Italy-based manufacturer Avalon has announced that a new mount, the compact, belt-driven Avalon EVO Zero, is now available for pre-order. Using timing belts and polymer fiberglass pulleys, Avalon claims the new mount has no backlash or spikes, requires no maintenance and has greater rigidity than previous mounts. Parts are all CNC machined from solid aluminum blocks. Balance is such that the mount has no RA and Dec clutches and find balancing adjustments are unnecessary. Resolution of movement on RA and Dec is 0.1 arc-second with the HQ stepper motors. The mount’s weight is 5 kg (11 lbs.) and payload capacity is 13 kg (29 lbs.). Latitude adjustment from 0° to 90° is accomplished with a knob. StarGo, the included Wi-Fi controller, supports ASCOM, INDI for Linux. An included keypad StarGo can be used for manual operation, and the StarGo also connects to smart devices via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The StarGo controller also has ports for directly connecting other devices.
MSRP: 2900 Euros (Discounted price for pre-orders only; not including VAT)
Website: www.avalon-instruments.com
