ZLOMOTION Dobsonian Slow Motion Control
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- Опубликовано: 14 ноя 2014
- This is a video review of the ZLOMOTION slow motion tracking system for Dobsonian telescopes. The telescope is a Zhumell Z-12 12-inch dob.
The system is designed and produced by Dan Katz of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is very finely engineered and wonderfully crafted. What's more, it is amazing to use!
For more information, contact Dan Katz directly at zlomotion48atgmail.com. 
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Thanks Richard.. Got mine yesterday a 12 inch Starhopper..
I'd have added a vertical steering knob to the horizontal axis. It'd make constant movement much easier, I think. Great video and definitely worth looking into. Thanks.
11 out of 10, brilliant, I'm always looking for ways to modify things that you can remove later to bring it back to stock maby for resale or newer ideas etc, absolutely brilliant, you should consider putting it into a kit and selling it.
+powertool4uau Actually, this is a kit manufactured and sold by Dan Katz here in Chattanooga, TN. Check it out at www.zlomotion.com. I am just his PR frontman :) Dan really has done a great job with this system.
Ok certainly will check it out I have a 12inch Dob thanks for that
Cannot access website
Done any imaging ??
Dear Richard: I love the design, but have one question. When you were demonstrating the use of the control knobs on this and on your 6-inch telescope, the tubes seemed to bounce up and down a lot, which surprised me. I assumed the rod would keep the tube pretty still.
Was that movement due to the camera in your hand, or was it the tube? How much movement is there when you have your eye to the eyepiece and you're moving one or both knobs?
Thanks.
54Newheart -
You can get a little bounce when making large adjustments with either scope. They dampen pretty quickly. When actually at the finder or eyepiece, everything is very smooth - much better and more precise than manual adjustments for a dob. And I was making this with an iPad in my hand ;). Any jiggles are when adjusting altitude; azimuth is absolutely smooth. It takes a very light touch when at the eyepiece, which I found came pretty easy after a short time.
Dear Richard: Thank you for such a prompt response. I'm making a 4-inch Dob for my little grandson, and I'm debating utilising some of these aspects to give him a steady image that's easy to control. He's going to be eight, and I don't want him to be discouraged by a jiggly scope that takes too long to dampen. Thanks again, and good luck!
Can I get such a tracking system for my 12 inch dob...Looks the same, celestron..??
Gunnar Jensen - check out the website in the description and contact Dan. He can work with you and probably come up with a solution for you. It is really a nice system, despite what other commenters who have evidently not tried it have said ;)
WANA SEE SOME PICTURES
My opinion is it looks like a jury-rigged add-on.
The jury is certainly out on this one.
Need to address the elephant in the room. the flaw of this system is that you are attaching these mechanical devices to a dobsonian base that is particle board to begin with. Aka fall-a-particle board. If your Dob base fails, Zhumell (or Orion) won't sell you another one even if you're the original owner and you're just out of luck.
A dobsonian scope with smooth bearings, even one with a particle board base, shouldn't need slow motion controls in the first place. Inexpensive hacks like virgin Teflon, ebony star or similar laminates, and balancing magnets should get you to where you can hand track near the zenith/ Dobson's hole at 300x. I did all these inexpensive hacks. I also replaced the original particleboard base of my XT8 with one made of Baltic birch.
Hi Bryan! Yes, I can see your concern, but my experience (all of about 5 years worth) is that the particle board base is holding up well. I acquired this scope itself second-hand, and its bearings are quite good and smooth. I have had it for 5 years, and it gets used on grass, gravel, and asphalt pretty regularly. I have not noticed any issues with the board starting to disintegrate, but I can certainly see how that could happen over time. In the event that it does, I or pals of mine could probably fabricate a replacement without too much trouble.
I had the Zlomotion installed after I had been using the scope for a while. My issue is not with the bearings themselves or the smoothness of the motions; rather it was more my lack of the fine motor skills and coordination to smoothly star-hop or track objects smoothly and easily. Also, at a Star Party, guests routinely grab for the scope when they go to take a look. With this system, they only move it in azimuth, which makes reacquisition a snap. Also makes recentering quicker and easier as the targets move out of the field.
Thanks for your observations. I'll be keeping a close eye on my ground board 😉
Bryan is right, that stuff is CRAP.
Can't hardly hear what your saying in the video even at max volume on my phone
+Richard Hunt Hey Richard - the issue must be on your phone, as the volume is fine on my computer. Just tried it on my iPhone 5S and the sound was OK through the speaker, but better with headphones.
The Shipping options are not very bright. First it says "You cannot continue checkout because there are no shipping options available", and under that is says "Select a shipping option to continue".
Pretty dumb.
Price is WAY TOO HIGH for that thing. Wood parts will eventually fail due to rotting. All wood eventually rots. Should have made the wood parts out of aluminum.
Pass.