More payload, more power, more precision, more of everything that imaging professionals have come to expect for years from the Software Bisque Paramount ME robotic mount . . . that's what you get in the new Software Bisque Paramount ME Series 6.
This Software Bisque Paramount ME Series 6 robotic German equatorial mount has . . .
- 240 lb. (109 kg) instrument capacity; 480 lb. (218 kg) maximum payload capacity (instruments + counterweights).
- Unibody mount design weighs 85 lb. (38 kg) without counterweights or counterweight shaft.
- All-sky pointing accuracies at or below 30 arcseconds RMS (see Software Specifications below for details).
- Its standard motor-based encoders provide:
- A maximum peak-to-peak periodic error before correction is seven (7) arcseconds.
- After a one-time PE training, the peak-to-peak periodic error is typically 1 arcsecond or less.
- Belt-driven pulleys with spring-loaded worm gears produce virtually zero backlash.
- No clutches mean the TPoint™ model’s pointing accuracy is maintained.
- AutoHome™ homing capability ensures the mount always knows its orientation (after performing an initializing process called “homing” which usually takes a minute or less).
- Optional on-axis absolute encoders provide:
- No mount initialization (a.k.a. homing) required.
- No periodic error.
- No backlash.
- Exceptional TPoint™ pointing and tracking results from fewer calibration points which saves time.
- 0.02 arcsecond resolution extended temperature range absolute on-axis encoders operate from –40° C to +80° C. See the FAQ below to find out if absolute on-axis encoders are right for you.
- Its telescope control system motor, power, and electronics cables are conveniently housed inside the mount to prevent snags.
- Ample room to run additional through-the-mount cables.
- Advanced MKS 6000 telescope control system lets you connect via USB-C, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi (MKS 6000 Upgrade Kits will be available for earlier models).
- Three high-power XT60 ports on the Instrument Panel.
- Its included Versa-Plate™ accepts most telescopes.
- 48V DC power supply and PC-to-mount USB and Ethernet cables included.
- Durable, fade-resistant red powder coating with black anodized finish; external components are machined aluminum alloy.
Heavy duty mount: Every Paramount ME Series 6 is custom machined from 1/2" thick 6061 aluminum at Software Bisque's own production facility. The mount head, less counterweights, weighs 85 pounds, but will support an instrument payload of 240 lbs (480 lbs with counterweights), compared with the 150 lb capacity of the original Paramount ME. The 11.4" diameter right ascension and 9.5" diameter declination gears (on 3" r.a. and dec shafts) combine with precision 1" brass worms to provide a maximum periodic error of a mere seven arc seconds peak-to-peak - even before periodic error correction is used. When periodic error correction is applied, the resulting peak-to-peak error can be reduced to approximately one arc second or less.
Simple switches engage and disengage the right ascension and declination worms for tracking and balancing. The right ascension and declination axes are supported by 8" 48-contact point ball bearings. Large diameter through-the-mount cable conduits let you add cables without removing the optical tube assembly, or altering the polar alignment, with no mount disassembly required.
A Paramount Versa-Plate for attaching optical tube assemblies is standard equipment, as is a 1.875" diameter (47.6 cm) counterweight shaft and two 30 lb (13.6 kg) counterweights. The altitude and azimuth polar alignment knobs are calibrated, so that making adjustments using the supplied TPoint Polar Alignment Report software is simple and very accurate.
Two brushless DC servomotors with a full 30 in-oz of torque are used to drive the scope. (The previous and highly acclaimed 150 lb payload Paramount ME used only 11 in-oz torque motors.) If your mount is used for survey astronomy all night, every clear night, no other type of motor is sufficient. Other commercial mounts use "brushed motors" that don't have nearly the life expectancy of brushless DC servomotors and are not designed to be operated for long periods at the (relatively slow) sidereal rate. A 200 watt AC power supply is standard equipment (compared with the 80 watt supply of the original Paramount ME).
The DC servomotors provide fast slew speeds and consistent torque at all slew rates. The maximum slew and tracking rate is four degrees per second in both right ascension axis and declination. A temperature-compensated internal oscillator with better than 10 parts per million accuracy ensures accurate tracking rates over a wide temperature range.
Advanced electronics: The Paramount ME Series 6 includes Software Bisque's fourth generation dual axis telescope control system.
The position of the motors is monitored 3333 times each second to ensure optimal tracking accuracy and smooth, consistent slewing at all rates and all times. Tracking and "in progress slews" are immediately stopped in the event the mount's payload encounters a fixed object, such as the side of the pier. Slewing and tracking rates can be configured with 56-bit precision. That means that the right ascension and declination motors can be rotated at 0 to 4000 revolutions per minute and virtually anywhere in between. This provides very precise tracking and slewing, with the ability to track comets, asteroids, and even fast- or slow-moving objects such as low earth orbit satellites or any object that moves above or below the sidereal rate.
The supplied hand control features an integrated mini-joystick control and configurable rate, a five-position switch that allows single-handed mount control, an integrated bright red LED flashlight, a sturdy "hang anywhere" cable loop, and a 15-foot coiled hand control to mount cable.
There is a configurable park position for operation in a remote location dome. There is a soft "reboot" capability. This means that the control system can be restarted through software and does not have to be manually turned off, then on.
Supplied software:
- Paramount’s unsurpassed pointing and tracking performance is made possible by its integrated TPoint™ modeling and ProTrack™ technologies. For more information about why accurate pointing is non-trivial.
- By employing TPoint’s calibration and telescope modeling tools, you’ll enjoy all sky pointing accuracies below 30 arcseconds RMS. Nothing outperforms that — and that’s without on-axis absolute encoders.
- Operating in conjunction with TPoint™, ProTrack™ continuously updates the mount’s position in both axes to correct system-wide tracking errors including tube flexure, atmospheric refraction, polar misalignment, harmonic errors caused by evenly slightly misaligned encoders or the main gear, and more.
- On-axis absolute encoders alone cannot correct those errors which exist with all telescopes. A properly applied telescope model is required to achieve superior tracking.
- Even without on-axis absolute encoders, 5-to-10-minute unguided exposures are common with many enjoying up to 20 minutes.
- For more information about the differences between motor-based and on-axis absolute on axis encoders, please see the FAQs.
- Its included software is integrated into a single, easy-to-use, application consisting of TheSky™ Professional, TPoint™, Cameras+, Domes, Multi-OS+, and Weather modules. Enjoy the simplicity of controlling your cameras and astrophotography devices with one application. Its included TheSky™ Universal Bundle represents a $1,095 value.
- Its Accurate Polar Alignment feature does not require pole visibility.
- Compatible with Windows™, macOS™, and Linux (arm64 and x86_64 processors).
- TheSky’s user-interface is consistent across all operating systems. You can install TheSky on multiple operating simultaneously on up to six computers per OS. Why paint yourself or your institution into a corner?
