T-REX Mount
T-REX Apex Alt-Azimuth T-Mount
Barry Gooley, owner of Kokusia Kohki in Kyoto, Japan, has been in the astronomy equipment market for over 22 years. Over the years, Barry has been asked by innumerable customers to provide a large body Alt-Azimuth mount designed to carry large aperture telescopes of all types including refractors, reflectors and catadioptrics (“SCTs”) for visual astronomy. In response, he search worldwide for an acceptable solution, buying and trying out various telescope mounts and testing them to see how well they met his customers’ high visual astronomy expectations. Though he had seen some novel telescope mounts after all those years of searching, he could not really declare any as "The One.” So, Barry instead collaborated with a nearby manufacturing facility to develop and manufacture a telescope mount that would fit the need, and thus, the T-REX Apex Alt-Azimuth telescope mount was born.Products
Deep Space Products is proud to be the exclusive telescope mount dealer for the T-REX Apex Alt-Azimuth telescope mount in North America.
The T-Rex Alt-Azimuth telescope mount is the perfect visual astronomy observing platform for refractors, reflectors, and SCTs. The T-REX telescope mount has its basic design rooted in the more simple T-mount designs that are popular as grab-and-go mounts for smaller OTAs, primarily refractors. However, the T-REX offers a much higher level of functionality as a smart, strong, precise and well-made telescope mount that easily supports many types of OTAs, including refractors, reflectors and SCTs
While the basic T-REX Alt-Azimuth telescope mount is ready to use out of the box, because of the built-in encoders, you can order it with or easily add on digital setting circles (“DSC”) to give you the ability to select from thousands of items to which the T-REX can precisely point. Slow motion controls on each axis allow you to pan the telescope’s field of view with precision and control, without shaking the telescope. For longer sweeps of the sky, a quick release of the clutch handle on each axis lets you move the telescope freely by hand to any point in the sky, while the DSC is keeping track of where the telescope is pointing.
The T-REX Alt-Azimuth telescope mount features:
• Very smooth dual axis 360 degree slow motion gears controlled by long and easy to grip aluminum handles
• Built in and well protected 4096 count internal encoders
• Vixen dovetail compatible saddle plate with oversized locking knobs and Takahashi-compatible mounting hole spacing
• High profile "pier" body design that helps raise your telescope`s focuser to a comfortable viewing height
• Available in black or white exterior finishes
• Strong stainless steel tripod (if you have an Atlas or CGEM mount or a Vixen SX-HAL-130 tripod, you can use the tripod you already have if you wish)
Deep Space Products has the following upgrades available.
• Sky Commander XP4 Flash
• Argo Navis DSC (special order)
• 55cm flexible slow-motion handles
• ADM dual Losmandy/Vixen style saddle plate
• 20cm tripod pier extension tube
• 3/8” tripod adapter plate (special order)
• Soft carrying case that holds the T-REX on the tripod so that disassembly is unnecessary.
• Berlebach tripods
The T-REX AltAzimuth telescope mount head is manufactured with high precision in Japan with great attention to detail throughout and designed for a long working life of low-maintenance dependability. Enhanced DSC object acquisition accuracy is an added benefit of the precision manufacturing and, coupled with accurate placement of DSC initialization marks at 0 degrees and 90 degrees on the altitude axis, means that you can spend more time finding and observing objects, not searching for them.
Plug your (optional) digital setting circle readout module into the altitude and azimuth encoder jacks on the side of the T-REX telescope mount’s body, initialize it on start up taking advantage of the initialization markers (see below) , and your DSC is then good to go. 4096 step encoders are direct coupled for a 1:1 gear ratio (T-REX`s encoder parameters are (azimuth) AZ -04096 and (altitude) AL+04096). This simple data input (along with any additional inputs required by the particular DSC used) is all that is needed for the readout module to accurately find objects.
The tension applied to each axis of the T-REX telescope mount as it rotates is controlled by a clamp handle on each axis. Slightly tightening the clamp handles compensates for small balance variations. As conditions require, leave the clamp handles completely unclamped for fast manual slewing, or cinch the handle down to firmly lock that axis in a set position and engage the slow motion controls. With each axis 1/8 to 1/4 clamped, the slow motion controls engage to apply precise and smooth slewing during medium and high magnification observing sessions. Gear tension is factory adjusted to provide smooth rotation under most conditions, but you can also adjust it to provide slightly more or less tension.
The T-Rex Alt-Azimuth telescope mount is the perfect visual astronomy observing platform for refractors, reflectors, and SCTs. The T-REX telescope mount has its basic design rooted in the more simple T-mount designs that are popular as grab-and-go mounts for smaller OTAs, primarily refractors. However, the T-REX offers a much higher level of functionality as a smart, strong, precise and well-made telescope mount that easily supports many types of OTAs, including refractors, reflectors and SCTs
While the basic T-REX Alt-Azimuth telescope mount is ready to use out of the box, because of the built-in encoders, you can order it with or easily add on digital setting circles (“DSC”) to give you the ability to select from thousands of items to which the T-REX can precisely point. Slow motion controls on each axis allow you to pan the telescope’s field of view with precision and control, without shaking the telescope. For longer sweeps of the sky, a quick release of the clutch handle on each axis lets you move the telescope freely by hand to any point in the sky, while the DSC is keeping track of where the telescope is pointing.
The T-REX Alt-Azimuth telescope mount features:
• Very smooth dual axis 360 degree slow motion gears controlled by long and easy to grip aluminum handles
• Built in and well protected 4096 count internal encoders
• Vixen dovetail compatible saddle plate with oversized locking knobs and Takahashi-compatible mounting hole spacing
• High profile "pier" body design that helps raise your telescope`s focuser to a comfortable viewing height
• Available in black or white exterior finishes
• Strong stainless steel tripod (if you have an Atlas or CGEM mount or a Vixen SX-HAL-130 tripod, you can use the tripod you already have if you wish)
Deep Space Products has the following upgrades available.
• Sky Commander XP4 Flash
• Argo Navis DSC (special order)
• 55cm flexible slow-motion handles
• ADM dual Losmandy/Vixen style saddle plate
• 20cm tripod pier extension tube
• 3/8” tripod adapter plate (special order)
• Soft carrying case that holds the T-REX on the tripod so that disassembly is unnecessary.
• Berlebach tripods
The T-REX AltAzimuth telescope mount head is manufactured with high precision in Japan with great attention to detail throughout and designed for a long working life of low-maintenance dependability. Enhanced DSC object acquisition accuracy is an added benefit of the precision manufacturing and, coupled with accurate placement of DSC initialization marks at 0 degrees and 90 degrees on the altitude axis, means that you can spend more time finding and observing objects, not searching for them.
Using the T-REX Apex Alt-Azimuth Telescope Mount
The T-REX Alt-Azimuth telescope mount is simple to use and designed to be virtually maintenance and adjustment free. The T-REX telescope mount attaches to (and releases from) the tripod with just one hand-tightened lock bolt. Any telescope with a Vixen compatible dovetail plate (or a Losmandy compatible dovetail plate if the ADM dual saddle is used) easily mates to the T-REX`s saddle plate, locking in place by tightening two hand bolts. The telescope mount is quickly balanced in the altitude axis simply by moving the OTA forward or backward as necessary.Plug your (optional) digital setting circle readout module into the altitude and azimuth encoder jacks on the side of the T-REX telescope mount’s body, initialize it on start up taking advantage of the initialization markers (see below) , and your DSC is then good to go. 4096 step encoders are direct coupled for a 1:1 gear ratio (T-REX`s encoder parameters are (azimuth) AZ -04096 and (altitude) AL+04096). This simple data input (along with any additional inputs required by the particular DSC used) is all that is needed for the readout module to accurately find objects.
The tension applied to each axis of the T-REX telescope mount as it rotates is controlled by a clamp handle on each axis. Slightly tightening the clamp handles compensates for small balance variations. As conditions require, leave the clamp handles completely unclamped for fast manual slewing, or cinch the handle down to firmly lock that axis in a set position and engage the slow motion controls. With each axis 1/8 to 1/4 clamped, the slow motion controls engage to apply precise and smooth slewing during medium and high magnification observing sessions. Gear tension is factory adjusted to provide smooth rotation under most conditions, but you can also adjust it to provide slightly more or less tension.