Upgraded to the AM5N from my trusty AM3 - not because of the higher Payload (at the moment, maybe later), but because of the cable management! (And mainly because my dealer made me a very very fair prize with giving him back my AM3 after 10 Months of use!)
Good point and what WE DON"T KNOW, is the 2 extra KG is it a true data? Also and the AM5 with counterweights at 13 KG and AM5N at 15KG same performance? Also the only feature I wanted was the power in the Dovetail 12v 3amp. I'm thinking once we see an AM5N teardown to see how ZWO ran the 2 cables from the Dovetail into the mount? I'm thinking maybe just drilling an 1/2" hole thru the black round RA part so a cable can get into the AM5 body? Also the AM5 head dovetail looks like to have a place to mount a 5.5mm x 2.1mm jack, will need to confirm. Last what issues will the AM5N at 15KG and or the newer features.
Hello. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for the impressive fredback. Regarding actual weight with a large telescope the am5 suports like 9.6 kg and maximum performance and the am5n 11 kg without the counterweight this is a calculation of using the torque of the mounts. The new am5n has a small advantage with payload but for many will not be noticeable only if using larger telescopes might count
I will also choose the older AM5. The reason is simple: the DC and USB ports on the saddle are in the way, preventing the side-by-side setup method with a 90-degree rotation. The DC power at the front and this low-flexibility saddle might be ZWO's first failure. Ideally, they should have developed a rotating saddle with a free clamp, but ZWO did not do that. Therefore, I decided to go with the HAE69CEC, which has rear DC+USB ports, and the older AM5, which can rotate 90 degrees. Alternatively, I might purchase the AM5N, remove the protrusions on the saddle, and disconnect the internal cables from the board. I also think the case has deteriorated. A soft case would be smaller and better.
IMHO, by far, the best thing on the new mount is the thru-mount wiring. And by far, the biggest negative is the travel case. I like the old case much more. Capacity isn’t relevant to me because I use modest size refractors.
Thanks for the great video, quite a different story to the new Dwarf 3 😉 I have a 10”Quattro and if I was going to by an AM5 I would go for the new version myself , for a few more hundred pounds, not sure of the exact difference, I would wait for the AM5 N. It’s only a couple of months and worth the wait I think otherwise you might end up being disappointed or having to put on the counterweight to improve your guiding? If you’re going to settle for the 8” Reflector I would say you’ made a good choice with the old version. Good deal you have made though getting a tripod thrown in.
Thanks for the feedback and glad you enjoyed the video! My Quattro 250/1000 arrived today, i am still deciding if i will use it on the carbon fiber tripod or not, next week i plan to make a pier on my backyard for testing this 10 inch newtonian propery with the AM5, on this heavier telescopes you need to sue also the conterweight on both models of am5. I manage to get the telescope as lown to test it and buy after if it will work good with the mount, the new AM5N has an advantage on a larger telescope, but i hope also the old version will also be enough and still handle the weight good, would ahve been better a carbon fiber 10 inch but was over my gudget, so i will see after the test and make new videos on the channel with the results
Only reason to get the am5 is price and case. Otherwise the am5n is superior in every other way. Pass thru connection, weight capacity and one of the biggest thing u never mentioned is the tighten the tolerance to 10 arc sec instead of 20 arc sec on the am5. So even the worst am5n will still be twice better than the worst am5.
I think i did mention the periodic error. The am5 i think was 16 and am5n is 10. I am currently very happy with the mount. Works good also with a 10 inch steel newtonian. The Am5 might perform better in some situations though.
Upgraded to the AM5N from my trusty AM3 - not because of the higher Payload (at the moment, maybe later), but because of the cable management! (And mainly because my dealer made me a very very fair prize with giving him back my AM3 after 10 Months of use!)
That is an upgrade
Good point and what WE DON"T KNOW, is the 2 extra KG is it a true data? Also and the AM5 with counterweights at 13 KG and AM5N at 15KG same performance? Also the only feature I wanted was the power in the Dovetail 12v 3amp. I'm thinking once we see an AM5N teardown to see how ZWO ran the 2 cables from the Dovetail into the mount? I'm thinking maybe just drilling an 1/2" hole thru the black round RA part so a cable can get into the AM5 body? Also the AM5 head dovetail looks like to have a place to mount a 5.5mm x 2.1mm jack, will need to confirm. Last what issues will the AM5N at 15KG and or the newer features.
Hello. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for the impressive fredback. Regarding actual weight with a large telescope the am5 suports like 9.6 kg and maximum performance and the am5n 11 kg without the counterweight this is a calculation of using the torque of the mounts. The new am5n has a small advantage with payload but for many will not be noticeable only if using larger telescopes might count
I will also choose the older AM5. The reason is simple: the DC and USB ports on the saddle are in the way, preventing the side-by-side setup method with a 90-degree rotation. The DC power at the front and this low-flexibility saddle might be ZWO's first failure. Ideally, they should have developed a rotating saddle with a free clamp, but ZWO did not do that. Therefore, I decided to go with the HAE69CEC, which has rear DC+USB ports, and the older AM5, which can rotate 90 degrees. Alternatively, I might purchase the AM5N, remove the protrusions on the saddle, and disconnect the internal cables from the board. I also think the case has deteriorated. A soft case would be smaller and better.
Thank you for the imput. Hae69 is other level i think, curious ig you wills till need guiding. At what price did you found it?
IMHO, by far, the best thing on the new mount is the thru-mount wiring. And by far, the biggest negative is the travel case. I like the old case much more. Capacity isn’t relevant to me because I use modest size refractors.
Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks for the great video, quite a different story to the new Dwarf 3 😉 I have a 10”Quattro and if I was going to by an AM5 I would go for the new version myself , for a few more hundred pounds, not sure of the exact difference, I would wait for the AM5 N. It’s only a couple of months and worth the wait I think otherwise you might end up being disappointed or having to put on the counterweight to improve your guiding? If you’re going to settle for the 8” Reflector I would say you’ made a good choice with the old version. Good deal you have made though getting a tripod thrown in.
Thanks for the feedback and glad you enjoyed the video! My Quattro 250/1000 arrived today, i am still deciding if i will use it on the carbon fiber tripod or not, next week i plan to make a pier on my backyard for testing this 10 inch newtonian propery with the AM5, on this heavier telescopes you need to sue also the conterweight on both models of am5. I manage to get the telescope as lown to test it and buy after if it will work good with the mount, the new AM5N has an advantage on a larger telescope, but i hope also the old version will also be enough and still handle the weight good, would ahve been better a carbon fiber 10 inch but was over my gudget, so i will see after the test and make new videos on the channel with the results
Only reason to get the am5 is price and case. Otherwise the am5n is superior in every other way. Pass thru connection, weight capacity and one of the biggest thing u never mentioned is the tighten the tolerance to 10 arc sec instead of 20 arc sec on the am5. So even the worst am5n will still be twice better than the worst am5.
I think i did mention the periodic error. The am5 i think was 16 and am5n is 10. I am currently very happy with the mount. Works good also with a 10 inch steel newtonian. The Am5 might perform better in some situations though.