Review: The AM3 Harmonic Drive Mount and TC40 Tripod from ZWO - Part 1 of 2
The AM3 Harmonic Drive Mount from ZWO is a Strain Wave drive telescope mount.
Photo credit ZWO / Stock photo.
If you haven't seen it already, you should have a look at my 'Arrival and First Impressions' post.
Additional benefits of The Strain Wave Drive technology:
- You no longer need to even balance your telescope! This is great!
- There aren't any clutches to tighten or loosen, lock or unlock, etc.
- It is accurate! Strain Wave mounts experience very little periodic error (ZWO guarantees less than +/- 20 arcseconds (this is low enough to have no noticeable effect on your imaging).
- It may function in both Equatorial and Alt/Azimuth mode.
- In addition, each AM3 and AM5 comes with a certificate, stating the (individual) mount's amount of periodic error - Awesome.
Arrival and unboxing...
Arrival!
Unboxed and set-up - On The TC40 carbon fiber tripod by ZWO:
Music to my ears!
The AM3 comes provided with a sturdy, styrofoam-like box (similar to what The Seestar S50 comes with). Also included in the box:
- The AM3 Mount
- A 2-meter long, angled, gold-plated USB cable.
- The unique PEC test report.
- A Quick Start Guide (Instruction Manual).
- The Hand Controller & Hand Controller cable (coiled, 2 meters long).
- 2 appropriately sized allen key wrenches (M6, and M4, for mount adjustments).
So this is a look under the main plate (dovetail holder)
Obviously, this is a loaner unit / for review & testing
When you order one, it will be factory fresh!
The AM3 can carry 17.5 lbs of equipment without a counterweight. If and when the need for heavier rigs comes up - Installing the optional counterweight bar & counterweight, allows The AM3 to hold 28.5 lbs of equipment!
All from a small, lightweight mount, which itself weighs only 17.5 lbs!
It features:
- A strong load capacity of: 8kg- Without a counterweight - and 13kg with a counterweight installed.
- It can function as an equatorial mount -Or- As an Alt-Azimuth mount!
- It uses Strain Wave gear technology along with a synchronous belt system.
- The AM3 (and AM5) utilize a compact and lightweight design.
- The mount is provided with a hand controller, as well as WiFi, Bluetooth, and built-in Live Star Database.
- It is ASCOM compatible (of course), and may be recognized as a (Meade) LX200 (by older software systems).
Following up on this last bullet point: I have tested The AM3 mount with a plethora of currently available software - And I have yet to find a software application which doesn't instantly recognize, and work with it!
At the most basic level, The AM3/AM5 mounts may be controlled by the ASI Mount App (both iOS & Android) freely provided by ZWO. I like the fact that firmware updates are automatically prompted.
At first, I found it quite amazing, that such an advanced piece of equipment could be easily controlled via a smartphone.
Sharing some screenshots from the easy set-up process
beginning with the installation of standard ASCOM software/drivers:
Selecting/Installing (defaults) ASCOM software
When ASCOM Platform has been installed successfully, you'll see this:
The AM3 mount has a dual saddle; which means it can hold either a:
Vixen / V-Style -or- a Losmandy / D-style dovetail.
While testing the mount, I also checked out how it would work for visual astronomy. I first tried the mount in Equatorial mode. It took a little getting used to: remembering the directions in which the scope moves, in relation to the movement of the joystick.
Afterwards, I switched it to Altitude/Azimuth mode, and it worked much better! Much easier to get comfortable with it's movements. This mount can serve many functions. The indicator on the mount lights-up green to indicated Alt/Az Mode (Red for Eq Mode).
Initializing Auto/Online Update for the AM3 Mount:
I was running N.I.N.A. at the time...
Yes - That's N.I.N.A.
The AM3 Harmonic Drive Mount may be ordered directly from The ZWO Site.
If you live in The US, Astronomics carries the full line of ZWO Mounts and accessories.
Additional features include:
- LED status indicator (bi-color) to inform you of the Mount's current role (Eq. or AltAz.), as well as any error conditions. As does the lighted Power-on button.
- USB port - A USB 2.0 port - For connecting to an ASIAIR, etc.
- Auto Guide port / Guiding port (ST4 cable).
- Hand controller port - This features a rocker-style joystick, which may be moved 8 directions.
- 12v DC power supply port.
Please note: The mount isn't provided with a power supply/plug. You can order the ZWO 12V 5A AC to DC Adapter, at time of purchase. ZWO manufactures Pier Extensions to be used by folks with much larger refractor telescopes. ZWO makes both 160mm (6.3") -and- 200mm (7.9") Extension Piers as available options for The AM5.
And, of course, the ZWO TC40 Tripod is perfectly matched to the AM3/AM5 Mounts.
At this point, I would urge you to visit ZWO's Page on The AM3 Mount, to see all of the technical features and specifications. There is even a Special WO RedCat Edition of the mount - A result of a joint project with Williams Optics - (another outstanding manufacturer of astronomy equipment). It's a Limited Edition, with only 35 units being made!
The AM3/AM5 mounts are very unique! They definitely take a bit of getting used to - The AM3 is unlike any telescope mount I've ever used. One of the main things you'll notice right away, is how easy it is to use. Once you begin using one of these mounts, it will be near impossible to want to use any other kind. Now, you'll have all this extra time available - from not having to adjust, and re-adjust the settings you would on a typical EQ mount.
I've used The AM3 with all of the popular AP equipment control applications out there today. Including: N.I.N.A., APT, PHD2, etc.
As well as planetarium software, such as: Cartes du Ciel, Sky Safari Pro, and more! And it just always works!
In addition to the TC40 carbon fiber tripod, which Astronomics happens to have a great price on; there are several additional accessories available - Which include:
ZWO Counterweight Bar, and ZWO Pier Extension for The AM5.
Note: I am not affiliate with Astronomics either, I just noticed that they offered ZWO products at good prices.
All ASCOM Components updated:
The AM3 (and AM5) Harmonic Drive Mounts from ZWO, are the kind of mount one would buy, when you simply want your equipment to work - and work well. If you are tired of mucking about with the "conventional" types of equatorial mounts: Loosening, and tightening clutches, spending time balancing everything (esp. if changing telescopes), having to carry/move an awkwardly shaped (and heavy) mount around - Then you should be looking into an AM3 mount.
And yes, you will pay a bit more for an AM3 Mount...But a Chinese adage comes to mind: "Cheap things are not good, good things are not cheap"
Stay tuned for Part 2 of 2 of The AM3 Mount review coming up...
Thanks again, and Clear skies!
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