iOptron IEQ45 2013 GOTO Equatorial Mount

 

Initially, the iEQ45 v1 & 2 mount was aimed at the imaging enthusiast. Light-weight, high capacity, and fast easy setup with GPS polar alignment assistance made it a great mount for visual observers too - but it was always purely an equatorial mount until now. 

 

What's new? The new iEQ45 2013 retains all these features, however, it can be used with an optional Azimuth Adapter in Alt-Azimuth Mode for visual observing or planetary webcam imaging and astro-video. This makes it extremely versatile and convenient because in Alt-Azimuth Mode, polar alignment is not necessary. That makes it even quicker and easier to start an observing session, using the accurate GOTO system to find thousands of objects in the night sky, keeing them in the field of view at high power over many hours.

 

Equatorial Mode and imaging:  Equatorial Mode is of course best for long exposure imaging because there is no rotation of the star-field over time. In Equatorial Mode, the iEQ45-2013 is still a very quick mount to set up in the field, because it has an extremely accurate polar alignment scope, with built-in GPS to improve polar alignment and GOTO accuracy. A display on the hand controller shows you where to place the pole star within the illuminated polar scope reticule for greater precision.

 

Versatility: With a combination of Alt-Azimuth Mode and Equatorial Mode, you have an extremely versatile product, which does it all. You can start off with Equatorial mode and upgrade to Azimuth mode later on by adding the Alt-Azimuth adapter accessory. The mount features a dual Losmandy-format & Vixen-Japanese-format dovetail clamp too, so you can change between telescopes quickly and easily.

 

AZ-Mode: The iEQ45-2013 mount can even be used in Alt-Az Mode for visual observing with two telescopes, one on each side, with an optional counterweight shaft and dovetail clamp available for the second scope (see detailed images).

 

Optional pier: The lightweight, yet extremely rigid iOptron portable pier is also available separately. The pier legs and steel tensioning rods fit into the hollow pier cylinder for easy transport as a single unit. The pier legs are adjustable for levelling.

 

Astronomy Now Magazine Review of the earlier iOptron iEQ45 v1 (opens new window).

 

Weight and portability: The iEQ45 is the lightest mount in it's price range, and it's very easy to carry, weighing only 25lb (11.4kg). The iEQ45 weighs 5 to 7 kg less than other mounts in this price bracket. If you divide the payload by the weight of the iEQ45 you get a ratio of 1.7 which is the best ratio on the market for a mount in this price range. (Please note the stated capacity doesn't include the supplied counterweights, which weigh an additional 22lb. If you load the mount to it's 45lb maximum capacity, you'll need to balance it with approx. 45lb counterweights, in which case the mount will be carrying about 90lb total weight).

 

PC remote software control: Aside from the GPS and Polar Alignment asistance features, PC control is possible using planetarium software. For accurate autoguiding, an ST4 port is provided. The mount can record Periodic Error Correction data from 3rd party software to play it back and improve tracking accuracy even more. The brightness adjustable multi-line display hand control module is extremely easy-to-use, and contains an enormous 130,000 object database.

 

The iEQ45 is one of the most anticipated products amongst the astro-imaging community and customers have captured some excellent long exposure images.

 

iEQ45 reviews and accolades:

 

Read the astronomy Now Magazine Review of the earlier iOptron iEQ45 v1 (opens new window).

 

Here's a link to a French Customer's review of the first version of the iEQ45 in French (with images) and the same iEQ45 review translated into English (sans images - use the French review to see the images). (Review credit P. Barrraud)

 

To find out about other user's experiences, we suggest joining the Yahoo Group for IEQ45 users, to share technical tips to get the most out of your new mount:

 

Click to join the iOptron iEQ45 User Group

 

 

 

IEQ45-AZ feature highlights:

Technical specifications:

 

Payload	45 lbs (20kg)
Mount Weight	11.4kg
Payload / Mount Weight Ratio	1.75
Right Ascension Worm Gear	216 Teeth (Gap-free)
	Ø130mm
Declination Worm Gear	192 Teeth (Gap-free)
	Ø115mm
Motor Drive Type	Precision DC Servo
Encoder Resolution	0.09 Arc Seconds
Latitude Adjustment Range	5-70°
Azimuth Adjustment Range	±6°
Counterweight Bar	Ø28mm
Counterweight included	5kg x 2 Total 10kg
Field Tripod	2" Stainless Steel (8kg)
Polar Scope	Included - dark-field illumination.
Ascension Axis	Ø50mm
Dovetail interface	Dual Vixen / Losmandy dovetail.
Power Consumption	0.2A (Tracking) 1A (Slewing)
Power Requirement	12V DC (11-15V), 2 Amps
Transmission	Hybrid drive
Level Indicator	Precision Bubble
GPS	Internal 32-channel GPS