readout accuracy depends on the quality (orthogonality) of your mount. Better quality mounts will see less improvement with the high-resolution encoders than mounts of slightly lower quality. (Nothing can overcome the defects of a poor quality mount.)

The compact battery-operated control/display box measures a mere 3.87" long x 2.4" wide x 1.16" deep. It is powered by a single 9 volt transistor radio battery that fits into the control box. In addition to a constantly-updated display of the right ascension and declination coordinates at which your scope is pointing, the microMAX includes a database of 245 stars and deep space objects to which it can lead you. The database includes the 110 Messier objects, 90 interesting multiple and variable stars, 17 quasars and black hole candidates, 28 user-defined objects that you can program with the coordinates of objects, such as the comet and asteroid positions you’ll find monthly in Astronomy and Sky & Telescope magazines, and 28 alignment stars. The coordinates and other information are shown on a one line x eight character red LED dot matrix display. The characters are 3/16" high, with four user-selected brightness levels.

The JMI NGC-microMAX is available with encoders to fit the following telescopes:

APM Giro-2 Deluxe; Astro-Physics Super Polaris DX; AstroSystems TeleKit; Bausch & Lomb 4000, 8000; Cave Astrola Standard*, Astrola Deluxe*; Celestron C4-R, C4.5, C5, C5+, C5-S, C6, C6-N, C6-R, C8*, C8+*, C8-N, C8-S, C9¼-S, C10-N, C11, C14, C80-HD, C102, C102-HD, C114-HD, Celestar 8, Celestar 8 Deluxe, CG-4, CG-5, CG-9¼, CG-11, CG-14, CI-700, Classic 8*, CM-1100, CM-1400, CR-150HD, Fastar 8, G-8, G8-N, G-9¼, Great Polaris, Polaris, Powerstar 8*, SP6, Star Hopper 6 / 8, Super C8*, Super Polaris, Ultima 8, Ultima 9¼, Ultima 11; Coulter Odyssey 8 / 10.1 / 13.1 / 16 / 17.5; Criterion Dynamax 8; Dark Star Telescopes Dobsonian; Discovery EQ; ICS Dobsonian; JMI NGT-6, NGT-12.5, NGT-18; Losmandy G-11 (made since 2002), GM-8 (made since 2002); Meade 440, 628, 645, 826, 856, 880, 1060, 1266, 2040, 2045, 2045D, 2080, 2120, DS-10, DS-16, ETX-90 Astro, GEM, LX, LX3, LX5, LX6, LX10, LX50, LX100, LXD500*, MTS, Premier, Starfinder Dobsonian 6 / 8 / 10 / 12.5 / 16, Starfinder German Equatorial (AC & DC) 6 / 8 / 10 (AC Only) 16; Obsession 15 / 18 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 36; Orion Atlas 8 / 10, Argonaut 150mm / 6" GP-DX, Deep Space Explorer 6 / 8 / 10 / 12.5 / 16, EQ-3, EQ-4, R200SS GP, ShortTube 80/90, SkyQuest XT 6 / 8 / 10, SkyView Deluxe EQ, SkyView Pro EQ, Skywatcher 120, StarMax 127, VX102(-ED/-FL) GP, VX120 GP; Parks Astrolight, Superior 8 / 10 / 12.5 / 16; Questar 3.5; Starsplitter II 12.5-30, Compact 10 / 12.5 / 14.5, GEM, Tube 8 / 10; Sunrise Telescopes Dobsonian; Synta Sky-Watcher EQ4 (a few were aka EQ5) / EQ6; Takahashi EM-10, EM-200, NJP, Teegul TG-LML; Tectron 15; TeleVue Gibraltar, Panoramic, Renaissance-101, Systems Mount, Tele-Pod; Torus Optical 15; Vixen Great Polaris, Great Polaris Deluxe; Universal Astronomics UniStar Heavy* / Light*; Z-Optical Dobsonian (some sizes not verified).

Custom Installations are available for an additional cost. Some telescopes marked with an asterisk (*) are considered custom installations and are priced accordingly. Universal Astronomics UniStar and Meade LXD500 installations marked with an asterisk (*) are $50 higher than the price shown.

The following notes apply to those Celestron C8 fork-mounted telescopes marked with an asterisk (*) above:

If your fork-mount Celestron C8 was manufactured after 1985, the optical tube will be black and the right ascension axis center screw hole will have a 10-32 thread. The location of the right ascension axis center screw hole is shown in the accompanying “Images of Some Features" section to the right.

If your C8 was manufactured between 1980 and 1985: the optical tube will be orange or black and the right ascension axis center screw hole will have a 10-32 thread in most cases, but it will have an 8-32 thread in a few cases.

If your C8 was manufactured between 1975 and 1980: the optical tube will be orange and the right ascension axis center screw hole will have an 8-32 thread.

If your C8 was manufactured before 1975: The optical tube will be orange. if there is no hole in the center of the right ascension axis it will need to be drilled. If the center hole is not threaded it will need to be tapped (to JMI specifications). If the hole is threaded we will need to know the thread size. Check the declination thread size also. Some scopes have non-standard 10-24 threads on both axes. We also need to know the inside diameter and depth of the right ascension screw well. When measuring the depth, include any ribs that protrude up from the surface. Placing a straight edge (such as a ruler) across the top of the hole will help in making this measurement. We may need more specific information such as drawings and dimensions.

Please note that the fork-mounted C8 is not the same as the Ultima 8, Celestar 8, Celestar 8 Deluxe, Fastar 8, or any German equatorially mounted C8 noted above. These all require different hardware.