Baader Planetarium

Works as designed. No issues so far. You only have to be a little bit careful with the fragile pins. Esp. when plugging in in the dark, but since it is a multipurpose port, multiple pins are required. Only total power supplied for the dew heater was a little bit low in the first controller hardware version, but it has been increased with latest version. Issue fixed :)

Very useful to attach to OTA directly to get current tube temperature. In combination of the round one for ambient air temp a perfect team. I have 3D printed some tube rings with matching spaces to attach the temp sensors to the scope, which makes temp reading more precise and repeatable.

I am using three holders for three controllers and I love them. Extremely useful if you operate the scope remotely, since you can fix the controller to the scope and optimize the wiring without the danger that lose and swinging cables impact accuracy or tangle. A must have for remote scopes.

I am using 3 controller and motor units now for more than a year on three scopes: Meade LX 200 with a SteelTrack focuser, TEC 140 ED with Feathertouch and an TS 80/460. Controller: It is crafted from a solid aluminum block and is very stable. The keypad is easy to find in the dark thanks to the dimmable keypad, but also in a tactile way. You can feel the buttons with your fingertips. One big advantage is that the controller does not lose position when it gets unplugged (power or USB). In combination with the brackets the controller perfectly fits on the scope. Wiring can be made easily. The usage is intuitively and even visitors who have never operated such a device come to terms with it in seconds. The power supply is standard 12V DC which makes it easy to integrate it into existing solutions. There are no special requirements. Motor unit: Also very solid and extremely precise. Only one minor potential improvement is the noise when moving, but this is complaining on highest level. Very positive is that you can use any CAT6 network patch cable to connect controller and motor unit. No special/unique cables are required and you can get the optimal length in any shop. The concept of belt drive is a big advantage over other geared solutions. The belt drive has no backlash. So you only have to handlethe potential backlash of the focuser. Software: The software is very stable now. Besides storing focuser’s positions it displays the temperatures and assists you very easily to set up temperature compensation. One big benefit: You can start multiple instances on the same computer to control more devices. Firmware: The Firmware can be updated with a few clicks via USB. So it is well prepared for future enhancements. Conclusion: Though it is definitely not a cheap solution, it is simply working and reliable. For my point of view worth every cent. The support is excellent. Its capability to be attached to almost all focusers, makes it versatile and an option not only for SteelTracks. Clear Skies Ruediger

Ich benutze den Metall-Magnetring für Homing Sensor an meinem 2" BDS-SC Baader Diamond Steeltrack® Okularauszug. Er funktioniert wunderbar, sodass ich jetzt an meinem Celestron 11" Edge HD die Ebene, bei der Fokalfotografien von Deepsky Objekten besonders schön werden, reproduzierbar einstellen kann!

Fitting a 2-inch BDS-RT Baader Diamond Steeltrack Focuser to a Teleskop-Service GSO 8-inch Ritchey-Chretien Background The TS 8-inch RC has M90x1mm connections at the focuser end of the scope. My setup has a TS 50mm extension adapter with for 6- & 8-inch RC connected to the scope (TS part no: GSRCV50), to accommodate the long back-focus. Attached to this is a TS M90 tilting adapter flange (TS part no: GSRCJ90). This is an aid to collimation and allows the long axis of the focuser to be aligned with the optical axis of the scope. I then have a standard TS monorail focuser for the RC, again with an M90x1 connection. Image 1 shows the 50mm extension and tilting flange, with the old focuser removed. Note the M90 male thread at the end of the flange, to which the focuser connects. Fitting the Baader Diamond Steeltrack RT It is assumed that the reader has access to the Steeltrack manual and has purchased the necessary RT-Adapter M90x1 Diamond Steeltrack (Baader part number 2957283). 1. The Steeltrack RT is supplied with an M68 adapter as standard. Remove this by loosening the M5 screws around its outer edge. An M88 dovetail is exposed. See Image 2. 2. Connect the new RT-adapter to the Steeltrack, tightening the M5 screws sufficiently to hold it in place, but still just rotates. Note that the thumbscrew from the M68 adapter can be transferred. See Image 3. 3. Connect the Steeltrack to the tilting flange, rotate the focuser to the desired orientation, then tighten the thumbscrew to lock it in place. If desired, the M5 screws around the edge of the M90 adapter can be tightened for a firmer grip. See Image 4. After fitting the Steeltrack, I can confirm that the focuser has the full 80mm inward travel. This above method should still be applicable, even if a tilting flange is not present, as M90x1mm connections are standard on this size of RC. However, with only the 50mm extension in place, it may be that the focuser will not move the final 5mm of inward travel, depending upon the size of any baffle at the junction of the extension and the scope. Note that an alternative method is not to transfer the thumbscrew from the M68 to M90 adapters, but to use the all the standard screws.

Very good products! Of course a lot of problems with such level of complexity when we try to connect all the devices on centralized software but the support service has very fast reactivity and all is fixed correctly and friendly. Great, well done!

Habe heute nacht den Okularauszug zum ersten mal benutzt und war beeindruckt wie leicht und präzise der Fokus eingestellt werden kann. Durch die Übersetzung ist der Kraftaufwand nahezu nichtig! Somit auch kaum Störung beim Scharfstellen! Das ist eine wesentliche Investition gewesen.

Da für ein Mark V Großfeld-Binokular an einem SC-Teleskop der 2“ Glaswegkorrektor 1,8x nötig ist, war ich auf der Suche nach einer Möglichkeit einen Focalreducer einzubinden um ein helleres Bild zu erhalten. Der Baader Diamond Steeltrack ermöglicht in Verbindung mit einem T-2 Zenitspiegel mit geringer optischer Länge auch einen 3,3“ Reducer zwischen Teleskop und Okularauszug zu verwenden ohne den fokussierbaren Bereich zu verlassen. Ich habe über den S58-ClickLock für den Baader Diamond Steeltrack den 2" Glaswegkorrektor 1,8x für Refraktoren und SC's angeschlossen, der dadurch vollständig im 2" BDS-SC Baader Diamond Steeltrack Okularauszug verschwindet. Hier ist auch noch genug Platz für einen 2“ Filter am Glaswegkorrektor. Mit dem Glaswegkorrektor ist ein T-2 Zenitspiegel verbunden, an dem das Mark V Großfeld-Binokular befestigt ist. Das Binokular wird sicher gehalten und lässt sich gut fokussieren.

The SteelDrive II is a solid piece of equipment. The design was very well thought out by the engineer. Installation to my NT Diamond SteelTrack focuser was a breeze. The hand controller is compact and is illuminated in red which will come in handy at night. Initially I was not able to get connected to the hand controller with my PC. My unit had a firmware issue that required a remote session with Baader and was fixed in less than 10 minutes. The SteelGo software has a nice user interface and is packed with many features that the user can customize. I am still getting familiar with it. I was able to get connected to APT and use the focuser with the ASCOM driver. The SteelDrive II was the last piece of the puzzle for me to implement fully automated imaging sessions. I look forward to imaging from the comfort of my climate controlled home during the winter and summer nights clear skies permitting.

Aufgerüstet wurde ein SC 9.25 mit Hinblick auf die Astrometrie/Photometrie. Mit dem OAZ umgeht man natürlich das bekannte Spiegelshifting und ermöglicht wirklich schweres Equimpent einzusetzen. Ich werde vermutlich nicht auf 6,5kg kommen, aber bei 3 kg hat man gute Reserven und vorallem einen sicheren Fokus im Zenit. Auch ein evtl. großer Hebel bei horizontnaher Beobachtung macht dem OAZ nichts aus. Was aus der Produktbeschreibung nicht hervorgeht, aber in der Bedienungsanleitung nachzulesen ist, sind die Gründe der Wartungsfreiheit und die Möglichkeiten der Justierung. Wenn man das gelesen hat wird einem klar, was für ein qualitativ hochwertiges und langlebiges Produkt man vor sich hat. Die Justiermöglichkeit bietet über die bereits perfekte werksseitige Justierung hinaus, dem (über)ambitionierten (Hobby)Astronomen auch noch die letzten "Hundertstel" rauszuholen. Für die visuelle Beobachtung überflüssig, für photographische Beobachtung im Highend eine Option.

Overall, I'm very pleased. I'm using this with a BDS-NT on a maksutov newtonian. The focuser itself is excellently constructed, and although it took a bit of care in fitting I'm very satisfied with it once it's on. I just received the motor and controller kit, which I intend to also use for the inbuilt dew controller. With regards to the focusing motor functionality, it's fairly quiet, very fast, and seems accurate and fits very neatly and nicely. The main reason I bought this particular unit was because, unlike almost all the others, it permits manual use of the focuser without removing the motor - very nice for switching to visual use occasionally. The movement with the focus motor attached is not difficult - it's a little notchy, and not as smooth as without the motor, but I guess that's to be expected, and it is totally usable - it's a little hard to make large movements, I found you have to turn the fine focus knob first to get it moving then simultanously apply gentle torque on the coarse focus knob if you need to make a large manual movement, but again, it's usable without the hassle of removing the motor, and that's the main thing. In terms of the dew control, I spoke to Baader about the 1 amp limit of the port. After a detailed discussion, it seems they may consider uprating that port to 2 amps in a future production run of the controller, as the circuitry could handle that. For me, 1 amp is just about sufficient for the main scope I'll be using it with, it's a shame mine didn't come with the 2 amp capacity, as I feel that would be better sized for larger scopes you might use this on, but like I said, the 1 amp capacity of the controller as it is at the time of writing this review should be sufficient for most smaller to medium sized scopes. All in all, I'd recommend this especially if you're fitting it to the Baader steeltrack as it's a perfect easy fitment with good functionality. The price, well, it's certainly not cheap - nothing else with manual override is cheaper though so whatever - I think it would certainly be nice to see the price come down, but the market will decide that and although it was a big chunk of cash I considered it worth the expense.

Le Steeldrive II d'adapte t'il sur mon Crayford BAADER mon avis dépendra de l'adaptation . Cordialement Dr Philippe KRUST

Ich habe den original OAZ gegen den 2“ BDS-NT ausgetauscht und bin absolut begeistert, wie geschmeidig dieser läuft und wie Bomben fest dieser sitzt. Vielen Dank an Baader!!

looking for an alternative to others expensive focusers on the market and a good value for money? it is time to take an interest in these Steeltrack focusers. As always with Baader, the finishing is perfect and the telescope has a great look with it. It was not so easy to install because you have to drill your tube. Even if it is thin, the drill bit can slip because the surface is not flat. Do not forget to protect your secondary mirror (for NT) from the filings. You should certainely have to redo your optical lane with the two mirrors, but this is not a hard process. Then enjoy: very smooth, really precise with micro movements, and very rigid.